Any tips for maximizing battery life?

[Tlamaki]

Hello, i'm a new mac user, previously i had a HP laptop and i didn't care much about battery life or battery lifespan since i had 3 batteries.... Anyway, i need tips to maximizing my Air's battery life AND lifespan please, right now i try to keep it between 40%-80% with a monthly calibration.

thank you

 

[GGJstudios]

Hello, i'm a new mac user, previously i had a HP laptop and i didn't care much about battery life or battery lifespan since i had 3 batteries.... Anyway, i need tips to maximizing my Air's battery life AND lifespan please, right now i try to keep it between 40%-80% with a monthly calibration.

thank you

The built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration like the removable batteries in older Apple notebooks.

Run on battery whenever you need to and plug it in whenever you can. You can plug or unplug any time you need to, regardless of the charged percentage, and you never need to completely drain your battery. Just make sure you don't run on AC power exclusively, as your battery needs to be used regularly to stay healthy.

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The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[cedwhatev]

A few normal tips..

- Turn screen brightness down (50% or so), as well as keyboard backlight (2-3 bars work fine)
- Turn bluetooth off
- Close any programs not in use

 

[ionjohn]

A few normal tips..

- Turn screen brightness down (50% or so), as well as keyboard backlight (2-3 bars work fine)
- Turn bluetooth off
- Close any programs not in use

+1 and you should get mavericks when it's out, it'll help battery life.

 

[Tlamaki]

Hello, thanks for the replies, but there's something I don't fully understand, here you can red "AppleCare support recommends that if you leave your Mac plugged in most of the time, unplug it every 2 or 3 days and run on battery down to somewhere around 50%, then plug it back in. That keeps the electrons moving."

If I use it lets say about 6 hours per day, I can leave it plugged, no matter if it is fully charged, as long as I drain the battery every then and now to 50% right? Then I can assume this Apple charger is smart enough to not overcharge the notebook right?

thanks!

 

[GGJstudios]

If I use it lets say about 6 hours per day, I can leave it plugged, no matter if it is fully charged, as long as I drain the battery every then and now to 50% right? Then I can assume this Apple charger is smart enough to not overcharge the notebook right?

That is correct. It will not overcharge. It stops charging when full, and runs on AC power if left plugged in. The 50% figure is just a rough estimate. It can be 30% or 65% or 15% or 70%. Just as long as you run on battery regularly.

 

[smileman]

i just switched from Chrome to Safari for battery reasons

 

[coldjeanzzz]

Minimize exposure to flash content if you can, this is one of the biggest battery drainers.

 

[Dookieman]

i just switched from Chrome to Safari for battery reasons

I did the same only with FireFox. I use FireFox while plugged in, and Safari while unplugged since FF still has significant power drain compared to Safari. But overall I prefer FireFox.

 

[Isamilis]

Does anyone use FruitJuice. Just curious, what would be the benefit using that. I am on the 3rd days of using that and still saw any different.

I don't have any affiliation with the developer.

 

[GGJstudios]

Does anyone use FruitJuice. Just curious, what would be the benefit using that. I am on the 3rd days of using that and still saw any different.

I don't have any affiliation with the developer.

You don't need such apps. All you have to remember to do is run on battery occasionally. No "conditioning" is required on the built-in batteries. Just use and enjoy your Mac without worrying about the battery.

 

[Tlamaki]

Ok ok thank you very much, I guess I'll make a little weekly habit, I'll run on battery to 50% every Friday and every Tuesday. The rest of the week I'll keep it plugged the time I use it.

 

[ChesneyHawkes]

Do it!

Get Mavericks, numbers for battery life are getting stupidly high and way exceed the stated life that Apple quoted originally.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1657465/

 

[Tlamaki]

Get Mavericks, numbers for battery life are getting stupidly high and way exceed the stated life that Apple quoted originally.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1657465/

Of course I got Mavericks, and my doubts are more about battery's lifespan than the time my Air could run with a full charge.

 

[jdechko]

i just switched from Chrome to Safari for battery reasons

Minimize exposure to flash content if you can, this is one of the biggest battery drainers.

I did the same only with FireFox. I use FireFox while plugged in, and Safari while unplugged since FF still has significant power drain compared to Safari. But overall I prefer FireFox.

I use Safari as my every day browser. I never installed the flash plugin, so when I need to use flash for something, I open the tab in Chrome, which ships with flash preinstalled.

I purchased the Alfred Power Pack for multiple reasons, including the ability to run user scripts. One script is "Open current tab in Chrome". So it's a "CMD+Space, Ch" away.