Just got my new MBA and I am positing from it. I am so excited! Can someone tell me how I can find out the battery cycle count so far? I got the 1.86/4/128 refurbished and I want to make sure before I start using it.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Battery cycle count for new MBA
- Thread starter saintforlife
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Click on the
from your top menu bar Select about this mac
Click on more info
Go down to power
Cycle count is under Battery Information
You can also download 'coconut battery'. 
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/
I'm concerned that my MBA is only showing a 95% maximum capacity charge of the original and it is only 7 weeks old with 33 clock cycles.
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/
I'm concerned that my MBA is only showing a 95% maximum capacity charge of the original and it is only 7 weeks old with 33 clock cycles.
You can also download 'coconut battery'.
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/
I'm concerned that my MBA is only showing a 95% maximum capacity charge of the original and it is only 7 weeks old with 33 clock cycles.
That's perfectly normal. They rarely get up to 100% even when new. It will probably chill around 95% for a couple hundred cycles or so.
As others mentioned, use System Profiler, or install iStat Pro, iStat Menus or coconutBattery.
Quite normal. It will fluctuate up and down over time. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:
You can also download 'coconut battery'.
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/
I'm concerned that my MBA is only showing a 95% maximum capacity charge of the original and it is only 7 weeks old with 33 clock cycles.
I don't understand the logic in installing some crapware to determine what can be done right in the system profiler. Would someone please explain why in the world people would want to do this? I understand some don't know that it can be done in system profiler, but here you recommended this even after it was told just to go into system profiler. I just want to know the logic??? I guess I just don't believe in crapware that takes up resources, but others always recommend this.
Generally these types of programs offer more information and additional features. I doubt someone would take the time write a program (and set up a website page) that only did what the operating system already does.
If you view this only from wanting to know the cycle count...then you are right there is no added value from coconut.
I personally welcome and appreciate it when folks post about other programs like this as I might find them useful. Not everything is "Crap"ware as you suggest.
When to change battery
I only think you need to worry when like my wife's gen1.1 MBA, the battery is down to 89% after 400 cycles. The last few percent of capacity now disappears like lightning and the MBA tends to lose all the CMOS/BIOS data. This means you have to reset time, date and time zone plus your main WiFi password, which for some weird reason it wipes from Keychain. It seems like you have to repair Keychain and have Keychain open as you re-enter your WiFi password. I understand that there is supposed to be a capacitor which provides enough voltage to maintain this information but if the last bit of battery runs down too quickly, the capacitor does not charge up properly. I am about to order a replacement battery and hopefully, this problem will go away. I may have to get someone to replace the capacitor as well, if this is one of the infamous poor quality Taiwanese electrolytics.
Wilson
I only think you need to worry when like my wife's gen1.1 MBA, the battery is down to 89% after 400 cycles. The last few percent of capacity now disappears like lightning and the MBA tends to lose all the CMOS/BIOS data. This means you have to reset time, date and time zone plus your main WiFi password, which for some weird reason it wipes from Keychain. It seems like you have to repair Keychain and have Keychain open as you re-enter your WiFi password. I understand that there is supposed to be a capacitor which provides enough voltage to maintain this information but if the last bit of battery runs down too quickly, the capacitor does not charge up properly. I am about to order a replacement battery and hopefully, this problem will go away. I may have to get someone to replace the capacitor as well, if this is one of the infamous poor quality Taiwanese electrolytics.
Wilson
Yeah man....why would someone install MS Word when you have a fine notes program that came with the computer...
Using something like the iStat Pro widget to track temperatures, battery condition, memory status, fan speeds, battery condition, uptime, drive capacities, network and process information, etc. with a simple move of the mouse to a hot corner or activation of Dasboard is FAR FAR FAR quicker and more efficient than digging for all that information in System Profiler. It's not "crapware". It works extremely well. If you choose not to use it, that's your choice. Many others, however, find it quite valuable.
Click the Application stack in my dock, click CoconutBattery.
2 clicks.
Or, cmd+space, type coco, hit enter.
Or, to get to it in system profiler-
Click , click 'About..', click 'More info ', click 'Power'
Getting to CoconutBattery in my apps folder is just faster, and the information is delivered in a clearer manner. The same reasons I use a Mac in the first place.
Hi got a Macbook Air 13 late 2010 1.86 core 2 duo.
Had it since March 28 2011 (that's about 21 weeks and it already says the cycle count is 160, battery health 92%. Is this normal? It seems rather high to me - just over a cycle every day.
Especially when I keep it plugged in a lot of the time.
I let it rundown last night and fully charged it again though and it did go from 159 to 160, so doesn't seem to be miss-counting.
Any thoughts?
dom
Had it since March 28 2011 (that's about 21 weeks and it already says the cycle count is 160, battery health 92%. Is this normal? It seems rather high to me - just over a cycle every day.
Especially when I keep it plugged in a lot of the time.
I let it rundown last night and fully charged it again though and it did go from 159 to 160, so doesn't seem to be miss-counting.
Any thoughts?
dom
My 60 month MacBook has been through 206 cycles, which I thought was on the low side until my friend told me her 55 month old MacBook has only been through 14 cycles. I don't understand that at all.
Your friend keeps her computer plugged in more than you do. If the computer is constantly plugged in the battery won't run down. The battery has to run down to the equivalent of 0% and then be charged to full again to count as one cycle. (i.e. run the battery down to 50% and recharge it, do this 2 times and it counts as one cycle)
Your friend either doesn't use her MacBook as much as you use yours, or she keeps it plugged in FAR too much. Either way, she's not properly caring for her battery, or she would have at least 55 cycles on it by now. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:
95% with 35 cycles on my 13" i7 Air, I also drain it empty almost every time and it then sits off for 6+ hours to so called recalibrate.
Here is my take on it, for $149 you can have Apple put a new battery in it a year or two from now. NBD it's a ultraportable computer so use it that way
Here is my take on it, for $149 you can have Apple put a new battery in it a year or two from now. NBD it's a ultraportable computer so use it that way
The built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration like the removable batteries.
This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:
Draining it 'cos you're using it to depletion is fine, but doing it for the sake of it is completely pointless.
Not that this is scientific in anyway, but I lol at my mate who was obsessed with recalibration on his 3 y/o mbp, bought same time as my old mbp. Mine has bout 530 cycles, 91% health, his has roughly the same cyles but about 70% health. His lasts about an hour off mains, mine still gets over 2 hours on the rare occasion I use it on battery power (mba is my main lappy these days, the old mbp is a torrent/media centre workhorse).
Not that this is scientific in anyway, but I lol at my mate who was obsessed with recalibration on his 3 y/o mbp, bought same time as my old mbp. Mine has bout 530 cycles, 91% health, his has roughly the same cyles but about 70% health. His lasts about an hour off mains, mine still gets over 2 hours on the rare occasion I use it on battery power (mba is my main lappy these days, the old mbp is a torrent/media centre workhorse).
A.K.A., Bloat.
You'd be surprised how much money there is to make off the ignorance of people about computers.