I've had my new 2012 MacBook Air for about four days now. I've used it quite a few times to play Counter Strike Source, without the unit plugged in. I've accumulated 6 cycles. My battery health was 97.6% last night and is now 96%. I've done the research and this is apparently normal. My understanding is that battery health is never 100% from the factory, and it takes some use to find where it's really at, and then stay there. Is this correct? While playing a game should I keep the Air plugged in? My understanding is that when the unit is fully charged and plugged in it does not run off the battery, but the AC. I see myself keeping it plugged in for games, and regularly cycling it when I'm doing light tasks. Does this sound like a good strategy for preserving the battery?
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Battery Health
- Thread starter pexxoum
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It will be fine. You shouldn't need a "strategy" for using your battery; just use it how you want and you will probably find that it lasts several years before needing to be replaced, and by then, you might be ready for a new computer anyways.
But yes, what you said above will keep the battery cycles going so it shouldn't decline abnormally fast.
2010 11", 18 months old, used to hold more than four hours, now down to less than two, Condition: replace soon, 467 cycles, says 73% but is actually less than half.
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I wasn't paying full attention. Within a few weeks. The battery was only a few months old when I sold the laptop.
Brand new battery capacity is a crapshoot... like with many things it has a tolerance of error. The 11" Airs for instance are spec rated for 4680. If you get one right on the dot (after calibration or whatnot), then you are truly at 100%. But you may get one that is less. My last Air never saw more than 98%. My new one is over 102% (it rates 4790), but of course only shows 100%.
How did you determine the health of your battery? Did you use an app?
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I find the whole battery health issue somewhat confusing and concerning. Confusing because there seems to be a bit of misinformation out there and Apple's official write up lacks clarity and concerning because "you" as a proud owner want to do what's needed to extend the life of your laptop and battery.
Thoughts?
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I find the whole battery health issue somewhat confusing and concerning. Confusing because there seems to be a bit of misinformation out there and Apple's official write up lacks clarity and concerning because "you" as a proud owner want to do what's needed to extend the life of your laptop and battery.
Thoughts?
I used two different apps which both gave me the same results. I agree, the battery issue is very confusing.
I believe it was Battery Monitor and Battery Guard. I'm not sure. Type in battery and it's the two most popular.
You can also find out by going to:
Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> More Info... -> System Report -> Power
Then look at the entry for "Full Charge Capacity (mAh)"
Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> More Info... -> System Report -> Power
Then look at the entry for "Full Charge Capacity (mAh)"
I would look into getting apple to address this, especially if you have applecare. They promised the battery would work for 1000 cycles; and I believe they replace batteries that get below 50% within the warrantee period that have had less than the promised number of cycles. You're about on your way to get there...
For the first few days, charge the battery to 100% then use battery on the air until it dries out or almost dries out. then do this once every few months to maximize battery performance.
It is perfectly normal if your battery health (maximum capacity) is more or less than 100%, even when brand new, or if it fluctuates up or down over time. For further details, read the CHECKING STATUS AND HEALTH section of the link below.
It depends on the resource demands of the game. It's normal for your MBP to draw power from both AC and battery during periods of extreme demand, such as gaming or other multimedia operations. This can cause your battery to stop charging or even drain. Read the AC POWER section of the following link.
The only strategy you need is to run on battery when you need to and run on AC power when you can. As long as you're not running on AC power all the time, you'll be fine.
iStat Pro will give you information on battery, temperatures, fans, and many other things.
That is not necessary at all. The batteries do not require "conditioning". Also, the built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration or like the removable batteries.
This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:
Thank you. Very informative and with proof to back it all up. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.
My health is at 97% right from the factory. Full charge capacity shows 6467 mAh. The battery life is much improved over my old MBP, but I really wish I got a 100% battery. That 3% I'm missing equates to about 10 minutes of charge.
