Battery problems (condition: replace now)

[Pez555]

Have an early 2012 MBA.

Admittedly I haven't used the thing for a few months, but now our school has equipment in place to use apple products I wanted to fire it up and download some education apps for the kids, however I have ran into a few problems regarding the battery.

When I plug the cable into the mac it runs fine, however the status bar at the top says 'not charging' and the condition says replace now. The LED is a constant green with no signs of charging.

Have i left this macbook for too long unused? I'd be pretty pissed if this thing needs to be repaired as I haven't really used it all that much, and it is no longer under warranty. I mean i'm just checking the battery stats and it's only had 3 cycle counts....

shall i leave it plugged in overnight incase the charge kicks back in?

FYI i have performed an SMC reset and nothing changed!

Thanks

 

[Pez555]

Anyone?

 

[trevm999]

I have found that message to be pretty accurate in needing a replacement. If you are not too far out of warranty, I would call Apple, they will probably make you take it in to be tested, but they might replace it for you if it tests as failed (which I am 99% sure it will)

If you are not using it for long periods of time, it is best to leave it with a good amount of charge in it because it is bad for the battery to let it sit without any charge.

 

[dean1012]

They'll usually replace a defective battery for free, even if it's out of warranty, if you ask nicely.

3 cycle counts definitely sounds like a defective battery.

Admittedly i've never done that on a mac but I've had plenty of windows laptops that have sat for more than a year without any charging then work just fine. I could understand a reduced battery life from potential damage but it shouldn't be entirely dead.

 

[gnasher729]

They'll usually replace a defective battery for free, even if it's out of warranty, if you ask nicely.

3 cycle counts definitely sounds like a defective battery.

3 cycle counts for a MacBook that was built in early 2012 most likely doesn't count as defective. It sounds like the battery was left uncharged for many months, and that will hurt the battery.

 

[Pez555]

Thanks guys.

The last time I used it was late August just before school started - just over 2 months. Battery was definitely fully charged before I put it away as was using it on my bed plugged in.

My argument is that like above poster has already said, I have laptops that have been sitting around for years and they still charge up and hold a charge (even if minimal).

Will book a genius appointment for the weekend!