Battery Use Concern

[rtjn]

Hi guys,

This is my first post. I've been wanting to ask for suggestions on how to efficiently use my Mac Air '14 battery. I've read Apple's suggestions and I've been avoiding to keep the charger plugged in all the time and to discharge the battery to 0% in every 30 days. However, with the type of work I'm doing every day (online advertising), I consume three to four cycles a day due to heavy CPU usage and I'm afraid I will reach the 500-1000 cycle mark in less than a year.

These are a few of what I do every day:

1. Skype (share screen on) for 6 hr-straight.
2. Editing heavy files simultaneously on Lightroom and Photoshop
3. Syncing heavy files on dropbox all the time.
4. Video uploads.
5. 3 browsers, at least 6 tabs opened.

Do you think it's okay to keep it plugged in all the time?

Also, I'm new to Mac. I want to know if the battery gets exhausted, will I still be able to use my Air with the charger? Or Will I need to replace it?

Sorry for my English, not my first language.

 

[illusionx]

Battery Use Concern

Just leave it plugged it. Never drain it to 0%.

Best usage is the kind of people who use their laptop on their commute and charge it at work and so on...

If you drain it below 40%, it counts as a full cycle. Two 50% discharge will count as 1 full cycle. So you get more out of 2 half discharge than one "full" discharge.

 

[motrek]

Hi guys,

This is my first post. I've been wanting to ask for suggestions on how to efficiently use my Mac Air '14 battery. I've read Apple's suggestions and I've been avoiding to keep the charger plugged in all the time and to discharge the battery to 0% in every 30 days.
...

???

Of course you can keep the charger plugged in all the time and Apple never recommended otherwise.

They did recommend that you discharge the battery at least once every 30 days but that doesn't mean you should discharge the battery whenever possible, and it's no longer recommended anyway.

----------

...
If you drain it below 40%, it counts as a full cycle. ...

Where did you hear this?

 

[Meister]

Keep it plugged and charged as much as possible.
Completely discharge and recharge every 30 days.
Source: https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

 

[motrek]

Keep it plugged and charged as much as possible.
Completely discharge and recharge every 30 days.
Source: https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

BTW -- Apple removed the thing about discharging every 30 days. I don't know when. Maybe a year or two I think.

 

[Meister]

BTW -- Apple removed the thing about discharging every 30 days. I don't know when. Maybe a year or two I think.

Goo to know. Thank you.
Do you know why?

 

[thewap]

I would imagine battery maintenance tips might conflict with battery replacement profits..

 

[Meister]

I would imagine battery maintenance tips might conflict with battery replacement profits..

I think low battery life on a laptop marketed for it's long battery life would conflict with sales profits...

There are also non- studies on this topic that conclude the same thing.

 

[BenTrovato]

My laptop is plugged in all day.. if I haven't had to use the battery in 2 weeks I will fully discharge it and charge it. My batteries operate like new, forever.

 

[GGJstudios]

Hi guys,

This is my first post. I've been wanting to ask for suggestions on how to efficiently use my Mac Air '14 battery. I've read Apple's suggestions and I've been avoiding to keep the charger plugged in all the time and to discharge the battery to 0% in every 30 days

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.

​

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

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

If you drain it below 40%, it counts as a full cycle. Two 50% discharge will count as 1 full cycle. So you get more out of 2 half discharge than one "full" discharge.

That's not accurate. Read the "WHAT IS A CYCLE?" section of the Battery FAQ for details.

My laptop is plugged in all day.. if I haven't had to use the battery in 2 weeks I will fully discharge it and charge it.

You never need to fully discharge your battery, and doing so isn't good for it.