Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

asdfsdf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 12, 2008
7
0
on the apple website, it says to calibrate the battery, charge it to full, then leave it plugged in 2+ hours when its 100%, then use the macbook until the battery runs out and goes to sleep..

my question is, during the "use the macbook until the bettery runs out and goes to sleep," can i shut the lid of my macbook? because i know shutting the lid puts the macbook to sleep.. so does that ruin the calibration??
 
Sleeping the Mac slows down the battery draining process. It's better to just use a screen saver to lock the screen, but leave it awake.
 
you dont have to calibrate the battery, apple does it from the factory. and the newer laptops dont need calibration. i went thru the entire leopard guide, laptop manual, etc, all the documentation that came with my macbook, nothing about the battery calibration, that was only for the older lithium ion technologies. just use it, dont bother with calibration.
 
you dont have to calibrate the battery, apple does it from the factory. and the newer laptops dont need calibration. i went thru the entire leopard guide, laptop manual, etc, all the documentation that came with my macbook, nothing about the battery calibration, that was only for the older lithium ion technologies. just use it, dont bother with calibration.

Not true. Apple says very clearly that your battery performance benefits from calibration. Read here.

"The battery calibration for ... any model of MacBook or MacBook Pro has been updated because of a new battery released with this computer. With these computers, follow these steps to calibrate your battery:"
 
again you only read partially. it said new batteries, so that must mean macbook models released recently, particularly the penryn macbooks. and second, it doesn't say you must do this when you first purchase the notebook. it only says that for the ibooks and powerbooks. so again, unless you just purchased the macbook, which i find highly unlikely, then there is no need to calibrate it. you could do it, but doing so does not reap much benefits.

anyhow, if this was important, im sure they would have put something about it in the manual. there isnt.
 
again you only read partially. it said new batteries, so that must mean macbook models released recently, particularly the penryn macbooks. and second, it doesn't say you must do this when you first purchase the notebook. it only says that for the ibooks and powerbooks. so again, unless you just purchased the macbook, which i find highly unlikely, then there is no need to calibrate it. you could do it, but doing so does not reap much benefits.

anyhow, if this was important, im sure they would have put something about it in the manual. there isnt.

I read it completely. Maybe you should, too.
  1. It means that ALL batteries should be calibrated. It's just that the calibration procedure is slightly different for the newest models.
  2. There are two sets of calibration procedures on the page. The first one is for "iBooks and PowerBook G4s other than the PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD)" The second is for "PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD), MacBook (all models), MacBook Pro (all models), and MacBook Pro (17-inch) (all models)"
  3. Also, no one said anything about calibrating when you first purchase a notebook. The OP just wanted to know the calibration procedure. They didn't say how long they've had their MacBook.
  4. The manual isn't designed to cover every issue or procedure related to operating a Mac.
  5. If you read these forums, you'll find many, many instances where calibrating a battery "reaps benefits".
 
4. Then what is the manual designed for? I thought the manual contained information that is vital, and covers the main topics and troubleshooting a notebook problem. Is it a useless booklet that contains un-important information? According to you, battery calibration is quite important...
 
4. Then what is the manual designed for? I thought the manual contained information that is vital, and covers the main topics and troubleshooting a notebook problem. Is it a useless booklet that contains un-important information? According to you, battery calibration is quite important...

Why do you think Apple maintains a support website with thousands of online articles and documents? If the manual was designed to hold it all, it would be bigger than the box that Macs are shipped in. The manual is basic information, but not the only source Apple expects a Mac user to rely on.

Along with the Mac comes a little booklet called "Everything Mac" with basic information about how to use your new Mac. Throughout the book, there are references to Apple's website for more information. In fact, the beginning page of every chapter has a link to the website.
again you only read partially...
On page 29: "For more information about battery conservation and performance tips, go to www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html"
That page has a link to "How to calibrate a battery for best performance"
 
put it this way, i have three laptops so far, all of them still hold 100% charge. one gets regular charge/drain, one was an ibook heavily used, and one macbook. i never calibrated them once. so what are the benefits? I'm sure if your point was valid, 3 laptops, 2 mac, 1 windows should be sufficient enough to prove it.
 
put it this way, i have three laptops so far, all of them still hold 100% charge. one gets regular charge/drain, one was an ibook heavily used, and one macbook. i never calibrated them once. so what are the benefits? I'm sure if your point was valid, 3 laptops, 2 mac, 1 windows should be sufficient enough to prove it.

Why don't you ask Apple? They're the ones who made your Mac and they're the ones who recommend calibration. Oh, but that might mean using their website...... better check the all-inclusive manual! :D
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.