Day One MacBook 12" - 4 Years of Battery Information

[TommyBoy5]

Well, here it is. This is a Day One order (3/30/2015) Space Gray 12" MacBook (1.2Ghz 512Gb SSD). Here is my Coconut Battery Health readout after two batteries and four years of data:

Date FullChargeCapacity CycleCount
5/16/15 5058 30
5/19/15 5060 33
5/21/15 5071 35
5/31/15 5067 46
6/6/15 5063 52
6/18/15 5016 66
6/24/15 4979 73
7/11/15 4938 92
7/19/15 4937 100
7/25/15 4945 109
8/7/15 4936 121
8/13/15 4935 128
8/23/15 4878 140
9/4/15 4830 148
9/16/15 4855 161
9/28/15 4780 176
10/7/15 4779 186
10/12/15 4590 194
10/14/15 4586 195
10/18/15 4638 201
11/29/15 4346 240
1/20/16 4460 321
1/29/16 4390 335
3/10/16 4329 404
5/23/16 4084 503
6/13/16 4266 528
7/6/16 4286 558
7/31/16 4348 587
8/13/16 4355 602
9/13/16 4047 638
10/29/16 3938 689
11/11/16 3890 700
11/25/16 3888 716
12/3/16 3836 729
12/20/16 3959 757
1/1/17 3955 776
1/7/17 3937 787
1/14/17 3939 802
1/20/17 3859 811
2/4/17 3950 834
2/11/17 3923 846
2/24/17 3726 861
3/6/17 3722 873
3/13/17 3834 883
3/20/17 3924 891
3/26/17 3972 898
4/14/17 3709 928 - 70% Battery Health
4/22/17 5183 1 Battery Replaced Under Warranty
4/30/17 5292 12
8/20/17 4759 150
9/25/17 4686 197
10/29/17 4473 240
11/8/17 4536 254
11/29/17 4490 273
12/16/17 4438 299
1/22/18 4179 342
3/3/18 4155 389
3/13/18 4193 404
4/10/18 3944 436
4/18/18 4028 445
5/12/18 4509 474
5/18/18 4155 483
6/6/18 3949 513
6/22/18 4035 537
7/18/18 4075 567
7/24/18 4081 575
8/10/18 4030 600
8/15/18 3784 606
9/17/18 3816 644
10/9/18 3809 668
10/15/18 3844 679
10/28/18 3767 696
11/5/18 3807 709
11/7/18 4072 713
11/11/18 3820 719
11/30/18 3786 740
12/21/18 3466 780
12/30/18 3311 794
1/5/19 3276 806
1/20/19 3330 830
2/8/19 3312 859 - 63% Battery Health

So this is for you data junkies. 1758 total cycles. 2 batteries. Original MacBook 12".

I use this every day for hours. I do not take into consideration any battery saving techniques whatsoever. I plug in when I need to, when I'm not using it, overnight, all day, etc.

The Apple replacement battery took 740 cycles to get down to 70% health while the original lasted another 200 cycles beyond that to hit 70%.

It's time for battery replacement number two, or the third battery in this MacBook. If you're a heavy user and blow through a cycle a day every day, you're going to see around two years out of the battery.

I've also had two keyboard replacements due to sticking and unresponsive keys, the top case replaced, and the motherboard replaced. All of this was under warranty. This battery replacement will be my first out of pocket expense for this laptop. I believe it's around $200 for the replacement battery through Apple. I've looked at other options and you only save around $70 and have to take apart the whole laptop, physically pry out the batteries and then use adhesive to replace them. It's just not worth my time.

All in all this has been a great laptop. Looks like my trade-in value through Apple is $451 for this laptop. I entertained getting a new MacBook or maybe a 15" MBP. My son has that and loves it but it's just too heavy and extreme overkill for what I personally use this for. And I love the portability for travel as I'm on airplanes every couple of weeks.

Have a good day, all!

 

[radiologyman]

Did AppleCare plus pay for battery replacement after 1 year? How did you get yours?

 

[537635]

Now this is why a user replaceable battery would be nice.

 

[TommyBoy5]

Did AppleCare plus pay for battery replacement after 1 year? How did you get yours?

Yep. Apple Care took care of it. I always buy it for every Apple computer I purchase. iPhones and iPads - no.

 

[radiologyman]

Yep. Apple Care took care of it. I always buy it for every Apple computer I purchase. iPhones and iPads - no.

Smart. Cost of battery replacement alone pays for Apple Care for heavy users like us.

 

[oldmacs]

Well, here it is. This is a Day One order (3/30/2015) Space Gray 12" MacBook (1.2Ghz 512Gb SSD). Here is my Coconut Battery Health readout after two batteries and four years of data:

Date FullChargeCapacity CycleCount
5/16/15 5058 30
5/19/15 5060 33
5/21/15 5071 35
5/31/15 5067 46
6/6/15 5063 52
6/18/15 5016 66
6/24/15 4979 73
7/11/15 4938 92
7/19/15 4937 100
7/25/15 4945 109
8/7/15 4936 121
8/13/15 4935 128
8/23/15 4878 140
9/4/15 4830 148
9/16/15 4855 161
9/28/15 4780 176
10/7/15 4779 186
10/12/15 4590 194
10/14/15 4586 195
10/18/15 4638 201
11/29/15 4346 240
1/20/16 4460 321
1/29/16 4390 335
3/10/16 4329 404
5/23/16 4084 503
6/13/16 4266 528
7/6/16 4286 558
7/31/16 4348 587
8/13/16 4355 602
9/13/16 4047 638
10/29/16 3938 689
11/11/16 3890 700
11/25/16 3888 716
12/3/16 3836 729
12/20/16 3959 757
1/1/17 3955 776
1/7/17 3937 787
1/14/17 3939 802
1/20/17 3859 811
2/4/17 3950 834
2/11/17 3923 846
2/24/17 3726 861
3/6/17 3722 873
3/13/17 3834 883
3/20/17 3924 891
3/26/17 3972 898
4/14/17 3709 928 - 70% Battery Health
4/22/17 5183 1 Battery Replaced Under Warranty
4/30/17 5292 12
8/20/17 4759 150
9/25/17 4686 197
10/29/17 4473 240
11/8/17 4536 254
11/29/17 4490 273
12/16/17 4438 299
1/22/18 4179 342
3/3/18 4155 389
3/13/18 4193 404
4/10/18 3944 436
4/18/18 4028 445
5/12/18 4509 474
5/18/18 4155 483
6/6/18 3949 513
6/22/18 4035 537
7/18/18 4075 567
7/24/18 4081 575
8/10/18 4030 600
8/15/18 3784 606
9/17/18 3816 644
10/9/18 3809 668
10/15/18 3844 679
10/28/18 3767 696
11/5/18 3807 709
11/7/18 4072 713
11/11/18 3820 719
11/30/18 3786 740
12/21/18 3466 780
12/30/18 3311 794
1/5/19 3276 806
1/20/19 3330 830
2/8/19 3312 859 - 63% Battery Health

So this is for you data junkies. 1758 total cycles. 2 batteries. Original MacBook 12".

I use this every day for hours. I do not take into consideration any battery saving techniques whatsoever. I plug in when I need to, when I'm not using it, overnight, all day, etc.

The Apple replacement battery took 740 cycles to get down to 70% health while the original lasted another 200 cycles beyond that to hit 70%.

It's time for battery replacement number two, or the third battery in this MacBook. If you're a heavy user and blow through a cycle a day every day, you're going to see around two years out of the battery.

I've also had two keyboard replacements due to sticking and unresponsive keys, the top case replaced, and the motherboard replaced. All of this was under warranty. This battery replacement will be my first out of pocket expense for this laptop. I believe it's around $200 for the replacement battery through Apple. I've looked at other options and you only save around $70 and have to take apart the whole laptop, physically pry out the batteries and then use adhesive to replace them. It's just not worth my time.

All in all this has been a great laptop. Looks like my trade-in value through Apple is $451 for this laptop. I entertained getting a new MacBook or maybe a 15" MBP. My son has that and loves it but it's just too heavy and extreme overkill for what I personally use this for. And I love the portability for travel as I'm on airplanes every couple of weeks.

Have a good day, all!

I think I must have a super battery.... Mid 2012 MacBook Pro (the whole laptop was replaced under warranty in mid 2015 with a Retina Pro and I sold it and bought another cMBP.

Not the same battery/laptop, but anyway - I've got 1751 cycles on the original May 2015 battery and between 87 and 89 percent battery health

 

[TommyBoy5]

My previous computer before this one was a 15" MBP - maybe 2009 model - I still have it somewhere. I know that I used it like this one and only went through two batteries in 6+ years and the stats were similar to yours. And of course replacing that battery was as simple as ordering one from OWC and replacing it in about 10 seconds.

These 12" MB with their multiple thin batteries don't get anywhere near the longevity of the older MBP batteries. Worth it to me for the extreme portability. I think.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

My previous computer before this one was a 15" MBP - maybe 2009 model - I still have it somewhere. I know that I used it like this one and only went through two batteries in 6+ years and the stats were similar to yours. And of course replacing that battery was as simple as ordering one from OWC and replacing it in about 10 seconds.

These 12" MB with their multiple thin batteries don't get anywhere near the longevity of the older MBP batteries. Worth it to me for the extreme portability. I think.

Got to agree my old late 2009 white MacBook battery lasted 6 years and 1500 cycles. DAMN GOOD huh! From my research, I believe that Apple fitted SAMSUNG batteries to these in the pre 2012 days.

By comparison, I bought a SLODA replacement battery for it and that lasted exactly 1 year and only 200 cycles! SLODA's response via Amazon was 'Oh well, our batteries are cheaper than Apple's and it's the best that we can do. Anyway, have a nice day'

It's a shame that Apple's newer and more expensive products batteries don't seem to last as long. But in the future, it looks as though we may see Apple pricing their own batteries. Whether they will have a long longevity I guess depends on Tim Cook and his shareholders wanting to upset you a new product.

Again, I've leant that with a Mac, ALWAYS buy AppleCare.

 

[bambooshots]

Now this is why a user replaceable battery would be nice.

On the contrary, I’d give up user replaceable batteries that MIGHT have to be replaced every two years in order to enjoy the sleek and thin design everyday.

 

[537635]

On the contrary, I’d give up user replaceable batteries that MIGHT have to be replaced every two years in order to enjoy the sleek and thin design everyday.

You do know it's not like you have to choose. Only with Apple.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

Well, here it is. This is a Day One order (3/30/2015) Space Gray 12" MacBook (1.2Ghz 512Gb SSD). Here is my Coconut Battery Health readout after two batteries and four years of data:

Date FullChargeCapacity CycleCount
5/16/15 5058 30
5/19/15 5060 33
5/21/15 5071 35
5/31/15 5067 46
6/6/15 5063 52
6/18/15 5016 66
6/24/15 4979 73
7/11/15 4938 92
7/19/15 4937 100
7/25/15 4945 109
8/7/15 4936 121
8/13/15 4935 128
8/23/15 4878 140
9/4/15 4830 148
9/16/15 4855 161
9/28/15 4780 176
10/7/15 4779 186
10/12/15 4590 194
10/14/15 4586 195
10/18/15 4638 201
11/29/15 4346 240
1/20/16 4460 321
1/29/16 4390 335
3/10/16 4329 404
5/23/16 4084 503
6/13/16 4266 528
7/6/16 4286 558
7/31/16 4348 587
8/13/16 4355 602
9/13/16 4047 638
10/29/16 3938 689
11/11/16 3890 700
11/25/16 3888 716
12/3/16 3836 729
12/20/16 3959 757
1/1/17 3955 776
1/7/17 3937 787
1/14/17 3939 802
1/20/17 3859 811
2/4/17 3950 834
2/11/17 3923 846
2/24/17 3726 861
3/6/17 3722 873
3/13/17 3834 883
3/20/17 3924 891
3/26/17 3972 898
4/14/17 3709 928 - 70% Battery Health
4/22/17 5183 1 Battery Replaced Under Warranty
4/30/17 5292 12
8/20/17 4759 150
9/25/17 4686 197
10/29/17 4473 240
11/8/17 4536 254
11/29/17 4490 273
12/16/17 4438 299
1/22/18 4179 342
3/3/18 4155 389
3/13/18 4193 404
4/10/18 3944 436
4/18/18 4028 445
5/12/18 4509 474
5/18/18 4155 483
6/6/18 3949 513
6/22/18 4035 537
7/18/18 4075 567
7/24/18 4081 575
8/10/18 4030 600
8/15/18 3784 606
9/17/18 3816 644
10/9/18 3809 668
10/15/18 3844 679
10/28/18 3767 696
11/5/18 3807 709
11/7/18 4072 713
11/11/18 3820 719
11/30/18 3786 740
12/21/18 3466 780
12/30/18 3311 794
1/5/19 3276 806
1/20/19 3330 830
2/8/19 3312 859 - 63% Battery Health

So this is for you data junkies. 1758 total cycles. 2 batteries. Original MacBook 12".

I use this every day for hours. I do not take into consideration any battery saving techniques whatsoever. I plug in when I need to, when I'm not using it, overnight, all day, etc.

The Apple replacement battery took 740 cycles to get down to 70% health while the original lasted another 200 cycles beyond that to hit 70%.

It's time for battery replacement number two, or the third battery in this MacBook. If you're a heavy user and blow through a cycle a day every day, you're going to see around two years out of the battery.

I've also had two keyboard replacements due to sticking and unresponsive keys, the top case replaced, and the motherboard replaced. All of this was under warranty. This battery replacement will be my first out of pocket expense for this laptop. I believe it's around $200 for the replacement battery through Apple. I've looked at other options and you only save around $70 and have to take apart the whole laptop, physically pry out the batteries and then use adhesive to replace them. It's just not worth my time.

All in all this has been a great laptop. Looks like my trade-in value through Apple is $451 for this laptop. I entertained getting a new MacBook or maybe a 15" MBP. My son has that and loves it but it's just too heavy and extreme overkill for what I personally use this for. And I love the portability for travel as I'm on airplanes every couple of weeks.

Have a good day, all!

Did apple replace the whole bottom case piece when swapping the battery? Seems the whole motherboard with memory is attached to the bottom piece so maybe that is also replaced?

I'm on 83% at 420 cycles on my 2017. I had the whole top case replaced due to sticky keys and a whole screen replaced due to loose hinge from the start. apple cant just replace the keys or the screen. they have to replace the whole top case and the whole screen with aluminum. Nice cause i had dings and scratches. So curious about what gets swapped when replacing batteries.

 

[vaugha]

I think I must have a super battery.... Mid 2012 MacBook Pro (the whole laptop was replaced under warranty in mid 2015 with a Retina Pro and I sold it and bought another cMBP.

Not the same battery/laptop, but anyway - I've got 1751 cycles on the original May 2015 battery and between 87 and 89 percent battery health

That is indeed a super battery. My 2012 rmbp 15" got 194 cycles after 6.5 years and has 90% capacity in comparison. Not once was the battery replaced.

 

[TommyBoy5]

That is indeed a super battery. My 2012 rmbp 15" got 194 cycles after 6.5 years and has 90% capacity in comparison. Not once was the battery replaced.

194 cycles in six and a half years?! That's about 5 months of use for me! Either it remains plugged in all the time or you rarely use it.