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Didn't calibrate properly, why doesn't apple have any proper 1st time instructions!!

I

incognitoguile

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 29, 2009
17
0
Wow, the booklet or the internet doesn't even tell me to charge my macbook to 100% before it's first use! That's pretty dumb, you have to go on mac 101 or whatever and then they'll tell ya. PCs or any other electronics usually have first time instructions that tell you to charge

And then, they don't even tell you that you have to CALIBRATE the first time you use the macbook! I charged my macbook to 100% and started using it.

Then I saw the calibration instructions where it tells you that you should calibrate on your first use of the macbook! It says that you should keep the adapter plugged in for 2 hours AFTER it's charged to 100%.

I charged the macbook to 100%, then immediately took out the adapter. Now I just completely drained the battery to 0, then I let it sleep over night for 5+ hours. Now I'm recharging it to 100% before using it.

Should I recalibrate because I didn't properly charge it on the first time. I charged it to 100%, then immediately pulled the plug; I was supposed to keep it plugged in an extra 2 hours before pulling the plug..
 
So the following wasn't in the manual (page 23) that came with your purchase:


Calibrating Your Battery

To get the longest running time from your battery, calibrate it sometime during the
first week you have your MacBook and recalibrate occasionally to keep your battery
functioning at its fullest capacity.

To calibrate your battery:

1. Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your MacBook battery until the light on the power adapter plug changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3. Disconnect the power adapter with the MacBook on and start running it from the battery. You may use your computer during this time.
When your battery gets low, you’ll see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
4. Continue to keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery gets low and before the system goes to sleep.
5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged
again.
 
incognitoguile said:
Wow, the booklet or the internet doesn't even tell me to charge my macbook to 100% before it's first use! That's pretty dumb, you have to go on mac 101 or whatever and then they'll tell ya. PCs or any other electronics usually have first time instructions that tell you to charge

And then, they don't even tell you that you have to CALIBRATE the first time you use the macbook! I charged my macbook to 100% and started using it.

Then I saw the calibration instructions where it tells you that you should calibrate on your first use of the macbook! It says that you should keep the adapter plugged in for 2 hours AFTER it's charged to 100%.

I charged the macbook to 100%, then immediately took out the adapter. Now I just completely drained the battery to 0, then I let it sleep over night for 5+ hours. Now I'm recharging it to 100% before using it.

Should I recalibrate because I didn't properly charge it on the first time. I charged it to 100%, then immediately pulled the plug; I was supposed to keep it plugged in an extra 2 hours before pulling the plug..
Click to expand...

In general you are answering your own questions.

but

Common knowledge about lithium ion batteries is that they should be drained on first time use and then charged for 8 - 12 hours.

Apple have instructions on how to calibrate batteries on their web page. this is under battery care.
and as spinnerlys did say while is was typing this... its on page 23...

why this is not stated that you have to do this is for the reason that it is not something that you need to do. a lithium ion battery can be calibrated back to its original state with little fuss. over time the battery will start loosing its ability to hold as much power as when it was new.

But it should not be necessary to have a first time user instructions telling you that you need to do this when it is stated how to do it.
How many other laptop makers actually have this info in their first time use manual following the laptop?

google is a good friend :) and Apple's help section is not that hard to read trough.
 
You can leave the computer plugged in as long as you want without damaging the battery. You just have to calibrate once a month if you don't use the battery much.
 
spinnerlys said:
So the following wasn't in the manual (page 23) that came with your purchase:


Calibrating Your Battery

To get the longest running time from your battery, calibrate it sometime during the
first week you have your MacBook and recalibrate occasionally to keep your battery
functioning at its fullest capacity.

To calibrate your battery:

1. Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your MacBook battery until the light on the power adapter plug changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3. Disconnect the power adapter with the MacBook on and start running it from the battery. You may use your computer during this time.
When your battery gets low, you’ll see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
4. Continue to keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery gets low and before the system goes to sleep.
5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged
again.
Click to expand...

Great first response :)
 
spinnerlys said:
Thanks, many questions/problems could be solved with a big, bold, underlined and red RTFM in the first answering post.

Like this: RTFM

Edit: Why can't it be bigger. Hmmm. She said. ;)
Click to expand...

+1 but some times the poster would not know what RTFM is an acronym for.

should we just start answering like this:

RTFM or JFGI

:D
 
spinnerlys said:
Thanks, many questions/problems could be solved with a big, bold, underlined and red RTFM in the first answering post.

Like this: RTFM

Edit: Why can't it be bigger. Hmmm. She said. ;)
Click to expand...

I completely agree! This isn't even the first thread by the OP on this issue (what they claim is their 2nd post is actually their 9th):
I wonder if they're being intentionally obtuse, they're starved for attention, or they're just trying to boost their post count! :rolleyes:
 
spinnerlys said:
... EDIT: ****** is censored. Nice. ...
Click to expand...
That's a shame that it's censored! The whole planet needs to have that message pounded into them! With just about everything you can imagine being available on the internet, Step One of ANYONE's fact-finding should be to Google it! And not just those in this forum. People want to know directions to a restaurant.... Google it! People want to know the score of a game... Google it! People want to know how to calibrate a battery..... Google it! It's all there!

There oughta be a law! :D

BlueRevolution said:
There's probably a manual on what RTFM means and how to use it properly.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM <<----- This is good stuff!
 
spinnerlys said:
That may be true, even I had to look it up now, before I knew what JFGI is.
Nice, almost like ******.

EDIT: ****** is censored. Nice. Here is a Tiny URL.
Click to expand...

hehe.

:D 10 + that was a nice link. have never seen that before. going to use that for people that i find less computer literate in the future. :)

but to topic OP have asked before and is clearly not computer literate at all. after reading over OPs other posts i am actually having a good smile... LoL it is funny how many questions that is posted to this forums without OP actually use google or try and read up on it. i would suggest wiki go google just to get some general information before asking less informed questions.

i also like to send this link to people that ask stupid questions.

http://just****inggoogleit.com/

here is the tiny for it

http://tinyurl.com/2c9np
 
spinnerlys said:
So the following wasn't in the manual (page 23) that came with your purchase:


Calibrating Your Battery

To get the longest running time from your battery, calibrate it sometime during the
first week you have your MacBook and recalibrate occasionally to keep your battery
functioning at its fullest capacity.

To calibrate your battery:

1. Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your MacBook battery until the light on the power adapter plug changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2. Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3. Disconnect the power adapter with the MacBook on and start running it from the battery. You may use your computer during this time.
When your battery gets low, you’ll see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
4. Continue to keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery gets low and before the system goes to sleep.
5. Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
6. Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged
again.
Click to expand...

No, it's not in the manual on page 23, and neither is it on a single one of the other 85 pages. Hope that answers your question.


NT1440 said:
Great first response :)
Click to expand...

No, it wasn't a great first response, it was an incorrect first response. However, I appreciate the response.


MrBrekke said:
+1 but some times the poster would not know what RTFM is an acronym for.

should we just start answering like this:

RTFM or JFGI

:D
Click to expand...

I did RTFM, and how am I supposed to google something I don't even know about? I found out about calibration when I went on the apple support website to start finding out more information.

spinnerlys said:
Thanks, many questions/problems could be solved with a big, bold, underlined and red RTFM in the first answering post.

Like this: RTFM

Edit: Why can't it be bigger. Hmmm. She said. ;)
Click to expand...

Read response to MrBrekke.

GGJstudios said:
I completely agree! This isn't even the first thread by the OP on this issue (what they claim is their 2nd post is actually their 9th):
I wonder if they're being intentionally obtuse, they're starved for attention, or they're just trying to boost their post count! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Where do I make the claim of this being my 2nd post in my original post?

This actually is my first thread about this issue. I asked about calibration in a previous post, but nobody answered, so I made a thread relating to it.

I'm not starved for attention, but it seems you're starved to deride somebody.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I try to get information about stuff before asking it, so I already knew what calibration was; so why're you guys telling me what it is?

My question was 'should I re-calibrate', here's the quote: (Read the first sentence)

'Should I recalibrate because I didn't properly charge it on the first time. I charged it to 100%, then immediately pulled the plug; I was supposed to keep it plugged in an extra 2 hours before pulling the plug.. '

Why are all of you so eager to attack? You guys especially look foolish because the 'first response' post that you guys rejoiced about for 10 posts is wrong anyways.

Anyhow, I like this forum, because there's people who gave me good answers which helped me even though you guys didn't.
 
incognitoguile said:
Where do I make the claim of this being my 2nd post in my original post?
Click to expand...
I'm referring to this, your 9th post:
incognitoguile said:
This is my second post, so bear with me!
Click to expand...
The point is, you're quick to make accusations against Apple because you failed to do something. If you had come here and simply said, "I didn't calibrate properly the first time. Should I do it again?" you would have gotten a different response. You set the tone for this thread, so don't complain when people respond accordingly.

You can calibrate a battery at any time, even if you've just calibrated it. Apple has plenty of documentation on battery care and calibration, if you care to read it.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490
 
OP, what is the model laptop you have?

GGJstudios said:
I'm referring to this, your 9th post:

The point is, you're quick to make accusations against Apple because you failed to do something. If you had come here and simply said, "I didn't calibrate properly the first time. Should I do it again?" you would have gotten a different response. You set the tone for this thread, so don't complain when people respond accordingly.

You can calibrate a battery at any time, even if you've just calibrated it. Apple has plenty of documentation on battery care and calibration, if you care to read it.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490
Click to expand...

Agree. It doesn't have to be Apple's fault.
 
GGJstudios said:
I'm referring to this, your 9th post:

The point is, you're quick to make accusations against Apple because you failed to do something. If you had come here and simply said, "I didn't calibrate properly the first time. Should I do it again?" you would have gotten a different response. You set the tone for this thread, so don't complain when people respond accordingly.

You can calibrate a battery at any time, even if you've just calibrated it. Apple has plenty of documentation on battery care and calibration, if you care to read it.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree with the tone thing.

However, I am in disbelief that you will not accept it as apple's fault for not putting calibration in their manual ATT ALL! Are you serious?

In response to your the first sentence in your paragraph, No, I did not 'fail to do something'. It is apple who failed to put simple instructions that are required in their manual.

I think this is what people meant when they told me to watch out for 'apple fanboy(s)'.

Consultant said:
OP, what is the model laptop you have?



Agree. It doesn't have to be Apple's fault.
Click to expand...

I have the new macbook unibody (white).

I disagree, it is apple's fault, and it is your fault that you live in this world of ignorance where apple is perfect.
 
incognitoguile said:
However, I am in disbelief that you will not accept it as apple's fault for not putting calibration in their manual ATT ALL! Are you serious?
....It is apple who failed to put simple instructions that are required in their manual.
I think this is what people meant when they told me to watch out for 'apple fanboy(s)'.
I disagree, it is apple's fault, and it is your fault that you live in this world of ignorance where apple is perfect.
Click to expand...

I'm not a "fanboy" or any other kind of boy. And it's not about thinking that Apple is perfect. Like many companies, Apple has readily available documentation online related to their products, including calibrating batteries and other topics related to maintaining your Mac. If you know enough about the internet to find your way to a forum, then you should also know how to get to www.apple.com, where they have all the documentation you need. Calibration instructions are not "required in their manual."

Sadly, some seem to want to blame anyone but themselves when things don't go their way.
 
GGJstudios said:
I'm not a "fanboy" or any other kind of boy. And it's not about thinking that Apple is perfect. Like many companies, Apple has readily available documentation online related to their products, including calibrating batteries and other topics related to maintaining your Mac. If you know enough about the internet to find your way to a forum, then you should also know how to get to www.apple.com, where they have all the documentation you need. Calibration instructions are not "required in their manual."

Sadly, some seem to want to blame anyone but themselves when things don't go their way.
Click to expand...

This isn't about 'things going my way'. This is about things going apple's way. The way things were supposed to go according to apple included calibrating the battery the first time you start the macbook. But that didn't happen because they don't even mention it in their manual. Therefore, sadly, things didn't go apple's way, and apple's to blame for that.

I can't believe you will not accept the fact that apple should at least mention something that you're supposed to do on your first start in the manual. Most electronic items including PCs have a special paper that contains first time instructions and tips!
 
If other computer manufactures that use the same battery technology say you should calibrate and charge, then logic would dictate that the same would be true for Apple.


Sorry, I don't mean to seem rude, however I have a hard time seeing why this is such a big issue. I mean if you don't charge your phone it's not like it blows up.
 
synth3tik said:
If other computer manufactures that use the same battery technology say you should calibrate and charge, then logic would dictate that the same would be true for Apple.


Sorry, I don't mean to seem rude, however I have a hard time seeing why this is such a big issue. I mean if you don't charge your phone it's not like it blows up.
Click to expand...

If other computer manufacturers have a separate paper or section in the booklet that states to calibrate your battery first use, then logic would dictate that apple should do the same.

Look, I don't mind, you're right, I'm not making a deal out of the calibration issue. I'm making a big deal out of how the few members who replied to me put down wrong information and flamed me. The point of this forum is to help. They didn't even answer my question.

GGJstudios said:
Page 29 in the "Everything Mac" booklet, in Chapter 2: Life with Your MacBook Pro:
Click to expand...

You know very well that I bought the white macbook unibody, I mentioned it like 4 posts up or something. But you had to write this useless post why?

dejo said:
Where did you read this?
Click to expand...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

'The battery needs to be recalibrated from time to time to keep the onscreen battery time and percent display accurate and to keep the battery operating at maximum efficiency. You should perform this procedure when you first use your computer and then every few months after that.'
 
incognitoguile said:
You know very well that I bought the white macbook unibody, I mentioned it like 4 posts up or something. But you had to write this useless post why
Click to expand...
Because calibration is the same for MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The "Everything Mac" booklet applies to both.
Calibrating your battery ensures you get the longest possible running time from it. Calibrate your battery during the first week you own it, and then recalibrate it every two months. If you use your computer infrequently, it’s best to recalibrate it at least once a month.
Click to expand...
incognitoguile said:
Should I recalibrate because I didn't properly charge it on the first time....
Click to expand...
incognitoguile said:
... They didn't even answer my question....
Click to expand...
GGJstudios said:
You can calibrate a battery at any time, even if you've just calibrated it....
Click to expand...
 
awww crap.. today is exactly 2 Weeks since i bought my MBP 13.. and i've never calibrated it!!! I guess i'll do it tomorrow. I wonder how much of my battery i've killed
 
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