Does constantly running on AC Power wreck the battery?

[Mew2468]

When I wake up, I power up my MacBook Pro and plug in the AC adapter. I turn it off and unplug it when I go to school. When I get back home, I turn it back on and run it on AC power until I go to sleep.

Is this bad for the battery? I know I should cycle it every couple of weeks, but is running it on AC power for a majority of the time bad for my MacBook Pro?

 

[MadGoat]

When I wake up, I power up my MacBook Pro and plug in the AC adapter. I turn it off and unplug it when I go to school. When I get back home, I turn it back on and run it on AC power until I go to sleep.

Is this bad for the battery? I know I should cycle it every couple of weeks, but is running it on AC power for a majority of the time bad for my MacBook Pro?

So will say yes, I will however say no.

I have always run on AC for 80-90% of the time and I have never noticed any shortening in life span for my battery beyond normal wear and tear.

(don't re calibrate more than once a month, if that)

 

[Mew2468]

So will say yes, I will however say no.

I have always run on AC for 80-90% of the time and I have never noticed any shortening in life span for my battery beyond normal wear and tear.

(don't re calibrate more than once a month, if that)

Okay, I'll run it on AC when possible. Thanks for the reply !

 

[vant]

No.

Some laptops are designed specifically to be run through AC (Alienware) and they have no battery issues.

 

[maflynn]

You'll actually "wreck" your battery if you decide to keep draining/charging. Current battery technology is such, that you get only a certain number of recharge cycles before you start seeing a drop off in battery performance. Deep draining is particularly bad but constant use will bring the battery closer to the point where its not hold as much of a charge anymore.

I keep my MBP plugged in all the time (when not traveling) and have not noticed any issues, in fact I've done that with all my Mac laptops and never once has the battery died before its time.

 

[Vster]

Nope, it should make the battery last longer. Just calibrate every now and then as the other member posted.

 

[Mew2468]

So how often do you recommend cycling the battery? Some sources say every week, some say every 2 weeks, and some say every month.

 

[Apple Corps]

Please Read...

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

 

[m85476585]

I would say constantly running on AC will eventually wreck the battery. Doing that keeps it at 95-100% charge all the time, which will cause it to lose capacity over time. If you buy a new battery you will notice that it comes around 40-60% charged because that is optimal for maximizing battery health.

Personally, I try to put on at least a cycle a week if I am otherwise only using AC. At that rate, it will still be 6 years before the battery reaches 300 cycles if you have an older MBP or 20 years before you reach 1000 cycles if you have a newer MBP.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.