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I'm always on battery. But the battery is rated for 1000 cycles now so I doubt I'll ever need to replace it.
 
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. Just make sure you don't run on AC power exclusively, as your battery needs to be used regularly to stay healthy. Running a few hours on battery every few days should be sufficient. The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Really??? You'd better tell Apple... Their own documentation (sic) suggests otherwise:

Standard Maintenance
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 notebook 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. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal. When your battery no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs, you may choose to replace it. If your notebook came with a built-in battery, you should have the battery replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
 
Really??? You'd better tell Apple... Their own documentation (sic) suggests otherwise:
Charging and discharging doesn't mean completely draining it, and that statement refers to a notebook that is rarely used. It means putting at least one cycle on it per month. Read the WHAT IS A CYCLE? section of the Battery FAQ to understand how cycles work.
 
Charging and discharging doesn't mean completely draining it, and that statement refers to a notebook that is rarely used. It means putting at least one cycle on it per month. Read the WHAT IS A CYCLE? section of the Battery FAQ to understand how cycles work.

Ahhh, I see... Apple's certified technician manuals are wrong. Good to know, I'll tell them tomorrow!
 
94.3% at 3.3 Months

Mid-2012 Macbook Air 11" - 2Ghz i7 - 128GB SSD - 8GB RAM
Age: 3.3 Months
Cycles: 46
Health: 94.3%
Current Max: 4411mAh
Original Max: 4680mAh
 
Just bought a used 2011 "13 and the battery cycles say 495. Does this sound a bit high? Health is 89%. I haven't done a recalibration after doing a fresh install and pram and SMC reset.
 
(Technician manual is slightly more detailed regarding the issue.)
And the manual doesn't recommend completely draining the battery. If you've read it, you should know better.
Just bought a used 2011 "13 and the battery cycles say 495. Does this sound a bit high? Health is 89%. I haven't done a recalibration after doing a fresh install and pram and SMC reset.
That averages just over a cycle a day, so while it's high, it's not extreme. The built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration like the removable batteries in older Apple notebooks.

PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with battery/power/charging issues. Resetting it will not help.

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.
 
Really??? You'd better tell Apple... Their own documentation (sic) suggests otherwise:



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

Anyone who knows anything about battery technology knows that discharging a Lithium Ion battery down all the way is a huge no no. People who don't know this are incredibly ignorant. Do yourself a favor and read up: http://batteryuniversity.com/ so you don't look so stupid. Old Ni-CD and Ni-MH batteries required and recommended FULL drain before charging but not Li-Ion.

Apple's OWN website, until recently, even said to only drain down to 50% to keep the battery healthy on Macbook batteries. They themselves didn't recommend going below 50% if you can help it. Now they've changed it to make it more "simple."
 
And the manual doesn't recommend completely draining the battery. If you've read it, you should know better.

That averages just over a cycle a day, so while it's high, it's not extreme. The built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration like the removable batteries in older Apple notebooks.

PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with battery/power/charging issues. Resetting it will not help.

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

Just read it thanks. From what I have observed it seems to have high cycles but the previous owner seems to have taken care of the battery it is still lasting about 6:30 hours to 5 hours. How many charges does it generally take for the batter health to drop 10%? In my case it has taken about 500 from the previous owner to get it down to 90% health. If that is linear that means it'll take me to 1000 before it gets to 80%. Doesn't that mean it would be exactly or maybe under apples 1000 cycle\80% guarantee? Since the machine is out of warranty will they cover that if its health progressively deteriorates passed its current 500 cycles? This is all hypothetical of course since I don't see the battery dying anytime soon since I would probably average 100 or so cycles in a year.
 
2011 i5/ 1.7/ 4GB/ 128GB/ 10.7.4
14 months
433 cycles
5780mAh out of 6700 original at 100% charge

Approx. 3.5 hours battery life on wifi and 80% brightness- and I can't ever remember getting 5 or 6 hours on a charge.

Yes, I use the hell out of it. Apple has already determined that the battery is defective and will replace the battery under warranty.
 
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How many charges does it generally take for the batter health to drop 10%?
There is no direct correlation between the number of cycles and battery health. In fact, if you leave your Mac on AC power all the time, its health could decline faster than if you were putting cycles on the battery.
If that is linear ...
It isn't linear. As stated in the Battery FAQ, your health will fluctuate up and down over time. You can't draw a meaningful forecast of future health based on historical data. How you use your battery is a significant factor.
Since the machine is out of warranty will they cover that if its health progressively deteriorates passed its current 500 cycles?
While some Apple employees have made exceptions, Apple doesn't replace batteries free unless they're covered by warranty or AppleCare, and then only if they are determined to be defective. As stated in the Battery FAQ, batteries are consumable items, expected to wear out over time, and expected to be replaced at cost to the consumer.
 
Just read it thanks. From what I have observed it seems to have high cycles but the previous owner seems to have taken care of the battery it is still lasting about 6:30 hours to 5 hours. How many charges does it generally take for the batter health to drop 10%? In my case it has taken about 500 from the previous owner to get it down to 90% health. If that is linear that means it'll take me to 1000 before it gets to 80%. Doesn't that mean it would be exactly or maybe under apples 1000 cycle\80% guarantee? Since the machine is out of warranty will they cover that if its health progressively deteriorates passed its current 500 cycles? This is all hypothetical of course since I don't see the battery dying anytime soon since I would probably average 100 or so cycles in a year.

I don't think there is an EXACT relation between cycles and health %. I've seen people report hundreds and hundreds of cycles and still have north of 90% health. For the last 3-4 months that I've been tracking my health % - it's stayed the same, regardless of slowly increasing cycles.

I think that's why Apple says, after 1000 cycles we should have 80% or more battery health. Which means, if we treat the Lithium Ion battery right, we should be getting years and years of usage (unlike the older Li-Ions where after a year, no matter what, you couldn't hold a 10% charge).

The Health % seems to be independent. It's gone up a few %s and down a few %s for me - but it seems to stick around 96/97% for me no matter what.
 
2011 i5/ 1.7/ 4GB/ 128GB/ 10.7.4
14 months
433 cycles
5780mAh out of 6700 original at 100% charge

Approx. 3.5 hours battery life on wifi and 80% brightness- and I can't ever remember getting 5 or 6 hours on a charge.

Yes, I use the hell out of it. Apple has already determined that the battery is defective and will replace the battery under warranty.

How did you get them them to replace it under warranty? Isn't 14 months out if warranty?
 
Age - 21 Weeks
Cycles - 42
Health - 94%

Can someone update me on how the "age" is calculated, because I have not had my mac 21 weeks, its been exactly 8 weeks since I picked it up from the apple store and turned it on for the first time.

Have I been sold a returned Macbook?
 
wow. I thought mine was high at 90 after approx 3 months. In terms of rate, you win so far.

Really? Not sure if that should be worrying or not :p I take it to uni every day though, charge it when I get in, then maybe use it again while sat on my bed.
 
Age - 21 Weeks
Cycles - 42
Health - 94%

Can someone update me on how the "age" is calculated, because I have not had my mac 21 weeks, its been exactly 8 weeks since I picked it up from the apple store and turned it on for the first time.

Have I been sold a returned Macbook?
You probably got the age statistic from coconutBattery, which has had known issues with the age being inaccurate.
 
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