Is Coconut battery telling the truth?

[01jamcon]

Hi, I've just been reading about the new 17" MBP and how it can cope with 1000 loadcycles, so I go to check my battery status and am (happily) surprised to find this.

Firstly, is it normal that the capacity is higher than what it started out with? Is it normal for the battery to be in such good condition after 18 months? (This is a replacement as the first started to lose capacity very quickly after about 12 months). Finally, if 1000 charges/loadcycles is good, then what is the norm for an old macbook battery?

 

[shady825]

See what iStat has to say about it

 

[01jamcon]

iStat seems to be in agreement; 100% health and 291 cycles.

 

[shady825]

iStat seems to be in agreement; 100% health and 291 cycles.

I dont know then... That doesnt sound right but I guess its possible.
check here: Applications> Utilities> System Profiler> "Power"
See if that also agrees with iStat and Coconut.. Other than that I dont know what to tell ya..

Maybe Apple let a 'super top secret' battery slip out into the public!? OH MY GOD!!!

 

[01jamcon]

I dont know then... That doesnt sound right but I guess its possible.
check here: Applications> Utilities> System Profiler> "Power"
See if that also agrees with iStat and Coconut.. Other than that I dont know what to tell ya..

Maybe Apple let a 'super top secret' battery slip out into the public!? OH MY GOD!!!

Looks like its a super top secret battery then haha. Hey, I ain't gonna complain if this is the true situation am I?

 

[shady825]

Looks like its a super top secret battery then haha. Hey, I ain't gonna complain if this is the true situation am I?

Top secret indeed!
I have 64 cycles 100% (but changes almost every day between 98-100%)
and your full charge capacity is more than mine.

 

[VSMacOne]

Top secret indeed!
I have 64 cycles 100% (but changes almost every day between 98-100%)
and your full charge capacity is more than mine.

The reason his full charge is more than yours is that he has the prev gen MB, which had larger batteries.

To the OP, you must have taken good care of your battery... Did you calibrate monthly? Did you keep it charged all the time?

 

[shady825]

The reason his full charge is more than yours is that he has the prev gen MB, which had larger batteries.

To the OP, you must have taken good care of your battery... Did you calibrate monthly? Did you keep it charged all the time?

I dont think calibration improves longevity/health. Calibration is to display an accurate time/charge remaining

 

[VSMacOne]

I dont think calibration improves longevity/health. Calibration is to display an accurate time/charge remaining

You may be right, Apple's wording is confusing... but here's what it says:
With a little bit of care, you can maximize the battery life (i.e. the time your battery will run before it must be recharged) and lifespan of your notebook's battery

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 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. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal.

 

[aznguyen316]

I too want to know average life cycles of the macbooks. Mine is only 16months old but already at 236 load cycles lol. Coconut reads 99% max charge though which I'm happy about.

I read that 1,000 is 3x more load cycles than normal, so uh, is 333 the average?

 

[VSMacOne]

I too want to know average life cycles of the macbooks. Mine is only 16months old but already at 236 load cycles lol. Coconut reads 99% max charge though which I'm happy about.

I read that 1,000 is 3x more load cycles than normal, so uh, is 333 the average?

This is from Apple's website... Looks like yours is in good shape.

Battery Lifespan
For Apple notebooks with removable batteries — such as the MacBook, MacBook Air, and 15-inch MacBook Pro — a properly maintained battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.

 

[01jamcon]

The reason his full charge is more than yours is that he has the prev gen MB, which had larger batteries.

To the OP, you must have taken good care of your battery... Did you calibrate monthly? Did you keep it charged all the time?

No, that's the surprising thing, perhaps the cause for the high battery read out, I've only calibrated it once, could it be that the battery is lying and doesn't really know its capacity? However, I do seem to use my laptop as Apple recommends (i.e. on the power a bit, off a bit)

 

[stuarthatto]

Isn't this 'on the power a bit, off a bit' the very manual version of the adaptive charging they just announced for the 17"MBP?

I just had my battery replaced under Applecare and I have to say I didn't really conform to this Apple recommended way of doing things.

I would try but since I operate a lot of the time in clamshell mode and that REQUIRES power to be applied I don't see how I can.

Perhaps its time Apple came up with a docking station strategy?

 

[01jamcon]

Isn't this 'on the power a bit, off a bit' the very manual version of the adaptive charging they just announced for the 17"MBP?

I just had my battery replaced under Applecare and I have to say I didn't really conform to this Apple recommended way of doing things.

I would try but since I operate a lot of the time in clamshell mode and that REQUIRES power to be applied I don't see how I can.


Perhaps its time Apple came up with a docking station strategy?

Good point, I guess I'm lucky in that my usage seems to work out best for the battery, but obviously clam shell has different (I think silly) requirements.

Off topic but, any idea why the hell they make you require power, keyboard and mouse. For example, you plug it into a bigger screen to watch a movie on, all I barely need is a mouse and if the battery's charged, what's the point of power? I just want to close the macbook to avoid distraction.

 

[stuarthatto]

Beats me - but if they are getting serious about the business market rather than the creative market, a docking station would be the thing to be designing (for me at least)

BTW I use coconut as well and this is my latest battery on its 'calibration' discharge...