I just got my new 2011 macbook pro i5 13". I was just wondering if i should charge the macbook fully overnight before i turn it on for the first time. I remember doing this to all my other laptops that i've had in the past. someone told me that this 1st charge would help keep the battery lasting longer or something like that. let me know guys. thanks.
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Just got my 2011 Macbook Pro...battery question
- Thread starter krn
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It is recommended that you fully charge it for the first time. It does not have to be overnight and it is completely fine to use it while it is charging.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9875442/
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9875442/
I also just got the new 13" MBP (my first mac) and I'm wondering if it's bad for the battery if I use half of it then plug it in to charge. As opposed to that, should I let the battery die completely (or close to it) each time before plugging it in? I do the former with my iPhone so I'm guessing it should be fine for the MBP but just want to be sure. Thanks and sorry if this is a really redundant question.
The best way to keep any battery at optimum health is to charge and drain completely, however this is difficult to do on a computer who's battery last as long as a MBP's does. I just use the battery and plug it back in when i'm done. I have 78 cycles and 99% health according the Coconut battery. As long as you drain every so often, you will be fine. Just use the battery every so often and enjoy your mac!
Read the battery FAQ that was posted above. Tons of great info there.
Actually, Ni-CD and Ni-MH batteries are supposed to be drained fully, the Li-ion and Li-polymer batteries have a set number of charge cycles before they start to die; typically 300, but now it's 1000 for the new 7-10hr batteries that are built-in to the new computers. 100%->0% and then 0%->100% is considered 1.0 cycles. 100%-50% is considered 0.5 cycles, and so on. By draining the battery unnecessarily, you are burning through your charge cycles. If your battery starts to fail and it has more than 300 cycles on it, Apple will not replace it for free. Yes, this means that if it has LESS than 300, they WILL replace it (as long as your still under warranty).
It's not necessary or recommended to fully drain the battery each time you use it, just for the sake of draining it. If you don't have access to AC power, then run on battery as long as you need to, of course. It's perfectly fine to drain it to 80%, then recharge, drain it to 40%, then recharge, drain it to 90%, then recharge, drain it fully, then recharge, etc. Lithium polymer batteries have no "memory effect", so just run on battery when you need to and run on AC power when you can. Just don't leave it plugged in all of the time, as the battery needs to be used occasionally to keep it healthy.
Actually, batteries begin to die as soon as you start using them. Whether they die a quick or slow death is dependent on how you use them.
I know what you're saying, but just to clarify, Apple notebook batteries are designed to retain up to 80% of their original capacity at up to 300 (removable) or 1000 (built-in) cycles. The Battery FAQ has more details.
