MacBook Pro Battery life/health

[indiansfan191]

I purchased my MBP in fall 07. I have noticed disappointing battery life lately when my computer is unplugged, probably less than 1.5 hours. I have the iStat Pro widget and it says the battery 'health' is from 50-60%. In order to increase the battery life/health, what habits should I use? (I currently leave it plugged in all the time and if I need it wireless I unplug it and then put it back when I'm done.)

 

[soberbrain]

Try doing this http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

It should also be done about once a month to keep your battery healthy.

It may help to get back battery life or just prevent further battery loss. If you end up getting a new battery make sure to do this once a month.

 

[indiansfan191]

that was from the apple support website so i think it must be a good procedure usually, but check this out. I just did that over the course of the day with what appears to be a horrible results. that is fourteen mins, or so it says. I might caution against this.

 

[rolex54]

that was from the apple support website so i think it must be a good procedure usually, but check this out. I just did that over the course of the day with what appears to be a horrible results. that is fourteen mins, or so it says. I might caution against this.

your battery is basically dead, and the fact that it only has 77 cycles is bad. Are you still in warranty? apple should replace that battery as it is under 300 cycles

 

[Ancyru]

I've got the exact same issue, current battery health is ~30% and only ~50 cycles. The problem is it's 6 months outside of the 1 year warranty.

Any suggestions on how to go about this issue?

Edit:

Identifying an affected battery

Affected batteries will have one or more of the following symptoms:

* Battery is not recognized causing an “X” to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
* Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
* Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
* Battery pack is visibly deformed.

Note: If your MacBook or MacBook Pro battery does not have any of the symptoms noted above, your battery does not need to be replaced.

This comes from the Apple site itself. As we both have cycles under 300 and a battery will be replaced regardless of warranty, I think our next steps are to visit our local Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider.

 

[indiansfan191]

I agree that we should both be covered. I'll be going to the apple store soon, and hopefully it won't require sending off our batteries or anything. Hopefully if they agree on the issue we can get the new battery right away.

 

[indiansfan191]

Hey an update for anyone with this problem. I called the Apple service number and shared my issue. I'm not sure if it is because I am under 300 charge cycles or under one year from purchase, but a replacement battery is on the way for free. He was interested in the full-charge capacity, and said that 1427 was terrible and that deserved a replacement battery. It'll come in 5-7 business days!

 

[monkey86]

to the op

dont leave your mac plugged in all the time.

charge the battery to full - then use it all the way down till the mac tells you to plug in again then charge the battery to full and repeat

i have a powerbook g4 12" that is 3 years old on the original battery

if you keep your bluetooth off, brightness down to 6 blocks (battery) 8 blocks normal speakers muted if your not using them you will save the battery life - save your display and keep your mac alive for longer.

 

[KingYaba]

Disappointed am I with my battery's health. Just took a nosedive this past week. I can't use it for one hour without the unit shutting down.

 

[e7e]

i have the same problem, after only 11 month of use, 28 cycles my battery health is down to 43%. This is just ridiculous, fortunately my MBP is still under warranty.