Macbook Pro Battery question

[poblack]

I just purchased a refurb. 15.4 2.53 MBP with the 7 hour battery. I notice that when the battery is fully charged it will sometimes say 7 hours left, but most of the times it says 4.5 hours or something like that after I charge it. Is something wrong?

 

[miles01110]

No- the "time remaining" is calculated at verious intervals and is based off of how much power your machine is using at that time. So if it's calculated when you're ripping a CD or encoding something it'll be less than if it's calculated just sitting idle.

 

[arogge]

Those battery-life claims from Apple should be based on when the computer is actually doing work, not when it is sitting idle. If it only lasts 4 hours under load, that's what the claim should say. It's like if a car company says this or that car gets some unbelievable mpg rating, but they don't tell you that this only applies when you're driving on a flat surface or down a hill, and don't exceed idle engine speeds.

I'm wondering what I should do when my 7-hour battery doesn't last as long as expected, and I need the computer to keep working but I can't plug it into a wall socket. How do you deal with the problem of not being able to hot-swap the battery?

 

[miles01110]

Those battery-life claims from Apple should be based on when the computer is actually doing work, not when it is sitting idle. If it only lasts 4 hours under load, that's what the claim should say.

It really shouldn't. Everyone's "usage" is different.

It's like if a car company says this or that car gets some unbelievable mpg rating, but they don't tell you that this only applies when you're driving on a flat surface or down a hill, and don't exceed idle engine speeds.

All car advertisements with a mpg rating have the disclaimer along the lines of "Actual mileage may vary."

 

[arogge]

I answered my own question about using additional batteries:

http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeek_net_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packs_s/78.htm

The prices aren't too good, but at least the option to bypass Apple's battery problem is available.