Will iChat ruin my battery?

[mrmeister]

Hi,
I have a 15" Macbook Pro late 2008 (look at the signature) and i use iChat to video people a lot - at least a couple of hours a day. Doing this drains my battery all the time. I'm just wondering if its ok for it or if there are other things i should be doing - should i video using the battery, drain it, then charge it or should i just video plugged in right from the start?
Thanks
mrmeister

 

[Jaimi]

If you're near an outlet, keep it plugged in while you use it. Every time a battery is cycled (discharged/recharged), it loses a little bit of efficiency.

 

[mgartner0622]

It won't ruin your battery, it will just add charge cycles. You have a newer MBP, so it will last for quite a few charge cycles, which is usually longer than most people keep their machines.

 

[GGJstudios]

Hi,
I have a 15" Macbook Pro late 2008 (look at the signature) and i use iChat to video people a lot - at least a couple of hours a day. Doing this drains my battery all the time. I'm just wondering if its ok for it or if there are other things i should be doing - should i video using the battery, drain it, then charge it or should i just video plugged in right from the start?
Thanks
mrmeister

If you have access to an outlet, you can plug it in and run on AC power, if you want to save some battery cycles. However, running on battery won't hurt it at all. That's what it's designed for.
This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[adnoh]

using your mbp drains the battery. remember to calibrate regularly.

 

[AdamRock]

each mbp gets 1000 cycles, so it wont ruin your battery, it will just die sooner.