Battery Care Question

What is the best way to prolong/take good care of the battery in the Mac Book Pro.
I will probably use it mostly at home. Should I always keep it plug into the outlet. Or should I allow it to drain and then recharge it and if so how often?
When I had my Dell laptop. I had it plugged in about 98 percent of the time. Then one day I needed to run the laptop off the battery and it no longer worked. The battery was cold and the battery life indicator was not lit.

I believe you can leave your notebook plugged in most of the time, but it is good to use the battery every so often.
Some good information here:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
In particular:
"... batteries need to be used for maximum performance. If you don’t use your device often, be sure to complete a charge cycle at least once a month."
"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."
charlie

Similar Messages

Internal Battery Care

Hi all, I have a question regarding internal battery care. I have seen other people pointing to posts on battery care but unfortunately they pertain to removable batteries. Question is, what is the best way to take care of an internal battery? I mainly work at my desk with the computer plugged in, Before, I would remove the battery. Now that the battery is internal, I can not. Do I leave it plug the entire time? Or should I unplug it once the battery is fully charged? Thanks!

Systems at this level should keep the battery trickel charged.THE key thing to know is that for long-term storage Lithium-ION batteries are best stored half full.And unlike the old days in rechargabeles its not good to run then down all the way regularly that will shorten LI batteries. They do best if you keep them topped off. http://www.batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Battery Care

Hi,
I have been reading a lot of discussions in some of the forums in the web and some topics here on how to take care of the MBP battery and how it can last long. Since I am a first time Mac user, I'm quite clueless about battery care of the MBP.
I recently bought this new MBP as a replacement for my desktop computer, although I anticipate in the future that I can tote it along with me whenever I go travel or go mobile perhaps (meetings, presentations) to other places. But as of now, it is my main computer and work with it for 8+ hours a day.
What I do is that I charge the battery until it reaches 100% and then disconnects it until it drains up to say 10-20% left and then I plug the charger again to recharge it. Then the cycle goes on.
Now is this a good way? I've read that this is not a good idea and it's much better to keep it plugged in. Should I keep it plugged in all the time? I've also read about batteries bulging because the charger was plugged in all the time.
I'd like to hear your advice on this. Cheers!

Apple makes it very easy to care for your battery. The only things you really need to be concerned about is that you don't keep it plugged in 24/7/365 and you should never do is let the battery completely discharge.
Apple recommends that you use the computer on battery power once or twice a month. Unlike older MBP computers, those with batteries that aren't user replaceable (like yours) don't need to be calibrated. If you know you won't be using the computer for a week or more, make sure the battery is about 50% charged and turn it off. If you leave the computer unplugged and sleeping for an extended period of time you can totally discharge the battery which is very bad for its health.
To make sure I use my computer off the charger I have a repeating event in iCal for one Saturday a month. I use the computer off charger all weekend. Normally it gets more of a battery workout than that but just in case, this reminder makes sure I get in at least 2 days a month.
I don't recommend that you charger it and then use the battery all day when it isn't necessary. The more it gets used, the quicker you are using it up.

Battery Big Question Mark Symbol

My pre plus has suddenly developed a battery big question mark symbol. Any advice?
Post relates to: Pre Plus p100ueu (02)

Battery symbol with a question mark indicates no battery present in the device. You can try cleaning the battery contacts with a pencil eraser, or replacing the battery.

Battery drain question

Hi All,
I have a question about my battery drain. I just want to check and see if it is rather normal.
Last evening I unplugged my iPad after its first full charge (wore the battery down to like 6% the previous night). Took it with me on a car ride, turned it on on occasion in the car, just seeing wifi hotspots and such. Then played around with it for a while. By the time I got home the battery was at like 98/97%. Then used it a moderate amount later on, and while browsing the web I noticed the battery dropped a good 1+% every couple minutes while simply browsing the web.
I noticed that trend last night while browsing, then stopping and browsing again (turning the device from a locked state to working).
Is the 1/2% drop every we shall say 10-15 minutes of web surfing good or bad. Sorry for the paranoid question, just curious.
Terry

Lets say the iPad drops 2% every 10 minutes while browsing. So at a rate of 2% you will be able to use the ipad for 100%/2%*10minutes=500 minutes
divide that by 60 minutes in an hour and you get 8 hours and 20 minutes which isn't that far off of up to 10 hours of usage. I think that's pretty good considering I used the worst case scenario from the numbers you provided.
There are plenty of factors including distance from the router, brightness level, temperature etc.
Message was edited by: enderx

Battery Care Function for VAIO SVS131190X in Windows 8

Thank you Miguael, i had tried your solution several times already but the problems still presist. Now i return to use windows 7 instead.
But here are the list of problems I want Sony to solve.
1. The battery checker didn't solve the battery error problem. I have to manually stop some program from startup. (can't remember program name)
2. Battery function care and keyboard backlight are not installed when I install control center.
I bought win8 and expecting that every feature should work properly but I found that there are many feature missing and some drivers are not working properly.
Can u let me know when I can install complete version of win8 for my vaio?
i dont wanna waste my time on system recovery.
Thank you

Hello Tommy,
Thank you for the response.
Try re-installing the Battery Checker Software along with the VAIO Control Center Software and its update to troubleshoot the issue.
You can download and install the Battery Checker Software from here: http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/swu-download.pl?mdl=SVS131190X&upd_id=7868&os_group_id=24
VAIO Control Center Software from here: http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/swu-download.pl?mdl=SVS131190X&upd_id=7862&os_group_id=24
VAIO Control Center Update from here: http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/swu-download.pl?mdl=SVS131190X&upd_id=8273&os_group_id=24
If the issue persists, contact Sony Telephone Assistance Team here: http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/support-contacts.pl?mdltype_id=24
Regards,
Miguael
Note: If my post answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution."

Mid 2010 15" i5 Battery Calibration Questions

Hi, I have a mid 2010 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz i5.
Question 1: I didn't calibrate my battery when I first got my MacBook Pro (it didn't say in the manual that I had to). I've had it for about a month and am doing a calibration today, is that okay? I hope I haven't damaged my battery? The calibration is only to help the battery meter provide an accurate reading of how much life it has remaining, right?
Question 2: After reading Apple's calibration guide, I decided to set the MacBook Pro to never go to sleep (in Energy Saver System Preference) and leave it on overnight so it would run out of power and go to sleep, then I'd leave it in that state for at least 5 hours before charging it. When I woke up, the light on the front wasn't illuminated. It usually pulsates when in Sleep. Expectedly, it wouldn't wake when pressing buttons on the keyboard. So, what's happened? Is this Safe Sleep? I didn't see any "Your Mac is on reserve battery and will shut down" dialogues or anything similar, as I was asleep! I've left it in this state while I'm at work and will charge it this afternoon. Was my described method okay for calibration or should I have done something different?
Question 3: Does it matter how quickly you drain your battery when doing a calibration? i.e is it okay to drain it quickly (by running HD video, Photo Booth with effects etc) or slowly (by leaving it idle or running light apps)?
Thanks.
Message was edited by: Fresh J

Fresh J:
A1. You're fine calibrating the battery now. You might have gotten more accurate readings during the first month if you'd done it sooner, but no harm has been done.
A2. Your machine has NOT shut down; it has done exactly what it was supposed to do. When the power became critically low, it first wrote the contents of RAM to the hard drive, then went to sleep. When the battery was completely drained some time later, the MBP went into hibernation and the slepp light stopped pulsing and turned off. In that state the machine was using no power at all, but the contents of your RAM were still saved. Once the AC adapter was connected, a press of the power button would cause those contents to be reloaded, and the machine would pick up again exactly where you left off. It is not necessary to wait for the battery to be fully charged before using the machine on AC power, but do leave the AC adapter connected for at least two hours after the battery is fully charged. Nothing that you say you've done was wrong, and nothing that you say has happened was wrong.
A3. No, it does not matter.

Macbook Battery Calibration Questions

Greetings!
I just bought a MacBook today (the mid-range white model) but I am a complete tyro in the Apple world. I have a few questions with respect to the calibration process. The manual is lucid with respect to everything except for three issues:
1. The instructions make no mention of whether or not I can turn on my MacBook and use it during the first charge cycle (that is, the charging cycle before the two hour normal use stage).
2. The instructions do not indicate whether or not I have to wait until the battery is completely dead during the "die-down" stage (the supposed five hour sleep stage) before I plug in the charger and fully charge the battery again. Is it all right to plug in the power adapter after the computer has slept for five hours while the computer is still in sleep mode?
3. If for some reason I screwed up my first calibration (perhaps due to mishandling the process in (1) or (2) above), is it detrimental to immediately run another calibration process (i.e. treat the second "power up" cycle as step one of the calibration process)?
The reason why I raise these issues is because I am currently calibrating my MacBook as I speak. I plugged my adapter into the computer, turned it on, and ran programs (iTunes, CD ripping, Wifi) while the initial charge cycle was running. I have let the computer fully charge and have left it fully charged for a little over two hours. I am about to disconnect it and move to the "die-down" stage (that is, I will let it die down into sleep mode). I am concerned about whether or not I have faulted at any point in the calibration process. Any help regarding my questions would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.
-- BibleJordan

And yes, it is ok the plug the adaptor while the computer is in sleep mode. The battery will charge as normal.
No, I think this is wrong. You need to let it sleep without the power adapter. This causes the battery to deplete most of the remaining reserve charge. If you look in the manual on pages 23-24, steps 4-6 are critical. Basically it says to drain your battery till it goes to sleep (step 4). Then let it sleep for 5 hours (step 5). Then plug in the ac adapter and leave it in till it is fully charged (step 6).
So do not plug in the AC adapter until it has either been off for 5 hours or in sleep mode for 5 hours.
Personally I don't see how you can shut it off instead of sleep mode for the 5 hours, as once it goes to sleep mode, from low battery, you cannot wake it to turn it off unless you plug in the AC and that defeats the whole purpose...
Regards,
RacerX
MacBook 2.0Ghz, 2GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.7)

HP TouchPad - Battery with question mark.

HP TouchPad (16GB) WebOS/Cyanogen Mod daul boot. When I turn on the TouchPad it boots to a screen with a white edged battery with a question mark in the middle. When the charger is plugged in the home button or center button on the TouchPad lights up left and right. I haven't been able to boot into the boot menu since this has been happening. Could someone please tell me how to fix this? I have read a forum on how to re-partition the TouchPad's drive to reinstall WebOS. Here is the post here, http://www.souldevteam.net/blog/2012/07/24/fix-bricked-hp-touchpad-recovering-software-bricked-touch...
Could someone tell me if this might help the problem or if there is another way? Thanks.

Sorry, HP doesn't support changing the OS on the touchpad.
Check out some of the touchpad threads over at http://www.webosnation.com . They have one specifically for "Android on the TouchPad.
The usual answers for this issue in webOS are: Check your charger brick - make sure the prongs haven't rotated out of the normal position; try another micro-USB cable; make sure you have power in the wall where the charger is inserted.
WyreNut
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Battery adapter question

What does it mean when the adapter for the battery turns orange and then green and keeps flashing like that?

Orange means the battery is charging. Green means the battery is fully charged. The charging circuitry turns off once the battery is fully charged and will not turn on until the charge level drops below 95 percent.
If the light is constantly changing between orange and green then it means the battery is either not holding a charge or the control circuitry is not functioning properly.
You can try two things:
Have you ever calibrated the battery? If not that should be the first thing you try. The second thing to try is to reset the power management unit. If this doesn't resolve the problem take the computer in for repair (or replacement of the battery if that's the only problem.)
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X301 battery reset question

I've been trying to reset the battery gauge on my Thinkpad X301 (Windows 7).
The reset function does run the battery down and then recharge it, but the test is never officially ended, even when left running for days. The Battery Maintenance windows remains on the the screen, with the "stop battery gauge reset" button waiting to be pressed.
Perhaps related is that my laptop keeps entering the sleep function during this test. Is that normal, or acceptable? It does this even when I instruct Power Manager to keep the laptop alive at all times.
I haven't been able to find any documentation that would explain these questions. In fact I can't tell whether this is a Thinkpad function or a Windows 7 function!
Can you anyone provide some advice?

I do not understand your question completely, I am guessing that you bought a OEM/Retail Window 7 and installed it? There is nothing wrong with it, and from the four X301 I have owned, it is much better than IMHO than the lenovo supplied recovery discs.I have both your setup (XP/vista) and have the upgrade discs during that period to upgrade to window 7.
The X301 is not under the enhance experience so there would be no difference between normal window 7 and lenovo supplied window 7 recovery discs (for X301).
What you may need to do is to download lenovo software update and install all the latest drivers and utility to bring it back to all the features you want. Obviously there is no blue button recovery function so you would need to use window 7 built in backup software to save your system image, burn a CDROM for recovery, and so on.
The SSD could be suffering from no garbage collection, have you tried running the TRIM/garbage collection software from the manufacturer? Eg Intel and samsung should have their own tools.

Re: Battery Use Question...

Hello all -- Well, I've got my new battery for my Powerbook G4 1.67 now after going through a second one in less than 8 months. So my question is this:
- Does it make sense to remove the battery when I am able to plug in the A/C adapter to the wall? This way, I don't run up the Cycle count and reduce the battery life when not necessary?
- Does the computer slow down if the battery is removed but plugged into A/C power?
Thanks,
Jason

When the PB is plugged into the wall, you are not running up your cycle count, unless it's recharging, which it would need to do in any event. If you haven't already, you might read these two Apple notes, the first on what constitutes a cycle: http://www.apple.com/batteries/ and this note on Powerbook battery maintenance: http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html . Note that lithium batteries need to be used, to maximize their life.
Your system speed doesn't change with or without the battery when plugged into the wall.

HT201303 I need to change my security question because I do not know the answer to the car question can someone help me please.

the security question about which was your favorite car and least fav I cannot remmeber my answer how do i go about changing this or getting a new set up question ?

Alternatives for Help Resetting Security Questions and Rescue Mail
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     3. Apple ID- Contacting Apple for help with Apple ID account security.
     4. Fill out and submit this form. Select the topic, Account Security.
     5. Call Apple Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support in your
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How to Manage your Apple ID: Manage My Apple ID

Warranty / Apple Care question

Does anyone know whether installing my own upgraded hard drive would void my Apple Care extended warranty?

I apologize for posting in the wrong forum but thanks for answering my question anyway.
Yes, the question is about a Powerbook G4 Laptop that I'm asking about. And the warranty expires on Feb 2, 2008. Unfortunately I've already replaced the internal hard drive so I guess that's moot anyway.
Oh well...

Battery Symbols Question

Hey guys I'm using an external charger case on my iPhone 4. So my question... What's the difference between the lightning bolt and plug symbol? Thought i would ask you guys cause I'm not sure. Thanks

So if my battery is slowly draining (% symbol) going down and I have the plug symbol showing... Does that mean I have a defective charging case?

Battery Care Question

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