I replaced my battery and am still getting the same battery life

Question

Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number: 6N8450F7B13E
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: bq20z951
Pack Lot Code: 0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 002a
Hardware Revision: 000a
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3566
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4215
Health Information:
Cycle count: 0
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1465
Voltage (mV): 11824
I just replaced my battery yesterday, but I am still getting the same battery life of about 2.5 hours. When I first got the laptop, I was getting atleast 6-7 hours.
Can anyone tell what is wrong? The stats are from the newly replaced battery

Answer 1

Hi katsoccer92,
The first thing I suggest you do is read neuroanatomist's excellent battery FAQ at http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1764220
New batteries can take a few cycles to work up to maximum capacity (and your figures indicate that the batteries maximum capacity is a little lower than you would expect, so maybe it still has some room for improvement).
In a situation like yours it is important to calibrate the battery when you first get it - see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490 I also often recalibrate again after the first week when the battery has settled down a bit, and then every couple of months thereafter. If your battery's full charge capacity isn't up around 4500mAh after a week then it may have been old stock or otherwise defective.
But usage patterns have a huge impact on charge life.
If , for example, you are watching a lot more "flash" based videos on line these days then you can expect a dramatic fall in computer run time. "Flash" plugins chew up a heap of CPU time, and accordingly can flatten your battery faster than a politician can break a promise!
Bluetooth is another real battery muncher, and so, of course, is anything like an external drive or other device powered by the computers USB or firewire ports (Elgato EyeTVs , unpowered hubs, bus powered scanners, etc etc). The internal iSight camera is a real power chomper too.
Cheers
Rod