Time to Replace Macbook Pro Battery?

Well... it happened. I just broke 1,000 charge cycles on my Macbook Pro. My computer is telling me that I need to replace it soon, but coconut battery says that I have at least 70% life left. Out of the design capacity of 5770 mAh, I have 4149 mAh left. This gets me about a 4 hour charge, more or less depending on what I'm doing. While watching Youtube at this moment though, it says about an hour left and I am at 50%. So it really does vary on what I am doing.I run this battery pretty hard with a lot of gaming, video editing, and just general use. Plus I have 2 hard drives in it so there is just that little bit of extra power use. Should I just buy the new battery now and throw it in or should I wait it out a bit longer? I know the battery is pretty unpredictable now that its past 1,000 charges and thats all Apple rates it for, so let me know what you think.

Not sure why you need any input on this. You are on borrowed time with a hobbled battery capacity, if you can get by on this restriction than keep milking it to the bitter end. If you have the money buy the battery.

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Replaced macbook pro battery still wont work.

Hi all,
I’ve been a long time reader but I haven’t been able to fix my issue and its been nearly 18 months, so I need your advice as to what to do.
One day I was using my laptop (Macbook Pro Unibody Mid 2009 model) and realised that my battery was losing battery but it was plugged into the AC. Eventually my battery died so I assumed my charger had short-circuited. I used a new charger, and although it turn on my fear worsened when I realised that even with a new charger that it still said no battery available. Also the sidelights, which indicate the status of my battery, will no longer flash at all and the light on my magsafe is always green. So up to this point, my charger stopped working, and what looked like my battery had stopped working. I tried everything to resettling my PRAM and SMU to removing the battery and holding down the power button then restoring the battery. Nothing. I then had no choice but to order a new battery, which cost me £70. To increase my problem, a new battery didn’t work. I don’t remember resetting any settings once I placed the new battery in. I am now selling the battery if anyone wants it when I realised it wasn’t the problem. So then I thought, maybe the magsafe connector is the problem. But like I said previously, my computer still works when plugged in to the AC so therefore it isn’t the charger or the battery as both had been replaced, and it can’t be the logic board as my computer has been working for the last 18 months. I then did an Apple hardware Test and it came back with the code for no battery detected, even with my new battery placed inside. So this must mean that the connection between my battery and my logic board is somehow damaged. Am I right? Does anyone have any insight into how I can fix this or any place in the UK, which can fix logic boards and wont just tell me to replace it? I have a perfectly working mac when it runs off AC, and although it runs on half its CPU usage because it can’t detect a battery I have since gotten round that. I need help, and I have no idea what to do. If anyone helps me get my mac up and running I will buy you a beer or cold beverage if I’m ever in your part of the world/country.
Regards,

See this discussion - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4135250?tstart=30 - a good number of notebook users saw a degradation in battery life after upgrading to Mountain Lion.
Clinton

Do i have to charge my replacement macbook pro batter for a certain amount of time before using the computer?

do i have to charge my replacement macbook pro batter for a certain amount of time before using the computer?

First, if you have a Late 2008 or older MacBook Pro, you should calibrate the battery, as the battery for these MacBooks don't come precalibrated > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Then, the battery should come charged, so use it until the battery percentage is low, and then, charge it. You can use your Mac while your battery is being charged, and your MacBook will stop charging the battery when your battery is full, so you can unplug it at any moment

MacBook Pro battery had accumulated more than a 1000 charges, and stopped functioning unexpectedly. Went and got the battery replaced. Just saw that SMC Firmware 1.6 update deals with this. Possible to get my money back?

MacBook Pro battery had accumulated more than a 1000 charges, and stopped functioning unexpectedly. Went and got the battery replaced. Just saw that SMC Firmware 1.6 update deals with this. Possible to get my money back?

The firmware update corrects an error that may occur, however the techs would have checked the condition of the battery prior to installing a new one. If the battery was questionable, the firmware update was really not too important.
You can check the battery condition by going to the apple, left side of the menu bar, About This Mac, More Info, System Report, Hardware, Power and see what it says about Cycle Count, Condition, Capacity: Condition anything but Normal needs to be checked and may need to be replaced.
The cycle count of 1,000 charge cycles is the typical life of a Lithium-Ion battery, the point at which the capacity drops to 80% of the as built capacity.

Does OS X Mavericks shorten a battery life time in Retina Macbook Pro?

Does OS X Mavericks shorten a battery life time in Retina Macbook Pro?

Thank you again for your advice, and I am sure your right but as a simplton I have to argue that the problem is asociated with Mavericks in so much as - one does not have any of these issues running any previous OS and therefore, the issue is a Mavericks one when upgrading. It is all to easy for the techies to say "its on your mac' if proper testing and development had been done on, at the very least , the apple software the upgrade should not have issues. its a bit late after installing and having Apple update remind you all the time to upgrade then to say sorry - your fault for having incompatible software like mail . However, I suggest you look at the other apple logs / site that complain of battery drain after mavericks they all point to issues that are as a RESULT of the upgrade and yes technically you will argue that is because the original software in not compatible or some such. Lets not go on and on I have sorted the problem - don't use Mail and battery life is OK, Use mail and watch it drain. Once again thank you please don't feel the need to respond.

MacBook Pro Battery bulging after 10.6.8 upgrade

I have a MacBook Pro Core Duo 17-inch: 2.16GHz (MA092LL/A), purchased in May 2006. It has been a superb performer. I ran Tiger (10.4.11) on the machine until recently, when I upgraded to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). I usually run the machine on the power supply, but the battery has never had any problems. I had the full 3-year AppleCare warranty on the machine, but obviously that has expired.
Today I noticed that the battery (A1189) was bulging. I hadn't used the machine for several days. I've probably used it for a total of 4 hours since I installed 10.6.8...and all of that usage was with the power supply connected.
I removed the battery and inspected it. The cover plate (with the battery check switch and LEDs) was separating from the body, obviously being pushed up by expanding innards. All 5 LEDs lit up when I pressed the battery check switch, so I replaced the battery and booted the machine (power supply attached). The battery indicator in the menu bar showed that the battery had 100% charge. I usually run the machine with an external Apple keyboard and mouse. Within a few minutes I was unable to use the mouse. The pressure from the expanding battery was locking the trackpad button and disabling all mouse click functions.
I released the battery locks; it wasn't easy due to the pressure caused by the bulging battery. That relieved the pressure on the trackpad, after which the mouse (and trackpad button) worked normally.
Unfortunately, I can't check the battery info in System Profiler; installing the battery locks the trackpad button and disables all mouse functions. However, my usage of the machine has been light, and I've mostly run it with the power supply attached. I have deliberately run the battery down to zero to calibrate it a few times per Apple's instructions, but since the vast majority of my usage has been on the power supply, battery performance has never been an issue. In the few dozen times when I've run the machine on battery power, it worked fine. I would estimate that the battery has used significantly less than half of its available charge cycles. It's obviously still holding a charge.
I've seen a number of posts here in Apple Discussions implying that Snow Leopard 10.6.8 might be causing some problems with MacBook Pro batteries. All my software is up to date. I understand that batteries don't last forever, but the fact that the battery is self-destructing within a few usage hours after I upgraded to 10.6.8 causes me to suspect that this isn't just a battery problem. I don't want to replace the battery and have it self-destruct again if there's a system power management problem.
Can anyone provide any suggestions or information on this issue?
Thanks!

stevekn:
After the same thing happened to me, I spent a great deal of time researching this issue. When I wrote the original post in this thread, I was asking whether there was a causal link between my upgrade to OS X 10.6.8 and the bulging battery problem. From the standpoint of the system itself and its ability to manage the battery functions, I'm now convinced that no such problem exists. Similarly, I'm convinced that there is no intrinsic defect in the battery itself...well, except to the extent that I'm about to describe.
All batteries have physical limitations. Among them, operating temperature is perhaps one of the most critical. It's no secret that what used to be called "laptops" are now called "notebook computers" because they get so hot during usage that you can't hold them on your lap—especially when the CPU is working hard for extended time periods. Applied to the MacBook Pro, that means one of the most stressful usage modes for its battery is the condition wherein the machine runs hot for a long time.
My MacBook Pro experienced exactly that condition during my recent system upgrade, in which I had to install Leopard as an intermediate step in order to be able to install Snow Leopard. I suspect that it was the Leopard install that dealt the death blow to the battery. It required lots of CPU usage for a long time, and the battery got very hot in the process. (Of course, it was running on the power supply at the time—which is advisable for a system upgrade.)
During the Leopard install, I checked the machine. That's when I discovered how hot the the machine had become. I had never observed the MacBook Pro getting that hot during any previous usage. I put a couple of heat sinks under it and elevated the machine, but I now believe that by then it was too late.
It's my opinion that the battery simply couldn't tolerate that kind of heat. Shortly thereafter, the two center cells started growing, with the resultant trackpad symptom revealing the problem...and by now you probably know what happens after that. The bulging indicates internal damage to the cells, in which the chemical compounds interact in such a way that causes the cells to expand.
In the case of my battery, I had set it aside and then had forgotten about it while I researched a replacement battery. When I found the damaged battery several weeks later, it no longer looked like the battery in your photos, with some separation of the battery case and cover. I discovered that the damaged cells had continued to expand slowly in the interim, eventually forcing the battery case completely apart. I suspect that if you observe your damaged battery over time, you'll find that the damaged cells continue to expand in the same way.
That's typical behavior for damaged cells, so in that sense, it's "normal". Whether it's "normal" for the cells to become damaged in the first place is more difficult to say, but I suppose that it depends on the kind of usage the battery gets. In my case, I ran the machine with the power supply attached most of the time, I never made it work very hard, and I even used a small cooling fan when I ran the machine outdoors in hot weather. I suspect that's why I got over 5 years of use out of the battery.
But nothing lasts forever, and that aging battery was seriously stressed by the Leopard installation. I'm now convinced that it was its undoing. If there's a lesson to take away from this, it's probably that heat kills batteries. Eventually, the battery will die a peaceful death by exhausting its own ability to hold a charge, but until then you can reduce the chance that it will die violently in the battle of the bulge by keeping it as cool as possible

Dota 2 and Macbook pro battery

My early 2011 15 inch macbook pro battery drains while connected with 85w charger when i am playing dota 2. Dota 2 runs faily well with very little lag in almost high setting. Shouldn't 85w charger provide adequte power for gaming. Dota 2 is not even a very demanding game. I have only played few small 2d games in my pro and this may be the first time i am playing a 3d game. And also sometimes it doesnt drain even when i play 2-3 matches but most of the other times it drains in single match. I have yet to see it drain down 90% but still. What options do i have to fix this? I am graphic designer so i sometimes do video editing in my macbook pro and i m quite sure some of those renderings are more system hungry than dota 2 and no drain while doing that. Thanks in advance.

What do you mean it didn't work? Are you having a battery issue that the update did not fix? Need some more info. If you look at the webpage that I linked to, it advises to have affected batteries replaced.
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.
If you're replacing batteries every 3 months I would take a look at how you are maintaining your battery. Are you calibrating it when it arrives and then every 6 to 8 weeks afterword? Are you running graphically intensive programs? Do you have a lot of background process in your activity monitor that are taxing the system? Most folks I have seen post here find their battery issues resolved after a replacement, not recurring every 3 months.

HT204347 MY MACBOOK PRO BATTERY BURST! WHAT NOW???

My MacBook Pro battery burst... nothing violent, but it has begun to split apart with pressure forcing the unit apart. And advice? Help please... I'm at a loss... (figuratively and literally!! )

It happens from time to time. Bring the MBP and the battery to an Apple store for a replacement. If you are fortunate, the store personel may take pity on you and give you one for free, but do not expect that unless it is less than one year old.
Ciao.

Macbook Pro battery issues - from fully charged to 8% in under 60 mins?

Hi, I wonder if someone could point me in the right direction. Last night after fully charging my macbook pro battery in under 60 minutes it had less than 8% less. I bought this on the 1st Dec 2007 and haven't changed the battery.
I really don't know what any of the below means, but here goes:
Please help as I am no tecky.
Thank you
Catherine.
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number: Sony-ASMB012-372d-276e
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0003
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 102a
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2509
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 2512
Health Information:
Cycle count: 154
Condition: Check Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -447
Voltage (mV): 12389
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 1
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

As you are aware, batteries (no matter what manufacturer) are consumable devices and is only covered for one year (barring any type of abuse). With your purchase date being in 2007, this would not be covered under your AppleCare extended service plan.
Suggest you make an appointment for your local Apple Genius Bar and they can perform a Battery & Adapter test. You can always start the process by contacting AppleCare (1.800.APL.CARE) and log down your case number after you have completed your discussions with them, so when you get to the Genius Bar, it will save you time. At that point they will be able to determine if the battery is defective and commence the replacement process. Include your case number in the notes section of your Genius Bar appointment form. This tests will check your MagSafe adapter and battery at the same time and takes about a couple of minutes if that. Hope this helps guide you through the process.
Cheers,
Pete

Transferring data from external hard drive to new replacement Macbook Pro...

Hello,
Apple have arranged to give me a replacement Macbook Pro due to faults with hardware on the one I am currently using. I will be going to pick up the replacement Macbook Pro tomorrow morning.
As a complete novice I just wanted to check that I have backed up the data from my current laptop onto my Iomega external hard drive properly, as I am slightly nervous about losing all my work and not being able to transfer all my files onto my new Macbook Pro tomorrow.
I did a back up using time machine earlier today which took quite a long time and seemed to go successfully. Is this the right thing to have done to save all data from my current laptop onto the external hard drive?
Will transferring data from the external hard drive onto my new Macbook Pro be a simple task?
Will I have to reinstall all my software such as Logic and Pro Tools? Also will my preferences and settings for music software be changed?
I'd greatly appreciate any advice.
Thanks,
Deena

Well it's like this.
If your problem on the Mac didn't affect the software or the TimeMachine backup, then restoring from that using SetupAssistant (when you first set up a new Mac it will ask you to restore) should go fine.
HOWEVER, if there are software issues on the Mac that also transferred to the TimeMachine drive, that will only transfer them back onto your new computer.
You can't very easily just pick out the things you want to restore from TimeMachine with, it doesn't give that fine detail of control, and if it's really messed up, it might not restore anything at all.
The golden rule of backups is to maintain two separate and easily accessible hardware copies of your data off the machine at all times.
Since you don't know for sure if the TimeMachine restore is going to work as intended, and your only other source is going to disappear, I'd advise a additional backup of your Music, Documents, Pictures and Movie folders etc., to another regular external drive via regular drag and drop copy methods.
The operating system and programs can all be reinstalled from fresh sources on the new machine, provided you have the AppleID and password, license codes for your programs, email passwords and any other necessary information to re-establish the license on the new machine.
(In some cases licensed software HAS NOT transferred to a new machine with a TimeMachine restore and had to be reinstalled)
Some times you have to contact the developer or "uninstall" the licensed program so it sends a signal to their servers that the program has been removed, else your license code may not work on the new machine.
You might decide the new machine would be better off with a fresh install of your programs that you know are 100% compatible with Lion etc., leaving a lot of older stuff you installed over the years off the new machine, if you restore from TimeMachine, you don't have this option. You pretty much get all the crap along for the ride,
If your new machine gets all crapped up, then restoring Lion is going to going to be a tough challenge, as you need a strong reliable Internet connection to download a fresh copy of Lion from Apple servers (no more disks). Once you do that, then somehow you have to use third party software ($$) to cherry pick your files out of TimeMachines trap. More headaches than you anticpated, and likely a charge by a specialist.
So I'd advise another hard drive with a copy of just your files, just in case a crap-up occurs
You can restore Lion yourself if it craps up, install programs from fresh sources as you know how to do, use the old license codes and then return your files manually exactly back into their same Music, Pictures, Documents, and Movies (etc, not Library) folders as before.
The key to this manual method is to make sure to use the same user name as before, so all your file location data pathnames retained by program files like iTunes to where the songs are located on the drive, are matched. Once you open these programs and restablish the links in OS X, then you can move them around.
Some tricks, if you use iPhoto, you can right click "show package contents" and inside is a folder with your Originals, copy that out and you can reimport your pictures into the new iPhoto Library on the new machine.
So use TM if you dare, but prepared to do things manually is my opinion.
TM restores have not been all that reliable or dependable, the more messed up your machine is, the worst the restore seems to be.
Good Luck

MacBook and MacBook Pro Battery Update

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/
Apple has recently discovered that some batteries used in its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks may have battery performance issues. Apple is offering a software update that is designed to improve battery performance.
The battery update is available immediately via Software Update or downloadable here.
Note: The factors causing the performance issues do not present a safety risk. You may continue to use your current battery.
This battery update should be run on all MacBook and MacBook Pro computers and extra batteries that were purchased between February 2006 and April 2007.
If, after you have installed the battery update, your battery has any of the symptoms listed below, please make a reservation to bring your computer with its battery to your local Apple Retail Store, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP), or call your local Apple Support Contact Center. If Apple or an AASP determines that your battery is eligible for replacement, you will receive a new battery, free of charge, even if your MacBook or MacBook Pro is out of warranty.
For MacBook and MacBook Pro systems with Intel Core Duo processors, this program extends repair coverage on the battery for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer.
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.
Next Steps
To participate in this worldwide program, your MacBook or MacBook Pro battery must show the symptoms noted above. If it does, please make a reservation to bring your computer and battery to your local Apple Retail Store, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP), or call your local Apple Support Contact Center. The U.S. support number is 1-800-275-2273. If you are located outside the U.S., please see Apple's international contact list for your local Apple Technical Support phone number. An Apple technical support representative or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will determine if the battery is eligible for replacement, free of charge. Customers are responsible for transportation costs to eligible AASPs and retail stores.
If a replacement battery is sent to you via airmail, it is important that you return the older battery to Apple so that it can be properly recycled.
This program extends repair coverage on the battery for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer for Intel Core Duo-based MacBook and MacBook Pro computers. Apple will continue to evaluate the battery update program and will provide further extensions as needed. Apple also reserves the right to modify the program if other solutions that address the battery performance issues become available.

For MacBook and MacBook Pro systems with Intel Core Duo processors, this program extends repair coverage on the battery for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer.
Pretty nice change for those C2D's

HT204347 Do you connect the charger in the MacBook Pro battery damage if using device ?

Do you connect the charger in the MacBook Pro battery damage if using device ?
i am sorry i not good speak english

Provided you are using the correct charger for your Mac (13" have a 65 watt charger, 15" and 17", an 85 watt charger), it has enough capacity to power the computer for normal tasks, and the leftover power can charge the battery at the same time. If you are doing something very intensive, there may not be leftover power, but the Mac will take power from the battery if needed. Once the battery is fully charged, the pilot light in the charger plug will change from orange to green and no further charge will be applied to the battery.
You can use your Mac plugged to the charger with no damage to the battery or the computer.

Macbook Pro Battery swollen and Can't charge will affected processing Speed

Will Macbook Pro Battery swollen and Can't charge will affected processing Speed? I read article that processing speed will reduce if we take out the battery however will this affected if our battery unable to charge? My MBP still able to detect battery but no more charging.
My is macbook pro year 2010 macbook 7.1 13 inch

I will replacing it soon, however at mean while I still using it. I just want to check either it will affected my speed for now?

My MacBook Pro battery is empty and won't charge, but charger is fine

My MacBook Pro battery is empty and won't charge. I did the PRAM reset when there was still some power left in the battery. The charger indicator light doesn't come on when I connect it to MacBook Pro, BUT it works just fine with my old white Mac book. This happened a few times before, and unplugging and plugging the adapter into the MacBook pro helped. Now nothing happens no matter how many times I reset the charger. Is there anything else I can do?

More than likely you need a new battery.

Returning exchanged MacBook Pro battery - do I just send it by post office?

Thank you Apple for sending me a new MacBook Pro battery so quickly. I have now packaged the old battery and followed the instructions in the box to replace the front label with the Apple ship-to thing. It's been lying around since the 11th August and I ought to return my old battery.
Now here comes the dilemma - nowhere does it say where I need to bring the box to.
Do I:
a) Simply bring it to a post office which accepts packages?
b) Have to call a company up (UPS??) to arrange collection?
c) Have to call up Apple to arrange return?
d) Something else altogether?
I am in Coventry, England, United Kingdom - and the return address is Apple Computer Int, c/o BAX Global Logistics B.V. Trekpot 1, 4825 BM BREDA in the Netherlands, and the box has a UPS Express Saver tracking number.

You simply have to contact UPS for a collection. They'll come and pick it up for free - or at Apple's cost, at least..
I think you don't have an account number for UPS - on their UK page, they say:
"For non account holders, please call 08457 877 877 to schedule a collection."
Remember that - according to the instructions in the shipping box - you have to return your battery within 10 business days... Otherwise you might have to pay for it.

Time to Replace Macbook Pro Battery?

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