Unibody Macbook Pro Battery Question

What's the general consensus for Macbook Pros? Is it better to leave my Macbook Pro plugged in and use the battery only when AC power isn't readily available or use the battery until it runs down and then charge it and repeat?

I've read some other posts on battery life, but couldn't find anything specifically about Apple.

Thx!

HM

 

Search around for the thread on lithium ion batteries. The MBP's battery isn't any different from any other laptop. Long story short--lithium ion batteries begin to degrade from the day they are manufactured--what you do or don't do with them during their lifespan doesn't really make much difference.

 

It's been said that the batteries only need one cycle per month in order to remain relatively healthy. So that means that if you take your computer with you out, use it on the battery, come back home, recharge it - once a month, you'll be fine.

 

My old White Macbook only had 39 cycles on it at the end of this year, and I got it last Christmas. It still holds an unbelievable charge, and still keeps it's charge also.

 

Here's my power status:

Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 4321
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4340
Health Information:
Cycle count: 46
Condition: Good

Got my MBP two weeks after they were introduced...

 

@ Cdnalsi: How many charges do you rack up annually?

 

On my old (mid-2007) Macbook Pro I have 214 cycles...

Bought it in July 07.

 

They say that if you use your mbp without the battery it reduces its performance, some website says that the performance is reduced about 40%, but that's a lie. I ran 3dmark06 with and without battery, the performance was reduced only by 7-8%... So personally, when I'm at home, I take out the battery. I've also that you don't need to wait till your battery completely runs out.

 

Removing the battery from the MacBook Pro will throttle the processor back to cut down on power consumption, this is in case the computer tries to draw more than the power adapter can handle.

In terms of usage, I occasionally use my computer on battery but most of the time it's sitting on my desk plugged in with the AC adapter. I've owned the computer since the 3rd of November and I have 9 cycles on my battery.

If you are going to leave it plugged into the AC adapter more than anything, simply calibrate the battery once every month or two by unplugging the AC adapter and letting the battery drain until it has no charge, and then plug the AC adapter back in and let it fully charge; this should keep the battery in tip-top shape.

Happy computing!

 

I currently have 19 charges on my Unibody MBP, and I bought it the week they came out.

My battery health is currently at 4810 mAh out of an original 4600. It's actually improved.

 

That's kinda funny! Wonder how that happened...

 

@ blurb23: That's really weird!

 

Thanks for all the info everyone. I bought my MacBook Pro in early November and here are my battery specs

Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3932
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4710
Health Information:
Cycle count: 42
Condition: Good

My main concern was that I would slowly fry my battery by leaving it plugged in when fully charged. From the responses I received, I don't expect that I will change the way I use/charge my MacBook Pro, but I wanted to see what other user's experiences have been.

Thx!

HM