[willed]

Hi, I fell victim to the 10.2.4 battery bug which has led to me buying a new battery (£99! I'm a student for God's sake!) Anyway, the old battery is still useful for about 40-50 mins at a time so I'm going to keep it for emergencies etc. Question is, should I drain it before storage or charge it fully? Does it matter?

[AssassyN]

I'd re-calibrate it actually, let is run all the way down, then recharge to full strength and store.

[Cipher13]

I'd zap the battery and store it totally empty.

[Panzer]

I second what AssassyN recommended, but want to add something else. If possible, try to put the battery back in your iBook and top off the charge. Maybe once a month or so.
With lithium-ion batteries, it is better to keep it charged.

[Cipher13]

I disagree... strongly.

For short term storage of Li-Ion batteries, store charged. These batteries have a very low level of self-discharge.

For long term storage of Li-Ion batteries, store uncharged. Then once every 3-4 months, charge them to about 30%, and then let them self-discharge over the next 3-4 months.

I have to manage a network with over 100 iBooks in total. As you can imagine, the biggest issue with them is their batteries. They're expensive to replace, and with their constant use, the batteries wear out MUCH faster than in a standard situation. Proper battery management is VERY important in this situation, to keep them running properly.

But hey - whatever. I've found what I described to be the most successful method of prolonging their life during long-term storage. I'm sure others have found it to be the other way around. It all depends, but I'm describing to you what works best for me.

I'd store it un-charged.