[z@mro]

I just got my first Mac Laptop.Is it recommended to remove batery when laptop is plugged in. Does it continually recharge the battery in a way that shortens the lifetime of the battery?

[radarbob]

"It is recommended?" Who recommends this? It isn't Apple.

I now think the unrealistic expectation that the battery will perform like new for years and years is causing undue heartache. Let's face it. The battery isn't gonna last as long as the computer itself. I say, in a five+ year computer life span plan on buying two new batteries. Expect it, plan on it. There, don't you feel better now?

[jinubob81]

yeah, way to answer his question.

all he asked was, "is it recommended to leave the battery in while charging (for long periods of time). not, "my battery will stay perfect forever and ever, right?!"

anyways.

from what i know, lithium ion batteries are supposed to be good about having very little effects from charging and recharging, or at least are better than Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries, so in theory it should be alright.

For now, i just plug it in whenever, and i leave the battery in all the time. I havent ever had problems with a li-ion battery going kaput (prematurely) on me simply from recharging in other electronics.

[radarbob]

yeah, way to answer his question.

all he asked was, "is it recommended to leave the battery in while charging (for long periods of time). not, "my battery will stay perfect forever and ever, right?!"

Hay bob81,
I was addressing the entire iBook audience.

First, the question is clearly in the maximizing battery life/ performance category. Second, Having participated in these forums four years now I have seen many, many, many.... postings concerning batteries. This is not the first time this same question has been asked. My sense has been that some get unnecessarily distraught when / because their batteries "die a natural death."

[engaged]

It is true that iBook battery life has been a recurrent, and often contentious, issue raised in this forum - it would be good to know exactly who advised z@mro to remove his battery when using it with mains power.

I replaced my original battery after some eighteen months, but still leave the original one in as I run my iBook on mains 99% of the time - and keep the shiny new one for 'special occasions' when I know it's going to be used as a laptop per se.

[jinubob81]

ahh well, maybe i mistunderstood. it seemed like you were replying to his question with an experienced scoff.

i saw the question as an actual technical question about procedure (for example, i havent seen another recent post in regards to leaving the battery on during charging), and i saw your reply as a brush off of inexperienced users/posters. so for that i apologize.

i just thought maybe you should've offered a direct reply to his question instead of basically saying "get over it".

anyways. i am a hasty creature. and i havent slept long enough. to think, that was my third post on this forum.

[radarbob]

Well bob81, I did not answer directly and succinctly on purpose.

I read into the question... I imagined Z@ getting some advice as if it were SOP for the computer. I've never read any authoritative source that says to take the battery out every time you plug in the AC adapter. Others have pointed out that this exposes your battery terminals to dirt, leaved edges exposed to catch on something, and unbalances the computer in your lap. Hardly sounds like Apple designed the iBook with this technique in mind.

This smacks of urban-myth-like hoop jumping to avoid the inevitable. Next thing you know someone will say to cryogenically freeze it like Ted Williams - who knows, the secret of eternal battery life may be announced any day now!

I have read many battery-life-prolonging theories, much of which revolves around the idea of limiting the number of recharge cycles. I've heard that LiOn batteries have a limited number (several hundred) recharge cycles life. I've read that Apple changed the recharge control logic so that it does not recharge with, say, 95% of the charge left. I've heard that "deep discharging" before recharging is better. What I've never heard anywhere is that any of this actually works.

I say don't allow piss-ants interfere with enjoying your iBook. Just use it and replace the battery when the time comes. But my main point - If you accept the inevitable, then it's not such a problem; OTOH if you think, somehow there is a great battery manufacturer - retailer conspiracy (kinda like the 150mpg gasoline engine) and If you can just discover THE hidden secret to eternal battery life, and *expect* a battery to last years and years and years, well then when your battery does finally die, no matter when, all you can think of is "how do I sign up for the class action suit." Ah, the high art of victimology.

[jinubob81]

ok, that works

edit:

errr

not that you needed my opinion or something

god i'm retarded.

anyways, thanks for explaining.

[JonA572]

Check out this web site for neat info on batteries. This author also mentions leaving lithium ion batteries out of laptops when operating via wall power, and mentions a roughly 2 year lifespan for these batteries. Personally, I leave my battery in all the time. My iBook sees daily use & I've had no probs.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

Jon

[Guy Kuo]

I leave my batteries in our Powerbooks and iBooks all the time. The danger of leaving them in all the time is if the charger system is stupid enough to charge the cells even when they are full. That damages the cells. Apple's charing system is smart enough to discontinue charging once the battery is charged. Hence, the "reason" for removing the battery is not a real issue for the iBooks nor Powerbooks. I'd put that down as bad or wrongly applied advice for our machines.

It is possible for the charging system to become confused and attempt to continue charging a full battery in a Mac. You would notice the battery pack getting warm and the charger never finishing (light turns green on adapter). That should be very very rare. If you see that the computer reports the batter is "charged" and the light on the adapter plug turns green, you can rest assured the battery is not being over-charged.

Leave the battery IN the iBook or Powerbook. It's a smart charger.

The one thing that WILL help with preserving the lifespan of hour lithium batteries is to avoid deep discharge cycles. In other words try to avoid running the batteries into the ground any more often than absolutely necessary. Deep discharges damage lithium rechargeable battery capacity. Shallower discharge/recharge cycles are kinder on the cells. Don't confuse this with ultrashort cycling which risks overcharging the batteries. Apple nicely avoids that by the charing system not recharging until the cells drop to 95%. Basically, the system is designed to avoid the damage caused by overcharging, but only you can prevent the damage of deep cycling.

Along these same lines, recalibration of the battery shouldn't be a frequent activity. That deep discharges the cell and diminishes actual capacity. Unfortunately, the rare recalibration may be needed to "resync" what the computer with the battery's circuitry's reading of charge state. Do it once in a long while, but certainly not on a frequent basis.

[tafticus]

If you use your iBook on a desk, make sure to keep air flowing under it by putting it on some kind of stand. The heat given off by the computer will hurt battery life over time.