[papworth]

My rev A 12" pwrbk is about 2 1/2 years old, and has been in almost constant use since the almost religious experience of unpacking my first new apple.

About five weeks ago, when the machine went to sleep as the battery ran out i plugged it in to charge and carry on typing. The light came on as normal and the menubar icon showed the charging symbol, however after 15 minutes I noticed that the count was still only 1% and when clicked, the dialouge pronounced 22+hours of charging left to fill the battery. 30 minutes later the battery filled by 5%, then before an hour of charging was over the light had turned green. full.
Thinking this was odd I guessed the battery needed recalibrating, I spent the best part of the following three weeks recalibrating the battery three or four times before phoning apple and expecting to be told to recalibrate.
I phoned (btw i do have applecare) and was told that i should read the knowledgebase article on how to recalibrate your battery. I let the chap know that i had already done this several times, but i tried it again just to be sure. No joy.

Yesterday, I called apple back and they told me to set up energysaver a certain way and time how long it takes for the battery to die. 24 1/2 hours later (today) I phone back to let them know the battery has died, another pile of instructions running the hardware check CD. nada. Mr applecare man said my battery had probabley reached the end of its life and I needed to buy a new battey. Now i only get 30 minutes of use from a charge.

Can this be fixed?

[GSixZero]

Yep, it can be fixed. Buy a new battery.

[spiff72]

Doesn't Applecare cover the batteries??

I have a 3 month old powerbook, and bought Applecare. I have been assuming that the battery was covered. Thats a bummer.

[GSixZero]

Applecare doesn't cover the battery past one year because the plan doesn't cover wear and tear items. They consider the fact that the battery gets 'used' up.

This seems to be a borderline case. You may want to call back and gently plead your case again. You may get a more amicable agent. Don't get angry, just explain that you think the battery has not worn out, but has failed.

[Big Mac]

According to this Macworld thread AppleCare does not replace batteries that "are consumed over the normal course of use." However, in regard to the original poster, batteries are supposed to last longer than 2 and a half years. Moreover, the type of failure you experienced is clearly not as a result of normal capacity loss. I would call Apple back, tell them you're dissatisfied that your battery died and that you do not think the failure is due to normal battery consumption. If you're polite but firm they'll likely relent and send you a replacement. I definitely think you're entitled to one since you do have AppleCare. On the other hand, if you don't wish to go through the hassle of dealing with them, you can just get a third party battery. They're not too pricey and usually have great capacity than the Apple OEM batteries.

[papworth]

Thanks for the thoughts.

When i first bought the applecare it never occurred to me that the battery wasn't covered and thats what i thought until i recently discovered in forums (here iThink) that the battery is a consumable.

It certainly seemed to be Mr Applecares line that because whatever procedure I followed to remedy the problem didn't work and because the hardwear CD found no fault that i should phone to order a new battery.

I think i will be giving apple another call, cause i'm not conviced that this problem is normal battery fatigue, it being sooo instant.

i shall try some gentle prodding

[Randman]

I wish I had one that showed 513%.

I have one at 74% and one at 94% (PB17).

[SDW2001]

I just got screwed with Apple Care too. I have an 18 month old PB, and my capacity is all screwed up. It tells me I only get like an hour, goes to zero, but then stays on. I am currently calibrating it. Right now I'm at 1.5 hours on battery and it's reading zero.

I called apple and told them I wanted a new battery. They told me that they were "not interested in replacing the battery". I talked to two people, and eventually ended up yelling at them because they were being asses (hard to explain). One guy even told me he "was told" not to replace batteries under these circumstances and tried to convince me it was normal for a battery to drop that much capacity in 18 months. At the time I was convinced the actual capcity had diminished and it was not the calibration.

[euphras]

Originally posted by Big Mac:
However, in regard to the original poster, batteries are supposed to last longer than 2 and a half years.

My PB Titanium is 3 ys old and my battery is de facto dead (4-5 min). Half a year before capacity was around 20 min and i didn´t used it often on battery, most of the time it was plugged in...

[spiff72]

Since I had Applecare, I was running my PB on battery about half the time (mostly I just use it at home). Now that I know that they don't cover the batteries, I think I will just run it on AC power most of the time, and just run it on battery every once in a while to keep it "healthy"...

[GSixZero]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

However, in regard to the original poster, batteries are supposed to last longer than 2 and a half years.

This isn't really correct. Batteries wear out due to use, not time. So if someone uses their battery lots and lots, they can burn through it in as little as six months.

[Since EBCDIC]

This issue comes up frequently. In the normal course of use a batter is consumed. Physics, etc.

If you were telling us this with a three-month-old PB I'd cry "failure", but 2.5 years is just about right (with my many years of experience with PBs starting with the 170).

Before you buy a new one, search the 'net. I just read something about some PB batteries being filled with standard rechargable AA cells. If you're the dexterous type, and choose to crack open that admittedly useless battery, you may find that you can replace them. If so, check out http://www.BatteriesAmerica.com/ (with whom I've done some business over the years and am very satisfied).

Good luck. Let us know.

[bighead]

Every battery from Apple has a one year warranty. Consumable parts, such as rechargeable batteries, are not covered by Apple for longer than one year. It's clearly stated. Also, I've seen batteries last 3-4 years on light but consistent use. I've also seen batteries used 5 days a week for 18 months (high school student) that died due to likely exhausting the (approximately) 500 cycles it was designed for. I think he used it on battery until dead more than one time per day on some days.

It just depends on usage and maintenance.

That said, 2.5 years out of a battery is nothing to complain about, really, even with fairly light use. Chemicals that are intended to perform reversible reactions can only last so long! I'd suggest not disassembling them, though. I'd pick up a new one and send the old one to a certified recycling center so those nasty chemicals don't wind up in the water system.

[Since EBCDIC]

Those nasty chemicals are safely sealed in cells, much like a AA battery.

In fact, according to the pictures I just saw (but to which I can't find the link) they're in fact nothing more than rechargable AA battery cells placed side-by-side inside.

So it won't wind up in the water system unless you think that flushing batteries down the toilet is a good idea. If so, I'd suggest that you shy away from this sort of work.

[riverfreak]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

According to this Macworld thread AppleCare does not replace batteries that "are consumed over the normal course of use." However, in regard to the original poster, batteries are supposed to last longer than 2 and a half years.

Why are batteries supposed to last longer than 2 1/2 years? The life of a battery is highly dependent on how it's used of course. It's a consumable item, and as such -- understandably -- is not covered by AppleCare.

Now, if the battery had gone out in 6 mos, perhaps I could see AppleCare covering it. But 2.5 years in? Good luck getting them to replace that. You could save a lot of headaches by just ordering a new one now.

[riverfreak]

Originally Posted by Since EBCDIC

Those nasty chemicals are safely sealed in cells, much like a AA battery.

Until they get run over by a bulldozer in the town dump and start leaching into the groundwater

[SDW2001]

Originally Posted by riverfreak

Why are batteries supposed to last longer than 2 1/2 years? The life of a battery is highly dependent on how it's used of course. It's a consumable item, and as such -- understandably -- is not covered by AppleCare.

Now, if the battery had gone out in 6 mos, perhaps I could see AppleCare covering it. But 2.5 years in? Good luck getting them to replace that. You could save a lot of headaches by just ordering a new one now.

I use my computer on AC power most of the time, with only occasional battery use....maybe once or twice a week for 18 months. Now it's dropped 50% of its capacity. If that's normal for Apple, then they're selling a shitty battery product.

[Since EBCDIC]

Originally Posted by riverfreak

Until they get run over by a bulldozer in the town dump and start leaching into the groundwater

I presumed that went without saying. Who is dumb enough to toss any batteries into the trash? Here in California we have a comprehensive battery trashing program, with drop-off points at many general stores (like Walgreens), groceries (like Safeway), and even some public library branches. It's hard to breathe and be unaware of the stricture against tossing batteries.

I can't speak to other states, not having lived in others since 1986. And of course, some dim-bulbs will toss them regardless of what's going on around them.

And this applies to batteries in cell form whether loose or packed inside a laptop "battery" assemblage.

[SDW2001]

Originally Posted by Since EBCDIC

I presumed that went without saying. Who is dumb enough to toss any batteries into the trash? Here in California we have a comprehensive battery trashing program, with drop-off points at many general stores (like Walgreens), groceries (like Safeway), and even some public library branches. It's hard to breathe and be unaware of the stricture against tossing batteries.

I can't speak to other states, not having lived in others since 1986. And of course, some dim-bulbs will toss them regardless of what's going on around them.

And this applies to batteries in cell form whether loose or packed inside a laptop "battery" assemblage.

Guess what...when I'm done..it's going in the trash.

[polendo]

I have had 3 batteries changes from my iBook (in the course of 3 years). The first one lasted 8 months, the 2nd lasted 5 months and the third one (the one I'm using) is working normally. Only the first battery was replaced under warranty. The second battery (gotten from warranty) only had 3 months worth of warranty..it died on the 5th month. Those 2 bad batteries had their charge level indicator gone south. The first battery died at 72%, and the 2nd battery never reached 100% hence the ring was always orange (always charging).

Anyway, these batteries have a micro chip that controls how much charge they have and report it to the laptop. The problem is that chip can go wako on month 1 or month 52.

I was explained that these batteries had a certain number of cycles that they have under their normal useful life. When those cycles begin to reach 0, their charge capacity began lagging.

However, the latter micro chip failure is something completely different than the normal wear and tear problem. The problem of holding no charge is the NORMAL wear and tear , but the chip use to indicate the charge can go south any day.

regards

[GSixZero]

Originally Posted by SDW2001

Guess what...when I'm done..it's going in the trash.

Why drive to Love Canal when you can get the heavy metals right at home?