[crazeinc]

I have a relatively new 13" MBPro (I think I purchased it in August), but after just unplugging it after a full charge, the life meter isn't much over 4 hours even with the brightness almost all of the way turned down and very few applications running.

I can remember the indicator used to tell me over 7 hours (like Apple promised), but I'm wondering if either the indicator is now somehow incorrect or if the battery really degraded that quickly?

[ibook_steve]

I'd kill for 4 hours!

Seriously, if the machine is that new, just go to an Apple store. You can try recalibrating the battery, but if you're noticing a significant difference, you should take it in.

The real question, though, and what they'll ask at the Apple store, is how much time do you get with normal operation instead of reduced?

Steve

[OreoCookie]

My office mate gets 7 hours of work time regularly. However, he's typing (teXing) a lot and he turns down the screen brightness a little.

[Simon]

Perform in the following order:

1. Recalibrate (instructions can be found in the user manual).

2. Keep in mind that the thing that actually counts is total battery time measured with a stopwatch until the computer goes to sleep. That is the only time figure you can really trust. The indicator in the menu bar can be pretty inaccurate (even on a well-calibrated machine!) depending on what you do. Just because the indicator says 4 hours doesn't mean you can't get 7 hours. And vice versa of course.

3. Check battery cycle count and battery full charge capacity (Sys Profiler > Hardware > Power). For the 13" MBP if the former is below 1000 the latter should be within 20% of the original full capacity. If it's not you probably got a bad battery. Take it in to have it diagnosed and fixed under warranty.

[EndlessMac]

I agree with Simon about the stopwatch. You have to physically time it yourself and rely less on the battery meter. The meter can be pretty close if you calibrate the battery but I'm assuming you haven't done so.

Are you using your computer any different than you normally do? For example, using new hardware that attaches to your computer. Extra devices will cause more drain from your battery.

Lastly it seems people don't realize that batteries require some maintenance to keep it in the best condition and long life. You can go to Apple's website and learn more about how to get the best performance out of your battery.

[kylef]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

I'd kill for 4 hours!

Seriously, if the machine is that new, just go to an Apple store. You can try recalibrating the battery, but if you're noticing a significant difference, you should take it in.

The real question, though, and what they'll ask at the Apple store, is how much time do you get with normal operation instead of reduced?

Steve

This is why I'm glad I have a removal battery. My unibody MacBook is meant to get 5 hrs at full charge and after a year's usage I'm still getting a good 4 hours.