[Bruck]

Ok to start with I expected that my powerbook would not get incredible battery life, so when i went to the library for the first time, i used it with the screen brightness at 1 notch. i figured atleast at this level it would last a while. To my utter suprise, I GOT 2hrs and 10 min.

So i started paying more attention to the threads about bad batteries. i found one that told me to run this "ioreg -l | grep -i IOBatteryInfo"

at command prompt.

The response i get is this "IOBatteryInfo" = ({"Capacity"=3571,"Amperage"=1200,"Current"=3570," Voltage"=12519,"Flags"=4})"


I saw someone else who got capacity = 4515, so i figured that my battery life was especially horrible because maybe my battery is crappy.

Yes I calibrated correctly the first time i used my powerbook. etc as per apple knowledgebase's instructions.

So this weekend I called apple support. They instructed me to reset the power management information (holding a few keys for 15 seconds while the machine is off) then doing a re-calibration. Upon finishing this re-calibration the tech told me to use the powerbook at FULL brightness with airport on and that I should get between 3 and 5hrs.

Well i did this and barely broke 2hrs. I got 2hrs and 1 min. [keep in mind i did this WITHOUT using the powerbook. I turned off "shut off screen" and just timed how long it would last, hd sleep option ON] So i called back expecting them to send me a battery replacement. Well the tech was very rude and told me that there is nothing to say that I have a bad battery. He went as far as to tell me that 2hrs is normal battery life with airport on. The first call to applecare was pleasent and helpful, the second was rude and arrogant. Telling me that i shoudl change the settings so that my computer turns off the display after 10 seconds of being idle to wich i responded

" i never went away from my computer, i was using it for the entire 2hrs"

he said 'well if you walked away it would last longer'

So i asked "if i buy myself a battery and it lasts an hour longer than the one that came with my powerbook will you replace it then?" he wouldnt even say sure, kept giving me bullshit about how the settings matter and so on.

[jcgerm]

Same thing happened to me. Looks like we're in the same boat. I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm sure if I buy a new battery it will last almost 4 hrs, but I shouldn't have to pay $130 for something I should already have. I just don't know what to do.

[Sakino]

Originally posted by Bruck:
snip

Call and ask to talk with a Supervisor, or Manager. Explain your issue.
My first powerbook got an hour and 45 minutes with 3 bars of brightness, minimal usage, and airport.
My second one I gave up on b/c when I opened the box it had 3 white spots, and whenever I touched the keyboard the monitor got screwed up. I did use it for an hour and 45 minutes and the battery jumped from 22% - 0%, shutting down without any notice.

Now I am waiting for my 3rd powerbook, YES 3rd. It supposed to ship out the 19th, and I am not very happy about that.

To add to this, my roommate picked up a new powerbook from the computer store here on campus. Out of the box with panther he is running easily 3 hours with full brightness and downloading with airport.

It seems like a hit or miss with batteries also. Hopefully apple solves this problem.

[jcgerm]

Originally posted by Sakino:
Call and ask to talk with a Supervisor, or Manager. Explain your issue.
My first powerbook got an hour and 45 minutes with 3 bars of brightness, minimal usage, and airport.
My second one I gave up on b/c when I opened the box it had 3 white spots, and whenever I touched the keyboard the monitor got screwed up. I did use it for an hour and 45 minutes and the battery jumped from 22% - 0%, shutting down without any notice.

Now I am waiting for my 3rd powerbook, YES 3rd. It supposed to ship out the 19th, and I am not very happy about that.

To add to this, my roommate picked up a new powerbook from the computer store here on campus. Out of the box with panther he is running easily 3 hours with full brightness and downloading with airport.

It seems like a hit or miss with batteries also. Hopefully apple solves this problem.

So just call and ask for a supervisor straight off the bat?

Also, my powerbook is in for repair right now (keyboard and LCD). I told the tech about the battery problem and he said he would document the problem and the people who work on my powerbook would know about it. Sadly, I'm not sure I trust the tech I talked to to have documented it. So, I typed up a short letter and put it in the box with my powerbook when I sent it in for repair. I told them that the capacity was only 3.5 Ah and people I know are getting 4.5 Ah and 3 hours easy of battery time. I hope that does the trick, otherwise I guess I'll have to raise hell.

[Bruck]

what program will give me the correct AH capacity is the IOBatteryInfo" = ({"Capacity"=3571,"Amperage"=1200,"Current"=3570," Voltage"=12519,"Flags"=4})


3.371 the accurate #?

Can i call and tell them that. all that apple says to me is that apple doesnt use that information.

[Bruck]

Ok, here is what to do.(i just did this and successfully got my battery replaced)

1) call apple care

2) tell them that you have friends that have the same model powerbook that

A) get longer battery life with the same settings

B) have capacity readouts higher than yours using the same program


within min, the tech informed me to take my powerbook and battery to the nearest apple store and that they would gladly replace my battery.

[surfimp]

Hope the new battery works out...please post the outcome once you get the replacement battery calibrated and have a chance to test it.

I'm taking delivery of a new 12" PB tomorrow and battery life is a big issue for me, as well. Hopefully I "get lucky"...kind of sad one has to hope for such things.

[Sakino]

Originally posted by Bruck:
Ok, here is what to do.(i just did this and successfully got my battery replaced)

1) call apple care

2) tell them that you have friends that have the same model powerbook that

A) get longer battery life with the same settings

B) have capacity readouts higher than yours using the same program


within min, the tech informed me to take my powerbook and battery to the nearest apple store and that they would gladly replace my battery.

THEN if the tech you are talking with does nothing, ask to speak to a supervisor.

Everything thing must be logged before you jump into the ring.

[TypeMRT]

Long story short, I used to get 3.5 hours now I'm down to 2.5 with NO explanation. I have sent my PB 667 DVI for "repair" 4 times in three months and was even escalated to Executive Relations. Each reapir ended with a replacement battery and the final result was the "customer usage may vary" line with two replacement batteries to make up for the "reduced battery life perception"

[spatterson]

I suggest starting a daily battery life log... This will provide you with some power when speaking to AppleCare. It may be a hassle but it provides you ammo.

[RodriCO2000]

There was a time whne I thouhgt AppleCare was awesome, not anymore......

A friend of mine has a 15" PB and he barely gets over 2 hours out of his battery.

I called AppleCare for him, and for some reason they have a student AppleCare division to which we were forwarded, and before the tech even listened to my problem, he asked if I had BOUGHT the extended AppleCare package, I said no, there was a pause and then he asked what was wrong. I went to tell him about the problem and he went on to say that I needed to do all these steps, (re-set the PM, calibartion, etc.) Which I had done, I even told him about the readouts about the capacity of my battery and he said that it does not measure capacities correctly so that wasn't a reliable source of info. He then went on to explain that the STATED battery life (4.5) hours is for testing purposes in whcih the machine is at the lowest prcoessor setting, everything off, stock RAM and the screen dimmed to 1 bar, with minimal use.

I went on to say that I had done this already, I left the computer alone, with the screen on for 2.5 hours before it slept, it was doing NOTHING........ He said that all I can do is to take it to an Apple Store to see if I have a bad battery which he suggested I do not, he said my battery time is perfectly normal....

I was way to pissed to talk anymore so I hung up on him...

Maybe its time to get together and send letters to people that we need to send letters, Apple cannot and should not rip us off by using batteries with capacities less that waht its STATED........

[Bruck]

well i got here to the store and they have no notes on file saying that i will receive a new battery, so i had to go thru my story again, the genius helped me but a little less than friendly.

I'm still a little dissapointed. I have now dealt with 4 apple employees since receiving my powerbook and only 2 of them lived up to my expectations.

The genius was willing to authorize the work order and help me out but he made me feel as if he was doing me a favor, when i beleive i deserve a battery.

I have to come back to pick up the new battery in a few weeks.

All is well that ends well I guess. My lesson learned : when you get a helpfull applecare representitive make sure they place a note in your file telling anyone who reads it that you have been told you will receive a new battery.

[Palafo]

After my exchange with a supervisor who I think was having a bad day (she was quite surly and working on a weekend), I think she put a note in my file saying "nutcase, under no circumstances send him a new battery"

10.2.8 trashed my battery. I told her it didn't make sense, but there it was, and she implied I was basically lying to get a fresh battery.

[Bruck]

I should have my new battery in a day or 2 and i will report back if my old one was defective or not.