I recently acquired a new MacBook Pro, with a retina display. It's a sealed unit, with no user-replaceable battery, so I'm obviously interested in maintaining the battery life. I noticed that the new T-shape mag safe connector is not very grippy, and falls out all the time. So I called Apple to see whether the constant unplugging/plugging was a bad idea, and the rep actually said at one point that it was a bad idea to keep the laptop plugged in when it was charged (with the green LED showing in the adapter). I confirmed that this was what he was saying. So does anyone know if this is true? Because I've always kept my laptops plugged in, all the time. [more inside]
posted by carter on May 16, 2013 - 12 answers

Greetings - I "inherited" a MacBook Pro last year. It was a Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz from Spring 2008. So it was 4 years old when I got it and I was told that the battery was dead and as long as I kept it plugged in, it worked fine, however, I would need a new one. So last year, I purchased a new battery and installed it. However, I am still noticing that the battery life is horrible. It seems like when I am using it to type a document or check emails and surf the web, etc, I literally can watch the battery drain. I would assume that it might hold a charge of about an hour and a half maybe? Is there any way I can "test" it to see what my actual battery life if? To ensure there isn't something else going on? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks,
posted by dbirchum on May 3, 2013 - 13 answers

So, I've made the fatal mistake of performing several upgrades at once, and I could do with some advice on where to go now... is my problem with charging time and battery life my new SSDs, my new OS, or something else entirely? Generic snowflake details to follow: [more inside]
posted by running order squabble fest on Feb 24, 2013 - 7 answers

I have an older MacBook I use when travelling (four or five times a year), and then the odd occasion when I am away from my office desktop. The battery on the MacBook died a few months ago, and I am guessing partially because I haven't been using it frequently enough. I am hesitant to replace the battery, figuring the same thing will happen again, is that right? Is there a downside to not having a working battery on the computer itself? And lastly, is there a problem with leaving the dead battery in the computer?
posted by nanook on Feb 15, 2013 - 7 answers

I have an iPhone 4 and since the iOS 6 update, my battery life is horrible! Help! [more inside]
posted by dbirchum on Jan 15, 2013 - 14 answers

How many AA batteries would it take to run a 3rd-gen iPad for one hour?
posted by Egg Shen on Sep 5, 2012 - 7 answers

Will connecting an external monitor to a new Macbook Pro wreck the battery life? [more inside]
posted by DiscourseMarker on Jul 28, 2011 - 6 answers

How do I buy a non-Apple battery for my 2008-era Macbook Pro and ensure it's the right one? [more inside]
posted by critzer on Jun 27, 2011 - 8 answers

Is this laptop battery a ripoff, and how can I be sure? I bought a third party battery for my Macbook. It looks like the original 45Wh battery, but Coconut Battery (and the appropriate ioreg command) report the 'design capacity' as lower than it should be. [more inside]
posted by beniamino on Apr 27, 2011 - 10 answers

Which Macbook battery to buy on eBay? [more inside]
posted by mhz on Dec 13, 2010 - 3 answers

I lost my battery cover on my apple wireless bluetooth keyboard. Can I order a replacement? [more inside]
posted by austinlee on Jul 26, 2010 - 4 answers

What's been your experience with non-OEM batteries for (pre-unibody) MacBook Pros? [more inside]
posted by dcjd on Mar 3, 2010 - 4 answers

What are my options for a cheap, small Mac laptop? [more inside]
posted by attercoppe on Oct 2, 2009 - 25 answers

Is my iBook G4 dying? [more inside]
posted by Brachiosaurus on Apr 2, 2009 - 7 answers

iBook G4 battery is out of juice. Computer won't start up... even when AC adapter is plugged in. Is there something else going on? [more inside]
posted by kmtiszen on Jun 10, 2008 - 7 answers

Two, almost certainly related problems: My MacBook has taken to turning itself off while still showing as having a high battery charge. It has turned itself off while showing it at 36 minutes of battery time left. coconutBattery says that my current battery capacity is only at 54% of the original. Anything I can or should do about this? [more inside]
posted by andoatnp on Apr 5, 2008 - 12 answers

My new off-brand battery for my ibook G4 won't charge past 49%. Help! [more inside]
posted by ilyanassa on Sep 27, 2007 - 5 answers

The tip (inside stem) of my power adapter broke off in my wife's computer (White iBook G4). Thus, its unable to recharge. How do I get it out? What are these parts called so I can look it up at an appropriate place? [more inside]
posted by GPF on Apr 24, 2007 - 16 answers

Is there a way to reuse an apple powerbook g4 battery to power a macbook pro? I know that it doesn't fit, but I'm hoping there is some kind of external pack that can accept and charge a powerbook battery but which can power a macbook pro. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by jwiener on Apr 5, 2007 - 5 answers

If I send my 3rd generation iPod in to Apple for a battery replacement, will I get a refurb 3rd gen or a 5.5? [more inside]
posted by b1tr0t on Feb 20, 2007 - 15 answers

Is anyone else having trouble with Apple's most recent G4 powerbook battery recall program? [more inside]
posted by delladlux on Sep 8, 2006 - 9 answers

My iBook G4 has lately been winking out, for no apparent reason, as I'm in the middle of something (I have to reset the date each time, among other things). The weird thing is that it only seems to happen when I'm on battery power. When I press the little button on the bottom, it seems to indicate full power. However, I was noticing a month or so ago I was getting weird battery warnings -- saying it was almost out of power, when it said there was 41% power remaining, etc. Has anyone had this problem, and might a new battery somehow be the solution?
posted by jgballard on Aug 17, 2006 - 5 answers

How can I get a new iPod, or at least a new iPod battery, for free using my still current Apple Care Plan? [more inside]
posted by crapples on Dec 3, 2005 - 20 answers

PotentiallyStupidQuestionFilter: I'm looking to juice up my long-in-the-tooth titanium Powerbook (from March of 2002 -- 667 mHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 30GB harddrive, etc.) with both a new battery (since the original one now gets approx. five minutes of life when unplugged) and OS X 10.4. Here's the weird question: Should I put the battery in first, and then update the OS, or do the OS update and then swap in the new battery? It might not matter at all, but I know that operating systems do have an impact on battery performance -- is that something I should be taking into consideration, or can I do either upgrade at any time without worrying about sequence?
posted by logovisual on Nov 10, 2005 - 9 answers

I upgraded my wife's powerbook (15" titanium/867Mhz, from 2003) to tiger last week and now it seems when unplugged it doesn't recognize the battery in the status monitor. I've searched google but can't find any fix. [more inside]
posted by mathowie on May 18, 2005 - 2 answers

On Good Friday, I came to the sorrowful realisation that the battery in my 12" PowerBook was kaput. How can I make it rise again? [more inside]
posted by docgonzo on Mar 29, 2005 - 8 answers