Macbook Pro and Battery

[Whackhead]

Some time back, I had to replace a relatively new laptop battery, due to the laptop being connected to the mains for extended periods.

I was told to remove the battery if it was going to be used for extended periods, plugged into the power supply. Apparantly that "stuffs" the Battery.

Now that I bought a Macbook Pro, one of the things I noticed was that I could not remove the battery.
Whoops!!!

Is that a big deal on the mac, or am I just overly concerned?

Thanks

[gierran]

Some time back, I had to replace a relatively new laptop battery, due to the laptop being connected to the mains for extended periods.

I was told to remove the battery if it was going to be used for extended periods, plugged into the power supply. Apparantly that "stuffs" the Battery.

Now that I bought a Macbook Pro, one of the things I noticed was that I could not remove the battery.
Whoops!!!

Is that a big deal on the mac, or am I just overly concerned?

Thanks

It is important to cycle any battery periodically. Not sure why the non-removable battery bothers you. How many times did you remove the battery before? Not many times I bet. You can always just unplug the power cable to run it down once a month to keep it healthy. You can set an iCal event to remind you to do this.

[Magnus]

Removing it is not the key I think, it's totally running it flat once in a while.

[michl]

Yes, Apple Apple "recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month." See this page for details.

This discussion is also useful. The "Do's and don't" section includes:
DO use your battery frequently and lightly, ideally completing 1-2 charge cycles per week (minimum one charge cycle per month).
...
DON’T run your MacBook or MacBook Pro on AC power with the battery removed.

[fangpyre]

@michl, why shouldn't one run it without the battery.
I think this is exactly what Whackhead wants to do.
I used to do this on both Macs and PC, and it helped prolong my batteries life.

@Whackhead, the Macs that have fixed batteries boast very long life spans (5 instead of 2-3).
So it really doesn't matter.
It has also been noticed that if you take the battery out from the Unibody models, the speed will drop drastically (around 30%).

Edit: After going thru the links Michl posted, I realized why you shouldn't remove and run.
- the slower performance, I mentioned above (which to my understanding is for the newer models.)
- the risk of data loss should the magsafe get unplugged. You need to remember here, that the Magsafe was designed to pop-off easily.

[fido7up]

get coconutBattery its a nice app and i make 1 time in a month let my battery die completely i have 93% battery life and i have it for 10 months i think that is bad not sure :S

[michl]

get coconutBattery its a nice app and i make 1 time in a month let my battery die completely i have 93% battery life and i have it for 10 months i think that is bad not sure :S

Firstly, you should probably use it on battery more often. This will keep the battery healthy ("keeping the electrons moving...")

Secondly, it helps to calibrate the battery on a regular basis.

Lastly, no battery will remain at 100%. I reckon Apple's expectation is that a properly maintained battery should hold about 80% of its original Full Charge Capacity.

(Mine is also at 93%, which seems to be a common figure... That's a 9-month old MBP too. The battery on my 3-years old Macbook is at 82%, but I used it plugged too much.)