jorgelito

Is it worth it buying a new laptop battery? What is the typical life of a battery?

My laptop:

Apple iBook G4, bought September 2005
OS 10.4.11, 512 MB RAM, 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor

My laptop battery used to last me 6 hours or so on a full charge. I am now lucky to get 1.5 hours on a full charge. Is this normal? Is it worth it to buy a new battery? Where's a good place to get one?

Thanks guys.

Baraka_Guru

The new Macbooks are nice.

Buy a battery through an independent dealer and let them install it. Batteries don't last forever. I'm not sure of the cost, but it should be worth it if you've been using the one you have since 2005. Are you a heavy user?

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Lasereth

Not sure about Apples but PC laptop batteries usually last 1-3 years. Them starting to go bad is normal. At work we have 300 laptops and I have to install about 3 batteries a week so they go bad frequently.

If Apple does allow external resellers to sell batteries for their laptops, I have to recommend not buying batteries online. I've had nothing but bad experiences with it. I only buy batteries from real stores you can walk into, even if it costs more. Being able to return a bad battery > saving a few bucks.

Martian

I'm always surprised to discover that people aren't aware that rechargeable batteries have a lifespan. Li-Ion batteries, which are the most common in these applications, typically last around 400 charge cycles; that's 1-2 years, depending on usage. So, yeah, just over two years is acceptable for a laptop battery.

Other than that I agree with Lasereth, as is usual on these matters.

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jorgelito

Thanks guys.

Yeah, the new Macbooks are nice but I can't justify a purchase right now even though I can afford it. I have too much fiscal discipline.

I use my laptop heavily. I brought it with me to every single class for 2005/2006. I use it daily plugged in and unplugged. I traveled across Europe and the Middle East with it, Asia too. Yeah, I definitely got a lot of use from it.

I guess I just wanted to make sure that replacing a laptop battery was considered normal maintenance and that there wasn't something wrong with it.

So, I can't buy a battery online and install it myself? Do I have to take it to the Apple store then?

Lasereth

I don't know anything about Apple laptops but with PC ones you can definitely install it yourself. They snap right now. The problem is most online stores sell refurbished or low quality batteries and they have issues with them from the start. If you buy it in a store, you have somewhere to take it back if it ever breaks.

ubertuber

The ibook battery is user replaceable. Essentially, you'll need a quarter to release the old battery. I think batteries run a little over $100. You should order it directly from Apple or go to a 3rd part (authorized) reseller. A store is unlikely to stock a part for a laptop that has been out of production for that long.

As Martian mentioned, a battery's life is generally measured in charge cycles rather than time. Particularly with the older generation, the memory effect can reduce capacity.

Consider though, that the new battery for your iBook will be nearly 10% of the cost of a new MacBook.

With the heavy use that it sounds like you've put on your battery, over two years sounds about right for 1/4 life. You can also consider turning Airport and Bluetooth off and screen brightness down. Doing that in class usually extends my life on my MacBook by 30% or more.

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Radio Monk33

Yeah you should download either the istat widget over coconut battery to find out how many cycles you put your battery through and what % of the original charge it's holding. Oh and calibrate your battery of course!

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Redlemon

The most recent edition of Mac|Life Magazine had a nice article on extending your battery life, along with a bit on how to decharge/recharge a battery in order to gain back some of the lost lifespan. However, I don't have a laptop, and I gave the copy to my mom (who does), so I can't copy the information here. I think it's the February issue.

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mikec

laptop batteries wear out over time, which has already been said in this thread. time for a new one if you want that 6 hour charge back.

the macstore shouldn't charge you any $$ for the install, just the cost of the battery...

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ubertuber

To be clear: there is no installation for an ibook battery. You just pop it in. However, the store may or may not have the battery for such an old machine in stock.

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biznatch

I don't mean to threadjack, but I have a laptop I use mostly at home, so I almost never take out the powercord. I heard that it's bad for your battery to leave the laptop plugged in all the time, is this true? If so, would you suggest keeping the battery out of the laptop while at home?
Thanks

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Radio Monk33

jorgelito: I got a laptop from that generation. I'm getting around 3 hours with screen dimmed and wifi on if you want to have a rough idea. Supposedly I'm at 62% of the original charge.

Be wary of buying laptop batteries that have been lying around for years, as they start to diminish as soon as they're produced, so you want the freshest possible.

And lastly biznatch: you should exercise your battery, run it off the cords when you can, take your laptop out and run it down to nothing every so often. It's like everything in life, everything in moderation...and if you don't use it, you lose it.

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sibylable

I just received this Laptop Battery for my Apple Ibook, I am perfectly satisfied with my purchase. It works well and it was delivered nicely in time.

feelgood

Hey guys, came across this thread and needed clarification when it comes to laptop batteries:

The situation is that I noticed that the laptop battery charge light was going on and off from time to time when it was plugged in. And now, when I plug it in, it won't charge the battery. Right now, its' got about 30 mins of charge left it in and I'm wondering if the issue is either the battery itself or the AC charger? The laptop model is Toshiba Pspa3c, at least that's what it says on the bottom.

Thanks

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