Computer Tips

Apple MacBook Pro Battery Replacement

Apple MacBook Pro Battery Replacement

This is the first of two articles advising on Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement including such information as MacBook Pro battery life and Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement cost. The second article provides information on how to replace a MacBook Pro Battery and where to purchase batteries.

MacBook Pro Battery Life

How long your MacBook battery lasts and remains serviceable is dependent on a number of factors.  Some people only manage 2 or 3 years before they need to arrange a battery replacement, others manage never needing to do so, even after 6, 7 years or longer.

So, how long can you expect the battery inside your MacBook Pro, (or MacBook or MacBook Air) to last if you look after your computer? How long should it last? How can you tell when it’s time for a replacement? When is Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement necessary and warranted?

In this article, we explain how you can check the battery usage of your MacBook to determine whether you need to consider an Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement or whether the replacement of your battery is unnecessary. Please note that in this article we are looking to determine MacBook Pro battery life, the actual amount of usage time that your battery lasts and not just an estimate of time remaining.

Check Whether You Need to Replace Your MacBook Pro Battery

In order to determine whether or not you need to replace your MacBook Pro battery, do the following:

  1. Fully charge your MacBook to 100%. You will need to use it on battery power from the full 100% until it is nearly discharged. We would suggest somewhere around the 3% mark if possible. Mac OS or OSX will alert you about the battery state especially as it gets close to the 3%;
  2. Open the Applications folder and go to Utilities. When it Utilities start “Activity Monitor”.  A shortcut is to hit Command+Spacebar and type in “Activity Monitor” (without the quotes);
  3. Go to the Energy Tab;
  4. At the bottom of the window find “Time on battery” which informs you of how long you’re MacBook has been running on battery power;
  5. Also, you will notice above this “Time Remaining” as well as “Remaining charge” figures;
  6. Keeping an eye on the Energy tab information will give you a real-world account of how long your particular computer and the tasks that you have been doing is draining the battery and hence how much time you have using it without recharging;
  7. To check what programs are using power pull down the battery menu bar from the top corner of the screen and look under the heading of “Apps Using Significant Energy” section;
  8. Once you have a list of power-hungry programs then closing some or all (after saving your work) would assist in prolonging the time you can use your MacBook before recharging;
  9. Depending on your version of the MacOS X, some combinations of the above may not be accessible or may have changed slightly since this article was written;
  10. Another useful function in determining whether Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement is necessary is the battery “Cycle Count” information on MacBooks;
  11. To access this go to the Apple symbol (top left of screen), the “About this Mac” then “More Info” button (could be called “Apple System Profiler”), then “System Report”. Under “Hardware” select “Power” and there is a wealth of information on the battery as well as under “Health Information” the cycle count;
  12. Cycle Count is how many times the battery has been recharged from 0% to 100%. It is not a count of every time the power adaptor has been plugged in. Knowing the battery count is useful in determining if your battery is suspect. Apple state that a battery is designed to hold 80% of its original capacity after 1000 cycles;
  13. If yours is below this figure – and your MacBook Pro is only 2 or 3 years old – then the battery could be failing early and in that case, Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement will be necessary. If the computer is still under warranty a visit to an Apple store may be in order, now, before it’s out of the said warranty. Even if it’s officially out of warranty, you may be entitled to a no-cost repair or replacement (by Apple) under Australian consumer law.

Apple MacBook Pro Battery Replacement Cost

Apple MacBook Pro battery replacement cost (parts & labour) is another consideration that people need to make. Whilst it’s not the most expensive component to replace (and one that many people could do themselves if they own one of the older uni-body (pre-Retina) 13, 15 and 17-inch models), many users may choose to not to do so, or feel it’s unnecessary, especially if they don’t use their MacBook Pro for work, travel, etc, and are highly reliant on battery power. Users of 13 and 15 inch MacBook Pro Retina models requiring a battery replacement face a more expensive and complicated procedure which we will discuss in another article, How to Remove a MacBook Pro Battery.

Apple MacBook Pro Battery Replacement 

Don’t forget to revisit our blogs for the second article on Apple MacBook Prop Battery Replacement, if you can’t wait that long and need assistance or further information on MacBook Pro battery replacement, then please contact us here at Affordable Computer Repairs and Service.

For more of our Mac repair services, please visit the Mac Repair page on our website. Or feel free to contact us 3397 1215 or 0409 974 707.

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