This is Late '08 MBP with 452 cycles on the battery. Is that a lot? I suppose it doesn't matter if 5 years is a long time for a laptop battery ... I get a little less than 2hrs' use on a full charge, so I'm thinking it's time to replace. What was it when new, about 4.5hrs? (I don't run the better graphics)

My question is more about Apple's "Service Battery" designation. Are they just saying, "Hey, your battery works but doesn't last long between charges, so maybe start thinking about replacing it..." I mean, it's not like I can actually service the battery.

I have run it down from a full charge a few times ... easier than ever to do these days! ... with no "reconditioning" improvement.

OK I', now at 44% after 30 minutes so I'll amend my estimate to more like an hour if lucky.

Quote
deckeda

My question is more about Apple's "Service Battery" designation. Are they just saying, "Hey, your battery works but doesn't last long between charges, so maybe start thinking about replacing it..." I mean, it's not like I can actually service the battery.

You can still certainly get some life out of it, but pretty soon it's going to go from "service battery" to "replace battery." I have one that is currently in the "service battery" phase, and actual unplugged battery life is anywhere from 30m to an hour at best.

I just saw a 4 year old MBP battery with only 144 load cycles, at 75% capacity, that said the same message.

---

---

Quote
decay
I just saw a 4 year old MBP battery with only 144 load cycles, at 75% capacity, that said the same message.

My 2007 MBP 2.4 GHz with only 54 cycles has been showing that message on and off for about two years. I've never figured out what makes triggers it coming on, or what makes it go away. Currently it's not reporting it. I've been ignoring it.

From what I think I was once told my a Genius, "saving" a battery by never running it down (leaving it always on the charger) isn't good for them. In other words it might explain why a low cycle count battery might still cause issues.

Quote
deckeda
From what I think I was once told my a Genius, "saving" a battery by never running it down (leaving it always on the charger) isn't good for them. In other words it might explain why a low cycle count battery might still cause issues.

Yet it's still usable after 6 years.

This is about all I can find from Apple about "Service Battery", and they essentially say that it's identical to "Replace Now".

[support.apple.com]

I told the client to let her battery run down to zero, let the macbook sleep for a while, then plug it back in and fully recharge.

---

---

All my MBP batteries are at around 30 minutes capacity on average but I have two Pismo batteries that last awhile, go figure.

As a battery slayer, I can attest that this is a normal warning from Apple for a dying battery.

What you don't want to have happen is the chemicals fail in the computer.

If you are not careful, the battery will start to bulge.

There are several threads on the forum about replacement, third party battery options that are typically excellent, higher capacity and cheaper than an Apple replacement.

Download coconutbattery and see how much capacity is left. I'm thinking that your battery has just passed the 50% mark and your battery is generating this warning only for that reason.

If the battery was defective or very close to death, the warning would be 'replace now'. But most defective batteries are just wacky and don't generate proper warnings of any kind.

But do check to see if it's swollen. You won't get a warning about that. As long as it's still working, it isn't swollen and you don't need more battery time, then you can just leave it as is for now.