mac book battery going flat

RedBern

my daughter has a macbook with 201 cycles on the battery to date. For the past couple of weeks - the battery shows fully charged but then as it is used, goes down to 70% or so, and then cuts out - and turns off. When she then plugs it in and turns it on the battery reads as 0%. There's no warning that the battery is getting close to running out (which there used to be). Just checked on a mac forum and that gives a screenshot of how to check battery and charging - and on her screen against 'condition' it says 'check battery'. So - does that mean she needs a new battery? thanks in advance

totalsolutions

And you think is does not then, something else maybe..



Ok, Yes I would contact Apple for a check and replacement.

RedBern

totalsolutions wrote: »

And you think is does not then, something else maybe..

Ok, Yes I would contact Apple for a check and replacement.

thanks - Not sure if it does need a new battery - does 'check battery' equate to 'your battery needs replacing' in mac language? and will apple replace it for free?

Leopard

The battery is now defective.

As far as I'm aware, Apple's policy would be to replace it free if it's done less than 300 cycles and is still under warranty.

RedBern

thanks Leopard - she's just been on the apple site - her warranty is expired - not sure how old the laptop is but should there not be a 2 year cover under some european legislation (not sure if it is over 2 years old though!). As previously posted, it's only done 201 cycles, so I've told her to contact them to ask if they'll replace the battery anyway.

scottishblondie

The standard Apple warranty is only a year, but they will replace some things free of charge - for example worn wires on power supplies and macbook cases suffering from the "Macbook Crack". I even had a battery replaced after a known firmware issue caused it to stop working. If you live near an Apple store I'd just pop in with it (maybe make a Genius Bar appointment online first - I know the store near me is always really busy). It could be a defective battery or a firmware issue. Worst they can do is say you need to buy a new one!

turbobob

With lithium batteries its not just the number of cycles that affects their life. Keeping them fully charged, like if you use the laptop on mains power most of the time will greatly shorten their life.

BikerEd

If you take it into an Apple Genius Bar they will plug a modified iPod Nano into the USB port. This contains a program which does a simple assessment of charge cycles vs capacity and displays on a graph the state of your batter. Less than 300 cycles and a certain capacity (from memory it's about 60%) and they will replace the battery with no fuss. Above 300 cycles you won't get a replacement as the battery will be spent. Above the capacity threshold and you won't get a replacement as the battery will still be performing acceptably according to Apple.

RedBern

scottishblondie wrote: »

If you live near an Apple store I'd just pop in with it (maybe make a Genius Bar appointment online first - I know the store near me is always really busy). It could be a defective battery or a firmware issue. Worst they can do is say you need to buy a new one!

My daughter says she'll have to pay to speak to someone in the apple store? Is that correct??

scottishblondie

I've never paid anything to see someone at the Genius Bar. As far as I know it's a free service, though obviously any repairs that Apple don't cover will incur a charge they won't do anything without your permission.

BikerEd

Correct. Free to talk to them.