MERGED: Battery Discussions/Problems/Questions

**arnie012781** · 05-02-2007, 10:03 PM

http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/i...m?newsid=17886

Apple admits laptop battery issues

Apple ships battery update for MacBook/MacBook Pro batteries

Jonny Evans

Apple has released a software update designed to improve performance problems the company has identified that can affect some MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
Battery Update 1.2 (244K) aims to repair a number of problems, the company explains in this note on its website.

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook...batteryupdate/

"Apple has recently discovered that some batteries used in its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks may have battery performance issues," the report explains.
The update is designed to improve performance, and is available through Software Update or for direct download from its support website.

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/batteryupdate12.html

The update should be run on all MacBook and MacBook Pro computers and extra batteries that were purchased between February 2006 and April 2007.

The company stressed that the batteries used pose no safety risk – you can continue to use your battery securely.

The company is also offering free battery replacement for users whose batteries exhibit any of the following problems after the update is installed. Free replacement is available "for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer," the company said.

Replacement checks can be conducted at Apple retail stores, Apple Authorized Service Providers and can be arranged using Apple's telephone support.

Affected batteries will have one or more of the following symptoms:
– Battery is not recognized causing an “X” to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
– Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
– Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
– Battery pack is visibly deformed.

MacBook or MacBook Pro batteries that don't have any of these symptoms won't need to be replaced.
Once the update has been installed, each battery inserted into your laptop will automatically be updated, but you must have the power cable connected and plugged into a working power source.

**Sponsor** · 05-02-2007 10:03 PM

**hungryalien** · 05-13-2007, 10:13 PM

what could be wrong if there is an x mark on the battery icon?

my friend just texted me asking what could be wrong with both his and his sister's macbooks. both have an x mark on the battery icon.

seems to me that their batteries are dead, kasi ayaw daw mag on yun laptops without the chargers plugged in.

it started with one then a day after, another macbook. they tried to swap batteries and it says battery not available.

if not mistaken, both are fairly new and should still be under warranty. would apple care replace their batteries if found faulty?

**uio** · 05-13-2007, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by hungryalien

what could be wrong if there is an x mark on the battery icon?

my friend just texted me asking what could be wrong with both his and his sister's macbooks. both have an x mark on the battery icon.

seems to me that their batteries are dead, kasi ayaw daw mag on yun laptops without the chargers plugged in.

it started with one then a day after, another macbook. they tried to swap batteries and it says battery not available.

if not mistaken, both are fairly new and should still be under warranty. would apple care replace their batteries if found faulty?

you need to bring your mac to the nearest apple center and have the batteries replaced. it's still covered by warranty. Read on this to give you peace of mind. Enjoy your mac afterwards.

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook...batteryupdate/

**elbert** · 05-13-2007, 10:46 PM

X means that the laptop knows a battery is installed but cannot recognize it in order to give the user feedback on its state.

The link uio posted explains the problem. Apple will replace the battery free of charge.

**kikoreta** · 05-13-2007, 10:52 PM

This happened to my sis in law last week. Istudio replaced the battery in les than a week.

**hungryalien** · 05-14-2007, 01:51 AM

cool! will let him know.. na sa province sila now due to the election thing..

**mortal_commbrat** · 05-14-2007, 05:04 PM

That same problem happened to my macbook as well, a few months ago. When I brought it to powermac for diagnosis, they said the battery connector was not functioning properly. My battery wont charge and/or would not work unless the power cord is attached. After having the said part replaced, my mac has been running smoothly.

**castoclown** · 05-14-2007, 08:41 PM

wow, what are the chances of that happening? 2 macbook batteries in the same household (im only assuming they're in the same household) getting busted almost at the same time? weird...

**djmyke** · 05-14-2007, 10:04 PM

its dead... waranty coverd?

have the batt replaced

**pocketrocket** · 05-14-2007, 10:45 PM

This happened to my wife's macbook. I brought it to iStudio last tuesday and they replaced the battery yesterday. But because my wife had to go to Alabang to vote, we were only able to try out the new bat tonight. After connecting the new battery, we noticed that the battery icon still has an "x" on it. We figure it's probably a problem with the laptop itself because the clicker on the trackpad stopped working na rin. I guess I'll have to give iStudio a call tom morning. Good thing it's still under warranty.

The strange thing is, while she was in Alabang, she found out that her bro-in-law has the same problem with his macbook. I find it lang strange that these things are happening to all these macbooks at relatively the same time.