# MacBook "Service Battery" warning after 13 months



## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

The battery on my MacBook suddenly doesn't hold a full charge, and when running VMWare Fusion it lasts less than an hour. 

I just noticed under the battery indicator (top right corner) it says "Service Battery".

My MacBook is just 13 months old, so I guess that means the warranty is up. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for how I should proceed? Or am I just stuck having to buy a new battery?


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## mkolesa (Jul 22, 2008)

it depends a bit on when your warranty expired... you may want to schedule a genius bar appt and plead your case. they do have some flexibility for dealing with stuff like this... it's also possible your battery was singled our for 'having' issues in which case it may warrant special service anyway.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

The "Service Battery" warning appears when the battery has been consumed through normal wear and tear and usage.* It has nothing to do with warranty status. It's a new feature in Snow Leopard to alert users to apparent battery problems without having the user 'guess' as to what's going on with their battery if it's presenting unusual symptoms.

(* Most times; it will also present this alert if there are other problems with the battery.)

OP: Your battery was consumed through regular wear and tear. Contrary to your statement, the battery does hold a full charge -- except through regular usage and depletion, the 'full charge' is considered full at less than an hour run time.


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

if you're not far from an apple store it wouldn't hurt to plead your case and see what they say.

there's a good chance they'll say tough luck, but there's also a (small) chance they'll offer a replacement. worth a shot if it's not out of the way.

*edit*

Just make sure to make an appointment before hand (you can make an appointment with a genius through apple.ca)


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

i-rui said:


> if you're not far from an apple store it wouldn't hurt to plead your case and see what they say.
> 
> there's a good chance they'll say tough luck, but there's also a (small) chance they'll offer a replacement. worth a shot if it's not out of the way.


+1; agreed.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

How many charge cycles are on the battery? Look under the apple for "About this mac" then slect "More info". Click on "Power" from the column on the left and copy this info:

Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh):	5142
Fully charged:	No
Charging:	No
Full charge capacity (mAh):	5370
Health Information:
Cycle count:	39
Condition:	Normal
Battery Installed:	Yes
Amperage (mA):	-610
Voltage (mV):	12268

That will give us a beter idea whats going on.


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## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

Ahhhhhh! Triskaidekaphobia 

Just kidding, good luck!


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

244 cycles

76% health

96% charge

I have had this battery in my 15" MBP for about 1.5 years. I can get about 2 hours out of it without wifi,bluetooth and a really dimmed down screen.

Might invest in another one and have keep this as a spare.


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

last week i saw a white macbook with a battery that still lasts 2.75 hours. 

it also tested out as OK on the apple battery diagnostic tool. 

guess how many charges it had?

948

unreal!


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## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

you must be doing something with your battery to reach some 900+ charge cycles..

i'd like to know what are your habits of usage...

btw, you might want to post us some coconutbattery screenshot.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Dont always believe those charge cycle numbers. For the first few weeks I owned my MBP I was using it for no more than 2hrs a day while on battery, yet the charge cycles were averaging one per day. Its a shame that these batteries are abit on the pricey side, as it forces people to use their laptop in a manor that they normally wouldn't, simply to conserve battery life. Apple advises against running the battery completely down, then fully charging, as it is better to use smaller quatities, and recharge more frequently. Yet, its kind of hard to play some of todays processor intensive games without using the majority of the battery fairly quickly. So I don't play games on my MBP.


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## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

the number of hours a day does not mean anything versus charge cycle.

According to Apple, two 50% recharge = 1 cycle and one full recharge = 1 cycle. I've tested with mine, it does add up.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

900+ charge cycles is WAY beyond the expected life of that battery. Almost double!

To do that in 13 months indicates where the problem actually lies, and its not the battery.


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## JetSter735180 (Aug 8, 2007)

chas_m said:


> 900+ charge cycles is WAY beyond the expected life of that battery. Almost double!
> 
> To do that in 13 months indicates where the problem actually lies, and its not the battery.


You mean triple!


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

IllusionX said:


> you must be doing something with your battery to reach some 900+ charge cycles..
> 
> i'd like to know what are your habits of usage...
> 
> btw, you might want to post us some coconutbattery screenshot.


you misread. the OP never posted that.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

chas_m said:


> 900+ charge cycles is WAY beyond the expected life of that battery. Almost double!
> 
> To do that in 13 months indicates where the problem actually lies, and its not the battery.


again, the OP never posted that.

i would like to know the OP's battery stats.


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## The G3 Man (Oct 7, 2008)

broad said:


> last week i saw a white macbook with a battery that still lasts 2.75 hours.
> 
> it also tested out as OK on the apple battery diagnostic tool.
> 
> ...


My TiBook is still getting an hour at 1913 now... its crazy...


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## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

you guys are right.. Broad brought up all the confusion 



broad said:


> last week i saw a white macbook with a battery that still lasts 2.75 hours.
> 
> it also tested out as OK on the apple battery diagnostic tool.
> 
> ...


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## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

some would call it "confusion"...some would simply call it "complete and utter lack of reading comprehension"

toe may toe, toe mah toe i guess? hahaha


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Thats funny broad, I understood what you said immediately. I also didn't bother to correct anybody who for some reason thought it was your computer. Just goes to show how many people read a complete thread!


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## kramer15 (Apr 8, 2009)

My cycle count is very low.

Cycle count:	78

for a machine that just turned a year old.


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

Unless the OP comes back and lets us know what his cycle count is and what System Profiler says for battery health, we can't very well give any useful advice!

Apple's batteries, when properly maintained, are supposed to maintain 80% of their capacity after 300 full charge and discharge cycles. 

Determining Battery Cycle Count (Note #1)

However, lithium ion batteries will typically die after 3-4 years, no matter how many discharge cycles they have. My MBP's battery capacity after 3 years is down to less than half of what it was new. It only has 95 full discharge cycles - in my case, it's just time, not usage. I do have a new battery for it - and should install it, as there is no point storing an unused LI battery either!


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## ender78 (Jan 23, 2005)

I need a replacement ASAP. My MBP has been plugged into power most of its life. I get approx 5 minutes on my battery now. I would be surprised if I have more than 50 cycles after 4 years.

Can anyone recommend a good place to buy a replacement battery. My MBP was purchased Jan 10 2006 :


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

Paddy said:


> Unless the OP comes back and lets us know what his cycle count is and what System Profiler says for battery health, we can't very well give any useful advice!


There's no advice to give -- the battery is defective. The only advice is to buy a new one...


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

> The only advice is to buy a new one...


Lars, IF the cycle count is really low and the MacBook is only a year old, there is something wrong and he might actually have a case for complaint, and despite the fact that he doesn't appear to have AppleCare, Apple might be nice and do something for him. Yes, the battery is probably defective and yes, it will probably need replacing. But if Apple _might_ be willing to do it, then there is certainly no harm in asking. However, I certainly _wouldn't_ advise him to go calling Apple if he's got 300 charge cycles on the MacBook!

Ender78, best deal appears to be here:

Battery for Apple MacBook Pro 15 MA610B/A and others. Replaces battery Models MA Batterybuyer.com

Most of the other battery places are $109/$119...


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