paolaEdi wrote:
Many thanks Network23 - currently (but I've only had my MBP for a couple of months) I work on battery, then charge it when it reaches about 20% (though sometimes I do not notice and goes lower), then plug it in up to 100%, then disconnect until it goes to 20%, and so on. I work from home a lot, and in a full day it can go through almost two full charges (from 20).
If that's what you have to do to get your work done, that's fine. If you had a choice I'd say plug it in at a somewhat higher percentage, but if that isn't practical then some additional battery deterioration may simply be a cost of doing business, like if you have to spend more on gasoline for a company car. Changing at 40 or 50% may be better than 20%, but 20% is still better than going to zero.
paolaEdi wrote:
I think I should get used to switching it off at night.
I just sleep mine because in the morning I like to pick up where I left off. I dislike having to reopen a bunch of apps and documents.
paolaEdi wrote:
Also, I am planning to use it remotely when commuting to/from work by connecting my iPad with parallels - but in that case I'll have to leave it plugged in, otherwise it will not wake up, but from what you say this should not be a big issue then. Still wonder whether a closed lid may result in overheating that may damage the battery?
It can depend on how you set it up. There are still ventilation slots that don't involve the keyboard, but I think leaving the lid open does help a little. If it's closed on an uncluttered desktop it might be OK. What is a problem sometimes are people who slide the closed laptop into a shelf or home theater cabinet with not a lot of room around it and over it, the restricted ventilation can encourage overheating.
If I was going to leave it on a desk running at home and I was concerned, I might decide to point a low-speed household fan at it. One of my old PowerBook laptops would get hot and pointing a small fan at it made a big difference.