12' powerbook battery changed through the Apple battery recall & problems

Ron O'Connor

Battery Information:

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 3015
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 2850
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12315
Cycle Count: 117

iStat lists battery health as 68%. It was replaced in the recall late last year.

I got a new battery from Apple through the exchange program. I use my battery on "Better Energy Savings" and it last 1:30. Not even a year of use. My old battery that I sent back, lasted always close to 3h even after 1 year of daily use.

Why ?

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 2527
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 2356
Amperage (mA): 304
Voltage (mV): 12563
Cycle Count: 146

Kevin Hames
I'm down to between 45-60 minutes of operation per charge; used to be consistantly 3 hours with the old battery.

Battery Information:

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 1516
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 1464
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12470
Cycle Count: 138

Same here.

Had my 12" Powerbook battery replaced in the recall. I now get about 30 minutes of operation before it goes dead. I used to get 3 hours or so on the original battery when it was new.

My full charge capacity is down to 1,755 mAh. Something tells me Apple was less than picky when it selected new batteries to send us. Very shoddy workmanship.

Time for everyone to unite and get apple to resolve this; my battery was replaced in the recall program; "new" one started failing in less than a year and now gets 15 mintues before hard shut down; they either universally gave everyone a used battery or an update has cut off the battery life;

First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 885
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 839
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12451
Cycle Count: 327

My 12" Powerbook battery does the same thing. It was replaced in the recall, just like everyone else's. Depending on use, I get anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes out of it now (15 being watching youtube or quicktime trailers). Mine has also given up on giving me any warning, now it just shuts down completely (not sleep mode). With the old battery, I was able to watch a dvd and have battery life left over. I know I'm not adding any new information, but I would also like to figure out how to resolve this without having to buy a new battery.

I guess I should have gotten on here before. I was having the same problems, but since I had the warranty I just called apple. I'm not sure if it's going to be covered under warranty though, since I noticed they charged me for the battery - although while I was talking with them it seemed it was going to be covered.

It's interesting everyone is noticing this around the same cycle count, and length of time owning the new battery. My was literally holding a full charge one day, then BAM the next it barely got 30 minutes, and the cycle count was only around 146.

Same deal here. I have a 12" G4 1GHz PowerBook and I requested a battery replacement in August 2006. The battery was replaced in Sept or Oct and gave ~ 2.5 -3 Hrs on full charge to begin with. Over the last 2 Mo its ability to hold a charge has precipitously declined. Now a full charge runs the machine for about 20 min to 1/2 hour and then it goes into sleep mode without warning.
I have tried re-calibrating and resetting the PMU without improvement. I ma currently connect to power- here is my Battery Information:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 1820
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 1278
Amperage (mA): 546
Voltage (mV): 12485
Cycle Count: 116

Could have been a recent software update too I suppose. Anyone think this is normal?

Thanks
-Chris Leonard

yes. i'm in the exact same spot. my recalled battery admittedly got very hot, but it also held satisfyingly long charges. the replacement battery never had that, and over the past two months, the computer, when running off the battery, began randomly shutting off with increasing regularity. and the battery has had a fairly easy life. unfortunately, i don't have stats on it. it's clearly unusual that this same thing would happen to so many people, but being over the 1 year warranty, has anyone had a complementary replacement, or does anyone think that's even possible?

My battery replaced through the recall has the same problem. Where I used to get 3 or 4 hours of life on a charge, I now am lucky to get an hour.

Original Capacity (mAh): 4400
Current Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 2141
Cycle Count: 116

This is really annoying!

Count me in this group: Regretting that I ever surrendered the recalled battery to receive one that now lasts only 45 minutes, and shuts the computer off when it says it has 15 minutes of life left. The recalled battery lasted 3 hours, as does the battery in my spouse's 15-inch titanium PowerBook bought in '03.

The problem is so bad now, that I rarely unplug my PowerBook from the wall supply. Makes a mockery of laptop as a portable.

This is unacceptable, especially if you have to take your laptop on the road for work purposes and aren't always able to make use of an electrical outlet.

Same here (germany). I got it replaced in the recall and now I can get half an hour maximum (No BT, no DVD, just airport on).
What's weird is I can't get any info from coconut battery about my batteries cycles and Health. iStat can't seem to recognize the battery either...

But Apple should definately do something about this!

I'm having the same problem with the replacement battery not holding a charge more than 45 minutes. Sometimes it does a hard shutdown with no warning and other times it warns me that power is getting low when it's still at 42%!

Hello everyone. I am having the same problems as everyone else. I am lucky to get an hours worth of battery life.

Battery Information:
Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 1435
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 1434
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12389
Cycle Count: 164

Battery Installed: Yes
First low level warning: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 1106
Remaining Capacity (mAh): 1106
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12464
Cycle Count: 80

This *****! mine too! and i should have seen this thread a long time ago! any word from apple yet?