Battery life abysmal since upgrading to leopard

Yeah I'm not entirely sure why everyone is having issues with their batteries...

I backed up my personal data and did a clean install of Leopard. I'm currently getting over 3 hours of battery life, this may be slightly more than Tiger but it hasn't really been something I honestly paid any attention to. I do quite a bit of battery maintenance and hopefully that has helped in keeping the battery as good as it's been to me.

Here are my battery specs:

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: ASMB014
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0202
Cell Revision: 0100
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 5517
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 5831
Health Information:
Cycle count: 318
Battery health: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 1145
Voltage (mV): 12553

Is Leopard the culprit? I'm not sure. Many of my co workers upgraded their Mac Books to Leopard (Everything from MacBook White/Black to every version of the Mac Book Pro...even a few PowerBook and iBook models) and I myself have upgraded my brother's MacBook and a PowerBook G4. None of them have had any battery issues and a few of even seen improved battery life.

Alot of the posts I've been seeing here are missing ALOT of factors and information. If there is a problem with the Leopard operating system and you're convinced of this. There is a few more details that would be needed:

How was the operating system installed/upgraded?
Was anything else changed? Any new applications?
Were the applications left on/reinstalled onto the computer fully compatible with Leopard? (Especially if they are 3rd party?)

I'm not saying that Leopard ISN'T the problem. But so far the only thing being seen by these posts are battery specs and the fact the system was switched to Leopard. There isn't enough detail to pinpoint a trend or an issue since it's all too general.

I would suggest if anyone has doubts, make sure you've had your battery checked to see if it is under the recall. If thats been done and you still have issues with your battery life then I suggest calling it in to Apple and letting them know. They'll need any information that can be gleaned from your computer because I'm certain that the only way Leopard is at fault is if there is something very specific with the hardware thats causing the issues with Power Management.

I've had this battery for over 16 months. We've had alot of good times and even after 300+ cycles she's still rocking over 5830mAh.

I'm sorry to everyone having problems with their batteries. I can't imagine what thats been like.

But please do call and check into the recall and by all means make sure Apple is aware of any issues after your install. I never even heard of this issue until I saw this thread...

Cheers!

Darren:

Welcome to the discussions.

While I can't necessarily prove that Leopard is the culprit, the symptoms certainly appeared following the Leopard install. (I backed everything up, then proceeded with the Archive and Install with limited printers and no additional language support if that matters.)

With only one exception, I believe all of the folks reporting the issues have indicated that they are using Sony batteries with identical lot numbers. Apparently since my original battery has now been replaced with the SMP battery, I've got similar numbers as yours, except for the total cycles.

So it is likely a defective battery issue, but it is certain that the Leopard upgrade or Leopard power management brings out the worst in the defect.

Erik

Hmm no issues here. Battery life seems to be the same. I will keep an eye on it though 😉

(format & install)

I think you're right ErikW.

I've been looking through most of the threads on this issue and it seems to be that 15inch MBP appear to be affected the most (They seem to mostly have been issued those Sony Batteries with similar or identical Lot numbers, just like you had mentioned ErikW). The only theory I can suggest is that the new power management code may be exposing the battery issue faster (I'm entirely sure this wasn't one of the 300 new features thought). From the battery information everyone posted it would seem that only a certain group of batteries have been affected (ones that from your own experience ErikW, are being replaced by Apple).

So it would appear that the particular batteries used on the whole for the 15inch MBP are what are being hit the hardest (The one in my 17inch still holds 5830mAh plus after 300 cycles, so it appears to be fine). How has Apple been with replacing them so far?

I would say if Leopard is exposing defective batteries and Apple is being good with replacing them (assuming there hasn't been any obvious mis-treatment of the battery :P) this doesn't seem too bad if it results in a free new battery.

Message was edited by: Darren Moffatt

I thought I'd throw in another point of view. Since upgrading to Leopard, my Battery Life has only been better. I used to get 3-3:30 in Tiger, and now in Leopard, I casually get 3:30 upwards. This is with a Santa Rosa 2.4GHz model MBP.

According to iStat pro, my battery health is at 97%.

Charlie -

charliestyr:

That's good news and not surprising. I suspect that better power management in Leopard works to improve battery performance when the battery is functioning as Apple expects. A newer MBP will have a newer battery, more in line with how Leopard is tuned. So far I'm seeing much better performance from the replacement battery than I ever saw with the original.

Erik

I did the battery replacement about the same time the policy came into affect.

I did erase and install of 10.5 and no problems with battery. ~5000mAh capacity.

I'm having a similar issue with my MBP 2.16 GHz (1st version).
I was routinely getting between 2:30 and 3 hours from a fully charged battery, since the Leopard upgrade I'm getting 60 to 90 minutes.
Since the 10.5.1 update I have the magsafe light flashing between green and amber and taking a very longtime to charge.
My system profile


Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0003
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 102a
Hardware Revision: 0400
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2954
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3211
Health Information:
Cycle count: 137
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1901
Voltage (mV): 11886

Any suggestions? This behavior is weird and quite irritating.

I have the same problem (MBP 2.4 Ghz purchased on (9/11/07)! I upgraded to Leopard when it first came out, I mean the day it came out because I was so excited to try it out. Anyway, I first noticed something weird going on with my battery just yesterday. I have the battery capacity percentage showing in the menu bar and noticed that the percentage was dropping way much faster than it used to. Instead of a full charge lasting 2:30 - 3 hours, it now only lasts about 1:30 and it takes forever to charge! By forever, I mean that it says it will take 1:17 to charge whether it's at 30% capacity or 62% capacity. I'm glad I found this discussion because I started getting worried. I use my MBP everyday and rely on it for my school work. Here are my battery specs:

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3285
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 5144
Health Information:
Cycle count: 48
Battery health: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 1535
Voltage (mV): 12258

It may well be that Leopard is causing the problem. Hopefully Apple will address the issue SOON through a software update. I only have 48 cycles on my battery, so I know it's not that. Correct me if I'm wrong. Although I LOVE Apple products, I hate having to deal with Apple Care!

I also had really bad battery life on my MacBook Pro on one battery, and fairly bad on the other battery I purchased at the same time I got the machine (April '06). I noticed some problems during Tiger, but they got a LOT worse once I upgraded to Leopard.

Yesterday I had an appointment with a Genius. He checked out my batteries, and determined both needed replacements (I have Applecare through April '09). I haven't had a chance to fully test out the new ones, but they certainly seem to last longer.

I'm a happy camper now.

MBP C2D 2.16GHz (~10 months old)

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0003
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 102a
Hardware Revision: 0400
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3761
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3887
Health Information:
Cycle count: 101
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12365

Battery looks fine (aside from the "Fair" health) but I get about an hour less than I did the day before upgrading to Leopard. I'm tempted to take it to to the Genius Bar and see what they say.

Glad to find this thread, I was worried it was just me.

Since upgrade to Leopard my MBP 2.16Ghz machine has been aweful on battery since I upgraded (clean install).

My machine, just dies at about 30% left and I have to watch the battery monitor carefully - it is considerably worse when driving an external monitor.

I have always discharged then recharged the battery since I got this machine new in December 2006, I am irritated that my machine never enters sleep now on low power warnings.

My Batter info from System Profiler:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0300
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 1163
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4336
Health Information:
Cycle count: 357
Battery health: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1985
Voltage (mV): 10891

Hope we get a fix as I am stuck thinking of buying a new battery.

Julian

same problem here.
i've got a 1st gen 2ghz. macbookpro.

after upgrading to leopard, my battery has gone to the tanks over the past 2 weeks.

full charge capacity is down to nearly 1000mAh(19%), & is dropping by the day.
& i did the battery recall back when it started.


Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0003
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 102a
Hardware Revision: 0400
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 812
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 1064
Health Information:
Cycle count: 141
Battery health: Fair
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 668
Voltage (mV): 12551

I had the same problem as ALL of you on this post too. (SONY battery weak after Leopard install) Apple replaced my battery and I am now using the SMP replacement. The new replacement battery is lasting much longer (3.5+ hrs.) AppleCare has been good to me about this issue, so I recommend you have your battery replaced. Sounds like you all qualify, so look into having them replaced.

Good Luck!

Message was edited by: pennstater

Hi there,
After upgrading to Leopard I experienced exactly the same problems with the battery life.
I read these posts and was a bit worried, but...
I went to the Apple site and downloaded and installed the battery update 1.3.
I sort of assumed it would be included in Leo, but at the same time I thought that if it was, it would not install again.
To my surprise it installed OK, and today, while working in two processor heavy apps, with a bluetooth mighty mouse I got 2h45min run time, up from 1:20 of internet/mail last night.
Try yourselves.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305540#top

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/batteryupdate13.html

i.3d