Q: MacBook Pro Battery 'Service Battery' after Snow Upgrade

How old is your battery, how many cycles has it completed, and what is its maximum charge capacity , Dave? Yes, you may well get a "Service Battery" warning that you didn't get before if your battery is going bad. Doesn't mean your battery itself is any better or worse than it was before. Just that you get some more information about its condition that wasn't presented to you before.

Yes, Apple have a less than optimum 90 days free telephone support provision (they have had this policy for years, I'm afraid) , as you have discovered, but if your computer has defective Apple hardware or defective Apple software within a twelve month period they will wave any fee for advice.

But provide some more info here about your MBP and your battery. It is pretty hard to even begin to address what you are saying without some more specific info about the age and model of computer , and the versions of software, you are using.

Cheerts

Rod

Rod,

With the greatest respect, you are only going to respond that I need a new battery. I would like to hear from others that actually have the issue and are looking for a solution. I appreciate that your trying to help others on this forum and I admire your loyalty to Apple.

I have run through my stats and they're fine. At times I have seen everything from 45% health through to its current 83% which is a huge variation. In fact, despite my posts my battery currently isn't asking to be serviced despite previous warnings although I'm sure they'll be back.

The stats from the OS are the core of the issue so reporting my stats from a flawed output helps nobody. Data analysis says 'Garbage in - Garbage Out'. If the data is flawed the analysis is pointless. I'm afraid I do not trust the Apple data.

So, I'd like to ask Apple to respond, that's what I am looking for. Apple?

DaveEvans wrote:
So, I'd like to ask Apple to respond, that's what I am looking for. Apple?

This is a user to user forum. Apple does not participate. The only way to get answers from Apple is to call them on the telephone.

Hi Retired Engineer.

I guess I was pointing to the fact that I wanted feedback on the issue other than being told I needed a new battery.

Apple support had already indicated via phone that they don't read their own hosted forums.

Thanks for clarifying though.

Rod,
I recognize that maybe now I have a bad battery, but I'm not sure it was before installing SL...
While it's true that SL is more precise in his comments on battery status, is also true that I followed all the instructions for a right battery care and is very very true that under Leopard battery life was as expected, the system told when I had low power remaining and then, after 5 minutes or 15, I don't remember, it went on stop.
Upgrading to SL stopped ALL of this things immediately...!!!
How could you be so SURE that is a problem related to my battery? I would like to know it!
It really seems you work with Apple 'cause you're too sure of everyone's problem and the answer, I re-read all your posts, has never been different from: "Change your battery!"
I would like to clarify that I believe my battery is now broken, but I don't dare to buy a new one before I'm sure this is not a SW problem.... I don't want the new one to end up like this.

I phoned to Apple support 2 times and I had 2 different answer.
The first one told me Apple unofficially knows the problem and will try to fix it (that was before 10.6.2 though...).
The second one told me that they've never heard about a problem like this but he suggests me to wait for an upgrade and avoid using my laptop on battery.....!
I believe Apple watch this forum a lot, they would be stupid if they didn't, but it's more convenient to say that officially they don't do that...

I would like to precise that I'm a big fan of Apple and I own nearly everything they produced in the last 3/4 years, but when it comes the time, it's right to speak clearly I think!

Dave,

Its been told here that a good thing to do is to fill the "feedback" section at Apple's website.

I did myself... And btw, buying a new battery is not a solution, if its used with SL it will get damaged in matter of days (I suffered that myself...)

I filled the "feedback" session too. Here's the link, let's do that!

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

Message was edited by: Fedux

DaveEvans wrote:
Rod,
.....
I have run through my stats and they're fine. At times I have seen everything from 45% health through to its current 83% which is a huge variation. In fact, despite my posts my battery currently isn't asking to be serviced despite previous warnings although I'm sure they'll be back.

Dave, I have two batteries for my 15" late 2007 MBP. One was becoming problematic prior to the arrival of Snow Leopard. I bought a new one at that time, three weeks before SL arrived. The old battery demonstrates the sort of erratic behaviour in "health" which you speak of. The new one, which has been run under Snow Leopard since the day SL was released to the public nearly 5 months back, does not. It remains rock solidly in the "normal" area, with "health" currently at 96% and showing no sign of fluctuations.

If this was really a "Snow Leopard" issue, rather than a battery issue (or in some cases perhaps an SMC issue), don't you think I'd be experiencing the same fluctuations that you do with the "good" battery too?


Rod

Fedux wrote:
Rod,

I would like to clarify that I believe my battery is now broken, but I don't dare to buy a new one before I'm sure this is not a SW problem.... I don't want the new one to end up like this.

Fedux, as I have pointed out elsewhere in this thread, I bought a new battery for my MBP15 three weeks before Snow Leopard was released, after the old one began behaving erratically.

The new battery has been run under Snow Leopard since the day SL was released to the public. It shows no signs of premature deterioration whatsoever, and , five months on, sits at 96% of its original capacity with perfectly "Normal" health. There is no sign whatsover of it being "damaged" by Snow Leopard. Perhaps those who claim that SL "kills" new batteries could explain why my own seems to be immune from such things?

When I look back over this thread I see a number of people reporting that new batteries have resolved the issue for them. I see a couple claiming that their new batteries have died , and I see a few reporting a possibly different issue in which the reported battery "health" fluctuates substantially.

If you re-read my posts you will see that I specifically ask people to provide information about their battery status before making any judgement about whether a new battery is likely to fix their problems. In most cases , like yours, the evidence points clearly to the need for replacement. In a small number the situation is confused by the "variable reporting" issue and it is possible that this involves a problem with SMC control with their computers or the like, rather than purely and simply a battery issue.

Rod

Rod,

Can I respectfully ask that you hold back on your aggressive responses to others on this forum that do not share your views and in fact feel that there is an issue. You have constantly blasted others whilst only offering your wisdom which seems to consist of 'Buy a New Battery'. The value of any forum is the range of opinions and their breadth of coverage. You seem to bully those who disagree. I see from reading the thread that a lot of people have expressed their frustration at your answers. Sometimes the best opinion is that kept to oneself.

For sure some people will indeed benefit from new batteries as undoubtedly theirs were indeed faulty but that rule does not apply to all users.

I have re-read all of your posts as you suggested Fedux to do and they don't make for pretty reading. I can see why others are getting frustrated. I've been a member for a matter of days and I am frustrated at the digs and swings at other users. If you do not work for Apple then you only have an opinion, like others. So, please respect other opinions as you ask us to respect yours.

For those reading this I apologize if I am sounding off but I have come to this forum looking for possible answers and to date I am seeing negativity and a little arrogance. Sorry.

Dave, I'm sorry, but I have not "constantly blasted" anyone in this thread.

When people, like you, have indicated that you have a problem I have simply asked for enough information from them to try to work out what their own actual issue is. Your own very first post here was unfortunately full of rhetoric, with calls for for formal complaints to trading organisations, demands for "answers" from Apple and the like, without much in the way of real information about your own technical situation. I simply tried to steer you back to something closer to the things that this forum is actually intended to deal with - sorting out people's technical problems.

You provided a little more information (somewhat begrudgingly and with a fair dose of sarcasm), in your second post, indicating that you are getting fluctuating battery capacity and health readings (a problem mentioned by a few, but far from all, posters here).

We still have no idea whether your battery is two months old or two years old, whether it has completed 30 cycles or three hundred, which model of MBP you happen to have, what brand the battery it is, whether you have tried resetting the SMC on your computer, etc etc etc. If you are genuinely "looking for possible answers" then this is the basic information that you need to provide.

It would be helpful to know if you have had your battery "stress tested" by an Apple Store or AASP yet, too, as this is the only real way of determining whether it is genuinely healthy or not, the improved "warnings" in Snow Leopard notwithstanding.

I'm more than happy to accept that failing batteries are not the ONLY issue here, though it seems pretty clear that they account for a very substantial proportion of the cases where adequate information has been provided to make a judgement. In your own case you don't provide sufficient information to make a decision about such things one way or the other.

Yes, a few people here have got cross with me for asking them about such things. By and large those who have done seem to spend far more energy on ad-hominum attacks on anyone and everyone who happens to disagree with them than they do on dealing with problems, providing useful information about their own situation, or providing plausible solutions or any real explanation of the mechanism underlying the various issues that are discussed here. Strange that!


Cheers

Rod

I've chimed in a few times in this thread, and I must say I'm just disgusted with some of the comments here and the zero participation from Apple. It's clear as day that there's a problem with Snow Leopard and/or Sony batteries, but Apple hasn't commented yet about this issue. I don't care how they address the issue, it can be done by either replying here or making it publicly known that they're working on resolving the problem.

I'm currently shopping for a new laptop right now, and no it's not one made by Apple. Here I thought I'd be an Apple customer for the long haul, but three separate defective issues with my MBP is forcing me to sever my ties with them.

I've stopped reading the posts that are 5+ paragraphs and end in "get a new battery".

To any new people showing up here, best thing to do is report to Apple via the feedback section.

If you can maybe go see the Apple genius dudes, some people are getting free batteries, others not, they sent me away with nothing, but we're creating documented cases I hope. Too many people are seeing dead batteries after upgrading. I either want a new battery, a fix in an update, or both. I refuse to believe my battery just went bad from regular use with only 70 cycles. Plus sometimes I still get 3 hours out of it. Sometimes it runs for a long time after it hits 0%.

Keep reporting to Apple and keep trying to get free batteries!

And just ignore our favorite Apple rangers, they type wayyy too much.

DaveEvans wrote:
For those reading this I apologize if I am sounding off but I have come to this forum looking for possible answers and to date I am seeing negativity and a little arrogance. Sorry.

Dave,

No apology necessary, I understand how frustrating it can be. Me, like you, found this forum after experiencing issues with Snow Leopard. At first I was happy to see that I wasn't alone with my problem, but the constant ad nauseum calls for new batteries frustrated me as well.

You are not alone, there are many people who are experiencing battery related issues like you, who feel Snow Leopard is to blame. What's unfortunate, is that none of us were monitoring our battery status prior to Snow Leopard, or as our use of Snow Leopard progressed. So we have no before or after data to present.

I can tell you that I, as well as others, have seen marked battery improvement after downgrading to Leopard.

I can also tell you that there are third party battery solutions that are cheaper and avoid the dreaded SONY battery that appears to fail en masse.

I can tell you from experience that Apple doesn't usually publicly acknowledge issues like these, but silently works on fixing them. Its frustrating, but is in line with Apple's policy of being tight lipped in regards to all things Apple.

My advice is to persevere, if you can live without a battery, then do so, if you can downgrade to Leopard then consider it. Just know that you are not alone and that this forum is not the end all be all authority on this issue.

Good Luck,

-John