Macs Power Usage Habits

By Mohammad Aldalain, 4 January, 2016

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps

Hi everyone.
Can you please comment below on your habits of power usage of your Macs? here are some queries:
1. Do you keep your macs plugged in all the time as long as you have electricity around or you prefer not to do so and use the battery frequently?
2. Has anybody mac's battery been affected by keeping the machines plugged in all the time?
3. Has anybody tried applying FruitJuice recommendations about habits of using the battery? Are they really reliable to keep up the lifespam of batteries?
4. For owners of old macs, how many battery cycles do you have on your mac's battery and how long do your mac last on one charge?
I have the Mac Air and I never unplug it whenever electricity is available, so I am worried that my battery might be dying by overcharging. I am looking for actual experiences, most of what I have found by googling was quite contradictory.
Thank you.

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Comments

By Mohammad Aldalain on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 03:47

Strange that nobody has tried FruitJuice, nobody has battery on mac?
Please, just try to answer any of my queries.
Thanks.

By Chris on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 03:47

Hi,

I like to use my Mac on battery power. I hear it is bad to constantly keep your computer connected to power. I still think this is the reason I messed up 2 batteries on some old Windows laptops I had. For this reason, I charge my battery to full capacity and then let the battery drain to near empty before charging. I've had my Macbook Air for over 2 years now, and I haven't found any noticable battery issues. This machine still has awesome battery life if you use it the correct way.

By Usman on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 03:47

Hello,
Newer macs and windows laptop now use lithium ion batteries. this means that they are not so prone to deterioration with some of the older batteries on older machines. I have kept mine plugged in at all times on my new mac and have encountered no issues what so ever.

By david s on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 03:47

Hello,

My wife had a macbook pro that sat on a docking station. It was always connected to AC power. She rarely took it off the dock. One day she took it off the dock and the battery was deformed and only lasted an hour or so. It was a lith ion battery so I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that it was always charging or because her desk is close to the window where it gets hot or cold depending on the season. Went to the Apple store and got a new battery. Now it only gets plugged in when the battery is dead or about to die.

HTH and good luck.

By Mohammad Aldalain on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 03:47

I read on one forum that Apple power adaptors are smart now to adjust current flowing into the macs according to the charging state of the battery, and on my Mac Air 2015 on Boot Camp that I have Windows 10 installed on I frequently check the charging status of the battery and I have noticed when it is above 90% it just announces the battery status and (for example 95%) and the charging status in this case is (not charging). I am not sure if this is something particular to my Windows version amd Mac variant.
I have had two Windows machines lately and they have both option to disable battery charging when the battery is fully charged. For one I still have which is Lenovo G570, I got it late in 2013 and don't remember the last time I used it without having power adaptor plugged. I checked the battery health and Windows tells that it is almost as healthy as newer batteries.
Fruit Juice gives me daily recommendations and sometimes I do not trust them. If I keep my Mac plugged in for long time, say for days, I receive many notifications from Fruit Juice that this is above the limit Apple recommends.
I am curious to know more about actual experiences by Mac users.
I spent a fortune on my Mac and always feeling so worried that I might be killing the battery by keeping it charged all the time.