Customer Reviews and Ratings

2.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 418 reviews

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    poor charging capabilities over time.

    • Written by from Chestermere

    51 of 58 people found this useful

    I bought my macbook last year in Aug after always using PCs. Love my macbook and would never go back however I find it absurd that my battery is dead after 13 months. And when i say dead, i mean it will not hold a charge at all!

    Was this useful? poor charging capabilities over time.

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Unreliable

    • Written by from Ottawa

    57 of 71 people found this useful

    All I can say is that this battery is unreliable.
    Some people are happy with it. They get over 400 Cycles
    after 18 month and it still lasts for 2-3 hours.
    For other people, the battery is dead after a few month only.

    I am not among the lucky ones.
    Again, for me this battery is unreliable - pure lottery.
    Try your luck!

    I personally expect more from Apple! For lottery I use 6/49.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    dead battery

    • Written by from Bluffton

    45 of 48 people found this useful

    I obviously got this battery with my macbook, 15 months ago. I really hadn't even noticed my battery life draining, but all of a sudden one day the battery just died!!! I have no idea why. Its still brand new and not over used and only works when plugged in. I tried a friends battery and it works so that is definitely the problem. I am no where near a store, and I've got to spend nearly $150 to get another battery, I hope this isn't an every year problem. If so Ill be switching back to PC. Love my Mac to death, but I am not made of money.

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    a shame

    • Written by from Libertyville

    49 of 56 people found this useful

    much like the cases of other reviews ive read, my battery is starting to die as im approaching the 1 year mark. its really a shame that this looks to be taking away some of apple's customers. i hate to see such a great computer and OS be looked down upon by people because of the battery. for their own sake, they should try to figure out this battery situation.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    What

    • Written by from California

    45 of 49 people found this useful

    The battery at first last 4 years than I got a new battery it only holds its charge for 1:30 minutes

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Terrible

    • Written by from Arlington

    44 of 47 people found this useful

    Before I start this review, let me say that I love my MacBook, it's been great and runs pretty good.

    I've had it for about two years, right before I started college. Last week my light on my charger wasn't fully orange and was flickering. I find it isn't charging. I setup an appointment with Apple and go to talk to them today. After waiting 30 minutes after 4:20 for an appointment that was for 4:20 I get to the guy. He does a few things, presses some buttons and now it is suddenly charging again. However he says I need a new battery.

    Not sure how he got it to charge again but apparently the lithium batteries only last about two years. It's 130 bucks to replace it via apple. I didn't think these batteries went out like that, I thought I was going to be good for at least 4-5 years.

    In short, be careful, because these batteries have a terrible life. And it says I've used 190 cycles...which from what i'm reading is pretty minimal, that's just messed up.

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Sneak Attack...of FAILURE

    • Written by from Westerville

    66 of 91 people found this useful

    I am just beginning my junior year of college and purchased my 13" macbook just before my freshman year so I have owned this computer a little less than two years. I follow the instructions concerning fully charging/depleting the battery and just last week my battery held a full 2.5-3 hour charge. Now, after letting my battery run itself out last night it is in a complete state of uselessness.

    The alert next to my battery says "(Not Charging)" "Replace Battery Now" and I can run off of nothing but wall power. As a student I cannot take my laptop to classes or use it in a professional setting without a charger (for which there is not always an outlet).

    This warning is not so much for the battery as the Macbook itself. Because while I don't like what has happened, we cannot help purchasing another of these batteries because that is what's compatible with our laptops.

    However, any purchasing an already expensive Macbook be cautioned! You will have to replace the battery...SOON! Great while it lasts...which isn't very long.

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    You need to know how to use it.

    • Written by from Fort Simpson

    49 of 57 people found this useful

    To "What you gonna do about it"

    Let me guess, you leave your book plugged in, sometimes overnight even though its fully charged. That is what is killing your battery. I just learned that and am buying a new battery. It makes complete sense to me. Although it would be nice if something would stop the battery from overcharging, but 'what you gonna do about it"...I'm gonna stop plugging my battery in when I don't need to, easy enough and it saves me on the powerbill.

    Still love my macbook.

    Was this useful? You need to know how to use it.

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Quickly goes the way of the Dodo

    • Written by from Toronto

    57 of 73 people found this useful

    This battery is great for the first few months and then starts dying like it's going out of style. I'm at the end of the life of my current one, and battery power only lasts me about an hour max before my computer fully shuts down. Overly expensive and totally not worth it-- I might as well just run off A/C power forever.

    Was this useful? Quickly goes the way of the Dodo

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Lots of Misinformation

    • Written by from Dallas

    44 of 48 people found this useful

    I have owned my Macbook for over two years now, and the diagnostic on the battery still rests at 95% health. With a little bit of knowledge and attention, these can provide cycle after cycle of full recharge and long operating times.
    I have read a lot of reviews defaming the longevity of these batteries and booing Apple for not giving consumers another choice. I have also read misleading articles about how to best cycle or condition your batteries, and let me just say there is a lot of bad advice and misinformation out there.
    The solution to the majority of lithium ion battery problems, however, simply comes down to a few easy steps. First, it's ok to use the laptop while plugged in to a power source the majority of the time - I should know, I do - as long as you follow the charging and discharging suggestions. When you put the laptop on the power supply, try to make sure you let the battery come to a full charge. It's ok if you don't get to 100% every time, getting it there once every couple of days or so will solve many problems. Likewise, allow your battery to fully discharge every now and then. If you've never seen the "reserve power" warning, your not doing yourself any favors. Again, it's not necessary every time, but once a week at least will ensure the maximum capacity of you lithium ion cells. (26 months - 432 Cycles... and counting!)

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    third battery in two years.. is that normal?

    • Written by from Portland

    46 of 52 people found this useful

    So i just got my THIRD battery for my macbook in just under two years. The first one Apple replaced for free because it only lasted four months. That last one has been hanging on for the last few months barely holding a charge so i finally had to break down and buy another one.

    $130!!! For how long these things last they should be half that price.
    I love my macbook but hate this battery issue...So depressing.

    Was this useful? third battery in two years.. is that normal?

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    macbook battery

    • Written by

    50 of 60 people found this useful

    I have had my macbook for a little over a year now.. and the battery is completly dead. I cannot run the computer without it being plugged in. I followed the proper instructions to callibrate the batter in the beginning and i always kept it with a full charge. There was no indication that the battery was even going. I went to turn it on one day after using it the previous night and it wouldnt turn on, i figured that the battery was just low so i plugged it in to charge it and there was just an x through the battery indicator? Other then the battery going I love my computer, it is great for what i use it for (music and internet) and i wouldnt go for a different one... i would just like a battery that lasts

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Poor battery life- demand a new one free!

    • Written by

    44 of 48 people found this useful

    After 12 months of owning my MacBook the battery went dead- one of the corners was yellowing and looked defective. Demanded a new battery at my local Apple Store and the Genius Bar rep gave it to me! 2 stars for giving me a free one, but really poor battery design that should be fixed. ALL MacBook owners should be re-issued new batteries at no expense.

    Was this useful? Poor battery life- demand a new one free!

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Battery!

    • Written by from LITTLE ROCK

    59 of 79 people found this useful

    I use my macbook as my primary work computer. I purchased by macbook 18 months ago. I'm still using the original battery. Each day I use the laptop until the battery is almost completely drained (less than 8 minutes left). On average I recharge the battery 2-3 times a day. I have over 872 cycles on the battery (which is extreme). It still holds a charge for more than 4 hours. This will change if I'm watching a dvd or listening to a cd. But, this is far far better than any of the Dell batteries which I exhausted in less than a year.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    RECALL THIS PRODUCT

    • Written by

    53 of 67 people found this useful

    Yes , another one . I bought two of these laptops for my daughters. The batteries are a dismal failure- and EXPENSIVE. But it seems the parent company just snubs its nose at the hard-pressed consumer, and doesn't give a fig. They seem to just keep churning out the same defective product. BE WARNED, there are too many duds(batteries) to take the chance. SHOP ELSEWHERE ! THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM SALE IMMEDIATELY.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Battery

    • Written by from Issigeac

    54 of 69 people found this useful

    I have had my MacBook for a year and the battery holds a charge for less than an hour.
    It has been getting progressively worse. Glad I checked out the site and found out that my problem is not unique. Now to find a battery.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    extremely poor life

    • Written by from Cochrane

    48 of 58 people found this useful

    My macbook now says that I have to change the battery and it won't charge. Checking the system profiler, I've had 63 cycles. That's $2 a charge. So now I'm forced to purchase a new batter for $129.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Short life span

    • Written by from Aurora

    43 of 49 people found this useful

    After only 162 cycles, the battery only holds 1/3 the charging capacity, even after several attempts to calibrate it. Very disappointing to say the least. The replacement batteries are not of the same quality as the original!

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Another disappointed battery user

    • Written by from DALLAS

    38 of 39 people found this useful

    It may be that faulty MacBook design encourages batteries to discharge rapidly, as someone suggests. But I've a MacBook battery that's been sitting on a shelf under no drain at all for a couple months, and now it’s totally flat and incapable of being recharged. The computer doesn't even acknowledge that a battery is installed.

    My practice has been to charge the battery in the computer, then remove it and operate on mains power until I need to travel. This has worked fine, till today, when I reinstalled this battery and found that it's apparently lost a full charge just from experiencing no load at all for several weeks. This battery had been recharged probably fewer than 20 times -- nowhere near 1,000 times, as I believe someone reported is an estimate of what its lifetime should be.

    Was this useful? Another disappointed battery user

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Ridiculous - why?

    • Written by

    47 of 57 people found this useful

    These batteries seem defective and just die down without any warning at all.
    1st battery: after a year , I suddenly was unable to charge my battery. Battery just wouldn't respond to the charger.
    So I bought another battery, paying $150. This time it only lasted a month!

    I don't get it - can't Apple produce batteries that are not defective for this Macbook? especially as it is claiming to be the most technologically advanced notebook producer?
    And if it can not, can they please replace the batteries that die down, without any charge?