Reviews for Rechargeable Battery - 15-inch MacBook Pro (aluminum)

We've had mixed success but have not been dissatisfied. We bought our MBP in 2006, since then we've had two new batteries, but Apple replaced both of them for free. Once we were, told at the retail store, to let our battery discharge completely once each month but it was okay to leave the Pro tethered to the power cord as the MBP would automatically switch from DC to AC when the battery was full. We've also been advised to leave it untethered and plug it in only to charge because after a finite number of charging cycles the battery life would decrease. Throughout all this, we've had the same AC power adapter, which finally went TU today. The battery life was better while the machine was newer and we were leaving it plugged in. Too many variables to tell what is the "right" thing to do, but h*ll it's been five years on this MBP, and we've not spent any money on it -- other than applecare. So, were not dissatisfied, even as I'm on my way to buy another AC adapter and battery or . . . a new Mac Book Pro.

12 of 15 people found this useful

I purchased my Macbook and found out that I really do not take it anywhere and it mainly sits after my desk. After 18 months I only went through 35 battery cycles. I am very upset to see that my battery is expanding in size and pushing the lid away from the computer.

38 of 40 people found this useful

I could have bought a brand new computer with the amount of times I've replaced this battery... and yes I have done everything I should have with each one of them! My batteries won't even last a year and if I get an hour out of them without the meter going from 90% to like 20% it's a miracle.
I am now running this machine with no battery and have to pray that I have saved whatever I am doing when the cord pops out. I have to go on a trip and to tell you the truth I am not sure I even want to pay for another battery for this thing. You think the least they could do is give you a cheaper price for their cheap piece of junk battery. I have been an avid mac user for almost 20 years, I am highly disappointed. I think it's time to pull out the PC.

24 of 27 people found this useful

I don't get all the Apple fanatics defending poor Apple from bad reviews. I am an Apple user and have been for a long time, but this battery is just badly designed.

I have had my MBP since October of 2008. I mostly use it connected to the wall. I don't even care much how long the battery lasts, but this is the first time in my life I have seen a product that forces you to get a replacement battery because the swelling makes the trackpad unusable.

It's one thing to complain about a battery not holding charge. That's understandable and happens to all batteries after a while. However, I have had laptops for years, then passed them to my mom and dad, and the batteries are still OK. Sure, they don't hold much charge, but they also don't force you to change them if you are OK with 45 minutes without being plugged in.

It doesn't matter if you have been a MBP user for 3 years and you think your machine is the best thing since slice bread. Reading these comments makes it obvious that a LOT of people are having the same problem I'm having, and that is just a bad design. If 5% of the batteries swell, then the design should accommodate it, or Apple should replace those at no cost.

48 of 48 people found this useful

My wife's 5 year old plastic MacBook battery is still going strong, but my top of the line MacBook pro's is dead in a little over two years, taking out trackpad and bending aluminum while it did so.

As an early adopter and strong Apple advocate I have felt left out in the cold on this issue. Even acknowledging that it is a problem would mitigate the undertone of "your crazy, that is what they are supposed to do." It is a manufacturing defect. It sounds like Apple has fixed the problem with newer MacBook Pro models without the removable battery, but a lent hand to the early adopters who helped launch the unibody line would be appreciated.

I understand that batteries are a consumable piece of a laptop, but when a battery dies its swelling should not stress and disable other components in the system.

31 of 31 people found this useful

These batteries must be calibrated at least once a month. The battery should be run all the way down until the computer shuts itself off. Then leave it off for at least 2 hours and ideally no more than 5 hours. Next, charge it all the way up. You can use it while it is charging.

I have done this routine faithfully for the past three years. I have recharged mine 341 times and still have 92% of my original capacity.

31 of 33 people found this useful

I have replaced the battery in my 15" MBP every year since the purchase. Come on Apple

29 of 33 people found this useful

I have had replace these in two of my MBP Unibody machines with less than 500 cycles. The batteries work great at the beginning of their life with incredible computer running time. However, they just don't last NEARLY as long as the 1,000 cycles that Apple advertises. I had one which was showing an error at less than one year old (replaced under warranty). Now, I have one which is around two years old which says "replace battery" and needs to be replaced (out of warranty). I understand that batteries go bad after time, but a $129.00 battery should really last as long as advertised, I just hate replacing them at such a high price!

14 of 16 people found this useful

I have to say that i was introduced to apple products two years ago and now i own 2 ipods ,2 ipads2 , 1 macmini, 1macbook pro5.1-15inches ,1 imac 23inches and numerous side gadgets .
It hurts when myself and other loyal customers of yours,experiencing such a failure with your batteries ,by the way this is my 2nd one gone dead.

17 of 19 people found this useful

I'm on my second battery. The replacement only has 20 charge cycles and it's broke. Ran the battery diag software and it says REPLACE BATTERY. Won't charge at all or even attempt it. No lights ever come on when you hit the button. It's about 8 months old from the Apple store.

16 of 17 people found this useful