M2 MacBook Pro - Did not turn on outside of box

[Lieuzer]

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are having a lovely day

I just received my new M2 MacBook Pro 14” 10c, 32 gb, 1 TB SSD today and I’m loving it!

Oddly, when it came out of the box it did not boot up/start right when the lid opened (which from my experience it always boots up once you pop the lid open). Not to mention, pressing/holding down the power button did not work either, only when I plugged it in did it start…

So I’m just curious, it was pretty cold the last couple of days (around -4 Fahrenheit/-20 Celsius), could this cold cause my MacBook to shut down as it was being shipped/delivered? Also, if this is the case would there be any wear and tear on the internal components?

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I’m just curious when it comes to my gadgets especially when it cost me an arm and a leg…

 

[NT1440]

Probably the battery being cold. From time to time when I take delivery for work they don’t turn on until I plug them in

 

[Lieuzer]

Probably the battery being cold. From time to time when I take delivery for work they don’t turn on until I plug them in

I guess I’m just having a hard time understanding this. It would make sense if I was still able to turn on my laptop via power button, but the fact that it only turned on after plugging it in is odd. B/c that would show how unreliable my device would be, for example if another cold day occurred and my MacBook happened to be in my bag, then I would need my charger with me to turn on my MacBook… Makes me worried bc I bought this laptop for its battery life and to not carry around a charger.

 

[NT1440]

I guess I’m just having a hard time understanding this. It would make sense if I was still able to turn on my laptop via power button, but the fact that it only turned on after plugging it in is odd. B/c that would show how unreliable my device would be, for example if another cold day occurred and my MacBook happened to be in my bag, then I would need my charger with me to turn on my MacBook… Makes me worried bc I bought this laptop for its battery life and to not carry around a charger.

It’s just first run, I wouldn’t think too much about it. If it was shipped on a plane those cargo holds can get into subzero temps. Remember, charging a battery produces heat, so that may have given it the jumpstart it needed.

Just use the machine normally, let it to charge to 100% then use it until it needs power again and let it fully charge once more. That’s generic good advice for “first use” of all lithium batteries.

Also, in a bag is a totally different animal than being in a cardboard box in cold weather for days on end.

 

[chrono1081]

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are having a lovely day

I just received my new M2 MacBook Pro 14” 10c, 32 gb, 1 TB SSD today and I’m loving it!

Oddly, when it came out of the box it did not boot up/start right when the lid opened (which from my experience it always boots up once you pop the lid open). Not to mention, pressing/holding down the power button did not work either, only when I plugged it in did it start…

So I’m just curious, it was pretty cold the last couple of days (around -4 Fahrenheit/-20 Celsius), could this cold cause my MacBook to shut down as it was being shipped/delivered? Also, if this is the case would there be any wear and tear on the internal components?

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I’m just curious when it comes to my gadgets especially when it cost me an arm and a leg…

Definitely sounds like the battery died due to cold. Cold weather is a battery killer. Your components will be fine.

 

[russell_314]

I guess I’m just having a hard time understanding this.

You're overthinking this way too much. It's the first startup and this happens sometimes.

Just use and enjoy your laptop. You have people here constantly checking the battery, CPU usage, how much free RAM, etc, etc. If you stay in these forms, you'll think your computer is on life-support and you have to somehow coax it constantly not to die. I open the lid, use it, close the lid. I might restart once a week if I remember to. It's a boring computer.

 

[OVERTASK]

let it to charge to 100% then use it until it needs power again and let it fully charge once more. That’s generic good advice for “first use” of all lithium batteries.

No it isn't, complete discharge cycles reduce lifespan of lithium-ion batteries used in modern consumer electronics and are not required for first use. The type of memory effect (different to NiCad) with initial memory writing cycle this would apply to only somewhat present with LFP.

 

[NT1440]

No it isn't, complete discharge cycles reduce lifespan of lithium-ion batteries used in modern consumer electronics and are not required for first use. The type of memory effect (different to NiCad) with initial memory writing cycle this would apply to only somewhat present with LFP.

Who told anyone to completely discharge? I said until it needs to be charged, it warns you. I tell my friends all the time they’re not doing themselves any good by constantly letting their phones run in the red or die outright. Same thing for the laptops.

 

[russell_314]

No it isn't, complete discharge cycles reduce lifespan of lithium-ion batteries used in modern consumer electronics and are not required for first use. The type of memory effect (different to NiCad) with initial memory writing cycle this would apply to only somewhat present with LFP.

I've heard that by doing this the machine will calibrate but I don't think it's necessary. You're right that going below 20% does reduce the life of the battery but I'm not sure if doing it once it's going to cause any significant harm. Me personally I'm just lazy and I want my electronics to work for me rather than me work for them so I don't do any crazy battery management, CPU management, ram management, or any of that nonsense. I just use my device for what I need and unless there's some specific instructions from the manufacturer that says I need to do something like this I don't worry about it. The only time I've ever had an issue with a battery was when the device was four years old or older. In this case I get the battery replaced by Apple or get a new device.

 

[svenmany]

Yikes - my new M2 is stuck in the snow in Memphis, with Fedex. I'm going to have to take it to the beach to let it recover.

 

[Danfango]

This isn't abnormal. Had a few do that.

Got a more frustrating one recently. Got a lens for my camera. Turned up, stuffed it on the body and it's all blurry. Spent a few minutes scratching head. Turned out the sensor-facing lens was all steamed up because the lens was so cold having been in delivery van most of the day. Had to wait for it to warm up to room temperature before it was usable 🤣

 

[DCIFRTHS]

This isn't abnormal. Had a few do that.

Got a more frustrating one recently. Got a lens for my camera. Turned up, stuffed it on the body and it's all blurry. Spent a few minutes scratching head. Turned out the sensor-facing lens was all steamed up because the lens was so cold having been in delivery van most of the day. Had to wait for it to warm up to room temperature before it was usable 🤣

I always let my electronics "warm up" to room temperature if they are really cold - from beng outside, shipping etc. Going from cold to warm causes condensation which is not good.

Brings me back to the days of VCR's where youu could damage the spinning heads if the tape or the machine was used after being out inthe cold.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I guess I’m just having a hard time understanding this. It would make sense if I was still able to turn on my laptop via power button, but the fact that it only turned on after plugging it in is odd. B/c that would show how unreliable my device would be, for example if another cold day occurred and my MacBook happened to be in my bag, then I would need my charger with me to turn on my MacBook… Makes me worried bc I bought this laptop for its battery life and to not carry around a charger.

You have an expectation for how charged the battery on a laptop should be when it is shipped to you and because it doesn't meet that expectation, you are assuming unreliability. Cold weather and many other perfectly natural reasons for the laptop's battery having no juice could've caused that. If you are particularly worried, take the machine into Apple and have them run a battery diagnostic. My guess is there's nothing wrong with your battery nor anything that would make it unreliable. But it never hurts to check. You could also check the battery's condition in System Information. If it says that the battery has 0 charge cycles and has "Normal" under its current condition, you're very likely fine. Similarly, after charging it to full, if it drains battery at an expected pace, you are probably also fine.

 

[RokinAmerica]

It could have sat on a shelf for a while and then as others have said, cold kills batteries. You have to charge it if the battery is dead, otherwise there is nothing to run it.

Most common example is when the northern climes get very cold weather, the smart car owners either garage or plug in their battery.

Sears made a killing on the Die-Hard batteries because they could withstand more intense cold but were still not invulnerable to dying overnight is sufficiently cold.

 

[Queen6]

@Lieuzer Likely related to the temperature, modern Mac's have a lot sensors and by design protect themselves. As long as your getting the expected battery life no need to worry

My 12" rMB is very sensitive to low temperature, my M1 MBP less so. The late 2011 15" I keep running 24/7 in the winter to maintain battery temp.

Q-6

 

[Lieuzer]

It could have sat on a shelf for a while and then as others have said, cold kills batteries. You have to charge it if the battery is dead, otherwise there is nothing to run it.

Most common example is when the northern climes get very cold weather, the smart car owners either garage or plug in their battery.

Sears made a killing on the Die-Hard batteries because they could withstand more intense cold but were still not invulnerable to dying overnight is sufficiently cold.

Thank you for your response I just don’t understand bc once it turned in the battery was hovering at 88 percent… so the battery dying doesn’t explain it

 

[Lieuzer]

If it says that the battery has 0 charge cycles and has "Normal" under its current condition, you're very likely fine. Similarly, after charging it to full, if it drains battery at an expected pace, you are probably also fine.

Yikes, mine is 2 cycles right outside the box 😢 is this a bad thing?

 

[iMacDragon]

I think 1 or 2 can be normal depending on what testing cycle laptop had

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Since that "first episode", does it now boot and run normally, as would be expected?

No problems with "auto-starting" now, when you lift the lid?

Have you tried using Coconut Battery (FREE download) to check the condition of the battery?

Take a screenshot of Coconut Battery and post it here.

Is it still within the 14-day return period?

If Coconut Battery shows the design capacity to be where it should be, and if the MBP is booting and running fine now, I'd just "let that pass" and keep on using it...

One other thing:
For the next few days, I would NOT "leave the charger on all the time".
Instead, charge it -- right up to 100%.
Then, take it OFF charge, and run from the battery.
Let it drop down to, say, 40%.
Then put it back ON charge.
Repeat for 2-3 days, to be sure charging is working as it should, and to ascertain that the "depletion rate" of the battery seems to be about normal...

 

[NT1440]

Yikes, mine is 2 cycles right outside the box 😢 is this a bad thing?

No, it means it’s like every other battery on the planet. You have to charge and condition these things before they leave the factory.

Your machine is fine, try to forget about the one time it didn’t turn on and enjoy your new machine!

 

[Lieuzer]

No, it means it’s like every other battery on the planet. You have to charge and condition these things before they leave the factory.

Your machine is fine, try to forget about the one time it didn’t turn on and enjoy your new machine!

I will never forget about this! I’m too traumatized… why couldn’t they just shelter me from these first world problems.

On a real note, I really appreciate all the feed back and reassurance. Thank you everyone 😊

 

[Yebubbleman]

Yikes, mine is 2 cycles right outside the box 😢 is this a bad thing?

No. You'd rather people test and ensure that your product works before sending it to you, yeah?

 

[bluesy]

Lenov

It’s just first run, I wouldn’t think too much about it. If it was shipped on a plane those cargo holds can get into subzero temps. Remember, charging a battery produces heat, so that may have given it the jumpstart it needed.

Just use the machine normally, let it to charge to 100% then use it until it needs power again and let it fully charge once more. That’s generic good advice for “first use” of all lithium batteries.

Also, in a bag is a totally different animal than being in a cardboard box in cold weather for days on end.

I wouldn't worry either, Lenovo sends computers out that needs the charger connected before they will turn on (you can disable the battery for maintenance in the BIOS)

A small siden note, the cargo hold in the aircrafts are roughly the same temperature as the rest of the aircraft (never seen or heard anything else in my 26 years as a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer)

 

[xraydoc]

Yikes, mine is 2 cycles right outside the box 😢 is this a bad thing?

Normal. You're over analyzing. Your Mac is fine.