Why are people using their MacBook Airs on battery?

[Arctic Moose]

What causes the battery health percentage to drop?

Using the battery. Not using the battery. Keeping it charged at 100%. Keeping it charged at 80%. Letting charge drop to 20%. Letting charge drop to 0%. Keeping it charged at 50%. Using it too often. Not using it enough. Letting the computer get too hot. Letting the computer get too cold. Letting the computer temperature change too quickly. Using the computer on a Tuesday. Not using the computer on the third Thursday of the month. Just ****ing use it to do what you want to do and don’t worry about. (Because the battery can sense your worry, which causes it to degrade much quicker.)

 

[Hajj.david]

Using the battery. Not using the battery. Keeping it charged at 100%. Keeping it charged at 80%. Letting charge drop to 20%. Letting charge drop to 0%. Keeping it charged at 50%. Using it too often. Not using it enough. Letting the computer get too hot. Letting the computer get too cold. Letting the computer temperature change too quickly. Using the computer on a Tuesday. Not using the computer on the third Thursday of the month. Just ****ing use it to do what you want to do and don’t worry about. (Because the battery can sense your worry, which causes it to degrade much quicker.)

Especially using it on a tuesday. I learned that the hard way.

 

[dyou]

This thread is awesome

 

[cupcakes2000]

I agree with the OP. That's why when I take my MacBook Air out of the house I carry one of these too.



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Mic drop

 

[gtjacket123]

I refuse to believe this is a real thread. I’m just lucid dreaming.

 

[mectojic]

OP is the kind of guy who wishes we still had the old PowerBook G3s, with hot-swappable battery bays

 

[Ericdjensen]

I'm taking the MacBook out of the house tomorrow as I will have a couple hours to kill. I may just use it on the internal battery. But I'll have my Anker Prime with me too just in case of an emergency

I hope you survive this incredibly difficult situation

 

[TechnoMonk]

I hope you survive this incredibly difficult situation

I am waiting for OP to update, what an ordeal. No one has to go through that with their MacBooks.

 

[Blade024]

Yes but the battery bank keeps it at 100%. If I do use the internal battery then having the battery pack will let me go back up to 100% at any place, any time of day.

But most importantly if the internal battery was to prematurely fail, I have a backup ready to go.

Keeping the internal battery at 100% all the time is worse for it than letting it cycle. Also, if you have a catastrophic failure of the internal battery, you won't be able to run it off the external either.

 

[Blade024]

What causes the battery health percentage to drop? I'm on my work M1 Pro that is only 1.5 years old. I checked the charge cycles and it's at 31 and 91% health. This laptop is only 1.5 years old and not used everyday.

A year and a half old with 31 cycles sounds like it's plugged in all the time. Keeping it at 100% all the time will cause it to degrade over time, sometimes even more than a higher cycle count.

 

[SkydiveGuy]

Because people dont buy something worrying about resale value.
I buy something I plan to use how I want to use it and own it for as long as possible.
My plan is to own it long enough that its resale value is useless by the time I need to upgrade.

 

[robvalentine]

I think this is the worst take I have ever seen. Laptops are tools, not a $10,000,000 watch/piece of jewellery. I highly doubt that a lot of people pay attention when buying a laptop. the time:effort:cost ratio just isn't worth it.

Having said that when I upgrade laptops it's usually at end of software support.

 

[DeepSix]

I remember when folks worried about keeping their MacBooks docked all the time, now there's concern (albeit from one individual) about using Macbooks unplugged too. I think OP is nostalgic for the oldie days when laptops let you pop out the battery and still run it plugged-in. If my laptop is meeting my needs then selling it is the farthest thing from my mind.

Apple should release a MacBook Air version that doesn't come with a battery to make it even lighter, I would buy one for sure.

 

[Aoligei]

Apple should release a MacBook Air version that doesn't come with a battery to make it even lighter, I would buy one for sure.

Imaging you carry your battery-less MacBook Air on a trip, you are tying an important document on your MacBook Air with battery bank attached to it. The accident happens, someone tripped the USB connection. Your battery-less MacBook shutdown and you lost your important documents.

What is battery-less laptop good for?

 

[mimeArtist]

Use it and enjoy it, and get your moneys worth. Don’t tip toe about with it for years just to save $150

 

[PieTunes]

Apple should release a MacBook Air version that doesn't come with a battery to make it even lighter, I would buy one for sure.

A true dream device would be a foldable Mac mini, a Mac mini Fold. Can you imagine it? A full on computer that folds up and you can store in the convenience of your pocket. No fuss in having it have an attached display or keyboard or pointing device or battery which would make it big and clunky, just bring them in your backpack and attach whichever component you need. You can use whatever type of display you want, whatever kind of mouse, etc.

Want a large battery for more intense web browsing sessions? Smaller more portable battery just for Apple Music or iMessage? Go for it. If an individual component fails, you save so much money by being able to replace it and it alone. It's the absolute ultimate in convenience and choice.

Apple would make so much money for something that every consumer would absolutely clamor for. I don't know about you but my wallet is primed and ready.

 

[DeepSix]

I finally found a hard case for one of my C300's. Im just ordering one for now, it looks like it will fit my Anker Prime bank inside too so I have the option of carrying both batteries with me in one case.

 

[Technerd108]

I have the best solution.

Go nuclear! Get rid of that pesky lithium ion battery and replace it with some plutonium.

Should run for over 150,000 years.

Not sure if you could shield against the radiation in a small laptop but hey your laptop battery will last a lot longer than you!

 

[TPadden]

What is battery-less laptop good for?

As long as it had a sarcasm detector; it might be good for you. 👍

 

[Queen6]

This is a wind up plain and simple...

Q-6

 

[DeepSix]

A true dream device would be a foldable Mac mini, a Mac mini Fold. Can you imagine it? A full on computer that folds up and you can store in the convenience of your pocket. No fuss in having it have an attached display or keyboard or pointing device or battery which would make it big and clunky, just bring them in your backpack and attach whichever component you need. You can use whatever type of display you want, whatever kind of mouse, etc.

Want a large battery for more intense web browsing sessions? Smaller more portable battery just for Apple Music or iMessage? Go for it. If an individual component fails, you save so much money by being able to replace it and it alone. It's the absolute ultimate in convenience and choice.

Apple would make so much money for something that every consumer would absolutely clamor for. I don't know about you but my wallet is primed and ready.

That device already exists, it's called a smartphone.

 

[telo123]

OP clearly just wants attention, lmao

 

[Queen6]

That device already exists, it's called a smartphone.

Rather like your MacBook Air without a battery, Smartphone's dont run macOS, nor exist... I honestly struggle to understand why you would carry all this gear without valid reason. I've lived, worked and travelled globally vast majority of my life from the sub Artic to the equator, jungles of Papua New Guinea never had an issue.

I like redundancy; 2 notebooks (Mac & PC), 2 phones, backup cables/chargers, 10K powerbank that's it. That's for international trips ranging from a couple of weeks to months or even residence.

TBH keeping the Air's battery at 100% will result in wear as the battery pack is designed to be cycled. Going out the house for a couple of hours and taking a powerbank to power the Air makes no sense. If the internal battery failed, like as not an Mx Mac would fail to boot as they so tightly integrated today.

Anyway if it makes you happy 👍

Q-6

 

[darkpaw]

A year and a half old with 31 cycles sounds like it's plugged in all the time. Keeping it at 100% all the time will cause it to degrade over time, sometimes even more than a higher cycle count.

I agree. I had a 2020 M1 MacBook Air and the battery died within six months. When I took it to Apple to get them to check it, they asked if it was plugged in all the time. It was. I now use Al Dente.

 

[DeepSix]

Rather like your MacBook Air without a battery, Smartphone's dont run macOS, nor exist... I honestly struggle to understand why you would carry all this gear without valid reason. I've lived, worked and travelled globally vast majority of my life from the sub Artic to the equator, jungles of Papua New Guinea never had an issue.

I like redundancy; 2 notebooks (Mac & PC), 2 phones, backup cables/chargers, 10K powerbank that's it. That's for international trips ranging from a couple of weeks to months or even residence.

TBH keeping the Air's battery at 100% will result in wear as the battery pack is designed to be cycled. Going out the house for a couple of hours and taking a powerbank to power the Air makes no sense. If the internal battery failed, like as not an Mx Mac would fail to boot as they so tightly integrated today.

Anyway if it makes you happy 👍

Q-6

Well from my experience, I find It's better to have everything on hand In case you need it. Theres nothing worse than needing something but it's at home. For instance an external SSD drive, headphones, wall charger, USB thumb drive, USB hub, external battery bank and a few USB-C cables (of different lengths and power capability), plus some backup USB-C cables is completely needed whenever I bring the laptop outside the house.

I keep it all inside a compact and very portable bag that's normally used for personal grooming. The bag holds a lot as it has several pouches and side compartments. It's fits everything inside and still has a lot of space left. It can even fit a 2nd battery bank if I decide to get another Anker prime.

And I do prefer to travel light.