That’s insane because your MacBook should regulate that and prevent such a scenario from occurring without resorting to third-party software. In all those years I’ve never ever had a MacBook battery fail prematurely because it was plugged in for long periods on end. My current MacBook Pro’s battery should have been long gone otherwise. Sounds like a fluke on your end really.
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Why are people using their MacBook Airs on battery?
- Thread starter DeepSix
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A Macbook Air costs around 2000 dollar. It lasts about 4 years even if you use it a lot and I'm sure many use it much longer (I write this on a 2015 MBP). That is around 500 dollar per year or ~40 dollar per month or less if you use it longer than 4 years. Really not worth to carry an extra pack of battery or anything else. It's a tool for work that is meant to be used up.
Don't do this. Just this week I had to replace my work laptop's battery after 2 years because I use it plugged in 98% of the time. The cycle count pails in comparison to keeping a battery on power all the time. And when the battery fails, it doesn't so much deplete as outright fails. My laptop wouldn't even power on when plugged in. Either have a high cycle count and a decent battery, or be forced to pay for the battery service you're so worried about.
Cycle count is a poor predictor of long term battery health. You'll do it more harm by keeping it pegged at 100% for the majority of its lifetime than you will by using it. In my experience the absolute best way to extend battery lifespan is thus;
- Don't hold it indefinitely maxed at 100% (AlDente or similar makes this easy)
- Flex the battery regularly between 40-80%
- Charge at the lowest wattage you are comfortable with.
I’ll be honest, I’d love if there was a Dex type environment available if I docked my iphone to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Okay you people have convinced me to not run my Macbook on AC power all the time. I will run it on battery at least twice a week even if I'm at home. Even if I run it down to just 50% each time, that is 8 times a month using it on battery, over the course of a year 104 times, so that should help prevent wear.
Also I will try to do a drain down to 5% once a month. It's those times when you drain it down to 0% that it's not good for the battery.
Also I will try to do a drain down to 5% once a month. It's those times when you drain it down to 0% that it's not good for the battery.
My 3 year old MBP has been run off the battery almost every day for 3 years. Currently it’s at 81%. The wear on the keyboard/key caps is a much bigger issue as it relates to resale, I suspect. 🤷🏻♂️
Run it the way it can be used effectively. The OCD like obsession isn’t gonna make much difference. If you get a dud it will fail, and Mac OS is pretty good in regulating depending on charging habits. When I am traveling and on the road it charges to 100%, makes sense as I need as much battery as I can get. When it’s plugged in for few days, it usually caps at 80%. My M1 MBP battery life is as good as I bought it since the launch.
Erm. No you don't. When I travel with my MacBook Air, even if its for three weeks, I just bring the Air, the power brick and the Mag Safe cable and a Magic Mouse. Maybe a SD card dongle if I bringt my camera. That's it.
I don't even own a USB hub, USB thumb drives and a powerbank that is able to charge the Air.
Hang on, though. While I used my 2015 MBP fairly regularly from battery across most of it's life, I had it plugged in and fully charged basically daily. I had to replace the battery in 2022. Why will my MBA 2024 all of a sudden need to run off of battery power regularly or crap out?
While I'm going to repeat a lot of what has already been said, I don't really see the point in anxiously worrying about every aspect of our machines for the sole purpose of maximising resale value. If that's your only bag in life, then fine - knock yourself out. But an Apple device of any kind ISN'T a Ming vase or a fabergé egg, it's not for placing under soft lighting for an exposition. They're designed to be used, enjoyed, even beaten around a little. An MBP without a dent or a strange stain in the corner, or a keyboard that isn't a bit shiny and well worn is an utter waste of the 1,900 to 3,600€ that you spent on it. Same goes for the battery, it's supposed to deplete.
The same happens to a car when you drive it - every pump of the piston puts a minuscule amount of wear on the cylinder and the engine in general (and the drive shaft, and the gears, and the tyres, the paintwork, the body, the suspension etc.) and no matter how often you bring it to the car wash to make it look new, it isn't. It's slowly wearing away, like us... Accept that, and you'll be happy.
It's called the Mac mini, comes without monitor keyboard and mouse to save on wear too
It's very restrictive to use a laptop that only has 2 USB-C ports. USB hubs are very discreet and there are some that even attach to the Air's body. I got the Air base model with the intention of carrying a slim external SSD drive with it all the time. At least the external SSD is super portable and weighs nothing.
Resale value? I don't think I have ever sold a Mac. I've given a few away.
I don't care about the health of the internal battery, if it dies I have it fixed or if it fixing costs more than the value of the computer then replace it.
Who wants a "dongle" that is bigger than the entire computer?
That said, a lot depends on economics. If the computer costs what you think of as a "large amount" you might think differently. But many (most?) Mac users see computers as a kind of "consumable" like tires on a tire. They work until they need to be replaced.
I don't care about the health of the internal battery, if it dies I have it fixed or if it fixing costs more than the value of the computer then replace it.
Who wants a "dongle" that is bigger than the entire computer?
That said, a lot depends on economics. If the computer costs what you think of as a "large amount" you might think differently. But many (most?) Mac users see computers as a kind of "consumable" like tires on a tire. They work until they need to be replaced.
I use the Satechi usb hub that plugs into the two usb c ports and expands it with usb a, usb c, hdmi, sd, micro sd etc. Colour matched to the body of the macbook air and super small and light to just leave in my laptop case.
The weird thing I've noticed is my 15" MBA has absolutely phenomenal battery life, the best of any computer or electronics device I've ever used.
BUT if I don't use it for a few days, the battery will drain down to zero. I'm thinking this is a battery safety feature Apple is using to preserve battery life (I'm a drone pilot and the expensive drone batteries do the same thing--you should not charge them unless you are about to fly because they self-discharge in about 3 days to preserve long term operation).
On the other hand, my Ipad Pro has absolutely horrible battery life, and has from day one. It barely lasts one day of heavy web browsing with all sorts of battery preserving settings turned on. Ridiculous!
BUT if I don't use it for a few days, the battery will drain down to zero. I'm thinking this is a battery safety feature Apple is using to preserve battery life (I'm a drone pilot and the expensive drone batteries do the same thing--you should not charge them unless you are about to fly because they self-discharge in about 3 days to preserve long term operation).
On the other hand, my Ipad Pro has absolutely horrible battery life, and has from day one. It barely lasts one day of heavy web browsing with all sorts of battery preserving settings turned on. Ridiculous!
Oh! Please say you boot from this drive and keep all your files on it to avoid wear and tear on the internal SSD. 🥰
It's $159+tax to replace a MacBook Air battery at Apple. This price includes parts and labour.
This. My machines are plugged in almost all the time and their batteries are just fine.
Maybe bring an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to avoid wear and tear on the monitor, keyboard and mouse.
I think the best way to keep the laptop in prestige condition and keep resale value is not open the seal. Keep it in the box and not use it.
The battery starts degrading the day it is created. Most casual users don't even do a cycle every day with the Apple Silicon Macs. There's M1 Airs bought on launch day with less than 300 cycles and it's been 4 years. The battery will degrade more from age than from its cycle count for a lot of users and might outlast the device (especially from a software perspective) for casual users.
As a heavy user of the same MacBook for 4 years, mine has more than 1000 cycles on it, and it's at 83% battery health. Even that still gives me all-day battery life.
As a heavy user of the same MacBook for 4 years, mine has more than 1000 cycles on it, and it's at 83% battery health. Even that still gives me all-day battery life.