Best practises for battery/charging MBPr

Apple provides a number of recommendations for MacBook batteries at their battery information page.

There are a number of tips that Apple provides for maximising the lifespan of your battery on this page, summarised below.

Make sure you plug in your battery and let it charge fully for the first time.

Be sure to fully charge your portable when you plug it in for the first time, and then run Software Update to ensure you have the latest software. Apple periodically releases updates that may improve battery performance.
If possible, don't leave your battery on charge all the time.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time.
Charge/discharge at least once a month.

Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop’s iCal.
Don't store a flat battery for a long period of time.

If you don’t plan on using your notebook for more than six months, Apple recommends that you store the battery with a 50% charge. If you store a battery when it’s fully discharged, it could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable of holding any charge.
Don't store a fully-charged battery for a long period of time.

Conversely, if you store it fully charged for an extended period of time, the battery may experience some loss of battery capacity, meaning it will have a shorter life.

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