MacBook Pro battery drains quickly, shows Service Battery when restarted
The new battery is an A1175 on a MacBook Pro (2008). The specs are that this battery should hold a capacity of 5600 mAh.
OSX Lion System Information reports:
Full Charge Capacity: 4936 mAh
Manufacturer: Sony
Cycle Count: 6
Condition: Normal
When fully charged/overnight, the OS will report that the battery is ~97% full. If it's taken off AC power, the OS will report ~4:00 time remaining. The system will sit idle for maybe 2 hours, and will turn off due to battery drain around 90 minutes. It can't be powered back on until AC is used.
On restart, Lion will show the battery's status with the warning "Service Battery". The battery has ~8% remaining. System Info also shows "Service Battery", and the Full Charge Capacity is 2680 mAh.
Is this normal behaviour for a MacBook Pro with an A1175?
My theory is that this is a defective battery. I'm suspicious of the Sony attribute on the System Info as well.
Solution 1:
It sounds like you've got a bad battery, no doubt, and should have it replaced, gratis. While this shouldn't be a problem, it won't hurt to have the most ammunition possible when you arrive at the store or have to place a call to Apple Care.
Take a screenshot of the "Service Battery" menu icon (Shift + command + 3), and collect all the data you can (like the kind you've included in your question). I've had three defective batteries replaced by Apple, two of them close to the 300 cycle mark, which is what Apple guarantees 80% battery health to. The screenshots and data have been instrumental in getting a rapid, no questions asked replacement. Of course, if your battery is showing the health problems that it is after only six (!?!) cycles, then you've got a good shot at it anyway.
Good luck!
Solution 2:
No. The service battery warning indicates an abnormal (but perhaps not to be unexpected) situation. You'll want to call Apple or visit a repair shop for a diagnosis. Chances are 10 to one or more that your battery should be replaced.