Is it advisable to calibrate the battery on a MacBook?

Solution 1:

There is almost no value in a user trying to "calibrate" a unibody MacBook's internal battery since it has multiple cells and the system handles this continually.

Older MacBook that were non-unibody construction with removable batteries did benefit periodic calibration runs to update the Mac's estimation of time remaining. Calibration didn't actually give you more power, just a more accurate estimate of the time remaining before that battery needs a recharge.

• The canonical reference for which models can benefit from calibration is Apple Portables: Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance.
• A nice primer on battery technology in general is Apple's Lithium-ion polymer batteries site.
• For more technical data, I like reading at the "Battery University" site.

If you seek to extend the time between when you buy a battery (or computer) and the time when it needs to be replaced three things will help prolong the useful life of your battery.

• Discharging it until the Mac sleeps at least once every month or two.
• Not letting it drain totally for months.
• Avoid exceeding the re-charge cycles (new models typically are rated for 5 years and 1000 equivalent charge cycles).
• Avoid storage in very hot temperatures and use (charging / discharge) in hot temperatures.

In the end, you might pay between $100 and $150 for a new battery, but something that happens once every 3 to 4 years, Apple's new battery technology is far better than the old days where heavy users needed a new battery yearly and failures were far more common.