How to know when to change Apple MacBook’s battery

NEW DELHI: Let's face it, no laptop is perfect. Whether it's an Apple MacBook or any Windows PC or laptop, the fast rate of technology obsolescence hits all. And as a result, after some point in time, we need to upgrade these devices to make them future proof or at least powerful enough to meet our current requirements.

Although there are numerous parts that can be upgraded in a laptop, here we'll be talk about Apple MacBook's battery. I have come across several MacBook owners who don't know the typical lifecycle of the device's battery or when exactly it needs to be replaced.



Those who have been using a MacBook since past few months or years would already know that the laptop's battery depletes eventually and requires more charging time. So, here's how you can know when you need to change your MacBook's battery.


You can check the status of the MacBook battery by using the inbuilt tool. All you need to do is to click on the battery icon in the menu bar and check the 'condition' of the laptop's battery. In all probability, it should show you one of the four options -- Normal, Replace Soon, Replace Now and Service Battery.

While there's nothing to be concerned about if the icon shows 'Normal' or 'Replace Soon'. However, if it shows 'Replace Now' you should know that the battery now has significantly less charge and that it's time you replace it. If it shows the message 'Service Battery', it means that it's time for you to take your laptop to a service centre and immediately get those batteries replaced.

To get the exact cycle numbers (see how many cycles the battery has gone through), you can hold the 'Option' key and click on the Apple menu. Then click on 'System Information', followed by 'Power' in the 'Hardware' section.

Apple's new MacBook Pro: All you need to know

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Apple's new MacBook Pro: All you need to know

Apple just gave a major refresh to its laptop lineup. The company launched new MacBook Pro laptops with 'touch functionality', fingerprint ID and more...

Here's all you need to know about the all-new MacBooks

Comes in three models

Apple's newest MacBook Pro laptops come in three variants: Two 13-inch models and one 15-inch. The high-end 13-inch model and all 15-inch models have Touch Bar and Touch ID.

Slimmer and sleeker

Apple's latest MacBook Pro lineup sports a new aluminium unibody design with compact form factor, and reducing in size once again. The 13-inch MacBook Pro measures 14.9x304.1x212.4mm and weighs 1.37kg. It is 23% smaller in volume than the previous-generation model.

While the 15-inch MacBook Pro measures 15.5x349.3x240.7mm and weighs 1.83kg. This makes it 20% smaller in volume than the predecessor.

What exactly is the Touch bar

Touch Bar is an OLED touchscreen that replaces the function keys at the top of a keyboard in the new Apple MacBooks. The Retina Display supports multi-touch and gestures. The Touch Bar adapts to display controls most relevant to whatever application is being used, from email or typing text to video editing or music mixing, demonstrations showed.

Apple is also allowing third-party developers to write apps to work with the Touch Bar.

What about finger-print ID

New MacBook Pro models with 13-inch and 15-inch screens also had "Touch ID" fingerprint reading sensors built into power buttons, meaning that people will be able to unlock machines or make online purchases using fingers to confirm their identity.

How many ports does it have

Both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros come with four Thunderbolt ports (same shape as USB Type-C), any of these can function as a charging port, DisplayPort, VGA, HDMI and more. It also has the standard headphone jack.

This also means the end of MagSafe, the magnetic adapters in Macbooks.

Battery life

The new MacBook Pro models' battery will last up to 10 hours (per charge).

Is the display too touchscreen

No, the display is not touch-screen. It's a high-resolution display which is is 67% brighter and offers 67% better contrast ratio than the company's previous-generation MacBook Pro.

What colours does it come in

Both the laptops come in Grey and Silver colour options.

Specifications

* The 13-inch MacBook Pro features a 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage.

* The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID features a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage.

* The 15-inch MacBook Pro features Touch Bar and Touch ID, a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.5 GHz, 16GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage.

What about other MacBooks

Apple has one more model, simply called MacBook. It was launched in the year 2015 and was updated again this year with faster specs.

Price

The 13-inch MacBook Pro model will start at $1,799 and the 15-inch model starts at $2,399. The 13-inch entry-level MacBook Pro (without the Touch Bar) sports a starting price tag of $1,499.

Apple has also given the cycle counts of every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro model launched. The new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch IDs are not included in the list so far. The highest number of cycles mentioned are 1000.

"Batteries have a limited amount of charge cycles before they're considered to be consumed. Once consumed, a replacement battery is recommended. You can use your battery after it reaches its maximum cycle count, but you might notice a reduction in your battery life," says Apple support website.

For now, the new MacBook Pro laptops are currently being re-tested by Consumer Reports rating website as the first set of tests showed discrepancies in the battery performance. The re-test is being done after Apple spotted a bug in the Safari browser.

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