Macbook Air 13 inch battery decrease in performance

Hi everyone,

My Macbook air recently has been very poor on battery performance. I can squeeze a maximum 3 to 4 hours lately. When i first purchase this machine, it can easily withstand close to 7 hour of battery life. Any opinion on how can i recover the lost battery performance or how to boast its battery life again? Thank you.

 

Well, if the battery is physically drained (ie after years of usage), there isn't anything that can be done in order to increase battery performance. Batteries have a limited number of charge cycles before they start to lose the ability to hold a charge. It is conceivable that your MBA simply can't last as long on a single charge if it has gone through ~1000 charge cycles (which equates to owning it for about three years if you were to conduct one charge cycle every single day).

You may have also physically damaged the battery if you stored/used the MBA in hot or cold conditions, areas with access moisture (this includes places with high amounts of humidity), broke something in the battery, etc.

 

I just bought this macbook air at february this year. And I mainly use it in uni and it is not my main computer. So i can say that i rarely charge it because i dont use it frequently. I dont store it in hot condition but maybe the cold weather here in Aus is affecting its performance then? really frustrated because i stay almost whole day in the uni if i have class and running out of battery every 3 to 4 hours is not the reason i bought this laptop. The main reason i bought this is because apple state that it can last for up to 7 hours. Thx for your information btw.

 

These Apple Docs may be helpful:

Apple Portables: Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance

Apple - Batteries - Notebooks

 

The first article points out that MacBooks with built-in batteries are already calibrated straight from the factory, they do not need to be calibrated by the end user.

The second articles points everything out though and the OP should read through it. The last paragraph is of particular help:
Optimal Setting
You can choose to use your Apple notebook in a way that maximizes its battery life.
Energy: The Energy Saver control panel offers several settings that determine power levels for your PowerBook. Your portable knows when it’s plugged in, and runs accordingly. When on battery power, it will dim the screen and use other components sparingly. If you change this setting to maximize performance, your battery will drain more quickly.
Brightness: Dim the screen to the lowest comfortable level to achieve maximum battery life. For instance, when watching a DVD on an airplane, you may not need full brightness if all the lights are off.
AirPort Wireless: AirPort consumes power, even if you are not using its features to connect to a network. You can turn it off in its control panel to save power.
Bluetooth Wireless: Likewise, you can turn off Bluetooth to maximize your battery life, as it also consumes power when not in use.
Applications and peripherals: Disconnect peripherals and quit applications not in use. Eject CDs and DVDs if not currently accessing them.

 

Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't realized that MacBook Air's didn't require battery calibration.

 

Even the MBP's from 2009, 2010, and 2011 don't. Essentially any MacBook with a built-in battery doesn't need calibrating. Only the older ones with removable batteries should actually be calibrated (that is even if the user is experiencing any issues).

 

Looking at that article again, I realize that it contradicts itself. Mid-way through it tells you how to do it for all MacBook Pros and then at the end says that models with built in batteries don't require calibration.

 

Yeah, it can be a little confusing. I think Apple put the instructions up just so people would have them even though the process isn't needed. Apple's website still talks about power cycling iPods to make sure their battery stays in shape even though that hasn't been an issue for the past 7 years.