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Friday, April 27, 2007, 06:00 pm
Apple discovers issue with MacBook batteries, offers solutions
Apple said Friday it has discovered that some batteries used in its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks may have performance issues and is offering a software update that is designed to improve performance.The 244KB Battery Updater will check to see if a battery needs to be updated on startup, wake from sleep, and when a battery is inserted.
"If in these cases there is no AC power supplied, it will then wait until AC power is present and then check to see if the battery needs to be updated," Apple said. "If the battery needs to be updated it will update it automatically. Wait 30 seconds before you validate the installation."
The update supports essentially every MacBook system produced by the company thus far, including: MacBook, MacBook (Late 2006), MacBook Pro (15-inch), MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy), MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo), MacBook Pro (17-inch) and MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo).
Apple notes that after Battery Update has been installed, each battery inserted into the MacBook or MacBook Pro will be updated automatically.
If, after installing the battery update, the battery has any of the symptoms listed here, Apple urges MacBook owners to make a reservation to bring their computer with its battery to a local Apple Retail Store, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP), or call a local Apple Support Contact Center.
If Apple or an AASP determines that a battery is eligible for replacement, MacBook owners will receive a new battery, free of charge, even if their MacBook or MacBook Pro is out of warranty.
The repair program extends repair coverage on the battery for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer for Intel Core Duo-based MacBook and MacBook Pro computers.
Apple said it will continue to evaluate the battery update program and will provide further extensions as needed.
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Previous Comments View All
This is one thing I just love about being a Mac owner. With every other OE you have to rely on a really crappy Windows program--which you probably deleted anyway because it was a resource hog--to check for firmware updates or occasionally go to the OEM's website and do a search for your system to find firmware updates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008 
First post! w00000t!
...... Apparently my MacBook Core[1]Duo had it's battery replaced for a brand new one about 3-5 months after the first owner bought it. It also had it's palmrest (discoloration issue) replaced. At about 9-10 months of its life I got the LCD replaced under AppleCare... This was all in Australia. Thumbs up to the Melbourne Apple reseller peoples.
First post! w00000t!
...... Apparently my MacBook Core[1]Duo had it's battery replaced for a brand new one about 3-5 months after the first owner bought it. It also had it's palmrest (discoloration issue) replaced. At about 9-10 months of its life I got the LCD replaced under AppleCare... This was all in Australia. Thumbs up to the Melbourne Apple reseller peoples.So far I've had no problem with my C2D BlackBook. Considering how abusive I am toward my CEs I have to say that is a good sign.
Off topic, but I would strongly suggest everyone here NOT use any 16x media. Stick to 8x for all your 8x or lower rated DVD-burners.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
....So far I've had no problem with my C2D BlackBook. Considering how abusive I am toward my CEs I have to say that is a good sign.
....So far I've had no problem with my C2D BlackBook. Considering how abusive I am toward my CEs I have to say that is a good sign.
Yeah the rev B (core2duos) MacBook black/white seem to be much better. It's cool, I bought the MacBook Core[1]Duo off eBay knowing full well of its at-that-time and potential rev A issues. The eBay one I bought, to quote the ol' Jerry McGuire movie,.... it had me at 2GB of RAM. Heh.
Sometimes when I close the lid on my MacBook it'll reboot for no good reason. Anyone heard else having this problem?
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
This is one thing I just low about being a Mac owner. With every other OE you have to rely on a really crappy Windows program--which you probably deleted anyway because it was a resource hog--to check for firmware updates or occasionally go to the OEM's website and do a search for your system to find firmware updates...
This is one thing I just low about being a Mac owner. With every other OE you have to rely on a really crappy Windows program--which you probably deleted anyway because it was a resource hog--to check for firmware updates or occasionally go to the OEM's website and do a search for your system to find firmware updates...
Yes, this is generally a good thing with Macs. Though I suspect if I actually could find the original firmware for my internal DVD-burner I could flash it back to factory firmware and it might reset the firmware that could have been corrupted by trying to burn 16x media... Though this is a total pull-out-of-my-arse idea on how to fix my DVD-burner. AppleCare would probably just replace the whole SuperDrive anyway.
....Yeah resource hogs is the main issue still with Windows nowadays. Not *so* much the crashing, but the general "glugginess" of everything that sets in after a few weeks/ months. Or even at the start .... http://corybohon.wordpress.com/2007/...a-mac-stuffed/ ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008
....Yeah resource hogs is the main issue still with Windows nowadays. Not *so* much the crashing, but the general "glugginess" of everything that sets in after a few weeks/ months. Or even at the start .... http://corybohon.wordpress.com/2007/...a-mac-stuffed/ ...
....Yeah resource hogs is the main issue still with Windows nowadays. Not *so* much the crashing, but the general "glugginess" of everything that sets in after a few weeks/ months. Or even at the start .... http://corybohon.wordpress.com/2007/...a-mac-stuffed/ ...
That commercial was posted on Digg. It was fun to read the replies about how OS X comes with just as much bloatware as a OEM version of Windows. The offending programs.....
- Trial: MS Office for Mac Test Drive
- Trial: iWork
- Crippled: Quicktime, Nanosaur (no longer offered)
- Excessive: iLife apps, like Garageband loops. The informed replies basically stated.....
- Win OEMs add many, many more than Apple.
- These do not auto-run at startup.
- These do not constantly bother you about purchasing the software.
- These are easily removed, unlike MS's Add/Remove Programs.
- The desktop isn't littered with subsided program advertisements.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008
to quote the ol' Jerry McGuire movie,.... it had me at 2GB of RAM. Heh.
to quote the ol' Jerry McGuire movie,.... it had me at 2GB of RAM. Heh.
I like that
This thread is about the battery firmware update, not optical drive speeds, included bloatware, or flashing firmware on DVD drives. Sheesh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008
Off topic, but I would strongly suggest everyone here NOT use any 16x media. Stick to 8x for all your 8x or lower rated DVD-burners.
Off topic, but I would strongly suggest everyone here NOT use any 16x media. Stick to 8x for all your 8x or lower rated DVD-burners.
I'm lost on that one. I've used 16x media in my 4x drive with no troubles whatsoever, I think I've burned about 75 DVDs in it. It's not going to make the drive try to spin any faster. I think there was something messed up with your particular drive, I doubt it's an epidemic problem.
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First post! w00000t!
...... Apparently my MacBook Core[1]Duo had it's battery replaced for a brand new one about 3-5 months after the first owner bought it. It also had its palmrest (discoloration issue) replaced. At about 9-10 months of its life I got the LCD replaced under AppleCare... This was all in Australia. Thumbs up to the Melbourne Apple reseller peoples. The cloth-type fabric tape that channels the air from the CPU/heatpipe out through the fan/heatsink exhaust at the back appeared to be worn out, after the LCD was replaced I actually did a bit of a duct tape mod, dropped peak load temps by about 3 to 5 degC (41 degF).
...DVD burning bit the dust after I tried to use the latest 16xSony* media a few days ago (of course, I was only burning at the stock 4x speed)... weird... DVD single-layer (or even dual layer) burning is passe now though. 
...Heh... the CD reading/ CDRW writing (save the environment!!!) is okay as is DVDROM reading/ DVDVideo ripping... I don't think I can really go more than 24 hours without my MacBook though, so, meh. Got AppleCare extended for another two years at a nice low price recently ($200 USD)... May not sound like much but it's a significant discount when dealing in my local 3rd-world-country currency here on the equator.
No battery issues so far though. 99 cycles after almost 1 year, iStatPro and Coconut Battery is showing 100% health. In fact, as probably some of you have, Coconut Battery shows 5248 current capacity over the original 5200 mAh.
Now. When shall I get my Matshita DVD-burner fixed?
*I'm starting to get more ambivalent about Sony. I love my SonyEricsson phones (T630 previously, now v600i) -- they've survived numerous drops and the T630 took a dip in the laundry for several minutes... But I *hate* the new 1080p video cameras and Bravia HDTVs. Now there are reports of the Sony 16x DVD+R media not working in older burners, though it is supposed to be all the way to 1x backward-compatible. That it screwed up *all* DVD-burning (on media I could previously burn easily like 4x Apple DVD-R, 4x TDK DVD-R, "MTV" branded 8x DVD+R, is weird. My TDK "pseudo-DJ-esque" headphones seem to have lasted a lot longer than my brother's Sony's, which has that flaking issue with the fabric of curved part of the DJ-style headphones that go around the top of your head.