MacBook Pro battery calibration

[Cognizant]

I was watching some videos, and some people said I should Calibrate my MacBook battery for maximum performance.
What benefit does Calibrating do, and how does it help?
How do you calibrate your battery?

I'm using a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13", if that helps.
Thanks! :-)

[Rayquaza]

Most batteries are calibrated by charging them to 100% then letting the battery drain to 0%. Battery calibration helps the computer remember when they battery is actually hit 0% and not before, as over time if you charge the battery when it's only reached 50%, the computer thinks that 0% is where 5% should be. It's a bit hard to explain, but it's good to calibrate your battery once in a while. It is also recommended to do this after a fresh install of an operating system.

[Donkey]

It makes the battery last longer :) Definitely worth doing once in a while, charging to 100% and letting it drain as Rayquaza described.

[ImCoolBeans]

Maybe this is why I've burned through two batteries? I'll have to do this, lol.

[Jufjufjuf]

This doesn't affect the battery at all. It only helps the computer judge how much energy is left in the battery. When the battery gets extremely low, most computers shut themselves down. If your battery is not calibrated, you computer might not know it's low and it could shut down inadvertently, loosing some files.

[Rayquaza]

This doesn't affect the battery at all. It only helps the computer judge how much energy is left in the battery. When the battery gets extremely low, most computers shut themselves down. If your battery is not calibrated, you computer might not know it's low and it could shut down inadvertently, loosing some files.

Incorrect. Apart from you rephrasing a lot of what I had mentioned, the battery charge has no effect on the hard drive. The battery may turn off the HDD quickly and as a "surprise" to the computer in a way, but files will not be "lost". My Dell Inspiron Battery was not calibrated and the battery life eventually depleted. However, the Hard Drive is perfectly fine over 3 years and no files go 'missing'. Unless you mean shutting itself off, which isn't technically 'missing' files.

[StoppingTime]

In the newer Macbook Pros, you don't ever have to do this.

Portables with built-in batteries
Current Apple portable computer batteries are pre-calibrated and do not require the calibration procedure outlined in this article. These computers use batteries that should be replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

MacBook

MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009) and later
MacBook Air

MacBook Air, all versions
MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) and later
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009) and later
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) and later


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

[Rayquaza]

Oh trust Apple(!)

Pre calibrated? Really? Every motherfudging battery comes pre calibrated, hahaha!
It's still good to calibrate them, since it does not harm the computer or battery, and if anything, make it last longer.
It has been proven to work with iPhones and iPod touches aswell.

[StoppingTime]

Oh trust Apple(!)

Pre calibrated? Really? Every motherfudging battery comes pre calibrated, hahaha!
It's still good to calibrate them, since it does not harm the computer or battery, and if anything, make it last longer.
It has been proven to work with iPhones and iPod touches aswell.

I wouldn't do it unless he actually notices a problem.
Apple wants you to come in and give them money to fix things, so if they're saying not to, they must actually mean it. :P

[Commander Thor]

I wouldn't do it unless he actually notices a problem.

Why not?
Draining a battery fully then recharging it fully (Charge cycling) is actually good for a rechargable battery when done on a regular basis (Once every couple of weeks, or month) as it extends it's usuable life. And this goes for everything with a rechargable battery, not just laptops/MacBooks.

[StoppingTime]

I think he is actually talking about a process that he would do, not just draining/charging the battery, but I can't swear to that.