Time to replace the battery?
07/01/22 Filed in: Batteries
Hope you are well and were able to have some downtime over the holidays.
I have an early 2014 Macbook Air that is starting to give me some concern. Wanted your opinion about replacing. 8GB RAM / 500 GB SSD.
It has recently shut down unexpectedly. I believe this is only happening on battery power, but it may have occurred once while plugged in. The last time was this week. Definitely on battery power and was at ~20%. I was working and it died about 5 min later - battery fully dead. It has been operating normally since then, but I'm wondering if I have the early warnings of a system (or battery) about to reach the end of its life.
___________
2014 Computer= 8 years of battery life. Every battery has a limited number of charge cycles. (How many times a computer's battery can be FULLY depleted and recharged.). Their number is around 1000 but I feel it to be much lower than that before the battery starts holding less and less charge. The sign of a failing battery is just as you described. One moment the battery will state it has 80% then a couple minutes later down to 3% then dead. That is very common behavior to a dying battery.
Apple states that they will replace your battery out of warranty for somewhere around $150 depending on the computer model but keep in mind, the battery you'd be getting has been sitting in their inventory for around 6 years at best. Third party batteries are not a safe alternative. I don't trust battery replacements outside Apple as this are often cheaper and possible fire hazards. I've seen several after market batteries go up in flames. So I don't recommend that either.
With all this considered, I would push toward replacing the machine in the near future. If you'd like to see the current cycle count as well as the condition of the battery go to "About this Mac' under the apple in the top left corner of the screen. Next, select "system report". On the left column you'll see "power". That will tell you the current condition and cycle count.
All this being said, we are talking about an 8 year old battery. Think of it like a car battery. An 8 year old car battery might start the car today but it's going to soon leave you stranded on the side of the road. Rechargeable batteries are just disposable parts.
More Battery info here:
Mac Repair - Official Apple Support
I have an early 2014 Macbook Air that is starting to give me some concern. Wanted your opinion about replacing. 8GB RAM / 500 GB SSD.
It has recently shut down unexpectedly. I believe this is only happening on battery power, but it may have occurred once while plugged in. The last time was this week. Definitely on battery power and was at ~20%. I was working and it died about 5 min later - battery fully dead. It has been operating normally since then, but I'm wondering if I have the early warnings of a system (or battery) about to reach the end of its life.
___________
2014 Computer= 8 years of battery life. Every battery has a limited number of charge cycles. (How many times a computer's battery can be FULLY depleted and recharged.). Their number is around 1000 but I feel it to be much lower than that before the battery starts holding less and less charge. The sign of a failing battery is just as you described. One moment the battery will state it has 80% then a couple minutes later down to 3% then dead. That is very common behavior to a dying battery.
Apple states that they will replace your battery out of warranty for somewhere around $150 depending on the computer model but keep in mind, the battery you'd be getting has been sitting in their inventory for around 6 years at best. Third party batteries are not a safe alternative. I don't trust battery replacements outside Apple as this are often cheaper and possible fire hazards. I've seen several after market batteries go up in flames. So I don't recommend that either.
With all this considered, I would push toward replacing the machine in the near future. If you'd like to see the current cycle count as well as the condition of the battery go to "About this Mac' under the apple in the top left corner of the screen. Next, select "system report". On the left column you'll see "power". That will tell you the current condition and cycle count.
All this being said, we are talking about an 8 year old battery. Think of it like a car battery. An 8 year old car battery might start the car today but it's going to soon leave you stranded on the side of the road. Rechargeable batteries are just disposable parts.
More Battery info here:
Mac Repair - Official Apple Support
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