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I bought an early-2011 MacBook Pro 15" (highest-spec model) in June. It's running Lion.

I have a problem which happens occasionally. My power adapter (while plugged in) from time to time (particularly when I play games) turns orange and shows me on the bottom of the screen that there is "0:09" or "0:10" minutes left. However, when I push on the battery menu icon for the detailed information, it shows me "99% Full".

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3 Answers

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I have read it somewhere before (here) that on some heavy loads (especially GPU loads), 2011 MacBook Pro charger may not supply enough charge. There are no official confirmations, though, as far as I know.

Please check, however, that the "0:09" minutes are referred to the remaining time and not the "remaining time until fully charged". I suppose it is the latter.

I may also point out (but only as a last thought) that if you keep your Mac always under charge, the battery may stop charging at certain times to preserve lifetime.

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The battery actually stops charging as soon as it's full. It will then slowly (over several days) loose a little capacity, and when this reaches a certain threshold (97% full or so) it will be recharged to full again. – Ingmar Hupp Sep 7 '11 at 17:45
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It could be that your battery is defective.

If you go to System Information > Power, what do you see under "Battery Information" - "Charge Information"?

Mine says:

Charge Information:
  Charge Remaining (mAh): 4693
  Fully Charged: Yes
  Charging: No
  Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4744
Health Information:
  Cycle Count: 219
  Condition: Normal
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It shows me: " Charge Information: Charge Remaining (mAh): 6946 Fully Charged: Yes Charging: No Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 6946 Health Information: Cycle Count: 6 Condition: Normal Battery Installed: Yes Amperage (mA): 290 Voltage (mV): 12532 " – Arthur Sep 3 '11 at 13:06
It seems normal... If you use you Mac on battery, how long the battery lasts? Did you try resetting your battery by discharging it completely, leaving it discharged for a few hours, then completely charging it? – lpacheco Sep 3 '11 at 15:50
It lasts me 2-4 hours (apple.stackexchange.com/questions/22162/…). Yes. – Arthur Sep 3 '11 at 20:10
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First, unlug your Mac and use it until the battery is at 2% or 3%. Then, shutdown your Mac and plug in again. After that battery should be fully charged.

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