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I have an MBPR (15in) that is about 18 months old (no AppleCare). The battery has only 331 cycles on it, and Apple states it should last for 1000. The battery is fully charged, at 100%.

If I remove the power cord, the machine dies, like the battery is dead -- it completely dies, no sleep.

Consequently, if it is powered off and I turn it on, and then unplug it pretty quickly (before much s/w is loaded) it dies, just the same -- no sleep.

The light is green on the charger and the battery status shows 100%, but it also says it needs to be replaced. I tend to think the battery itself does not need to be replaced yet, but that something is preventing the machine from using the battery.

In About this Mac reports:

  • 7377 charge remaining (100%),

  • fully charged: yes,

  • charging: no,

  • full charge capacity: 7450.

Does anyone have any knowledge of issues with this? I hate to have to sink money in this very well cared for MBPR.

FWIW I have tried an SMC reset and PRAM reset, a few times, ea.

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    out of curiosity are you sure apple say 1000 cycles? years ago, they used to say a fraction of that -- and then it was not covered since it hit its natural lifespan
    – neuralstatic
    Dec 9, 2014 at 17:58
  • That's a good point. Yes, this model (MBP Retina) is rated for 1000 cycles. Previous, recent models were rated at 300-500. Here is an Apple support page that includes a chart on cycles by model: support.apple.com/en-us/HT201585
    – Chris Adragna
    Dec 10, 2014 at 16:45

2 Answers 2

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I can not repair your battery, but try to provide you with information to decide if the battery is EOL.

There are 3 conditions reported.

Replace Soon: The battery is functioning normally but holds less charge than it did when it was new.

Replace Now: The battery is functioning normally but holds significantly less charge than it did when it was new. You can continue to use the battery until you replace it without harming your computer.

Service Battery: The battery isn’t functioning normally, and you may or may not notice a change in its behavior or the amount of charge it holds. Take your computer in for service. You can continue to use your battery before it’s checked without harming your computer.

In About This Mac-- more info look for battery information such as:

Charge Information:

  • Charge Remaining (mAh): 2147 (it shows this at 40% remaining based on current consumption)

  • Fully Charged: No

  • Charging: No

  • Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4829 (this indicates the age, or the capacity of the Battery)---> on a new and healthy battery for my MBA that should be in the range of 7500 mAh, so I lost some over 2 Years of use.

Health Information:

  • Cycle Count: 480 (this is my battery on MBA 2012)

  • Condition: Service Battery :(

  • Battery Installed: Yes

  • Amperage (mA): -1458 (this is your current consumption)
  • Voltage (mV): 7612 (this is also a indicator of your battery health in how well can it keep the Voltage at load)

There is a circuit mounted on/in the battery, not part of your computer but part of battery, that reports battery information to your computer. That information is then used to present you with the battery conditions. If that circuit is faulty, you have to replace the battery, even if the battery it self is still in a good condition. There is no way to reset or repair that circuit.

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  • Thank you for all the info. My reported condition is "Replace Now" but my specs otherwise look great: 7377 charge remaining (100%), fully charged: yes, charging: no, full charge capacity: 7450. I wonder if you're right -- that it's the circuitry on/in the battery, which should mean the $199 replacement cost. Otherwise, I'm concerned it will require a logic board replacement. Interestingly, it works plugged into an 85W adapter, but not with a 60W MagSafe2 adapter (from my wife's 13in MBPR).
    – Chris Adragna
    Dec 10, 2014 at 16:54
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    That looks like a battery that still has some kick in it :). The adapter story is clear, some Mac models need more juice. Just to clarify, due to power consumption and the not adequate sized charger, Macs can not work on Power adapter only, the battery is always used. Just out of interest, look at the About this Mac- "Amperage numbers" while having normal Applications open, to see how much current is it requiring. Then turn all aps off, and start in Safe mode (= low power consumption) to see if it now works without power cord.
    – Ruskes
    Dec 10, 2014 at 17:35
  • Amperage is stated as 0 (not running on battery, seems it doesn't report amperage if on AC power?). As far as apps running or not, it dies immediately upon unplug even before the OS loads. For instance, I can power it on (after complete shut down) and if I pull the plug RIGHT AFTER (theoretically before any software is loaded) it dies. Funny that on this Mac, the MagSafe adapter notoriously knocks out so easily (like when a cat rubs against it), that I had to duct tape the power adapter to the laptop!
    – Chris Adragna
    Dec 11, 2014 at 2:33
  • You did not! duct taped the cat to the...
    – Ruskes
    Dec 11, 2014 at 3:12
  • old batteries I've known can still carry a substantial charge, but the voltage drops rapidly if you draw much current - looks like that's what you're facing, especially given the battery itself thinks it's cacuts.. @Buscar웃 to the ... cactus??
    – drevicko
    Feb 18, 2015 at 1:56
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Apple tells me that my battery had (physically) expanded which, as I understand it, causes the machine to stop using it as a safety precaution.

I had the battery replaced which cost me $250 plus labor.

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