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We've literally had configurable charge levels on ThinkPads since the time they were still owned by IBM over 20 years ago, yet Apple still can't figure out to p

by cnst 1y ago

We've literally had configurable charge levels on ThinkPads since the time they were still owned by IBM over 20 years ago, yet Apple still can't figure out to provide such an option 20 years later? Their whole ML thing is super annoying. Basically, it means you can never disconnect your Mac from your USB-C monitor, lest it immediately charge to 100% upon a reconnect, and discharge back to 80% only a few days after keeping it at 100%.

userbinator 1y ago
yet Apple still can't figure out to provide such an option 20 years later? I have a few Dells several years old which have the same feature. The difference is that Apple prefers to control you, rather than the other way around.
- Someone 1y ago
  Another way to phrase that is that they prefer to serve you by not requiring you to tinker with low-level stuff, so that you have more time to spend on things you want to do. Of course, questions are whether Apple’s solution can theoretically work good enough, and if so, whether their implementation is good enough.
  - cnst 1y ago
    The actual best-practice for batteries is 50% when unused, and the 20% to 80% range when used. They already don't provide 50% at all, even though my laptop has been kept connected to mains for 1 year straight. All I get is a range of 76% to 80% or so, with a battery life that keeps diminishing for no reason. But, in reality, they don't even provide the 20% to 80% range, either, because it still charges to 100% on each disconnect, however brief it may be. I've had multiple batteries completely fail within just a few years after being topped up to 100% all the time. I also have a ThinkPad with a 15-year-old battery that's still working just fine (1 hour runtime is not that bad for such an old battery), because it's been kept at the 50% most of the time when I don't need to use it on the go. If it was kept at 100%, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't last 2 minutes now.
diebeforei485 1y ago
I unplug a couple times a week and does not charge to 100% each time I reconnect. I know the non-deterministic nature of this can be frustrating, but it actually has to charge to 100% every now and then in order to calibrate.

by cnst 1y ago

userbinator 1y ago

yet Apple still can't figure out to provide such an option 20 years later? I have a few Dells several years old which have the same feature. The difference is that Apple prefers to control you, rather than the other way around.

Someone 1y ago
Another way to phrase that is that they prefer to serve you by not requiring you to tinker with low-level stuff, so that you have more time to spend on things you want to do. Of course, questions are whether Apple’s solution can theoretically work good enough, and if so, whether their implementation is good enough.
- cnst 1y ago
  The actual best-practice for batteries is 50% when unused, and the 20% to 80% range when used. They already don't provide 50% at all, even though my laptop has been kept connected to mains for 1 year straight. All I get is a range of 76% to 80% or so, with a battery life that keeps diminishing for no reason. But, in reality, they don't even provide the 20% to 80% range, either, because it still charges to 100% on each disconnect, however brief it may be. I've had multiple batteries completely fail within just a few years after being topped up to 100% all the time. I also have a ThinkPad with a 15-year-old battery that's still working just fine (1 hour runtime is not that bad for such an old battery), because it's been kept at the 50% most of the time when I don't need to use it on the go. If it was kept at 100%, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't last 2 minutes now.

diebeforei485 1y ago

I unplug a couple times a week and does not charge to 100% each time I reconnect. I know the non-deterministic nature of this can be frustrating, but it actually has to charge to 100% every now and then in order to calibrate.