Checked the software update for the MacBook Pro this morning and there’s a new battery update – something I wasn’t aware of is an outstanding issue with batteries in MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops which may result in the warping of said batteries.

Something I’ve advocated since my first laptop died a painful death is battery care. I know more people with dodgy batteries because they charge them for ten minutes, use them for five, constantly plug it in and out, never fully discharge a battery – you know the way. So, I was surprised to see a few photos and word knocking around the web of swolen MacBook Pro batteries, battery case warping, and general diminished performance in batteries issued since February 2006 to present date.

That being the case, Apple have issued a firmware update (download runs at around 700kb) which aims to improve battery performance, and if you’ve noticed poor battery performance of late then this update should solve your problem (presuming your problem is strictly battery related). Failing that, Apple will gladly issue you a battery replacement.

How do you spot a dodgy battery?

Affected batteries will have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Battery is not recognized causing an “X” to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
• Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
• Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
• Battery pack is visibly deformed.

I try to keep the cycle count low enough on my own one, currently on its 27th cycle in almost five months so I’m a few off 300 yet. Grab the update if you can, save yourself some hassle in the long run and a few pennies in the process.