MacBook Pro users need to know two basic features all MacBooks, and electronic device, have in particular. These are called battery life and charge cycle.

Battery life is the amount of time a battery is capable of providing power to an electronic device before needing a recharge. If a MacBook Pro is rated to have 10 hours of battery life, for example, this simply means users will be able to work on it for 10 hours, unplugged.

Going from 100 to zero percent battery, then charging it to go from zero to 100 percent, on the other hand, is called a charge cycle. Batteries have a limited amount of cycles before they can be considered spent. Once they surpass the cycle count, they won’t perform as well as when they were new, and might need to be replaced.

MacBook Pros starting with the 17-inch model released early in 2009, Apple said, have a maximum 1,000 cycle count. This means that if a MacBook Pro user drains his device’s battery to zero percent and charges it back to 100% at least once daily, the battery will last nearly three years, Apple Insider noted.

Maximizing battery life

While MacBook Pro batteries are designed to last long, users can find ways to make them last longer. Here are a few tips to maximize a MacBook Pro’s battery life. Doing these will ultimately result to fewer charge cycles.

  • Update it

First, make sure to get the latest version of macOS. Apple says “updates often include advanced energy-saving technologies.” Simply put, the newest macOS version will always allow the MacBook Pro to consume less power compared to older versions. This support page will help those who want to update to the latest macOS version.

  • Minimize brightness

Displays eat up a lot of battery power. Depending on the exact model used, a MacBook Pro display can have 400, 450 or 500 nits of brightness, and lowering brightness levels will always reduce the amount of battery power consumed.

  • Turn unnecessary features off

Don’t need wi-fi? Turn it off. Using an external peripheral like a backlit gaming keyboard or mouse? Unplug them when not needed. All of these consume battery life even if they’re not being used.

  • Avoid extreme heat

Avoid using and charging the MacBook Pro at above 35° C (95° F) ambient temperatures as this can permanently damage battery capacity. MacBooks work best at 10° to 35° C (50° to 95° F) ambient temperatures.

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Apple's MacBooks are displayed following an Apple event in San Francisco, March 9, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
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