Apple batteries

[nihil]

Not a recall this time but a firmware upgrade to improve battery performance and life.

You can get the download and more information here:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...yupdate12.html

[Aardpsymon]

good lord, batteries have firmware now?

but the bbc version of this makes me slightly more nervous.

(or would if I had managed to scrape the cash together to buy a macbook yet)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6606727.stm

[nihil]

Yes Aard~ kind of surprised me as well. Apparently we are now in the age of "intelligent batteries" I found this article, it is a bit long and slightly above me, but interesting all the same

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=138764

[Aardpsymon]

mmmf. Complicated electronics terms there, but short version is it monitors the battery condition and does its best to prevent damage from over charge, under charge, surges and temperature.

None of that is a surprise, I knew technology had that capability. I just didn't realise it was in the battery. I thought that was just a basic sensor on the power input for the mainboard.

Clearly these chips failed to do their job in the case of the exploding batteries.

[nihil]

I don't think that this technology was in those batteries, this is more top of the range stuff.

Like yourself I thought the controls were in the PSU and on the MoBo, which is first what I mistook this firmware upgrade for. But it clearly states that every time you put a battery into the Apple it (the battery) will be updated. That was what got me looking at it a bit more closely........... I don't do laptops as a rule and certainly not Apple ones.