Customer Reviews

V7 Battery Apple Powerbook G4 12 Replaces M8984 M9324 A1022 A1079

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

If you are in the market for this battery, your beloved 12 inch Powerbook is several years old. I love mine for its form factor, I have yet to find another laptop this transportable. With OS 10.5, and a new 150GB HD, it has a lot of life left in it yet. One day the software will overwhelm it and it will be too slow, or I will need some "intel-only" new software and this will have to go. But not yet.

So the only deficiency of my laptop was the old battery - that was down to 13% of its original capacity. How do I know that? Get "coconutbattery" a free utility that will show you just how bad your battery is. Then get this battery to replace your original. So at 13% I was getting only about 20 minutes. This battery does the job, my laptop now has 4 hrs life again. I highly recommend this. Yes, the color is 0.5% different than the original. For me that is not worth the extra $50 to buy the Apple battery. You be the judge. By the way, the one I received does have 5 lights same as the original. Cheers.

Oh PS you should take your old battery to a recycling center. Many stores will accept them.

As the previous review mentioned before the majority of differences with this battery and an official Apple one are mostly aesthetic. Functionally it works great and holds a charge well if you calibrate it first. I was happily surprised when I found out that the battery's case is indeed aluminum, unfortunately it's not quite the same color as my PowerBook so when you flip the laptop it's glaringly obvious the battery isn't Apple made. Mine also doesn't sit flush on the right side of the computer (sticks out less than the thickness of a dime).

I don't think I'll buy another non-Apple battery for my laptop simply because I prefer the fit and finish of the original Apple battery. However, being that my computer is getting long in the tooth anyway this new battery should at least give me another year of good service before I upgrade to a new laptop.

The manufacturer did a good job of getting this battery to look as if it were an original part of my PowerBook, though there are a few modest differences:
* The foot is in the wrong place and is larger than the original
* The number of battery level indicator LEDs is four rather than five, as on the original
* The battery juts out ever-so slightly on the right side of my PowerBook

That said, my PowerBook is no spring chicken at three and a half years of age, so little cosmetic items don't matter like they would have when it was new.

Functionally, the battery works perfectly well; certainly as well as the original Apple battery when it was new.

This battery works as a replacement, but I would have to think there are better options out there.

When I first installed the battery i could tell instantly that it was not going to fit properly. The sliver back of the battery is about 1mm too big, and the edge of the battery sits OVER the back of the laptop, bending the edge of the battery's back a little. I felt like I was going to break something while I essentially forced the battery into its spot.

The battery claims to be 4400mAh, however my system info application showed 4100 when it was first installed.

Bottom line: I bought this battery at a fraction of the cost of an Apple battery, so I didn't expect it to be the same quality. If you find it at a good price it will get the job done, but I wouldn't pay too much for this battery.

I bought this battery about 14 months ago. It worked fine at first. Except, as another reviewer noted, it seemed to let the computer die shortly after the "low power" warning appeared rather than go to sleep.

Now the battery health is down to 42%. The "time remaining" after a full charge shows up as about two hours. That would be bad enough after little more than a year and only 91 cycles. (Yes, I calibrated the battery.) However, the battery actually only lasts about ten minutes -- and dies quickly if I play a video or something else that puts a load on the computer.

Oddly enough, pressing the button on the battery still shows five LEDs (fully charged) after it dies. After booting the computer with the power adapter, the time and date are wrong. The time to charge is shown as more than five hours, but it shows fully charged in a matter of ten or fifteen minutes.

I really don't know what to do about a battery for the 12" PowerBook G4. I didn't have any better luck with the Apple replacement battery from the recall.

I was concerned at first due to the negative comments about this product not matching the aluminum of my powerbook, that it was made of plastic, etc. However, that is not the case, it looks better than my old battery, it was obviously brand new. I even checked to make sure it was on its first charge cycle. Last year I purchased a battery from China for my husbands Powerbook and not only was it twice as expensive, it went bad in the first year. This was a much better buy.

Lets get the cons out of the way first.

-Cons-

-The battery pokes out a bit from the front
-It's a darker gray
-The LED's are "Sunk in", so they can be difficult to see
-The button on the LED is of poor quality

-Pros-

Fully charged on my Powerbook's G4's lowest settings, with 4200mah, I can squeeze out 4:20 in battery life. My other battery before that, that was 6 years old, could only hold 900mah and 0:25 in battery life.

Not hard to install if you know how to do it right, it twists right in just like any other battery

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Lets face it, the Powerbook to Apple is dead, and finding parts isn't going to be an easy venture. This battery, though, is a great find to any PPC fanboy. Apple's official battery from other retailers can go as high as $90, this one, with shipping, his more than half the price.

If you've got an old Powerbook G4, and you need a new battery to put her to work, I reccomend this is the one.

The charge isn't as long as the factory battery, but it is good enough. It will last about 2-3 hours on a full charge. Great price, and shipping was fast to California. I would recommend this to friends and family.

I can't believe I waited so long to replace my Powerbook battery! This is an excellent choice, an excellent price and fits nearly perfectly. Slightly different surface appearance (everso slightly), but if you're like me, and your Powerbook is more than 5 years old, it really doesn't matter. The fact that this battery is about half the price of the official Apple one, and yet works just as well, is all that matters.

If you need a new Powerbook battery, get this one! Do not hesitate! It is SO NICE to be mobile again!!!

Since these machines are getting old this is a great replacement value
The case is aluminum and holds a 4 hour charge! Just calibrate it and it will do the rest
I bought 2 for less than one of the original ones!