The exception has been my Pismo PowerBook, whose original battery died around its 3rd anniversary in 2003. It was a total and sudden failure. The palm rest over the battery compartment became extraordinarily warm to touch, and then the battery went stone cold dead.

At the time, Newer Technologies' NuPower line of high-capacity replacement lithium-ion on batteries for PowerBooks and iBooks was relatively new on the market, and I considered buying one, but instead opted for a used unit that I got for about fifty dollars less. A bad decision and false economy as it turned out. The replacement battery (and OEM Apple unit), worked fine when it arrived and for few months subsequent, but then began giving only about fifteen minutes runtime on a full (?) charge. It turns out that that battery had experienced a lot of discharge/charge cycles. It has remained able to support the Pismo asleep through some fairly long power outages, and to prevent shutdowns when the power goes off, for nearly two years years now, while the PowerBook has been used essentially as a desktop machine.

However, recently I have been using Pismo more for general production work, and it is faster (with its 550 MHz G4 processor upgrade), and has a bigger, faster hard drive (40 gigabyte/5400-RPM), than my G3 iBook, as well as an 8x SuperDrive module in contrast to the iBook's plain vanilla CD-ROM drive. I needed a new battery, and this time I wasn't going to go with anything less than the Newer Tech NuPower replacement.

Actually, Newer Technology makes three models of replacement batteries for the Pismo — rated at 5400mAh, 6600mAh, and 7200mAh offering 12.5%, 37.5%, and 50% greater capacity than the OEM Apple battery respectively, and priced from $139.95 to $159.95. Being as I don't use my laptops on battery power a whole lot, the base NuPower 5400mAh Extended Capacity unit probably would have been more than adequate for my needs, but I decided to pop an extra ten dollars and get the middle NuPower 'EXTRA' High Capacity 6600mAh model. Rationally, it would probably have made the most sense to go for the top of the line NuPower 'MaxCapacity' 7200mAh Lithium-Ion Battery unit at a $20 premium, and that's what I would recommend to anyone who uses their 'Book unplugged on a frequent basis. Compared with the base 5400mAh model You get a 37.5% percent greater increase in capacity for only 7.1% percent greater capital outlay. However, for my purposes, I'm going to be very happy with the 'EXTRA' High Capacity 6600mAh unit and its 37.5% greater capacity vs. Apple's Battery.

The first order of business when the new battery arrived from Other World Computing was to charge it and calibrate it. The battery out of the box was showing zero charge, but it came up to reading 100 percent in a few hours, although Newer Tech recommends that you charge the new battery for at least twelve hours regardless of what percentage is showing. This I did.

Next, the manufacturer suggests that you calibrate the battery for optimum performance, which basically involves simply using the computer with the until the battery runs out of power which automatically puts the computer to sleep.

The battery has an internal microprocessor that provides an estimate of the amount of energy in the battery as it charges and discharges, and it needs to be recalibrated from time to time to keep the onscreen battery time and percent display accurate.

I was very gratified that running the new battery on its initial charge dead took about 4 1/2-5 hours, a third of that dialed-up to the Internet, and with no extraordinary power conservation measures in play. Very impressive, and a lot better than the Pismo was ever able to manage with its OEM battery. For Apple's full detailed instructions on battery calibration, see:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
or here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1959.html

After running the battery down, you plug in the machine and let the battery recharge back up to full capacity. At that point it is calibrated. Newer Technology suggests doing this every few months.

It's early days yet, but so far I'm completely delighted with the performance of the Newer Technology Pismo replacement battery. You can find cheaper replacement batteries, but not all that much cheaper, and as I discovered the hard way, you tend to get what you pay for. The extra capacity is the clincher. With two of the 7200mAh units, you should be able to go 10-12 hours or more unplugged from AC power. Pretty cool.

The NuPower replacement batteries come with a one year warranty, and are designed, engineered and manufactured in the USA using top-quality Lithium-Ion cells made in either Japan or Canada.

For more information about NewerTech's Pismo/Lombard replacement batteries, visit:
http://www.eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook/battery/g3-pismo/

Newer Technology makes high capacity replacement batteries for G3 Series PowerBooks (WallStreet, Lombard, Pismo), all iBook models, and all G4 PowerBook models. How much higher capacity depends on the specific 'Book.

G3 Wallstreet 1998 - up to 25% More Capacity
G3 'Lombard' aka 'Bronze Keyboard/1999 - up to 50% More Capacity
G3 Pismo FireWire 'aka Pismo/2000 -up to 50% More Capacity
G4 Titanium - up to 42% More Capacity
PBG4 Aluminum 12" Display - up to 13% More Capacity
PBG4 Aluminum 15" Display - up to 11% More Capacity
PBG4 Aluminum 17" Display - up to 21% More Capacity
All iBook G3 & G4 Models with 12.1" Display - up to 50% More Capacity
All iBook G3 & G4 Models with 14.1" Display - up to 29% More Capacity
G3 iBook Clamshell - up to 50% More Capacity

For more information, visit:
http://www.eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook/batteries/

Newer Technology also has a program to help ensure proper laptop battery disposal available to customers who have purchased a NewerTech NuPower laptop battery within the past sixty days.

For each qualifying NewerTech Battery you have purchased, you can receive one $19 rebate for the return of a battery for the same laptop as the NuPower model was purchased for.

For full details, see:
http://newertech.com/rebate/