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    I really don't understand Apple's idea of cycles. I doubt the battery will be affected by whatever the chip on the battery thinks is a cycle... Or is Apple trying to say that the way of charging is really different when it gets to another cycle?
    – Arjan
    Commented Oct 10, 2009 at 13:49
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    Lithium Ion batteries have a lifecycle measured in # of "full" charge cycles. Each full cycle reduces the total charge the battery can hold by a miniscule amount. A full cycle isn't the same thing as a full discharge and recharge (though that does count as a full cycle and is bad for lithium ion batteries to do often). A full cycle is counted as each time an amount of charge equal to the capacity of the battery is used up - in other words, if you use 10% and then charge and do that 10 times, that's a full cycle and is roughly equivalent to a full discharge (though not bad for the battery)
    – ScottCher
    Commented Feb 1, 2011 at 13:20
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    @Arjan its not the chip tracking the number of full charge cycles, its the physics of the way the battery works. Lithium Ion batteries see a reduction in the charge capacity each time they go through a full cycle. Think of it like carbon paper - each time you use it, its ability to create another copy of something is reduced and the quality of the copy is lower.
    – ScottCher
    Commented Feb 1, 2011 at 13:23
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    If I'm not mistaken, most Apple devices don't even allow the user to remove the battery. What kind of answer would you expect from Apple then?
    – Aeronth
    Commented Jul 11, 2013 at 14:21