So I was pondering my upgrade options when laptop batteries around the world suddenly started catching on fire and Dell and Sony and then Apple started recalling them. I was in luck - my battery hadn't caught on fire but was being recalled. I figured the four to six weeks Apple said it would take to ship me a replacement was worth my iBook's getting a new lease on (power cord-free) life.

In the meantime I'd spent so much time looking into upgrade options that I figured an article should come out of it all. So I contacted the folks at Other World Computing proposing a piece on breathing new life into old Mac portables. They're all about that kind of thing, and responded with an offer to send me review samples of Newer Technology's 55.5 Watt Hour Battery and Intelligent Battery Conditioner. After spending about a month with them, I got my replacement battery in the mail from Apple, as well. And I can tell you that for the same price, NuPower's battery gave my iBook a little more juice as Apple's OEM replacement. And my old battery couldn't be saved by the "Deep Conditioning" cycle on the Conditioner.

10 Percent More ... For Free!
WIth all three batteries in hand, I fired up Coconut Battery to take some very basic measurements. My original Appe Battery was, in fact, in bad shape, showing only 20% of its original capacity remaining even after a night of deep conditioning in the NuPower charger/conditioner. Where once it held a full 4400 mAh charge it now is down to a 905 mAh capacity, hence its ability to keep my iBook running for less than 60 minutes at a time.

Next up was the replacement Apple battery. Also a 50 watt hour model, after a run through the NuPower conditioner it showed a capacity of 4580 mAh, or slightly more than 100% of original. That's as it should be, considering it's a new battery.

So then I tried the NuPower battery, which was listed as a 55 watt hour battery. I had previously used it for a few full charge cycles and so ran it through an overnight conditioning cycle before letting Coconut measure its capacity. The battery measured up at a 5074 mAh capacity, or about 10% more than the Apple battery. Both the NuPower and Apple batteries sell for $129.95 (a 45.5 watt hour NuPower is also available for $99.95).

Left to Right: Old Apple Battery, New Apple Battery, NuPower Battery:
  

Conclusion
It's somewhat difficult to evaluate a battery over the course of a month, as unless batteries tend to work as they should out of the box and then degenerate over time (unless you've got a lemon). Proper use and care can extend a battery's life, but eventually charging and discharging takes its toll. OWC and NuPower claim that their batteries will last longer than other leading batteries, but obviously I can't verify that from my testing. What I can tell you is that for the same price, the NuPower battery provided a little more than 10% extra charge as compared to my new Apple battery. Seeing as both batteries are backed by 1-year warranties and OWC is an established shop, I see no reason not to go with the NuPower if you're in need of an extra or replacement battery for your Mac laptop.

As for the NuPower Intelligent Battery Conditioner, I feel as though I must refrain from judgement entirely. While the unit functioned perfectly as a dual-battery charger, I can't really say if the deep conditioning cycle did anything for my batteries or not. My old iBook battery didn't seem to respond to the conditioning cycle, but it's also pretty far gone at this point. The new batteries are new enough that they charge back to 100% capacity no matter what. At $149.95, the conditioner is slightly more expensive than other compatible dual battery chargers I found online, but not terribly so. If you're in the market for an external charger, I'd say drop the techies at OWC a line and research this one a little more for yourself.

The NuPower 55.5 Watt Hour iBook G4 12" Battery sells for $129.95 and the NuPower Intelligent Battery Charger/Conditioner sells for $149.95 at Other World Computing. NuPower batteries are also avaiable for most models of Apple portable computers.