Hi, I'm an Apple owner (iMacG5),and as a result of seeing it, my next door neighbour has purchased a MacBook. He's got a question about the battery system, and doesn't know how to get answers.

Can anyone tell me if the MacBook can be used with the battery removed and the unit powered from the mains? If the battery is charged, and one uses the mains adapter, does the battery charger switch off to protect the battery from continual charging? Can one use the mains adapter continually, with the battery in place? Will that reduce battery life?

I've owned laptops in the past that worked without the battery being fitted (Toshiba etc), but never having owned an Apple laptop I can't tell the guy what to do. I'd appreciate any advice from a user. Thanks for your help.

when the battery is charged it diverts and goes straight to the computer. You can remove the battery at that stage...

Yes, I've done this and it works fine. You'll notice how much lighter the MacBook is without the battery, as half the weight of the MacBook is actually just the battery.

Yea - its quite amazing how light it is...