2011 MBA 11" Lion or Mountain Lion?

barebackbadger8 · Dec 30, 2012, 03:35 PM

I have got a 2011 mba 11" (4gb, 128gb ssd) now it came with Lion but due to the offer apple ran where i could upgrade to ML with eligible purchases etc
I immediately upgraded to ML
Now with the battery issues (user usage or apple problem) and me not using notifications would i be better going back to Lion or just stick with ML now? I wont be upgrading my MBA for a while unless i get a lottery winfall or whatever so this will be my baby for a while now

Apple... · Dec 31, 2012, 11:30 AM

Just stick with it, upgrade to the next version when it's available.

myrtlebee · Dec 31, 2012, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barebackbadger8

Now with the battery issues (user usage or apple problem)

What battery issue? I'm on ML with my 2011 Air and also upgraded from Apple's up to date program. I don't see any difference between Lion and ML ... the battery's always been quick to drain compared to our other Macs. I get around 3 hours surfing the web, streaming videos on half brightness.

halledise · Dec 31, 2012, 02:06 PM

ML is a much better OS than Lion was imho.
never had the battery issues you mention on my last Air

barebackbadger8 · Jan 1, 2013, 01:01 PM

I get about 3 hours battery just surfing the web, which i think is awful.
My old 13" c2d mbp i used to easily get 5-6hours doing the exact same (lion)
Now i know the mba as a smaller battery etc but something aint right!
Hardly got anything of any note on my mba, might just install lion again and see if that helps... Pitty i couldnt put SL on it. Now that was a top OS

halledise · Jan 1, 2013, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barebackbadger8

I get about 3 hours battery just surfing the web, which i think is awful.
My old 13" c2d mbp i used to easily get 5-6hours doing the exact same (lion)
Now i know the mba as a smaller battery etc but something aint right!
Hardly got anything of any note on my mba, might just install lion again and see if that helps... Pitty i couldnt put SL on it. Now that was a top OS

out of interest, did you do an erase and clean install of ML or just go over the top of Lion?

you can use this from Apple for a recovery disc usb stick
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1433

and this to make the actual startup (bootable) ML usb stick
http://blog.gete.net/lion-diskmaker-us/

both very handy to have on hand

moral-hazard · Jan 1, 2013, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barebackbadger8

I get about 3 hours battery just surfing the web, which i think is awful.
My old 13" c2d mbp i used to easily get 5-6hours doing the exact same (lion)
Now i know the mba as a smaller battery etc but something aint right!
Hardly got anything of any note on my mba, might just install lion again and see if that helps... Pitty i couldnt put SL on it. Now that was a top OS

13" C2D MBP will undoubtedly see much better battery life. FWIW, I have replaced the battery of the 13" C2D MBP and it probably weighs as much and has the same volume as the entire MBA does. So yes, you will see better life with the MBP than MBA

As someone else mentioned, consider doing a fresh install. Fresh install will always perform better than an upgrade from an old install. Not sure if this is causing your battery issue a whole lot but I always recommend that over the upgrades, which tend to leave the machine in a not-very-performant state.

barebackbadger8 · Jan 2, 2013, 01:10 PM

Yes i did a fresh install still got the ML usb i made (did have a Lion one but don't know where it is)
I only use the MBA purely for internet, iphoto and itunes/iPhone and nothing else so i would rather have the battery if possible over features.
Perhaps people will say "why spend that much for what you use then" but i like the look, feel and quality that a mac brings thats why i use a mac

I might just try and get lion again (i did purchase it when i had my mbp) but dont think it will show up in my downloads in the app store now

kage207 · Jan 2, 2013, 03:27 PM

If you got it from the App store you may download it again. There is no reason you should be getting poor performance on your MBA. You should be looking into Activity Monitor and an awesome app called coconut battery as it checks the health of your battery.

Mountain Lion is better than Lion ever was. Lion was the WORST OS Apple has ever produced and was the most buggy software I've ever dealt with. I miss the good ole days of Snow Leopard. Though now my MBA on Mountain Lion the only issue I have is a slow shut down compared to what it used to be. I've spammed Apple to fix it.

robvas · Jan 2, 2013, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kage207

Mountain Lion is better than Lion ever was. Lion was the WORST OS Apple has ever produced and was the most buggy software I've ever dealt with. I miss the good ole days of Snow Leopard. Though now my MBA on Mountain Lion the only issue I have is a slow shut down compared to what it used to be. I've spammed Apple to fix it.

I agree - I would either stick with SL or jump to ML. Lion was slow (at least it felt slow) and battery life stunk.

wolfpuppies3 · Jan 3, 2013, 11:55 AM

The "battery issue" was resolved with the ML software update. 6-7 hours is what I see regularly with my ML 13". My L 11" shows a consistent 5 hours.

arnette · Jan 6, 2013, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barebackbadger8

I get about 3 hours battery just surfing the web, which i think is awful.
My old 13" c2d mbp i used to easily get 5-6hours doing the exact same (lion)
Now i know the mba as a smaller battery etc but something aint right!
Hardly got anything of any note on my mba, might just install lion again and see if that helps... Pitty i couldnt put SL on it. Now that was a top OS

I have the same MBA 11 you do and I'm running Lion. Have you seen any improvement since you first installed Mt. Lion? I had the same concerns you did (battery life, wifi) which is why I haven't upgraded yet.

Just wondering if after a few days you still notice battery life decline. Thanks!

robvas · Jan 6, 2013, 11:03 AM

I get almost 5 hours of wifi surfing on my 2010 11" Air with 10.8.2 @ half brightness

barebackbadger8 · Jan 19, 2013, 12:21 PM

Well completely disabled notifications (never liked it nor used it) used the internet for 3 hours straight (putting adverts on ebay, checking the footy results etc) and my battery is still over half. Which is awesome compared to what i used to get!
So for me the battery drainer was notifications

Mrbobb · Jan 19, 2013, 01:27 PM

Ignore.

Dec 30, 2012, 03:35 PM	#1
barebackbadger8 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wolverhampton, UK	2011 MBA 11" Lion or Mountain Lion? I have got a 2011 mba 11" (4gb, 128gb ssd) now it came with Lion but due to the offer apple ran where i could upgrade to ML with eligible purchases etc I immediately upgraded to ML Now with the battery issues (user usage or apple problem) and me not using notifications would i be better going back to Lion or just stick with ML now? I wont be upgrading my MBA for a while unless i get a lottery winfall or whatever so this will be my baby for a while now __________________ iPad 2 16gb wifi iPhone 4S White 16gb
	0

Dec 31, 2012, 11:30 AM	#2
Apple... macrumors 68020 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sioux Falls, SD, U.S.	Just stick with it, upgrade to the next version when it's available. __________________ "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." - Steve Jobs Wishful irony: Apple buys Dell, shuts it down, and gives the $ back to the shareholders. Just because it can.
	0

Jan 1, 2013, 01:01 PM	#5
barebackbadger8 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wolverhampton, UK	I get about 3 hours battery just surfing the web, which i think is awful. My old 13" c2d mbp i used to easily get 5-6hours doing the exact same (lion) Now i know the mba as a smaller battery etc but something aint right! Hardly got anything of any note on my mba, might just install lion again and see if that helps... Pitty i couldnt put SL on it. Now that was a top OS __________________ iPad 2 16gb wifi iPhone 4S White 16gb
	0

Jan 2, 2013, 01:10 PM	#8
barebackbadger8 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wolverhampton, UK	Yes i did a fresh install still got the ML usb i made (did have a Lion one but don't know where it is) I only use the MBA purely for internet, iphoto and itunes/iPhone and nothing else so i would rather have the battery if possible over features. Perhaps people will say "why spend that much for what you use then" but i like the look, feel and quality that a mac brings thats why i use a mac I might just try and get lion again (i did purchase it when i had my mbp) but dont think it will show up in my downloads in the app store now __________________ iPad 2 16gb wifi iPhone 4S White 16gb
	0

Jan 2, 2013, 03:27 PM	#9
kage207 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2008	If you got it from the App store you may download it again. There is no reason you should be getting poor performance on your MBA. You should be looking into Activity Monitor and an awesome app called coconut battery as it checks the health of your battery. Mountain Lion is better than Lion ever was. Lion was the WORST OS Apple has ever produced and was the most buggy software I've ever dealt with. I miss the good ole days of Snow Leopard. Though now my MBA on Mountain Lion the only issue I have is a slow shut down compared to what it used to be. I've spammed Apple to fix it. __________________ MBA 13", i5 1.8GHz, 8GM RAM, 128GB SSD These are amazing products that enrich our lives that we see as toys, remember that they are expensive and should be used as tools to reach our dreams~
	0

Dec 31, 2012, 02:06 PM	#4
halledise macrumors 65816 Join Date: May 2009 Location: North Coast NSW Australia	ML is a much better OS than Lion was imho. never had the battery issues you mention on my last Air
	1

Jan 3, 2013, 11:55 AM	#11
wolfpuppies3 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Virginia, USA	The "battery issue" was resolved with the ML software update. 6-7 hours is what I see regularly with my ML 13". My L 11" shows a consistent 5 hours. __________________ 2012 MBA 13, 2 Ghz i7, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD; 2011 MBA 11, 1.8 Ghz i7, 4 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD; 2010 MB Pro 15, 2.66 Ghz i7, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD; two iPad 3s and a mini, two iPhones and a bunch of iPods
	1

Jan 6, 2013, 11:03 AM	#13
robvas macrumors 65816 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: USA	I get almost 5 hours of wifi surfing on my 2010 11" Air with 10.8.2 @ half brightness
	0

Jan 19, 2013, 12:21 PM	#14
barebackbadger8 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wolverhampton, UK	Well completely disabled notifications (never liked it nor used it) used the internet for 3 hours straight (putting adverts on ebay, checking the footy results etc) and my battery is still over half. Which is awesome compared to what i used to get! So for me the battery drainer was notifications __________________ iPad 2 16gb wifi iPhone 4S White 16gb
	0

Jan 19, 2013, 01:27 PM	#15
Mrbobb macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2012	Ignore. __________________ Solution: FREE, Explanation: Is gonna cost ya.
	0

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