15" MacBook Pro Battery Tests: "Eight, freakin, hours"

[0098386]

It's about time commercial laptop batteries had a good push. I'm not happy with the battery being soldered in, but then again I'm not buying any of these new machines just yet (I buy a laptop every 3 years and my current one is only 7 months old). Hope we start seeing this tech in portable games systems and cameras too, and eventually laptops that work throughout the day without being plugged in.

 

[RoboCop001]

Thanks for rubbing it in.

Thanks for remindng me later in the thread!

*looks at 1.5hr battery life from 2006 mbp and cries*

 

[Bevz]

I'd love to own one of these beauties, but I just haven't got the money... Yet!

 

[Prof.]

Makes me wonder when we'll see a 12+hr battery.

 

[Bevz]

Makes me wonder when we'll see a 12+hr battery.

It won't be long at this rate! Happy days

 

[uhhitsjames]

I went to school today for 8 hours, had a 30 min break and I still have an hour and a half of battery left. All I have been doing is coding and slight internet use, but still.. I am loving this MBP.

 

[gfountain]

Batteries Should Not Be An Option

Yes, the new MBP has a great battery life. But here is a scenario I am often confronted with:

I am in a place where I cannot access a power outlet. I use my MBP 15" 2008 and when the battery runs low, I STILL HAVE AN OPTION. I moved from a MB Air for this reason. EVEN _IF_ I find an outlet later in the day, I use my laptop and it slowly recharges, and if I find myself in the same position later on in the day, I am limited on a laptop that I cannot use an extra battery because I have only have whatever has been recharged to that point. While the battery life on the new MBP is very impressive - what do you do if you can only find a power outlet for an hour or so before moving to a new location and then find yourself an hour later needing to use your laptop for several hours in a lobby somewhere that has no power outlet? You are SOL. Yes, it will last all DAY - I wish my out-of-town workdays were limited to 8 hours a day max - but sometimes I need to use it in the evening and find myself spending an hour looking for a location with a power outlet just so I can use my laptop. Until the battery life matches or exceeds the maximum amount of time I may need to work in a day, a swappable battery is really a main consideration for me. And if you have an iPhone and need to charge it (because you are on the phone a lot traveling), it reduces the battery life even further. Remember - not everyone is traveling in a car or plane where you can carry an adapter - by train/rail or in the field limits my ability to work with then new MBP - constantly watching the battery meter and wondering where I can plug in for extra juice is a lot more of a hassle than carrying around an extra battery or two.

I guess it is Apple demographics, though: focussing on students and people that have fixed workdays vs. true road warriors. I am VERY glad that I purchased my 15" MBP when I did. I love my Apple, but this is just not a smart decision IMO.

...and it is not like these machines recharge quickly - especially when in use...

g

 

[PCMacUser]

I've been urging my wife to let me buy a new 13" MBP, but she says that we need the money for food and to pay the mortgage.

She has her priorities all wrong.

 

[jcshas]

I own the new 15" MBP's (2.53 GHz) w/ non-removable battery, and can attest to this; the battery lasts forever. long battery life is a nice trade off for the "lack" of removable battery, IMO. I've owned several iterations of Apple laptops over the years, and this one is hands down the best I've ever owned. It's extremely fast, the screen in beautiful, and the battery life is amazing. Very happy with my purchase!

 

[DaBrain]

IMO it doesn't make sense considering the Macbook Pro battery lasts at 8 hours because nearly all of the MBP owners don't use it with minimal load.

Agreed! This topic is just ridiculous! There are so many variables to consider! So to say under light use, like what the hell does that mean. I bet everyone here has their own definition of light use! This is just dumb.

Even if the battery life is just a wee bit better, thats great! So why all the Hype over this minimal load test?

Over all many think the last update from Apple was awesome. If you get tons of hours then great, if you get a wee bit more than you use to, Great!

 

[swagi]

Hmm Don't see my powerbook g4 with 9 minutes battery life on that list!

There is no point buying a new battery for me as a new one is half the value of the machine!

Hate to disagree, but it depends on what you do with it.

*hugs his Tiger G4 Powerbook*

I'm back to 4 hours again on light web surfing
And this with my 63 months old Powerbook according to Coconut battery.

I bought the replacement battery as the current MBPs really don't compare to the build quality I'm used to. And as long as Apple doesn't deliver...well, Tiger and a G4 is still sufficient for my typical usage.

 

[gfountain]

I'm happy with my '07 2.4's battery - mainly because when it goes into standby I know it's time to hit the hay for the evening...

And for us travelers, real road warriors, entrepreneurs and consultants that can't allow our laptop to dictate our work hours, I guess we are SOL...

 

[manu chao]

Yes, the new MBP has a great battery life. But here is a scenario I am often confronted with:

For those you are used to carry two or more spare batteries around with them it is probably also a good enough to carry an external battery pack around.
(I don't know whether such thing exists already because of the MagSafe connector but it exists for iPhones and iPods. But there exists a MagSafe Airline adaptor, sold by Apple, external battery packs could surely connect to that.)
And maybe the extended internal battery plus one external battery pack provides about same autonomy than the three previous batteries (one inside the MBP + two spare ones) and is also about the same weight, size, and prize (even though admittedly more awkward to handle).

 

[manu chao]

And for us travelers, real road warriors, entrepreneurs and consultants that can't allow our laptop to dictate our work hours, I guess we are SOL...

You all behave as if external battery packs did not exist.

(And maybe they don't exist yet because demand does not exist yet, but as the external battery packs for the iPhone have shown, if there is demand, these devices will appear.)

 

[manu chao]

I'm not happy with the battery being soldered in

Well if it were soldered in. But is isn't. Replacing the battery is not much harder than replacing the harddrive (which is also not soldered in) as all the teardowns of the MBPs have shown.

 

[arn]

Agreed! This topic is just ridiculous! There are so many variables to consider! So to say under light use, like what the hell does that mean. I bet everyone here has their own definition of light use! This is just dumb.

It's not dumb. It's a standardized test across many different models. 8 hours might not mean 8 hours for you, but it's 58% more than the previous MBP. Were you getting only 3.5 hours on your old MBP for your usage? This one will give you 5.5 hours (58% more).

arn

 

[manu chao]

This topic is just ridiculous! There are so many variables to consider! So to say under light use, like what the hell does that mean. I bet everyone here has their own definition of light use! This is just dumb.

Even if the battery life is just a wee bit better, thats great! So why all the Hype over this minimal load test?

The test involved a number of different scenarios. The increase in autonomy compared to the previous model was between 40 and 100%. If you consider that as irrelevant, you either have very high expectations of technical progressive or are just condescending for the sake of it.

 

[gnasher729]

I've been urging my wife to let me buy a new 13" MBP, but she says that we need the money for food and to pay the mortgage.

She has her priorities all wrong.

Tell her the next time she goes shopping for clothes or shoes.

 

[Jawsome]

They have to to this every 3-5 years, ie, probably never more than once during their ownership of the computer. Once, at most. I'll upgrade my internal harddrive more often than buying a new battery.

I guess the difference is not only do you have to take it to the store when the battery it totally done, but when it is simply in need of a re-charge popping in another battery is no longer an option.

 

[Veri]

For those you are used to carry two or more spare batteries around with them it is probably also a good enough to carry an external battery pack around.

No. This is what I hate about Macs: plugging in a million external sticky-outy things because Jobs has a fetish for thin smooth flatness which is immediately destroyed by a million wires to make up for things that either should already be built-in or be installable within the machine. I want to have precisely [ 0 ] protruding things plugged into my laptop for the entire time I'm using it on the road.

Does anyone ever actually use a laptop on their lap while on the road any more? Or does Apple just care for college students whose idea of heavy stress is walking between dorm room and lecture hall?

 

[bobertoq]

while users may not carry spare batteries, they do get them replaced

Yes, but Apple said these new batteries will last 5 years before it even starts to loose its life and that it will replace it for free (I doubt for free) at any Apple Store.

No. This is what I hate about Macs: plugging in a million external sticky-outy things because Jobs has a fetish for thin smooth flatness which is immediately destroyed by a million wires to make up for things that either should already be built-in or be installable within the machine. I want to have precisely [ 0 ] protruding things plugged into my laptop for the entire time I'm using it on the road.

Then you might want my MacBook, because there is never anything protruding out of it except for the charging cord at night.

 

[manu chao]

I guess the difference is not only do you have to take it to the store when the battery it totally done, but when it is simply in need of a re-charge popping in another battery is no longer an option.

As I said multiple times, get an external battery pack.

 

[Veri]

Then you might want my MacBook, because there is never anything protruding out of it except for the charging cord at night.

The real Macbooks before they removed Firewire? They are quite lovely, yes, but let down slightly by the lack of Expresscard/Cardbus. If I move to Mac for laptop again, it'll be one of them.

My ever faithful Wallstreet G3, which is retired to house duties these days, was usable on the move because 2*Cardbus meant I could run wireless and Bluetooth without things sticking out. I assume everyone who uses the Internet on the move tethers to their non-iPhone, because I can't imagine a USB 3G dongle even while commuting on the train.

 

[manu chao]

No. This is what I hate about Macs: plugging in a million external sticky-outy things because Jobs has a fetish for thin smooth flatness which is immediately destroyed by a million wires to make up for things that either should already be built-in or be installable within the machine. I want to have precisely [ 0 ] protruding things plugged into my laptop for the entire time I'm using it on the road.

Does anyone ever actually use a laptop on their lap while on the road any more? Or does Apple just care for college students whose idea of heavy stress is walking between dorm room and lecture hall?

There is a very nice German word for your attitude: Besitzstandswahrung which can be translated as 'non-impairment of vested rights'.

You see, 99% of all laptop user do not buy a second battery. They all profit from the built-in battery. Those 1% who do have additional batteries suffer from having to use an external battery pack in some of the situations where they today need a second or third battery. But since it is apparently an impairment of the vested rights of those 1% it must be a stupid selfish move by the CEO.

 

[RyanR.]

I think it's great apple, but They should make an external battery that has a cord with a magcharger on the end... that would take away all these tears that I keep hearing