Battery life early 2011 MBP 13

[Krazy Bill]

I'm getting 3-1/2 to 4 hours when the indicator in the menu bar turns red denoting about 15% left. So maybe 4 to 4-1/2 hours if I pushed things until automatic sleep.

Just general use: Safari mainly with no flash, MS Office. Sounds are off.

Display is dimmed about 4 notches below max

OSX Lion w/SSD.

91% health w/69 cycles. Apple's battery FAQ implies I don't need to calibrate with my model MBP. (Although I have before with no different results).

So... given these light usage habits, I'm thinking at least 6 hours would be a reasonable expectation - a full hour less than what Apple touts.

I'm wondering though (and this is the main reason I'm starting another battery thread), does keeping an idle copy of Win7 running under Parallels eat up some of this? Even if it's just sitting there on another desktop and not being used?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Yes, using a VM will eat up CPU resources.

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Have a look at Activity Monitor (Applications / Utilities /) and select All Processes and sort by CPU to see what the culprit may be.
Also check the "System Memory" tab to see what your "Page ins:", "Page outs:" and "Swap used:" are.

image below uses sorting by CPU as an example

Further reading:

Mac OS X: Reading system memory usage in Activity Monitor
Making The Most of Activity Monitor
What Is Activity Monitor (or How to Take Your Mac's Pulse)​

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[Krazy Bill]

Yes, I looked at CPU usage. Didn't think 4% would cut battery life by a third though.

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm getting 3-1/2 to 4 hours when the indicator in the menu bar turns red denoting about 15% left. So maybe 4 to 4-1/2 hours if I pushed things until automatic sleep.

That's about normal. There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.

Apple's battery FAQ implies I don't need to calibrate with my model MBP.

It doesn't imply that. It specifically states that. The built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration like the removable batteries.

I'm wondering though (and this is the main reason I'm starting another battery thread), does keeping an idle copy of Win7 running under Parallels eat up some of this? Even if it's just sitting there on another desktop and not being used?

Yes, it will.

There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[ZZ Bottom]

I have the same model, which I purchased in September, and I get about the same battery life. There was like a 2 month period at first when it performed stellar, but then suddenly slumped by what appeared to be a loss in about 1.5 hours under similar behavior in December.

Bottom line is that your battery behavior is on par with my experience. It seems to me that when you're looking to go that extra mile, crank the brightness way down.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Bottom line is that your battery behavior is on par with my experience. It seems to me that when you're looking to go that extra mile, crank the brightness way down.

Yeah, I just can't believe an idle Virtual copy of Windows could suck that much juice.

Could be though. I rarely get to test my battery in a "normal" setting. I'm usually powering a projector through Windows (via Parallels). Yesterday was just a rare opportunity that forced me to just sit and use it in a conservative manner. (Or so I thought). Didn't even make it 4 hours.

Will try again without the VM running.

 

[wineandcarbs]

I think I have the same model (early 2011...purchased April 2011), 13", and seem to get significantly more battery life than you're reporting. I am not running Parallels, though. Usually browsing, using MS Office Suite, or showing media or presentations via a projector.

 

[heisenberg123]

try lowering your brightness too, i keep mine below half way

also im not sure really anyone gets the 7 hours apple touts about

i get 4-5