Battery life

[nStyle]

I ended up buying a new 15" MBP. I'm new to Apple, and like it so far. Great features, lightweight, amazing keyboard, etc... But I have a slight problem, possibly. The battery life indicator within OS X is showing me low readings and fluctuates constantly. Right now I just unplugged the MBP from the wall and it says 4:54 remaining. This seems low? Then it will jump down and up within a minute in large increments.

I accidentally pulled the power adapter from the mac because it got hung on my desk when I was trying to move it from my lap to the desk. I don't think this hurt anything, but still, just thought I would include that bit of information.

Okay, more information. The battery life indicator on the side of the computer itself is showing a loss of 1 bar already in about 30 minutes. This would mean that I would only be getting a max of 4 hours battery life if the trend continued.

So, I assume it is one of two things:

1. The battery indicator is just not accurate at all.
2. I have a problem.

Ideas?
(Side Question: How do I know if I have Snow Leopard?)

 

[iBookG4user]

The estimation is based on current usage, so if you are doing more intensive tasks the battery will not last as long as when you are just doing word processing. The fluctuation is due to usage of the processor as well. As for your snow leopard question, go to the Apple on the top left and click "About this Mac" if the version number is 10.6.x then you are running snow leopard.

 

[ziggyonice]

First, congrats on your new Mac.

The battery life on your MacBook Pro all depends on how you're using it at a given time. Personally, I've found that trusting the battery indicator as a time (like 4:54) isn't all that helpful as that can fluctuate greatly depending on what you're doing. I've found that the percentage indicator is much more accurate and gives me a better idea of when my battery is getting low.

Usually, to get the most battery life possible, keep your screen brightness turned down a little. Most of the time, around 50-60% is a good level when running on battery. Also, it depends on what programs you're using. Some programs require more power than others.

Also, you might want to consider calibrating the battery. The battery has its own built-in memory which tells the computer the percentage of life available. Sometimes this percentage can be thrown off. Calibrating the battery is really easy — you can find instructions on Apple's website.

Also, pulling the power adapter from your Mac is perfectly fine — that's why it's magnetic — to prevent accidents from occurring. It's meant to happen.


Finally, to check if you have Snow Leopard, go to the Apple menu () in the upper-left corner of the screen and select "About this Mac". Under the Apple logo, it'll say Mac OS X in bold, black letters. Right beneath that, in grey font, will be the version number. As long as the version number is 10.6 or higher, you've got Snow Leopard.

 

[nStyle]

Cool. I do have SL.

Now I am going to assume that nothing is wrong and those estimations were accurate considering I have about 4 programs open and screen brightness was on 75%.

 

[ziggyonice]

Now I am going to assume that nothing is wrong and those estimations were accurate considering I have about 4 programs open and screen brightness was on 75%.

That would probably do it then.

Basically, anytime the computer has to use more power, that will affect battery life. One of the most used "necessary evils" of these powers is Flash — meaning things like videos you watch while online (YouTube, Hulu, Facebook, etc.). Unfortunately, Flash-based Internet videos often require a lot of power to play, which can eat up battery life. Not *super fast* or anything, but just faster than a video that was saved on your computer or in iTunes or something.