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It’s completely going wrong for a new device.

L

louiserose646

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 30, 2016
3
0
G’day! How are you doing? It’s a pleasure to be part of this community. I’m a newbie to Macs. Bought my MacBook Pro 15-inch (2015) with integrated GPU (only Iris Pro) model very recently. It’s a great machine. But the only thing that disappoints me completely is the battery life. Like many reviewers & tests have reported I’m also not getting the Apple claimed battery life of 9 hours Screen-On time which as mentioned by them is under the conditions below,

Testing conducted by Apple in April 2015 using preproduction 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7–based 15-inch MacBook Pro systems with 256GB of flash storage and 16GB of RAM. The wireless web test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%. The HD movie playback test measures battery life by playing back HD 1080p content with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%.
Click to expand...

But in my case it’s even more worse based on these tests,

Safari Test :
Brightness 35%,
Background apps restricted,
with 7-11 open tabs on average in which most of them were just idling throughout the full discharge session.
Screen-On time I got approx. 7 hour 30 mins
Note: Fair enough which is what the estimate by MacOS(10.12.1) also showed on a full charge.

iTunes video playback test :
Brightness 35%,
Background apps restricted,
Sound 20%
Screen-On time I got approx. 7 hours 23 mins

*Date of manufacture of the Battery was on Dec 2016
*FileVault not enabled, WiFi Signal Strong, Bluetooth Off, OS in Stock configuration (No apps installed)

So considering the brightness was too low compared to Apple’s conditions. Can anybody say whether it’s normal or is there anything wrong with my battery unit when Apple promises 9 hours? I’m supposed to get more Screen-On time for testing it in much more low brightness, Am I right?
 
Apple, unfortunately, will remind you that they do not "promise 9 hours"
They only say "up to 9 hours", and tell you that they used certain settings that should result in "up to 9 hours".
Not quite a promise, more of a suggestion.
Ah, the joys of semantics used in marketing. :rolleyes:

And, you will find anecdotes from users who will tell you that they achieve battery use for longer periods than Apple suggests, which can also happen...

(btw, you may want to update to the current 10.12.2, which might (for some) affect your battery life, too.)
 
louiserose646 said:
G’day! How are you doing? It’s a pleasure to be part of this community. I’m a newbie to Macs. Bought my MacBook Pro 15-inch (2015) with integrated GPU (only Iris Pro) model very recently. It’s a great machine. But the only thing that disappoints me completely is the battery life. Like many reviewers & tests have reported I’m also not getting the Apple claimed battery life of 9 hours Screen-On time which as mentioned by them is under the conditions below,



But in my case it’s even more worse based on these tests,

Safari Test :
Brightness 35%,
Background apps restricted,
with 7-11 open tabs on average in which most of them were just idling throughout the full discharge session.
Screen-On time I got approx. 7 hour 30 mins
Note: Fair enough which is what the estimate by MacOS(10.12.1) also showed on a full charge.

iTunes video playback test :
Brightness 35%,
Background apps restricted,
Sound 20%
Screen-On time I got approx. 7 hours 23 mins

*Date of manufacture of the Battery was on Dec 2016
*FileVault not enabled, WiFi Signal Strong, Bluetooth Off, OS in Stock configuration (No apps installed)

So considering the brightness was too low compared to Apple’s conditions. Can anybody say whether it’s normal or is there anything wrong with my battery unit when Apple promises 9 hours? I’m supposed to get more Screen-On time for testing it in much more low brightness, Am I right?
Click to expand...

G'day to you as well! hope you stick around and welcome to MacRumor!
Just to confirm it is the 2015? that wasn't a typo
edit
battery says Dec 2016 so it is a rMBP 2016
Also how many days have you had the MBP
Also is TM ON or OFF do you have a Time Capsule backing up hourly in the background?
 
deany said:
G'day to you as well! hope you stick around and welcome to MacRumor!
Just to confirm it is the 2015? that wasn't a typo
edit
battery says Dec 2016 so it is a rMBP 2016
Also how many days have you had the MBP
Also is TM ON or OFF do you have a Time Capsule backing up hourly in the background?
Click to expand...
OP has Iris Pro graphics, which makes it a 2015. Apple still sells those as new (in addition to the TouchBar models), but they are actually 2015 models.
 
DeltaMac said:
OP has Iris Pro graphics, which makes it a 2015. Apple still sells those as new (in addition to the TouchBar models), but they are actually 2015 models.
Click to expand...
I have the Iris Pro 2015 rMBP from new May '15 so should be able to help based on my battery.
Which is- light safari hourly backups to TC mail open 300+ cycles Coconut Battery approx 8hours
 
Last edited:
They may not be built new, but are still sold as new. OP's could also be a refurb, which might have a new battery.
 
  • Like
Reactions: deany
louiserose646 said:
G’day! How are you doing? It’s a pleasure to be part of this community. I’m a newbie to Macs. Bought my MacBook Pro 15-inch (2015) with integrated GPU (only Iris Pro) model very recently. It’s a great machine. But the only thing that disappoints me completely is the battery life. Like many reviewers & tests have reported I’m also not getting the Apple claimed battery life of 9 hours Screen-On time which as mentioned by them is under the conditions below,



But in my case it’s even more worse based on these tests,

Safari Test :
Brightness 35%,
Background apps restricted,
with 7-11 open tabs on average in which most of them were just idling throughout the full discharge session.
Screen-On time I got approx. 7 hour 30 mins
Note: Fair enough which is what the estimate by MacOS(10.12.1) also showed on a full charge.

iTunes video playback test :
Brightness 35%,
Background apps restricted,
Sound 20%
Screen-On time I got approx. 7 hours 23 mins

*Date of manufacture of the Battery was on Dec 2016
*FileVault not enabled, WiFi Signal Strong, Bluetooth Off, OS in Stock configuration (No apps installed)

So considering the brightness was too low compared to Apple’s conditions. Can anybody say whether it’s normal or is there anything wrong with my battery unit when Apple promises 9 hours? I’m supposed to get more Screen-On time for testing it in much more low brightness, Am I right?
Click to expand...

That's great battery life. On the new 2016 15" you would run between 3-4 hours tops on the video test.
 
DeltaMac said:
Apple, unfortunately, will remind you that they do not "promise 9 hours"
They only say "up to 9 hours", and tell you that they used certain settings that should result in "up to 9 hours".
Not quite a promise, more of a suggestion.
Ah, the joys of semantics used in marketing. :rolleyes:

And, you will find anecdotes from users who will tell you that they achieve battery use for longer periods than Apple suggests, which can also happen...

(btw, you may want to update to the current 10.12.2, which might (for some) affect your battery life, too.)
Click to expand...


Just wait.... we'll soon have company's offering salaries of "up to $50,000 a year, theoretically possible under these specific circumstances".

Eventually people will complain when their average salary turns out to be $10,000 a year, because the dream circumstances never turn up in real life.

The company responds with we never promised you $50,000
 
Prior to my tMBP I had a 2013 rMBP 15" (which was a refurb) which was nearly maxed out, and on the whole I was happy with my battery life considering I am a student and used not only the usual programs but also things that are pretty battery heavy like Logic/Musescore and whatnot.

Sounds probably a bit stupid but you could try running the test again with the brightness as Apple states to see what your values are? If it's drastically off, you could always get it replaced by Apple - although they do say up to 9 hours, they can't (and generally won't) simply accept it if it's very, very off - at least that's my experience. Always worth a shot though :)
 
flyinmac said:
Just wait.... we'll soon have company's offering salaries of "up to $50,000 a year, theoretically possible under these specific circumstances".

Eventually people will complain when their average salary turns out to be $10,000 a year, because the dream circumstances never turn up in real life.

The company responds with we never promised you $50,000
Click to expand...
Pretty sure lots of them already do that. Mine does.
 
deany said:
G'day to you as well! hope you stick around and welcome to MacRumor!
Just to confirm it is the 2015? that wasn't a typo
edit
battery says Dec 2016 so it is a rMBP 2016
Also how many days have you had the MBP
Also is TM ON or OFF do you have a Time Capsule backing up hourly in the background?
Click to expand...
Thanks! It's 2015 indeed. Custom configured and was manufactured upon order. I just bought it 2 days ago. No TM running.
[doublepost=1483170485][/doublepost]
DeltaMac said:
OP has Iris Pro graphics, which makes it a 2015. Apple still sells those as new (in addition to the TouchBar models), but they are actually 2015 models.
Click to expand...

DeltaMac said:
They may not be built new, but are still sold as new. OP's could also be a refurb, which might have a new battery.
Click to expand...

deany said:
Must be a refurb or a battery replacement with a Dec 2016 battery then, nothing wrong with refurbs mind, some say better than new.
Click to expand...
An update to 10.12.2 didn’t make any difference so far.

Yeah I agree with you that it could be a refurb model because prior to this one I was using a 13 inch rMBP 2015 which was bought at the time it was announced and I still have it tho, so after unboxing this new one I could right away feel the keyboard is off less feedback and display hinge was loose too like some others have reported. For a moment I thought whether I bought a refurb model. BTW Is there a way to find out the that this is refurnish model or not? The CoconutBattery app which I also used for finding out the manufacture date of the battery tells that this laptop is manufacture in Dec 2016 only. Confused!?
[doublepost=1483170697][/doublepost]
DeltaMac said:
Apple, unfortunately, will remind you that they do not "promise 9 hours"
They only say "up to 9 hours", and tell you that they used certain settings that should result in "up to 9 hours".
Not quite a promise, more of a suggestion.
Ah, the joys of semantics used in marketing. :rolleyes:

And, you will find anecdotes from users who will tell you that they achieve battery use for longer periods than Apple suggests, which can also happen...

(btw, you may want to update to the current 10.12.2, which might (for some) affect your battery life, too.)
Click to expand...

thesimplelogic said:
Prior to my tMBP I had a 2013 rMBP 15" (which was a refurb) which was nearly maxed out, and on the whole I was happy with my battery life considering I am a student and used not only the usual programs but also things that are pretty battery heavy like Logic/Musescore and whatnot.

Sounds probably a bit stupid but you could try running the test again with the brightness as Apple states to see what your values are? If it's drastically off, you could always get it replaced by Apple - although they do say up to 9 hours, they can't (and generally won't) simply accept it if it's very, very off - at least that's my experience. Always worth a shot though :)
Click to expand...
First of all I don't think Apple will take battery life as a reason for replacement even though I have a very mushy keyboard out of the box. Will they?
 
Last edited:
deany said:
Must be a refurb or a battery replacement with a Dec 2016 battery then, nothing wrong with refurbs mind, some say better than new.
Click to expand...

I've had refurbished watches and iPhones from Apple. And honestly, I couldn't tell them apart from being used or new. Everything about it was new with the screen, casing and accessories. Apple does a really nice job with their white box programs. I think most manufacturers should take a lesson for how they do things when sending a customer refurbished/replacement product. Because when you pay the premiums with Apple, you would expect high end results.
 
Last edited:
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Reactions: WhiteWhaleHolyGrail, thesimplelogic and deany
Are you sure that your machine has finished running all the taxing background tasks like indexing your files and processing your photos?
 
Hi
In coconut battery under Mac info it gives manufacture date
also
If you go apple logo > About this Mac > Copy the serial number
Then lick http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php
and paste in top left search this gives manufacture date as well as much useful info.
If the logic board had changed the serial number will have changed so if its a refurb the actual original date wont be available.
There is a serial number stamped on the underneath of the rMBP but I'm fairly sure if its an apple refurb the 'shell' will have been replaced.
Apple official refurbs are so good there is no ways of telling except the box the rMBP is shipped in.
My guess is, because coconut battery is showing Battery manufacture date Dec 2016 then it will be a refurb. As apple have stopped making the 2015 model.
I would give the rMBP a few more days to settle as previously mentioned, also a few more battery loadcycles.
Where you purchased the rMBP from and colour of the box shipped in would also help.
The MBP battery issues mentioned on MR the last few months in no way relate to your 2015 rMBP but I guess you know that.
cheers
[doublepost=1483183454][/doublepost]
Relentless Power said:
I've had refurbished watches and iPhones from Apple. And honestly, I couldn't tell them apart from being used or new. Everything about it was new with the screen, casing and accessories. Apple does a really nice job with their white box programs. I think most manufacturers should take a lesson for how they do things when sending a customer refurbished/replacement product. Because when you pay the premiums with Apple, you would expect high end results.
Click to expand...

Yes apple official refurbs are beyond excellent, I have had an apple referb iPhone and as you say apple are the 'Gold standard' for this industry and any other
 
Last edited:
deany said:
Hi
In coconut battery under Mac info it gives manufacture date
also
If you go apple logo > About this Mac > Copy the serial number
Then lick http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php
and paste in top left search this gives manufacture date as well as much useful info.
If the logic board had changed the serial number will have changed so if its a refurb the actual original date wont be available.
There is a serial number stamped on the underneath of the rMBP but I'm fairly sure if its an apple refurb the 'shell' will have been replaced.
Apple official refurbs are so good there is no ways of telling except the box the rMBP is shipped in.
My guess is, because coconut battery is showing Battery manufacture date Dec 2016 then it will be a refurb. As apple have stopped making the 2015 model.
I would give the rMBP a few more days to settle as previously mentioned, also a few more battery loadcycles.
Where you purchased the rMBP from and colour of the box shipped in would also help.
The MBP battery issues mentioned on MR the last few months in no way relate to your 2015 rMBP but I guess you know that.
cheers
[doublepost=1483183454][/doublepost]

Yes apple official refurbs are beyond excellent, I have had an apple referb iPhone and as you say apple are the 'Gold standard' for this industry and any other
Click to expand...
Hey! Is it fine to give third party website like the www.appleserialnumberinfo.com the serial number? Many people didn't recommend to do so. That's why I didn't go that way. Mine is custom configured so I had to order it through www.apple.com and the box it came in is completely the normal one as far as I can tell.
[doublepost=1483187122][/doublepost]
leman said:
Are you sure that your machine has finished running all the taxing background tasks like indexing your files and processing your photos?
Click to expand...
Yes. I literally got it two days ago. Even till this point I don't have any files stored locally except one or two text files. BTW TimeMachine and FileVault is not even setup.
 
louiserose646 said:
Hey! Is it fine to give third party website like the www.appleserialnumberinfo.com the serial number? Many people didn't recommend to do so. That's why I didn't go that way. Mine is custom configured so I had to order it through www.apple.com and the box it came in is completely the normal one as far as I can tell.
[doublepost=1483187122][/doublepost]
Yes. I literally got it two days ago. Even till this point I don't have any files stored locally except one or two text files. BTW TimeMachine and FileVault is not even setup.
Click to expand...

Hi
Gosh you are tech savvy!
I haven't read anything negative about appleserialnumberinfo they also only allow 2 searches a day.
https://forums.macrumors.com/search/3606692/?q=appleserialnumberinfo&o=date
But I understand what you are saying.
My understanding is apple have stopped making the 2015 so you have got one of the last manufactured 2015 rMBP - new custom configured from apple - NOT a refurb - apple would never sell new unless it is new.
Did you check coconut battery under Mac info?
 
ixxx69 said:
I appreciate your are just trying to help the OP, but why do you keep saying this? Apple still lets you custom build the 2015 - what makes you think they stopped making them?
Click to expand...

"what makes you think they stopped making them?"
Because @maflynn answered my question - "has manufacture of the 2015 rMBP stopped"
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/deciding-between-2015-vs-2016-mbp.2023916/page-2#post-24117961

Silly question maybe but has manufacture of the 2015 rMBP stopped?
Yes, they're no longer making the 2015 model.
is it just new 'back stock' available?
Yep
Monday 26th December 2016


"Apple still lets you custom build the 2015"
please provide a link to confirm this - lets assume I wanted a custom build a 2015 rMBP - please help me custom build the 2015 rMBP today.
 
Last edited:
deany said:
Because @maflynn answered my question - "has manufacture of the 2015 rMBP stopped"
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/deciding-between-2015-vs-2016-mbp.2023916/page-2#post-24117961

Silly question maybe but has manufacture of the 2015 rMBP stopped?
Yes, they're no longer making the 2015 model.
is it just new 'back stock' available?
Yep
Monday 26th December 2016


"Apple still lets you custom build the 2015"
please provide a link to confirm this - lets assume I wanted a custom build a 2015 rMBP - please help me custom build the 2015 rMBP today.
Click to expand...
http://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro

Scroll to bottom of buy page. Select and then configure.

Btw, same link as DeltaMac in post 4.;)
 
ixxx69 said:
http://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro

Scroll to bottom of buy page. Select and then configure.

Btw, same link as DeltaMac in post 4.;)
Click to expand...

Hi
The link you provided is for the 2016 rMBP not the 2015 rMBP please check the spec ie
http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/

Screen Shot 2016-12-31 at 13.37.25.png

Screen Shot 2016-12-31 at 13.40.42.png

2015 spec
http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-2015/
 
ixxx69 said:
You just have to look a little more carefully at the link I already provided. They have a separate spec sheet for it. You are not the first to overlook it.
Click to expand...

Fair play, apologies, looks like "back stock''.

Can we agree the 2015 rMBP is no longer in manufacture in China, the line has stopped.
 
Last edited:
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