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Wait and see where it settles, it`s nothing new for batteries to drop in percentage out the box. Conversely the rMBP I am on now is reporting 99.5% after 47 cycles, it started off at over 104% these values we can "pull" are not absolutes. There is a lot of parameters that effect battery life and longevity on Notebooks; charging & discharging temp, charging & discharging rates, depth of discharge etc.

I am only concerned with how long it can run "off the wire" for all we know OS X may not be optimised for the rMB`s battery sensor, it`s not like the 10.10 is free of issue...

Q-6
Thanks I will wait, but even though I haven't measured I think it may be lasting fewer than promised.

How long should it last in maximum brightness but only for web browsing with safari and some youtube videos?

This way I can test it
 
The battery life indicator is dynamic, it reacts to the usage at a given time with an element of smoothing for readability. My own rMB can go from 16hours + to just a few hours depending on that I am doing at any given time.

All portable Mac`s do this, however it`s more pronounced with the rMB due to the nature of Core M.

Q-6
 
The one thing about the rMB is that, compared to the Airs and Pro, its battery runs down real fast when at high screen brightness. It seems the screen of the rMB takes a bigger percentage of the total power being used and can have a massive impact on battery runtime. I try and keep around 50%, but this is not always possible during the day if you are near a big window :(
 
Thanks I will wait, but even though I haven't measured I think it may be lasting fewer than promised.

How long should it last in maximum brightness but only for web browsing with safari and some youtube videos?

This way I can test it

You could try to replicate one of the many test reviews, equally you need to understand what`s running in the background and burning the juice;

and or try;
  1. uBlock Safari extension
  2. System Preferences - Accessibility - reduce transparency
  3. System Preferences - Dock - deselect "Animate Opening Applications"
  4. System Preferences - Dock - Minimise Windows using "Scale Efect"
  5. System Preferences - Dock - deselect "Magnification"
  6. Chrome users, switch to Chrome Canary as is far more optimised for OS X
  7. VLC users, switch to Movist as less resource intensive
  8. Close applications, when not in use, you can deselect "Close windows when quitting an app" in System Preferences - General to bring them back to the same state when opened
  9. Those that require AV, use ClamXav and set up sentry & scanning intelligently
  10. Open PDF`s in Quick View or install Skim, the PDF rendering engine in OS X Preview is broken and burns a lot of CPU cycles as result, hence why some complain of "choppy" scrolling
  11. Skip Flash period
May buy you a little more run time, I see a good 7 hours out of my 1.2. Check Activity Monitor to see whats burning the power, reduce background tasks if you can. At a dead idle with only Mail open my 1.2 reports 16+ hours; wiFi, Bluetooth, AV & VPN, display @ 50% realistically I expect and am seeing 6-8 hours dependent on usage.

Q-6
 
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t


You could try to replicate one of the many test reviews, equally you need to understand what`s running in the background and burning the juice;

and or try;
  1. uBlock Safari extension
  2. System Preferences - Accessibility - reduce transparency
  3. System Preferences - Dock - deselect "Animate Opening Applications"
  4. System Preferences - Dock - Minimise Windows using "Scale Efect"
  5. System Preferences - Dock - deselect "Magnification"
  6. Chrome users, switch to Chrome Canary as is far more optimised for OS X
  7. VLC users, switch to Movist as less resource intensive
  8. Close applications, when not in use, you can deselect "Close windows when quitting an app" in System Preferences - General to bring them back to the same state when opened
  9. Those that require AV, use ClamXav and set up sentry & scanning intelligently
  10. Open PDF`s in Quick View or install Skim, the PDF rendering engine in OS X Preview is broken and burns a lot of CPU cycles as result, hence why some complain of "choppy" scrolling
  11. Skip Flash period
May buy you a little more run time, I see a good 7 hours out of my 1.2. Check Activity Monitor to see whats burning the power, reduce background tasks if you can. At a dead idle with only Mail open my 1.2 reports 16+ hours; wiFi, Bluetooth, AV & VPN, display @ 50% realistically I expect and am seeing 6-8 hours dependent on usage.

Q-6

Preview in mac really is broken... I only just realized how bad when reading PDFs on my rMB. The battery drops like crazy and it really warms up the mac more than anything else I do. Been using Quick look for now and may install Skim.
 
Preview in mac really is broken... I only just realized how bad when reading PDFs on my rMB. The battery drops like crazy and it really warms up the mac more than anything else I do. Been using Quick look for now and may install Skim.

Preview has been like that for some time, sometimes on the job I have to extend the run time as long as possible (hence the list), squeezing up to 10 hours out my 13" Retina. The MacBook being USB C makes for an easier life being able to charge off multiple sources.

Q-6
 
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Now I've also realized that with 25% of the battery when I see the time left it says only 1:20 that means that with 100% battery would last like five hours which really sucks. I don't know if something can be done or if I have to wait for the maximum capacity to go under 80%.

I really hate this, because it's the only issue i've had with this awesome computer.

I'm pretty sure that's not a problem, AFAIK that's just saying if you keep on doing what you're currently doing (for the last X minutes), then you'll last 1:20. So it varies all over the place.

I've joined in on this thread because I noticed that I'm down to 93% after 19 cycles (from Apple System Information). Which makes me think it's one of three things:
(1) a software/firmware issue that just means it's reading wrong, which will get fixed in due course
(2) a dud battery, that will be under 80% in 4 more weeks, so Apple will replace it
(3) normal behaviour from initial settling in period, and now it will stay around 93% for ages
OR, whatever else.

I guess we just need to keep watching for any ongoing trend...
 
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Don't look coconuts stats unless you have problems.
They are not accurate.
 

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Now I've also realized that with 25% of the battery when I see the time left it says only 1:20 that means that with 100% battery would last like five hours which really sucks. I don't know if something can be done or if I have to wait for the maximum capacity to go under 80%.

I really hate this, because it's the only issue i've had with this awesome computer.

There are two separate issues.

The first issue is that Apple states that the rMB should be able to provide a battery life up to the 9-10 hour range. Many things contribute to battery life - under heavy use I may only get 4-5 hours, or under normal use I may only get 6-7 hours and only under light use (say surfing and email) do I get the 9-10 hours. Individual use drives how much life you will see given a specific charge. But thats still better than I got with my MBA in real life. And I usually find Apple's stated "up to" battery life more realistic than most manufacturers (where I've never even been able to come close to the stated "up to" battery life under any conditions). But very small things can drive battery life down significantly. Screen brightness, background tasks/apps running, forground apps using GPU and CPU and SSD, Wifi/Bluetooth use (signal strength within that), connected devices leaching power. A ton if stuff. Activity monitor and similar tools like iStat Menus can be you friend identifying issues and Google can be your friend on how to resolve them.

The battery health issue determines the batteries maximum charge. If you get 10 hours on a battery with 100% health, you may only get 9 hours if its at 90% health. If you get 5 hours at 100% health you only get 4.5 hours at 90% health. Its pretty common to get a new machine thats +/- a few points off 100. Its also common to get some jitter in your readings (but usually only by a point or two). My machine came at 98% and dropped to 97% within a week but has remained steady since then. I consider that normal. If I got a machine that came with <95% health or dropped below that in the return period I would be concerned and would consider returning it, but thats because battery life is very important to me. If the machine still gets more battery life than you need you might not need to worry (Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 80% within 1000 cycles).
 
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I hadn't noticed that yet, I think mine has been going down 'normally' in the 90s... I'll keep an eye on that just incase... only had my rMB a few days now. So far so good... I also got an apple watch sport SG and together with the rMB and my iPhone its really awesome setup. The watch is better than I expected.

I picked both rMB and the watch from the apple store too, looks like stocks are getting better.

I bought the Watch and returned it... I quickly found that 90% of the time when something happens on my watch I would have to take my phone out of my pocket. I'm not going to dictate to my watch. It's a toy, and a watch good for time keeping and getting VERY basic information from the phone... nothing more.
 
Thanks for all the help, I guess I will just have to wait and see, I just hope the maximum capacity does not keep dropping, I thought anywhere between 100 and 97% would be normal, 93% just seems too low for 8 cycles
 
Now I'm worried about my rMB battery. The "Service Battery" message is appearing in the battery menu, and coconutBattery reports:

25 cycles
design capacity 5297
maximum charge 3391 (64%)

Unless the firmware reporting is off, my battery is failing rapidly!

CoconutSnapshot.jpg
 
Now I'm worried about my rMB battery. The "Service Battery" message is appearing in the battery menu, and coconutBattery reports:

25 cycles
design capacity 5297
maximum charge 3391 (64%)

Unless the firmware reporting is off, my battery is failing rapidly!

You need to speak to Apple soon as you can! The battery clearly has a significant issue and need to be replaced ASAP for both technical & safety reasons.

Q-6
 
Now I'm worried about my rMB battery. The "Service Battery" message is appearing in the battery menu, and coconutBattery reports:

25 cycles
design capacity 5297
maximum charge 3391 (64%)

Unless the firmware reporting is off, my battery is failing rapidly!

View attachment 564537

This does not look normal. You should get this checked as soon as possible.
 
I started seeing drops as well. 20 cycles and 93%. Took it to the Apple Store and they said there is something wrong with the battery and are replacing the laptop. I'll be getting a new one next week.
 
Also, has anyone noticed how the shipping times for these machines have gone back to a month. Maybe rajivhifi is right, Apple is just redoing all their macbooks
 
Also, has anyone noticed how the shipping times for these machines have gone back to a month. Maybe rajivhifi is right, Apple is just redoing all their macbooks

The decision to replace my laptop was not taken by the Genius Bar staff just based on visual inspection. It failed their Diagnostic tests. He showed me the results where the battery was the only hardware that failed. It would have been okay for a gradual dip but they were seeing a drastic drop in capacity. They initially said the battery will be replaced and sent to me but when processing the service through their iPad, the system told them the laptop needs to be sent to the Apple Engineers for further inspection and hence the decision to replace the laptop.

I would recommend anybody who has a drop in charge capacity to book an appointment with the Genius Bar at the apple store.
 
7 cycles 99% health for me.

I've read quite a bit about batteries, am an electric bicycle/skateboard enthusiast, the stats being reported are disconcerting & suggest an issue with so much degradation so quickly, definitely worth monitoring and a visit to a genius bar with some of these numbers.

Am not overly concerned personally, since I've always had good experiences with Apple's customer support.
 
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...
VLC users, switch to Movist as less resource intensive
...
Astute recommendations. I don't know about Movist though, seems closed-source majorly profiting off open-source software (ffmpeg in particular) in the bulk of what their app brings to the table. Wouldn't even consider it for myself.

So this point about VLC made me check (yet again) for the current state of OS X-compatible video players with regards to GPU acceleration and, great news! There's one, fully open-source and actively maintained: mpv (details and benchmarks) ;)
 
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Astute recommendations. I don't know about Movist though, seems closed-source majorly profiting off open-source software (ffmpeg in particular) in the bulk of what their app brings to the table. Wouldn't even consider it for myself.

So this point about VLC made me check (yet again) for the current state of OS X-compatible video players with regards to GPU acceleration and, great news! There's one, fully open-source and actively maintained: mpv (details and benchmarks) ;)

Nice, I have a feeling that Movist maybe tapping into QuickTime in someway, hence it`s very low resource count. Agree undoubtedly Movist is closed source, equally I like it as it does the job with no issue and the Dev is active and it`s definitely utilising hardware acceleration as playback is around the same as MPV @ 6% - 7% of CPU irrespective of file size and bitrate.

Q-6
 
Nice, I have a feeling that Movist maybe tapping into QuickTime in someway, hence it`s very low resource count. Agree undoubtedly Movist is closed source, equally I like it as it does the job with no issue and the Dev is active and it`s definitely utilising hardware acceleration as playback is around the same as MPV @ 6% - 7% of CPU irrespective of file size and bitrate.

I think now it's FFmpeg that does the GPU offloading (via VDA) in Movist, as its Mac App Store page says:
Movist 1.3.6 or later does not support QuickTime decoder any more. FFmpeg decoder only. It’s caused by new policy of Mac App Store and QuickTime 7 should be removed because it’s deprecated. QuickTime decoder will be back using QuickTime X in future version.
 
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