MacBook Pro Users Express Concerns About Limited Battery Life

[NightwalkerUK]

So they didn't want to put 32 GB of memory in the MacBook Pros because it would compromise battery life...HA HA HA!!!!

Even more... just imagine how bad things could have been!

 

[4966246]

Wooooo! Best release ever!

 

[Wackery]

According to the book my VW Golf GTD is supposed to do 68mpg combined. It's never got above 41

vw also got fined billions of dollars, not specifically for mpg, but for fudging their numbers

 

[ImaxGuy]

I have a 2016 MacBook Pro Touch 15inch w/ 2.9ghz option and upgraded GPU. I get 5:38 hours at 99%.

The below screen shot shows my battery status with all apps closed except 'activity monitor'.
https://s17.postimg.org/t2oiq8brz/Screen_Shot_2016_11_16_at_10_03_08_PM.png

I shared this screen shot with apple support and I was told this is within the norm when using the 2.9ghz model.

I still really like the computer.

Update:

Really? They said that? Even though the 2.9Ghx cpu would hardly be ticking over? Mine takes a while to calculate remaining time which usually starts off as 3:55 and sometimes eventually gets to 5+ hrs only when the screen brightness is 25% and I'm reading iBooks. I find it hard to believe that Apple would say that's normal - I'll book a slot at the genius bar because this seems abhorrent. Good thing I use this on battery all day.

 

[parapup]

It's Intel's fault. It's the stupid battery manufacturers that can't create a vanishingly thin battery with lots MWh.

We can all be spared this ordeal if everyone just learned to consume more stuff with their iPhones and iPads.

Sincerely,
-- Apple

 

[Rookbird]

How? The battery life complaint has already been answered. Apple won't put a bigger battery in, as a battery capacity greater than 100 watt-hours wouldn't be allowed on an airplane. The previous gen already had 99.5.

So please, enlighten us: if you can't make the battery bigger, how would a thicker laptop help with battery life? How would 32GB RAM help?

The new 15" MacBook Pros only have a 76 watt-hour battery. They can go back to the 99.5 watt-hour battery which of course would make the case bigger again.

 

[JamesPDX]

Have you tried Repair Disk Permissions?

 

[democracyrules]

So happy I bought maxed out 2015 MBP last year despite the expected revision on the horizon. Just bought AppleCare. Looks like I'll be keeping this one for a long time.

I exactly did what ChinaRye did. I did not ant all USB-C ports, although this USB would be future technology and better, it still has not been adopted globally and widely. I am so thankful, I do not have to go through with all problems with the new MacBook Pro and paying more money for it and its problems.

 

[Rogifan]

Wow MacRumors is really on a crusade to crap all over these new MBPs.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Have you tried Repair Disk Permissions?

Even as sarcastic advice, that feature was removed in El Cap.

 

[RMD68]

So happy I bought maxed out 2015 MBP last year despite the expected revision on the horizon. Just bought AppleCare. Looks like I'll be keeping this one for a long time.

That's a pleasant rationalization. What else do you tell yourself that you want to hear?

 

[thisisnotmyname]

A majority of the people complaining about poor battery life are using Chrome and won't even entertain using Safari.

Reading the article it seems the headline should have been "Chrome drains battery" or alternately "Independent tests using Apple methodology recreate Apple claims on battery life."

 

[sracer]

so let me get this straight..... people are complaining that the device doesn't have 32 GB of RAM and are complaining about battery life........ how is that even possible?

It's not complicated. The people complaining about a lack of 32GB RAM are NOT the same people complaining about battery life.

 

[zombierunner]

Perhaps this is all part of some new narrative that Cook has been working on.

 

[BaltimoreMediaBlog]

Wow, hold the front page! Laptop battery lasts less time when using power hungry apps!

To quote Apple. "UP TO 10 hours battery life".

3 hours is "up to" 10 hours.
Use better designed apps.

So is ZERO hours but that doesn't make it any less false advertising.

 

[zombierunner]

Apple QA for the win!

member theresa?

 

[theluggage]

MacBook Pro 15 inch spec says 76 watt hour battery.

...and the previous MacBook Pro 15" model spec said 99.5 watt hour battery. Do that math. Its got a substantially smaller battery - of course its not going to get the same life!

One of the video reviews posted earlier in this thread nailed the problem: the Skylake processors are more aggressive than the last generation at saving power when they are idling, but throw a heavier load at them and they're no better than the previous gen. So pick the right battery test and it looks like 76Wh == 99.5Wh, but anything that makes the processor break a sweat shows up the capacity reduction.

 

[RMD68]

Suddenly replacing the battery in my mid 2012 MacBook Air looks like a much better option than spending $1,800 for blown speakers, graphics issues, a loss of ports, and worse battery life.

Definitely. Having several duds in the first run batch of a completely redesigned product makes a soon to be obsolete, 2012 Air a no brainer.

 

[dannys1]

vw also got fined billions of dollars, not specifically for mpg, but for fudging their numbers

Actually that was for lying on emissions tests not fudging the numbers. Though it didn't apply to the diesel engine I have, it was the one before (and we've since learnt both Audi and BMW also do it...probably many others)

 

[RMD68]

I saw the battery specs and immediately thought how can OS refinement take a small battery and still allow the same battery life. 10% efficiency through code is achievable but they reduced the battery size by 80%. This was bound to happen and I am glad I didn't spend $3300 on a gimmicky vanity first laptop.

What the hell does this mean?

Are you also glad you didn't spend $50 million on that new Gulf Stream you wanted with the bad cup holders?

 

[stevelinus]

i got the 15" with faster cpu and better gfx and the battery life is shocking. i have only been using it occasionally and using my 2012 mbp more often. sort it out apple im pretty shocked about this and if something is not done to address it the thing is getting returned after xms

 

[trustme]

Tim cook has got to go

 

[HiRez]

They should listen to Jobs. He sums it about pretty well in this interview, start around 39:53

"So they had this wonderful thing that a lot of brilliant people made, called the Macintosh…

and they got very greedy and instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make this thing an appliance and get this thing out there to as many people as possible, they went for profits and made outlandish profits for about four years, one of the most profitabel companies in America for four years and what it cost them was their future.

because what they should have been doing is making rational profits and going for market share, which is what we always tried to do"

That's pretty rich coming from a guy who, at the time he said that, was trying to sell us a $10,000 (~$18,000 in today's dollars) computer that couldn't do much of anything. What was the NeXT Cube's market share?

 

[Pentium]

and they say 32 GB DDR4 RAM will consume so much juice....

 

[RobinInOR]

Why not? Been hooking up my macbook to my tv since the 2009 model and not always could be bothered to plug it in

Interesting, thanks. Never thought a laptop could drive an external monitor on battery - my last laptop wouldn't allow it