MacBook Pro Users Express Concerns About Limited Battery Life

[citysnaps]

There's an easy way for Apple to get out of this mess. Continue building the 2015 model with an updated processor and improved screen and call it a MacBook Pro. Continue building the new model also and call it the WTF Pro.

With USB-A ports that are nearly 20 years old while the industry is moving to faster and more robust USB-C? No thanks.

No, the fix is to update the firmware addressing the bug causing the dGPU kicking in when it shouldn't.

Looking forward to owning one. Superior I/O, much better screen, less weight, faster SSD, and a modern keyboard that promotes faster and more accurate typing. The touch bar is icing on the cake.

For those wanting to stay with USB-A, I totally understand. And no worries, there'll be dongles available to interface to USB-C peripherals as they're introduced over the next year or two.

 

[i'mnewhere]

The touch bar is icing on the cake.

Nuff said... esp. in a thread about battery life

 

[twa440]

With USB-A ports that are nearly 20 years old while the industry is moving to faster and more robust USB-C? No thanks.

No, the fix is to update the firmware addressing the bug causing the dGPU kicking in when it shouldn't.

Looking forward to owning one. Superior I/O, much better screen, less weight, faster SSD, and a modern keyboard that promotes faster and more accurate typing. The touch bar is icing on the cake.

For those wanting to stay with USB-A, I totally understand. And no worries, there'll be dongles available to interface to USB-C peripherals as they're introduced over the next year or two.

Ok Phil

 

[ThisBougieLife]

the 2015 model with an updated processor and improved screen

That's honestly what I really wanted

I knew it wasn't going to happen, but that would've been perfect for me. Maybe add two USB-C ports in place of a couple of the USB-A, but that's it.

Instead the 2016 MBP was designed entirely around the gimmicky TouchBar. That was the reason for the delay, and that's the whole selling point for Apple.

 

[gijoeinla]

Cease fire....

Two things..

1) I went to an Apple Store four days ago and got my iPhone 7+. It's a beautiful piece of hardware and reminds me how far this phone has come. Super super fast and the software for me is running fine so far. I also must say that the setting up and restoring the iPhone from my last one has improved by leaps and bounds. 30 minutes max.

2) While I was at the store I spent about 45 min with the MacBook Pro and the touch bar etc - and I gotta say -- I've NEVER been a laptop user EVER -- but I'd buy this in a heartbeat. It's one beautiful piece of hardware and I gotta say I'm very impressed with the touchbar and as a graphics creative marketing guy - Apple went about this the right way. I'm fing thankful that I'm not tapping the screen like an iPad. That would be lame.

Here's some perspective youngings.

I've been in the creative industry 26 years. My FIRST Mac was a IIci and it retailed for $6629 when introduced. I sold $1 million in graphics it's first year from 3 of those in my office.. Do you ANY of you knuckleheads know what speed it clocked out at?????

Crickets...

25 fing MHZ!!!!

So many of you guys are the biggest bitchers and whiners -- like spoiled brats.

Apparently many of you don't realize technology wise how good you've really got it.

Right? right

When somebody can prove to me that they are incapable of PRODUCING profitable product from ANY of Mac laptops just introduced I'll listen to your sob stories.

Stop whining and get to work.

$1500 for this hardware is peanuts. If it isn't -- then many -- many -- many of you aren't the "professionals" you claim to be.

 

[citysnaps]

That's honestly what I really wanted

I knew it wasn't going to happen, but that would've been perfect for me. Maybe add two USB-C ports in place of a couple of the USB-A, but that's it.

Instead the 2016 MBP was designed entirely around the gimmicky TouchBar. That was the reason for the delay, and that's the whole selling point for Apple.

No, the delay was due to 35 watt Skylake CPUs becoming available in sufficient production quantities.

 

[twa440]

Cease fire....

Two things..

1) I went to an Apple Store four days ago and got my iPhone 7+. It's a beautiful piece of hardware and reminds me how far this phone has come. Super super fast and the software for me is running fine so far. I also must say that the setting up and restoring the iPhone from my last one has improved by leaps and bounds. 30 minutes max.

2) While I was at the store I spent about 45 min with the MacBook Pro and the touch bar etc - and I gotta say -- I've NEVER been a laptop user EVER -- but I'd buy this in a heartbeat. It's one beautiful piece of hardware and I gotta say I'm very impressed with the touchbar and as a graphics creative marketing guy - Apple went about this the right way. I'm fing thankful that I'm not tapping the screen like an iPad. That would be lame.

Here's some perspective youngings.

I've been in the creative industry 26 years. My FIRST Mac was a IIci and it retailed for $6629 when introduced. I sold $1 million in graphics it's first year from 3 of those in my office.. Do you ANY of you knuckleheads know what speed it clocked out at?????

Crickets...

25 fing MHZ!!!!

So many of you guys are the biggest bitchers and whiners -- like spoiled brats.

Apparently many of you don't realize technology wise how good you've really got it.

Right? right

When somebody can prove to me that they are incapable of PRODUCING profitable product from ANY of Mac laptops just introduced I'll listen to your sob stories.

Stop whining and get to work.

$1500 for this hardware is peanuts. If it isn't -- then many -- many -- many of you aren't the "professionals" you claim to be.

Did you buy one?

 

[nzgeorge]

Of course it has no battery life. It's a Mac.

 

[truthertech]

So far the reviews I've read/saw have complained about battery life

Come on. You can't be serious. There are positive reviews all over the web. Here's three with two minutes of searching. There are many more.

I know you're trying to make a tough business model work where you need clicks for the advertisers, so I get it that the more controversial the headline, the better for clicks, and negativity sells as well, but just like the election coverage, the endless trolling here gets old, and these negative hit pieces without any context are like honey to flies.



Macworld - "Battery life is also solid, with both models lasting a full day of heavy use, with multiple apps open, dozens of Safari tabs, streaming music to Spotify, and occasionally indulging in some video viewing with Sierra’s picture-in-picture feature."

ZDNET -

"Battery life is good too, aided by the ability to automatically switch between the discrete Radeon GPU and the Core i7's integrated Intel HD 530 Graphics (which can be turned off if you need to stick with the Radeon for specific apps). The Retina display's 500-nit maximum brightness allowed us to turn it down to 50 percent, under which setting the MacBook Pro delivered 7.5 hours (450 mins) of streaming video when using the BBC iPlayer. That's not going to win any awards, but it's still good going for a powerful Core i7 system -- it's also virtually identical to last year's MacBook Pro, and almost double the 230 minutes achieved by the Dell Precision 5000."

PC Mag-

• PROS
  Innovative Touch Bar. Slim and sturdy chassis. Four USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. Bright display with wide (DCI-P3) color gamut. Long battery life. Touch ID security.
  
  

 

[coolbreeze]

Did you buy one?

Oh here we go. You're going to try to invalidate everything he said just because he didn't purchase it right on the spot. Perhaps he has no need for one right this moment? He brings up some really good points. I'm a little bit older as well and technology is so damn cheap compared to what it used to be. And what you get for your money is outrageously good. Millennial's just don't know how great they have it.

Now, everyone, back to crying about how Apple is about to go out of business.

 

[bnine]

So now we REALLY know what they ment about 32gb ram draining battery faster...

 

[ThisBougieLife]

No, the delay was due to 35 watt Skylake CPUs becoming available in sufficient production quantities.

BS. There's no way they had to wait a year for that to happen.

They mentioned that they spent two years developing the touch bar--that was the main thing they wanted to get right before releasing the laptop.
[doublepost=1480912840][/doublepost]

Oh here we go. You're going to try to invalidate everything he said just because he didn't purchase it right on the spot. Perhaps he has no need for one right this moment? He brings up some really good points. I'm a little bit older as well and technology is so damn cheap compared to what it used to be. And what you get for your money is outrageously good. Millennial's just don't know how great they have it.

Now, everyone, back to crying about how Apple is about to go out of business.

Typical older generation invalidating any complaint as the result of being "spoiled". Yeah, I guess if I pay $4000 for a laptop I shouldn't expect it to live up to the claims Apple made upon releasing it. Guess I shouldn't expect to "just work" like they always so claim.

 

[Rob_2811]

BTW, where's your source? I was commenting on the article AS WRITTEN. I do not see it mentioned that these users were performing a similar test. In every case, they were using Chrome or other software/hardware that would be outside of the test case that Apple has published. Other users and independent review has confirmed the battery life as they exist in what we call "REALITY" which is the combination battery chemistry limitations, CPU die size and software optimization.

So I am "so sorry" that I have some how "offended" your "delicate sensitivities" by not reading the 700+ comments of people bitching over uneducated morons who either don't know how battery tests work, or who may have an issue they can take up with Apple. I'll try to find what the hell you're referencing... but the article itself says nothing about what you so adeptly placed in all caps.

The video linked three times in the thread that you didn't bother to read.

 

[bnine]

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?

By just making it exactly the same size

 

[i'mnewhere]

Apparently many of you don't realize technology wise how good you've really got it.

Apparantly, having never been a laptop user , you dont realize what the previous versions were like...

for example more than 5 years ago, you could buy a MBA with the same SSD size as is shipping standard in todays MBP, with battery life not much improved.

5 years FFS

 

[twa440]

Oh here we go. You're going to try to invalidate everything he said just because he didn't purchase it right on the spot. Perhaps he has no need for one right this moment? He brings up some really good points. I'm a little bit older as well and technology is so damn cheap compared to what it used to be. And what you get for your money is outrageously good. Millennial's just don't know how great they have it.

Now, everyone, back to crying about how Apple is about to go out of business.

I'm 62 and have been using Apple products since the early 90's. You can praise them all you want but I'm pissed off at the direction this is going in.

 

[b_scott]

Anecdote coming.

Migrated my old mac. I was getting 2.5-3 hours on half brightness with 10.21.1 beta 4. Reinstalled 10.21.1 (no beta), now getting 10-12 hours.

My speculation is some bug is causing the 460 graphics card to stay on all the time. The reset fixed it for me.

 

[coolbreeze]

I'm 62 and have been using Apple products since the early 90's. You can praise them all you want but I'm pissed off at the direction this is going in.

I'm not praising anything. I'm as concerned about the poor battery life as anyone. My reply was in context of the writing that I quoted, that is all.

 

[twa440]

Oh here we go. You're going to try to invalidate everything he said just because he didn't purchase it right on the spot. Perhaps he has no need for one right this moment? He brings up some really good points. I'm a little bit older as well and technology is so damn cheap compared to what it used to be. And what you get for your money is outrageously good. Millennial's just don't know how great they have it.

Now, everyone, back to crying about how Apple is about to go out of business.

And another thing, how f'n hard would it be to put 1 GD legacy usb port on a pro machine. Someone commented about moving on from a 20 year old port. Well you know what? I've got twenty years worth of stuff that I could use until this model came out without a dongle. But no, Apple says FU we don't care. I hope all of you kids enjoy your throw away Pro machine.

 

[b_scott]

And another thing, how f'n hard would it be to put 1 GD legacy usb port on a pro machine. Someone commented about moving on from a 20 year old port. Well you know what? I've got twenty years worth of stuff that I could use until this model came out without a dongle. But no, Apple says FU we don't care. I hope all of you kids enjoy your throw away Pro machine.

wtf? Just buy a new cable. I also don't use serial ports anymore either, which were around for that long.

 

[twa440]

wtf? Just buy a new cable. I also don't use serial ports anymore either, which were around for that long.

There not still selling serial port peripherals.

 

[citysnaps]

And another thing, how f'n hard would it be to put 1 GD legacy usb port on a pro machine. Someone commented about moving on from a 20 year old port. Well you know what? I've got twenty years worth of stuff that I could use until this model came out without a dongle. But no, Apple says FU we don't care. I hope all of you kids enjoy your throw away Pro machine.

For you the solution is simple. Just buy a 2015 MBP. And then buy dongles when the next peripheral you buy has USB-C.

Or get a Dell or Sanyo and find some happiness. Or stick with whatever you're using now.

Moaning on a tech forum will not solve your problem. Most would find that embarrassing.

 

[Dimas.Y]

A subset of users who purchased a new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar claim to be experiencing shorter than expected battery life.

In particular, some users claim to be getting as little as 3 to 6 hours of battery life on a single charge, or between 30% and 60% of the up to 10 hours advertised.

MacRumors forum member SRTM said:MacRumors forum member Aioriya said:Reddit user Azr-79 yesterday claimed his new base model 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar received only 3 hours and 45 minutes of battery life on a single charge, despite what he described as "normal usage" in the form of web browsing, watching YouTube videos, and software development.

MacRumors forum member Scott claimed he experienced a 5 percentage point drop in battery life, from 10% to 5%, in just 12 minutes. Google Chrome, a known battery hog, was listed as the only app drawing significant power. The discussion topic he posted in and others are littered with similar claims of sizeable percentage drops in mere minutes.

Other claims on Reddit include anywhere from 3 hours to 5 hours to 6 hours -- sometimes more, and sometimes less.

Conversely, some users report battery life exactly in line with Apple's advertised figures. Reddit user Andrew J., for example, said he was working on non-intensive tasks on his new MacBook Pro for 90 straight minutes, and still had 92% battery life with an estimated 10 hours and 35 minutes of usage remaining.Estimates unsurprisingly vary widely based on screen brightness, background processes, and other factors, so user reports are only anecdotal evidence and your mileage may vary. It is also important to note battery life could be initially reduced until Spotlight finishes indexing your new MacBook Pro.

Battery life complaints are nothing new following the launch of a new Apple product. However, some users speculate battery life could be impacted by the new MacBook Pro switching from more efficient integrated Intel graphics to the power-hungrier dedicated AMD Radeon Pro GPU for unnecessary tasks.

Once again, however, there are always claims to suggest otherwise. Reddit user Lebron Hubbard claims he received 5 hours and 48 minutes of battery life on his high-end built-to-order 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar when forcing only the dedicated AMD Radeon Pro 460 graphics to run using gfxCardStatus:Apple's built-in Activity Monitor and third-party app coconutBattery are useful tools for tracking system processes and detailed battery information.

Apple officially says the new MacBook Pro is rated for up to 10 hours of battery life. Specifically, its tech specs page says all new 13-inch and 15-inch models are capable of up to 10 hours of wireless web browsing, up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback, and up to 30 days of standby time on a single charge.

TechCrunch placed battery life at 9 hours and 35 minutes for the 13-inch model. Mashable said 10 hours is a fair estimate overall. The Wall Street Journal got 9.5 hours on the 13-inch model. Engadget gauged between 9 and 10 hours of video playback on the 15-inch model. Nilay Patel got 5.5 hours on the 13" in real-world use.

Apple explains how it performs its battery tests on its website:Apple's website also provides tips for maximizing battery life on the MacBook Pro, including updating to the latest version of macOS, optimizing Energy Saver settings in System Preferences, dimming the screen's brightness to the lowest comfortable level, and turning off Wi-Fi while not connected to a network.

Additional battery optimization advice provided by users includes performing a fresh install of macOS Sierra and resetting the SMC.

Article Link: MacBook Pro Users Express Concerns About Limited Battery Life

[doublepost=1480915132][/doublepost]I bet it's Google Chrome with a zillion tabs open

 

[macman312]

I hope apple gets their **** together. They need to respond to these claims. My MacBook Pro lasted about 2 hours using word and safari...

Seriously if I didn't urgently need a new MacBook Pro because my 2011 one suffered the graphics issues for the 4th time in the last week of University I never would have bought one.

 

[Jaekae]

I have perfect battery but instead have graphic glitches and kernel panic crashes.. need to replace it, and then new one maby get other errors instead..
feels like apples quality is only on the outside