Phil Schiller: Apple Working With Consumer Reports to Understand MacBook Pro Battery Test

[djcerla]

Really sick of the growing substandard quality control and crap support from Apple. (God forbid you ever need to call AppleCare in Europe (Germany precisely). Bunches of non-native speakers who have zero idea about anything take your call and monkey around for an hour). I distinctly remember it started from the iOS 7 days. I have been a fanboy for 8 years but it's just ridiculous nowadays to try and defend the company under Tim Cook's pathetic leadership. This madness of thinner and lighter at the cost of performance charging exorbitant prices really needs to stop. I don't demand ground breaking innovation every 3 years. Just make quality products and fix the damn bugs FFS it's not that hard!

Every single time I called Apple, an Italian voice replied (I'm Italian). It never happened to me to speak with exotic accented people, whereas it basically happens with every other firm, even Italy-based ones like Telecom Italia, for example.

The customer support, in my experience, has no rivals. It's just the best. Last month, my 2011 MBP suddenly showed the graphic card issue: Apple had my logic board replaced, completely free of charge, in one day. ONE DAY.

It's nothing short of an incredible customer experience.

 

[CharlesShaw]

People likely forgot Consumer Reports was still in business. Nothing gets your stuff read like negative Apple news!

 

[pmau]

Some people here are suggesting that the MBP was rushed. Seems the report by CR was rushed as well to meet a certain deadline and fit a certain narrative as well.

That might be the case, but in the end it does not matter.
Real people have real issues with this Mac under load.

The difference between idle power consumption and use under load is so vast these days, that I totally understand that a battery estimate is not accurate.

But it is a completely different story to push chemical boundaries by manufacturing thinner and thinner lithium polymere cells. Batteries with high capacity and quality are used every single day.

Apple just fell over their own design philosophy.
This is why the MacBook Air was a great machine, it was sold as minimalistic.

Nobody would complain about a Pro machine that was modern, space gray and just a little thicker.
It could have USB-A and HDMI plus Ethernet.

But no, Apple did not want to build a reliable product.
No there is some negative feedback.

Apple will certainly spin it the way they want, but they have at least lost me.
And this is not because of any CR deadline to report on the issue.

 

[NIKKG]

Just shows the Mac isn't a big deal to Apple anymore. Some of you people on here should consider Windows 10 devices, it's pretty cool and you can have it anyway you want it.

Whether tablet, 2 in 1, traditional laptop or desktop, your covered, you no longer have to wait on Apple to provide you over priced hardware when you can get a pretty good system for almost half price.

 

[Naimfan]

No, you're just use to the trolling on MR. Apple executives have more class and professionalism and Consumer Reports is a credible organization so the adult and professional response isn't simply to deny it. It would be that they are working with CR to understand why their results are different from Apple's extensive testing and the results of many reviewers as well, e.g., field data.

I think you make a good and under-appreciated point.

I do find it telling that Apple felt the need to respond - the fact of its response is an indicator that something is not right. When I returned my 15" the salesperson showed me a list of five items and asked if my return was due to any of them; battery life was one of them (though not the reason I returned it, as I was getting 6-7 hours, depending of course on usage).

Ultimately, Apple will get all this sorted - the problems with battery life, graphics, etc., seem like relatively normal first generation issues, even if it seems as if there are more of them than are typical. I'll be interested to see how they sell once these initial issues are addressed, as the keyboard, trackpad, value, and port choice may well dampen demand once the initial surge of pent-up demand is sated.

 

[itsamacthing]

Ill have fun returning my 2016 MacBook Pro so many times, that I will get the 2017 with a fixed battery when it comes out. This one is on Apple, Phil and Tim need a real leader on the Mac Side

 

[tubeexperience]

Apple made the battery in the 2016 MacBook Pro 1/3 smaller than the 2015 without reducing power consumption by 1/3.

Can anyone really be surprise with the worse battery life?

 

[Juicy Box]

In short, you would take random anecdotes of poor battery life from people on forums and social media at their word? Just like that?

I think you should re-read the post. It doesn't say anything like what you posted.

 

[pmau]

you can get a pretty good system for almost half price.

The 15", with 1TB SSD and the 460 AMD GPU should sell for $2500.
This is the amount I would be willing to pay.
I'm waiting for better mobile NVidia offerings and probably a revised Dell XPS.
Then I will switch and buy my first PC Laptop since I fully went OSX in 2006.

 

[Abazigal]

Totally agreed.

It is so maddening that these guys are overlooking the strategic value of Mac platform in the whole Apple ecosystem.
You know the cracks are appearing when lots of Apple fans are up in arms with what is happening in Apple these days.

Many signs of imbalances within the company showed up this year. Long laundry list of actions big and small that demonstrates Apple execs are out of touch with the user base.
- languishing of Macs - be it MacBook Air, Mac mini or Mac Pro
- screwing up MacBook Pro updates
- too lazy to update iPhone 7 design (to think that this is their most important product)
- whole donglelife thing is so form over function
- killing off the Apple display
- killing off the Apple wireless routers
- removing time remaining estimate

Aaaarrrrghhh, I sense disturbance in the force!

I would be more alarmed if any platform shift didn't unsettle at least a few people.

Maybe Apple should just focus on making the iPad more pro and drop the Mac (eventually). iOS has always struck me as Apple's opportunity to reboot OS X and get rid of all the legacy baggage.

 

[firewood]

In short, you would take random anecdotes of poor battery life from people on forums and social media at their word?

If the sample size is small, yes. If the sample size is large, then the truth is more likely a combination of the anecdotes of poor performance plus anecdotes of good performance. e.g. a large statistical standard deviation.

 

[tubeexperience]

I hope there is a software issue Apple can fix.

However, the Bloomberg piece from a few days ago says that Apple was planning on using a sculpted battery with a higher capacity as seen in the 12" MacBook, but had to revert to a traditional design due to some fault. I stand by my belief that this was a misatake, and Apple should have delayed the product rather than implementing a smaller than designed-for battery.

Even though the Mac is only 10 percent of Apples business, it is clear it is no longer getting the same amount of attention from Apple it has historically. Which is disappointing. Apple can hire the talent to dedicate to Mac if they want to.

It can't be fix because it's a hardware issue (unless Apple want to do a recall).

 

[anthorumor]

So, Apple buys out CR and does secondary tests.
"It's all good".
[thumbs up emojii]

 

[itguy06]

The 15", with 1TB SSD and the 460 AMD GPU should sell for $2500.
This is the amount I would be willing to pay.
I'm waiting for better mobile NVidia offerings and probably a revised Dell XPS.
Then I will switch and buy my first PC Laptop since I fully went OSX in 2006.

Do yourself a favor and buy anything but a Dell. They are garbage.

 

[Abazigal]

I think you should re-read the post. It doesn't say anything like what you posted.

It does (just in another post).

http://www.consumerreports.org/laptops/macbook-pros-fail-to-earn-consumer-reports-recommendation/

Complaints about MacBook Pro batteries have been popping up online since the laptops first went on sale in November. Apple says that these computers should operate for up to 10 hours between charges, but some consumers in Apple’s support forums reported that they were only able to use their laptops for three to four hours before the battery ran down.

 

[tubeexperience]

Phil and Tim, get your act together. Give the Mac some love.

Tim thinks that you don't need Macs anymore.

He thinks that you need iPad "Pro" (s).

 

[peter08po]

Now I start worrying that this is not a parody account

https://twitter.com/JonyIveParody/status/812464421163433984

 

[samcow]

I can confirm the battery life is terrible. I took a flight from the west coast to the east (of the US), and the laptop died before the end. My macbook air would have handled that, plus a lot more. It seemed short given the activities I was performing, I don't anticipate returning it at this point however

 

[farewelwilliams]

You mean, Apple is working with Consumer Reports to help them understand how they're using the machine wrong.

or how about instead of guessing what you might think might be going on and instead take the tweet as verbatim. phil schiller has internal test data that don't necessarily match what CR are getting.

 

[mwidjaya]

I would be more alarmed if any platform shift didn't unsettle at least a few people.

Maybe Apple should just focus on making the iPad more pro and drop the Mac (eventually). iOS has always struck me as Apple's opportunity to reboot OS X and get rid of all the legacy baggage.

I agree that there is platform shift (please re-watch Jobs statement on trucks and cars) but trucks are not going away any time soon so why is Apple almost intentionally trying to kill it off.

 

[tubeexperience]

Interesting that he didn't say CR is just wrong. An indication that there really is an issue, though with what we don't yet know.

It would be good to see Apple put more focus on the Mac platform and ecosystem.

Battery on the 2016 model is 1/3 smaller than the 2015 model: that's the issue.

 

[NIKKG]

Do yourself a favor and buy anything but a Dell. They are garbage.

Not all Dells are bad, depends on which model you choose. The past few years, most PC's have been pretty good lately, whether Dell, Lenovo, HP or any of the other smaller brands.

Personally, I'm waiting for the MS Surface Pro 5 when it comes out in March. That one should be a beast.

 

[BootsWalking]

No, you're just use to the trolling on MR. Apple executives have more class and professionalism and Consumer Reports is a credible organization so the adult and professional response isn't simply to deny it. It would be that they are working with CR to understand why their results are different from Apple's extensive testing and the results of many reviewers as well, e.g., field data.

Yet Apple has denied obvious issues in the past so there's not much precedent to warrant such an assertion.

 

[Rogifan]

How in the world did CR get 18 hours? Has anyone even come close to that? Getting 3 hours in one test and 16 in another tells me something is seriously wrong with the machines they tested or the test methods they used.
[doublepost=1482556490][/doublepost]

"C'mon guys! The check was in the mail! You couldn't have waited another day to post your review??"


(Also, lol @ Rene Ritchie. I can't go to iMore anymore. That guy has to be on Apple's PR team)

Yes god forbid someone in the tech press might be more Pro-Apple. We need more anti-Apple opinions out there.

 

[Juicy Box]

I don't buy things because CR recommendations, but I know there are many people that due.

This CR story just reinforces the common theme that the new MBP has issues. I think it is hard for anyone to deny at it point.

I can't ever remember any other Mac with this many negative news/rumors about it. Maybe the 2014 Mac Mini, but that was more of a disappointment than actual problems.

I wonder how many 2015 MBPs were sold due to the issues of the new MBP.