This is when Apple pulls out their checkbook and "works things out"
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Phil Schiller: Apple Working With Consumer Reports to Understand MacBook Pro Battery Test
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Way back in the 80's or late 70's, a Consumer's Union (CR) exec was quoted as saying ~"We're not selling facts, we're selling entertainment. Our articles should entertain our readers - we love it when an underdog wins a comparison review."
The irony of the situation is that, by refusing to accept advertisements (which they adamantly claimed was a prerequisite for unbiased reporting), CR had to depend on subscription sales to keep their revenue up. Unfortunately, this executive's statement rang true. Whenever they reviewed a product category I was familiar with (e.g. audio equipment), their results were vastly opposed to my experience (and even the experiences of the most casual audiophiles). I have been skeptical of their 'findings' ever since.
Apple does have a problem with battery life - or at least they did. But for CR to report this way is highly irresponsible. If they cared about they issue, then they would have reached out to Apple already - not the other way around! To simply take the lowest figure and throw out the rest is highly manipulative and irresponsible. This leaves the reader with no idea whether the problems were caused by Apple, or by Consumer Report's ignorance. For example, maybe it's simply something like Spotlight indexing gone mad. Addtionally, Apple may have already fixed the (core) problems with their latest software updates - CR should have done more testing to find out. After all, a laptop is not made of only hardware.
Responsible reporting determines the cause, and then lets the reader decide whether it will affect him or not.
The irony of the situation is that, by refusing to accept advertisements (which they adamantly claimed was a prerequisite for unbiased reporting), CR had to depend on subscription sales to keep their revenue up. Unfortunately, this executive's statement rang true. Whenever they reviewed a product category I was familiar with (e.g. audio equipment), their results were vastly opposed to my experience (and even the experiences of the most casual audiophiles). I have been skeptical of their 'findings' ever since.
Apple does have a problem with battery life - or at least they did. But for CR to report this way is highly irresponsible. If they cared about they issue, then they would have reached out to Apple already - not the other way around! To simply take the lowest figure and throw out the rest is highly manipulative and irresponsible. This leaves the reader with no idea whether the problems were caused by Apple, or by Consumer Report's ignorance. For example, maybe it's simply something like Spotlight indexing gone mad. Addtionally, Apple may have already fixed the (core) problems with their latest software updates - CR should have done more testing to find out. After all, a laptop is not made of only hardware.
Responsible reporting determines the cause, and then lets the reader decide whether it will affect him or not.
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The fact that my 2010 and 2011 MacBook Pro machines are still running exceptionally well and the fact that EVERY WALL charger uses USB-A to connect shows just how stupid this move was with the new MBP. I'm buying the 2015 model soon hopefully and I'll skip the USB-C transfer. By the time I'm ready for a new machine in 3-6 years, hopefully it will be more common. But it was just straight stupidity to take ALL my ports away and give me a bunch of ports I can't even use yet AND take away MagSafe. If they do the same thing to the iMac, I'll gladly buy the model they have right now and know I'll be good for 6-8 years. My 2008 iMac is still running as well. The only thing that has gone out on that is my hard drive ($350 fix in 2014) and CD drive, which I don't even use anymore. Quit being stupid, Apple. What would Steve say?
... the 15" models are getting results from 8 hrs to 18.5 hrs.
Dear, Apple whatever "bug" your systems has to allow 18.5 hrs of continuous web loading please leave intact.
Thank you, soon to be owner of 15" MBP
Dear, Apple whatever "bug" your systems has to allow 18.5 hrs of continuous web loading please leave intact.
Thank you, soon to be owner of 15" MBP
I don't trust Consumer Report anymore, because some products they highly recommend are crap, like the LG clothes washer my family bought based off CRs recommendation. It has been horrible. I just got my new MBP, and love it. I have better battery life than with my old MBP.
CR says they got better battery results with Chrome than with Safari. Wut???
I love how befuddled Phil seems. It's almost like he can't imagine Apple would produce something in err.
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The problem though is that guys like Rene Richie and Jim Darlymple are in no way shape or form objectionable. Richie takes the term "Blind Fanboyism" to a whole new low and can't admit that Apple may have faults.
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Yes god forbid someone in the tech press might be more Pro-Apple. We need more anti-Apple opinions out there.
The problem though is that guys like Rene Richie and Jim Darlymple are in no way shape or form objectionable. Richie takes the term "Blind Fanboyism" to a whole new low and can't admit that Apple may have faults.
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Agreed. Rene is such an Apple apologist now that I can't bear to listen to the iMore podcast. Clearly, getting the chance to rub elbows with Tim and company on a few occasions has colored his approach to covering Apple.
I have bought macbook pro after another for 3 iterations over a span of 15 years. This time I am going to buy the HP spectre. Just too many issues on the MBP for the price.
I had to laugh one time when Rene deemed that the iPhone Smart Battery hump was better than the Moto360 "flat tire" because in the hand the hump was "invisible" while the Moto360 you were always looking at it.
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Nothing is perfect, but I'm loving the new MBP. I am coming from a 2008, so of course it's going to seem like a marvel, but I've played with the last generation and it really feels like a big upgrade. While the performance might not be much better, the look, feel, and other things like this new screen are really well done. The TB isn't a giant leap forward, but I could see it being useful. I don't use my battery too often, but so far it has been good. Earlier today I was on it for an hour and activity monitor said I had more than 10 hours left. That's plenty for me. I'm not making excuses, but I also think it's a little ridiculous how much hate this thing is getting.
Funny you should write that, I just got my 2011 back today after handing it in yesterday. Although it is the third repair. The issue here is, the 2011 is still a ticking time bomb, so sure the customer service can be phenomenal, the flaw is still inherent in the product and will bite us in the arse after Dec 31 when the repair program comes to an end. Still I have to say I was very pleased with how the staff handled it all yesterday.
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But you don't trust Ars Technica and Notebookcheck tests that have shown more than the 10 promissed hours of battery life. Right?
Typical...
It's only the gold standard when they criticise Apple.
Apparently, they have been the MacBook Pro for forever, and I never knew it.
They also diminished the problem with Bendgate, but nobody listened to them, and kept on hating.
The new charger is definitely made to "pop" out easier than other USB-C connectors (unless I have a faulty one?). I've had it pulled out a few times accidentally (once where my foot caught it). My USB to USB-C dongle is much more snug compared to the charger USB-C end
Your 2010 and 2011 MBP wall chargers do not use USB-A? My 2009 certainly does not
The "USB-C transfer" is greatly overblown. The USB-C ports are much more versatile...being able to change which side I can charge from is very convenient
Apple should've waited for the higher capacity battery. Only a few more months and this MBP would've gotten the battery it needs and was originally designed for along with the Kaby Lake processors Apple wanted, but weren't available until the first couple of months in 2017. Apple just couldn't pass up those fast, impulsive (to a point) holiday sales to Apple fans who couldn't order fast enough after such a long MBP drought. Oh well, that's Tim and Phil's Apple now.
Holy smokes! And according to CR it is still possible to get 12 hours, 16 hours, 18 1/2 hours, and even 19 1/2 hours of life running their real-life usage battery test protocols. The last being 95% greater run time than Apple's specified maximum 10 hours of use.
Yeah, sounds reasonable to me. Move along, nothing to see...
Let's face it ... Cupertino has been punking us since the introduction of the Mac Pro in 2013. They simply don't care. The sooner we accept that, the better.
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What's really sick is that the next mbp is going to be even thinner than this one. But maybe the mac will be dead by then or people will be fed up and and have abandoned ship - employees and customers alike.
"Results do not match our extensive lab tests or field data."
That's funny, because they sure as hell match my real world use, Phil. Battery life and price have been my only real two complaints with the new MacBooks, but they are legitimate gripes and the main reason I'll most likely be keeping the max spec'd 2015 13" I bought at the same time to compare the two, and returning the 2016 MBP w/ TB next week.
That's funny, because they sure as hell match my real world use, Phil. Battery life and price have been my only real two complaints with the new MacBooks, but they are legitimate gripes and the main reason I'll most likely be keeping the max spec'd 2015 13" I bought at the same time to compare the two, and returning the 2016 MBP w/ TB next week.
Right? I mean, look at it another way... companies like Dell who have very little margin in their products and much lower profit levels, have something like 10 models of laptops vs 2 or 3 -- and they manage to update them once every 6 months or a year.
It shouldn't take Apple 2 years to design an update. The problem is they aren't dedicating people to the task anymore... whether its design 3 laptops instead of 1 and lets see which one we like, or they are sharing them between product teams, they aren't giving them the human resources to get the products out.
Add that to their priorities on extreme thinness over function, and you get way-overdue sub-par product launches like this one that ends with them being stunned that their biggest supporters are furious with them.
With the amount of cash Apple is sitting on, there is absolutely no excuse for this incompetence.
Thank god that the public magazines and CR are testing these devices. If no one would do it all customers would get flawed devices from Apple - where is the quality assurance and control from Apple? It is non-existent at all or on a very low level?
It would be nice if this leads to some actual fixes. I've found Apple's estimates to be pretty good in the past. Not so this time.
The real Mac Pro from 2012 was already great. An beautiful tower with lot of expansion capabilities. They only needed new chips inside the logic board - instead Apple gave us this black trashcan no one was asking about... a joke.