Katie MarsalWalt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal wrote on Thursday that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro updates in June have achieved record results in his own, "harsh" battery tests that involve maximum display brightness, continuous music and no energy saving settings.
The 13-inch model, which has the smallest battery of the two, still managed to last almost 5 hours under high strain. Similar conditions put against the 15-inch led it to run for 5 hours and 21 minutes. Either result by itself would be the best "ever tested" that doesn't bend the rules to get to that figure, Mossberg says, such as by using an extended capacity battery that bulges outside of normal dimensions.
He predicts that, under less strenuous conditions, the new MacBook Pro could last even longer and would likely approach Apple's official target of 7 hours, which was reached by browsing the web using Wi-Fi.
All the gain comes from using a sealed-in battery. By removing the need for a special battery bay, a latch and other mechanisms needed to remove the battery without disassembly, Apple could expand the size of the battery itself. Mossberg acknowledges that the move is controversial and not without its problems: it forces customers to visit a service location to replace a dead battery, and it prevents long-haul travelers from running the notebook without AC power.
But the newspaper writer simultaneously points out that some of the assumptions about battery use are false. The NPD Group, for example, observed that only 5 percent of notebook owners ever buy a second battery; it's unknown how many of these have needed theirs. Consequently, most notebook owners are only concerned about the runtime of the battery that comes with the system — which, in Apple's case, is far longer than for competitors.
As such, the new MacBook Pros should provide a "very good experience" for typical buyers, Mossberg explains.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Appleinsider Staff
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57 Comments
Maybe it's a good idea, but you can't help thinking one day it will bite you when you really need it. It's borderline form over function. I'm not sure what you lose is offset by what you gain, ie, slightly more battery and a cleaner machine bottom.
And Michael Jackson is dead.
Dell just came out with a new laptop, Studio 14 z which looks, at least on paper, to be a pretty good value: http://www.dell.com/content/products...699,3118263771
okay, fire away!
Maybe it's a good idea, but you can't help thinking one day it will bite you when you really need it. It's borderline form over function. I'm not sure what you lose is offset by what you gain, ie, slightly more battery and a cleaner machine bottom.
No it's not. It's definitely form follows function.
This is why Apple's products do tend to have better battery life. iPods have excellent battery life when compared to other players. Even iPhones do pretty well.
Having a built-in long life battery will be of use to more people than having a short life replaceable one will.
Yeah, I heard.
But the newspaper writer simultaneously points out that some of the assumptions about battery use are false. The NPD Group, for example, observed that only 5 percent of notebook owners ever buy a second battery;
Of that 5%, how many are the pro video and graphics users that spend $2000+ on a laptop, people who need hours of life in places where power may not be readily availible? what about trans contenental flyers who want to work on the flight: with no bothersome co workers or email, air travel is great working time so I hear...
the fact is, Apple spat in the face of the main base of customers who buy hi end 15 and 17 inch MBPs:
That said, I like the battery in the 13, pack more cells in there, that is the one where the users wont swap batteries.
also, load testing by...MUSIC PLAYBACK?????what the hell? who spends $2500 on a MBP to play itunes? try motion, photoshop, hell, I would even be happy with some simple trans coding in handbreak or FFMPEG
Of that 5%, how many are the pro video and graphics users that spend $2000+ on a laptop, people who need hours of life in places where power may not be readily availible? what about trans contenental flyers who want to work on the flight: with no bothersome co workers or email, air travel is great working time so I hear...
the fact is, Apple spat in the face of the main base of customers who buy hi end 15 and 17 inch MBPs:
That said, I like the battery in the 13, pack more cells in there, that is the one where the users wont swap batteries.
If having power on a flight is important enough to you, you'll either a) get on a flight that has AC jacks or b) upgrade to business class to access those AC jacks.
But for most people, the estimated 6-7 hours of battery life is MORE than enough to last a long haul trip.
Though I do hope Apple finds a solution for that other 5%. Perhaps something like an extra battery pack that can be hooked up via MagSafe + USB (USB to control the battery, most people wouldn't want their Mac using one battery to charge another, as that has some efficiency loss).
We'll see what they come up with to address that crowd.