Extending the Macbook Air Battery Life

Question

Extending the Macbook Air Battery Life

I am considering buying one of the recently updated Macbook Airs. I was wondering about battery life. How much battery life do you actually get between Rev. B and Rev. C? I know Rev. C just came out so I would be happy hearing about Rev. B, the HDD and SSD.

With the new 13" Macbook Pro that weighs 4.5lbs and has 7hrs of battery life is getting a Macbook Air worth it? I am a scientist and I do graphing and number calculations and I already have a Macbook Pro for anything intensive. I need something that I can do everyday surfing and presentations and some graphing and calculations and not break my back when I have to travel across town and across country. I still use a backpack.

Any help or advice you can give would help.

Macbook Pro 15", Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 11, 2009 10:16 AM

Reply

Answer 1

carl wolf

Level 6

14,625 points

Jun 11, 2009 4:07 PM in response to TheWeatherman

The MBA and the MBP13" are two different computers with different technical specifications and features. As an example, the former does not have an internal optical media drive, and the latter does. Hopefully, you're considering other things besides the "battery life".

Reply

Answer 2

Jun 11, 2009 5:56 PM in response to carl wolf

I understand that both the computers have different technical specs. I also have weighed and considered the differences between the two. I do have a MBP 15", however I am looking for a smaller laptop with longer battery life than my MBP 15". So because I love my Mac so much I want either a MBP 13" or an MBA. Seeing that they do indeed have different weights and those can not be changed leads me to my original question still. Is there a good way to extend the MBA battery life? I could go out and get a HyperMac battery charger which would make the MBA weight just under 4 lbs or is the MBP 13" battery life out do the MBA?

Reply

Answer 3

Jun 13, 2009 9:48 AM in response to TheWeatherman

Well here is a better question. Does anyone use there MBA in a scientific setting?

Reply

Answer 4

oe11

Level 1

0 points

Jun 27, 2009 12:11 AM in response to TheWeatherman

Hello,
I read your post and came across a place that may be helpful. It looks like they have specific chargers/batteries for all Macbooks including the Macbook Air that will extend your battery life.
There may be some useful information to help you make a decision.
Take care and good luck.
http://www.8unlimitedsolar.com

Reply

Answer 5

carl wolf

Level 6

14,625 points

Jun 27, 2009 4:35 PM in response to TheWeatherman

I'm no scientist but, with its longer battery life (without using an external charger), built-in optical drive, and lower cost - I'd buy the MBP13".

Reply

Answer 6

Lewdvig

Level 1

20 points

Aug 27, 2009 10:26 PM in response to TheWeatherman

I have a rev B MBA that I bought on the weekend. Simply surfing (no MP3 playing in the background) I get 3.5-4 hours. I think that is very poor. My screen brightness is 2-3 notches from zero.

It's increasingly likely that I will exercise the 14 day return policy at the store I bought from and get the 13" MacBook Pro.

Reply

Answer 7

Aug 29, 2009 7:57 AM in response to TheWeatherman

I use my MBA in a scientific setting. I am a Professor with a stem cell research laboratory. I find the MBA very useful and use it full time. In my office I attach the MBA to a 24" LED monitor. The apps that I typically use extensively are gene array database apps that run in Windows so I use Parallels extensively. The things I cannot do on the air well are 3D graphics programs. We also use Aperture and I find with large libraries of images that the MBA is a a little slow compared to an iMac. Otherwise I am very happy with it. I find I take it with me and use it far more than I did my prior Macbook Pro. When I need an optical drive I simply pop in the CD/DVD in a computer in the lab and share the disc. Hope this helps.

Reply