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Lion - Horrible MacBook Pro Battery Life

After upgrading to Lion, my MacBook Pro battery life has been severly affected. After 1.5 hours of light web browsing, my battery has decreased to 40% from 100% after charging all night.


Notes: Spotlight completed indexing the hard drive over night, and the laptop remained plugged in charging. The fans seem to be running normally, not at a higher rate. The backlight is at 50% brightness.


Thoughts?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7), 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB Ram

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 7:02 AM

Reply
2,644 replies

Feb 16, 2012 4:22 PM in response to petermac87

Oh please. Everyone here has worked hard to deal with the battery issue. But Apple has yet to come clean about it and now there's another OS coming with who knows what new issues. If you don't see something systemically wrong with Apple's approach, then enjoy your eye candy and iCloud-dependency -- but tell me, what does a new OS have to do with satisfactory battery life, either? Should we just get used to short-lived battery life and inordinate broadband-usage that will inevitably drive up our wireless and cable costs?

Feb 16, 2012 4:28 PM in response to Bob Jacobson

Exactly. Example: A "Mountain Lion" is actually a Puma which is called Mountain Lion even though it isn't a real Lion. The same is happening here. They keep telling you that everything is ok even though it isn't ok in real life. They want to sell us a Puma for a Lion.


But on the other hand... Puma was 10.1 and afaik there weren't any battery issues. At least not on my white iBook. Hope!

Feb 16, 2012 4:35 PM in response to Franc_Iphone

Hi Franc,


I was so shocked by the news this morning that I did not read your post. I think this re-enforces the link I was sent some months ago from Apple regarding OpenGL. http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4044?viewlocale=en_US


It looks like they are sticking to that line.


So what options have we at this juncture?- I came up with these:


1) Roll back to 10.6 and accept that 3rd party code and OS X play nicer together.

2) Stick with 10.7 accept the poor life until such times as all app devs. re-engineer for newer API's / graphics calls.

3) Get on bended knees each night until summer and wait for 1.8 praying to the Cupertino OS devs.


Personally, and I am sure this is what Apple wants (baaa baa) I will take the nice features of Option 2 combined with a small amount of option 3. ;-)


@petermac87 As much as options 2/3 will be my accepted choice, my sensibilities tell me that this is not the correct response. I think what @Bob Jacobson is really saying (sorry if I'm putting words in your mouth) is that the lack of development / attention to this issue is bourne out by adding more frivolous features to an OS that does not have it's existing issues ironed out. Lipstick on a pig? I hope not, but based on current situation it's a possibility.


For me, I'll accept the drop in battery life and hope that Mountain Lion is to Lion what Snow Leopard was to Leopard.


Final remark, How much longer should we feed this thread before accepting this will not get resolved?

Feb 16, 2012 4:53 PM in response to Bob Jacobson

Bob Jacobson wrote:


Oh please. Everyone here has worked hard to deal with the battery issue. But Apple has yet to come clean about it and now there's another OS coming with who knows what new issues. If you don't see something systemically wrong with Apple's approach, then enjoy your eye candy and iCloud-dependency -- but tell me, what does a new OS have to do with satisfactory battery life, either? Should we just get used to short-lived battery life and inordinate broadband-usage that will inevitably drive up our wireless and cable costs?

And I again ask what your rant is doing to help the battery debate. Do you have evidence that it will or will not be fixed in the next OSX? I do not use iCloud. I have most of the eye candy as you call it, turned off. I had serious battery issues. That is why I came to this thread to find you ranting about the next OS and that last sentence is pure speculation. Please stick to the subject. Lion is the current OS and it has battery issues. Don't rant about something that doesn't exist yet, Take notice of how Franc handles himself in this debate.


Regards


Pete

Feb 16, 2012 5:13 PM in response to petermac87

You're absolutely right, Pete. I thought about this after my post and came to the same conclusion. I guess I just want a last word before being welded onto the chain gang. There's no debate here: Apple is in charge. All we can do is hope for the best. I earlier said I couldn't wait for OS 10.8. Be careful what you wish for!


What I do know is that I was about to go out and buy my partner her first big Mac (she's been using a White Macbook). Now I won't. I'll have to wait for OS 10.8 to see what machines will and will not be compatible, if third-party apps will work, and how long for both -- and yes, whether it's safe to install 10.8. You can bet I'm not going to jump at the opportunity as I did for Lion. Having been a serious Mac user since the Apple II, I can tell you this: it all feels very weird. I no longer recognize the company whose product I once salvaged as the one item I couldn't live without when abandoning a burning home.


Thanks for the perspecitve.

Feb 16, 2012 5:56 PM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:


Bob Jacobson wrote:


Yup, we're dealing with just another big corporation now, bloated with bureaucrats, order takers, and a largely Chinese workforce,

What does the ethnicity of any of Apples employees have to do with this thread?


That's nationality. If he'd said "asian", that's ethnicity.

Do you want some cheese? It's ethnic.

Feb 16, 2012 6:08 PM in response to Csound1

Bob Jacobson wrote:


Yup, we're dealing with just another big corporation now, bloated with bureaucrats, order takers, and a largely Chinese workforce,

What does the ethnicity of any of Apples employees have to do with this thread?

I didn't mean "Chinese" as in ethnicity, I meant Chinese as in near-slave labor. People forced to work in unforgivable conditions don't produce the greatest products ever. The products themselves have to be simplified to adapt to the working conditions which, in this case, discourage individual aptitude, capability, and care. It's called Fordism (based on Henry Ford's assembly line) and historically it results in cookie-cutter products of limited quality. Unfortunately, the intellectual germ behind this approach is catching and now it's being injected into software development that is simplistic, that results in battery-life and other issues. It even dictates user behavior that is lock-step.


I expect all that to change once Lenovo partners with Samsung and Asian labor in general becomes inventively competitive with Cupertino's. I attribute Apple's rush to ensnare as many customers as possible in its iron grip to the realization that the day is not far off when there will be an alternative. Maybe then batteries will last longer. And Apple will be forced to compete on other than market monopolization, which will be all to the good for all computer users and Apple.


Pete's right, though, it doesn't pay to be a prophet wailing outside the walls. Might as well enjoy the fruits of Apple's waning ingenuity. Thanks for permitting me to clarify my comments. I have high expectations for China as a culture and a society. It seems to be doing much that's right while we persist in heading in the other direction. Apple certainly appreciates some of what China has to offer, wouldn't you say? So should we. Back to batteries.

Feb 16, 2012 6:08 PM in response to Rayced

Rayced wrote:


Csound1 wrote:


Bob Jacobson wrote:


Yup, we're dealing with just another big corporation now, bloated with bureaucrats, order takers, and a largely Chinese workforce,

What does the ethnicity of any of Apples employees have to do with this thread?


That's nationality. If he'd said "asian", that's ethnicity.

Do you want some cheese? It's ethnic.

So what does nationality have to do with it. Either way I find it a bit racist. And what does any of this have to do with dealing with the battery issue?


Rayced, I have just looked at some of your other posts and they are all about cheese. If you have nothing intelligent to offer on the subject as most here do, them please make a nusience of yourself elsewhere.


Thank You


Pete


Sorry Bob. I posted while you where explaining yourself. Sory for the cross over.


Message was edited by: petermac87

Feb 16, 2012 6:27 PM in response to Rayced

What? How do you get away with being a Troll here. I cannot believe people tollerate you here. Anyhow, we will move along without your cheese (?) input, and ignore your non relevence. I see also that this is about the only thread you ever comment in.


So anyway, looks from what Franc says that there is no battery fix on the horizon with Lion and we have no idea what may come with 10.8 but hopefully they may look at the machines as well. As I said earlier, my early 2007 MBP is still flying along under Lion with no battery issues at all. Since taking my new MBP back to the store after struggling for two hours battery life, and having them replace the machine, I now get 5 hours battery life which may not be what is advertised, but is certainly what I would realistically expect with the workflow and tasks I use. So in my case, it APPEARS to be machine related, but again not enough proof here, but two identical MBPs? One 2 hours, next one 5? Hmmm, the mystery continues, but let's hope it continues to be on the agenda at Apple.


Regards


Pete

Feb 16, 2012 6:53 PM in response to Bob Jacobson

Bob Jacobson wrote:


Bob Jacobson wrote:


Yup, we're dealing with just another big corporation now, bloated with bureaucrats, order takers, and a largely Chinese workforce,

What does the ethnicity of any of Apples employees have to do with this thread?

I didn't mean "Chinese" as in ethnicity, I meant Chinese as in near-slave labor. People forced to work in unforgivable conditions don't produce the greatest products ever. The products themselves have to be simplified to adapt to the working conditions which, in this case, discourage individual aptitude, capability, and care. It's called Fordism (based on Henry Ford's assembly line) and historically it results in cookie-cutter products of limited quality. Unfortunately, the intellectual germ behind this approach is catching and now it's being injected into software development that is simplistic, that results in battery-life and other issues. It even dictates user behavior that is lock-step.


I expect all that to change once Lenovo partners with Samsung and Asian labor in general becomes inventively competitive with Cupertino's. I attribute Apple's rush to ensnare as many customers as possible in its iron grip to the realization that the day is not far off when there will be an alternative. Maybe then batteries will last longer. And Apple will be forced to compete on other than market monopolization, which will be all to the good for all computer users and Apple.


Pete's right, though, it doesn't pay to be a prophet wailing outside the walls. Might as well enjoy the fruits of Apple's waning ingenuity. Thanks for permitting me to clarify my comments. I have high expectations for China as a culture and a society. It seems to be doing much that's right while we persist in heading in the other direction. Apple certainly appreciates some of what China has to offer, wouldn't you say? So should we. Back to batteries.

I find your post racist.

Lion - Horrible MacBook Pro Battery Life

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