Q: Lion - Horrible MacBook Pro Battery Life

Where can one find this update? I did a search and only found update 1.4, which is quite old.

The latest SMC Firmware update should be found when checking via "Software Update..." from the Apple menu in the menu bar.  http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1338

Here's the article for this particular update: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1474

wolfi101 wrote:

 

Hey,

 

I just made an interesting observation which I want to share (don't know yet what to read out of it):

- I freshly booted the machine (17" MBP Mid2009 Lion 10.7.2)

- then closed all apps except firefox, temperatur monitor and coconutBattery

-> my estimated time went up to 6:00 at 90% (which is almost SL times)

 

Now comes the interesting part:

- start the mail app

- wait for the next change of battery time: goes to 3:30

- wait a little longer: goes back to something between 4-5 hours

 

What the **** is mail app doing?

The estimated times are calculated based on how much work the system is doing at that particular period of time. Most probably when you started the mail app it would have started cecking your inboxes. The computer calculated your estimation based on what you would get if it continously did that for the remainder of the day.

I noticed something today - after I put my Mac to sleep, if I connected my phone via USB, the the system wakes up again but the fans dont run. Only the breathing light comes ON, and I can hear the faint clicks from the HDD. Is this normal? Or is my Mac having some kind of sleep disorder?

Ah, I have a late 2010 macbook pro, no SMC update available for that. :-{

alainca1 yes there is

Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
5. Press the power button to turn on the computer. 
   Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

I am looking to update, not reset the SMC.

alainca1 wrote:

 

I am looking to update, not reset the SMC.

Probably your MacBookPro version doesn't qualify for that update cause it is not affected by the issues it solves.

Have you tried to check via Software Update?

Message was edited by: Rayced

There is 1.5 update now, click "software update" in your mac menu, to see if it is for your MBP too.

I am having the same issue as everyone here... battery life decreased by around 50%.

alainca1 wrote:

 

I am having the same issue as everyone here... battery life decreased by around 50%.

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1474

"This update resolves an issue where a MacBook Pro being used with a power adapter may unexpectedly shut down under heavy workload if the battery charge level is near empty."

This should be the issue addressed by that SMC firmware update. Who knows if it also improves battery life under Lion. There's no clue about that in the document referred to this particular update.

However, speaking in general, SMC can be responsible for some issues with power managment.

That is why people will always try a reset of the unit when there's a problem related to the battery usage.

To me it's starting to be one of those myths as reparing disk permissions.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4117

"SMC Firmware Updates refer to the System Management Controller (SMC) firmware update for Intel-based computers. The SMC is a micro-controller on the logic board that controls the power functions for your computer. The SMC controls various functions, including:

• Power and thermal management, the Sleep LED, and battery.
• Controlling the fans, supporting Sudden Motion Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor (ALS), and the power switch."

I've done the SMC firmware update, things seems pretty the same for now, except initial battery life estimate which was around 9 hrs. That also happened when I did a SMC reset.

The firmware update mentioned two posts agao that was available starting yesterday does not apply to mid-year 2010 macbook pro's. I downloaded it, it can't be run on my machine.

i have all the same problems, my mbp 15' is one week old, and for the first few days it would last ~7 hours on the internet. now it does about 3.

smc update was not supported, and when i try to reset the smc the light on the magsafe doesnt flicker or anything so im not sure if im doing that right. either way there is no effect..

so sad, i really enjoyed 7 hours battery for the first 2 days

dylanlevijesse wrote:

 

and when i try to reset the smc the light on the magsafe doesnt flicker or anything so im not sure if im doing that right. either way there is no effect..

 

Well the light should flicker when you do that, probably you haven't done it in the right way. Try again, it won't harm.

BTW there are users here claiming that the SMC reset has improved drammatically their laptop battery life, others like me that didn't get any improvment of real battery life except for an higher estimate time after rebooting the machine.

so i shut the computer down, then press the left shitf, control and option keys and power button? do i hold them down or just press them? and all simultaneously? sorry for the 20Q