Q: Lion - Horrible MacBook Pro Battery Life

What in the world....?  I tried this to force quit the Finder and vola....  Battery life went from 3:05 hours to 6:55 hours to 4:10 hours and then up to 6:12 hours and seems to stabilize there.  I'll run a test here to see what I truly get out of this machine.  So Apple, where is the fix????

OH NO!!!

Has Apple fallen SO LOW as to follow Windoze in requiring the daily reboot??? Steve must be rolling in the grave...

yeah it hasn't been perfect so far but seems to be a quick fix and something to look at.

Go here:  http://www.thepunditreport.com/2011/08/revealed-mac-os-x-lion-battery-drain.html

Download and install the gfxCardStatus program and set your GPU to Integrated.  There is a problem that the Mac defaults to Discrete graphics if even a single app is running in the background that might use it - this includes things like YouTube or Facebook, basically ensures that your Mac is running full bore even though it's on battery power.  This pushed mine back from about 1:30 of battery life to 3:00 or so, still pitiful considering that I have an almost new battery with the full memory available on it.  As far as I'm concerned, Apple should be focusing their time on this NOW, or giving me some $ for this epic fail.  But for now, this helps a bit.  Too bad a third-party developer has to come up with a solution because Apple's own failed so miserably. 

stealthmouse wrote:

 

Go here:  http://www.thepunditreport.com/2011/08/revealed-mac-os-x-lion-battery-drain.html

 

As far as I'm concerned, Apple should be focusing their time on this NOW, or giving me some $ for this epic fail.  But for now, this helps a bit.  Too bad a third-party developer has to come up with a solution because Apple's own failed so miserably. 

Still not seeing any battery drain whatsoever on my 5 MBPs.

Pete

This is old news--and does nothing for those of us with the 13" model (which leads me to suspect that it's not "the" answer after all--something else is going on here).

stealthmouse wrote:

 

Go here:  http://www.thepunditreport.com/2011/08/revealed-mac-os-x-lion-battery-drain.html

 

Download and install the gfxCardStatus program and set your GPU to Integrated.  There is a problem that the Mac defaults to Discrete graphics if even a single app is running in the background that might use it - this includes things like YouTube or Facebook, basically ensures that your Mac is running full bore even though it's on battery power...

Yes, this is very true. Battery life on my 2011 17" MPB goes up significantly with Integrated selected. I'm also running Snow Leopard and getting 7-9 hours of battery life. I tried Lion, but that dropped battery life to 2-3 hours, if not less.

I'm shocked to come back here and find that Apple has not solved this issue since it was months ago the last time I read this thread. I received a call from Apple last year asking if I would test their system software for this particular issue and I refused since I did not want to hammer my battery—on my dime. But the rep told me they were trying to find a fix.

So I'm surprised you folks don't have a fix yet. Until then, I'm staying far, far away from Lion.

marysplacestudio wrote:

 

So I'm surprised you folks don't have a fix yet. Until then, I'm staying far, far away from Lion.

Firstly there are many who don't need a fix and secondly why come to the Lion Forums when you are running Snow Leopard and wanted nothing to do with helping Apple when, as you say, they asked you. Don't rely on everybody else to figure out a fix to your issue and then come here complaining.

Good Luck

Pete

petermac87 wrote:

 

Firstly there are many who don't need a fix and secondly why come to the Lion Forums when you are running Snow Leopard and wanted nothing to do with helping Apple when, as you say, they asked you. Don't rely on everybody else to figure out a fix to your issue and then come here complaining.

 

Good Luck

 

Pete

Well, Pete, since you always tell us how you haven't had a problem on your 5 MBPs, it seems to me the same question holds for you. Especially if you're going to be rude to someone who was not only noting that a part of a mentioned possible fix did make a difference to them, but also commiserating with those who are left with battery issues. I'm pretty sure marysplacestudio wasn't the rude one here.

So as this is not your problem, the problem doesn't exist?

The problem is real: Of course it is! I've been an Macintosh user since 1986. For the love of God!

Is Apple becoming a too big company?

I still remind people in airports looking at me with my Powerbook 140... not now!!!

Apple will do well not forgetting the values ​​that brought them here

Me myself I'm very disappointed at this point and I had never felt this way before with Apple.

macmeck wrote:

 

So as this is not your problem, the problem doesn't exist?

The problem is real: Of course it is! I've been an Macintosh user since 1986. For the love of God!

Is Apple becoming a too big company?

I still remind people in airports looking at me with my Powerbook 140... not now!!!

Apple will do well not forgetting the values ​​that brought them here

Me myself I'm very disappointed at this point and I had never felt this way before with Apple.

And I have my opinion. And Yes, Apple has become one of the biggest companies on the planet and so many more people have been buying them. Maybe you could suggest to them to downgrade the company? Your days of using one as a status symbol are over, especially with the iPad being one of the most purchased and 'must have' items on the planet.

Times change my friend. Some people will have problems, most won't.

Pete

Hi Pete, and I'm happy about it. Of course I have an iPad! And I love it.

The only thing I want is my MacBook battery back to 8 hours as promised when purchased.

Well, in fact, I've got now 8 hours. But not in Lion!

There's a problem to be resolved my friend.

Thanks for checking in on us marysplacestudio.  :)  would you mind me asking how you switched back to SL?  I have both an install CD and a time capsule backup and through all these forums I am still unclear as to which one would give the best outcome.  I'm on a mid-2009 17" mbp for those who may want to know.

And of course I'm not getting in the middle here, but my 2 cents are that I would personally be very much appeased for apple to simply say, " hey guys we realize there's a problem and we're working to get it fixed."  Communication is key to customer service. Right now we're all on this forum or many other posts like it just wondering what is going on at Apple.   Other than this an some silliness with my iPhone I think Apple is a great company.  But what I think about the company doesn't make my mbp stay powered on longer and usable without a cord like it did before.  Odd issue and if it can't be fixed, then it can't, and by golly I'll understand, but Apple be honest with us and let us know.

same problem:

• MacBook pro 8.1 (late 2011)
• 2.4 GHz intel core i5
• 4Gb ram
• lion 10.7.3

i got this macbook less than 2 weeks ago, and i've calibrated it once or twice, but my macbook struggles to last more than an hour with some light browsing and low brightness, keyboard backlight off, bluetooth off and background applications all closed.

im really frustrated at this considering how expensive this product is and its much longer advertised time.

petermac87 wrote:

 

marysplacestudio wrote:

 

So I'm surprised you folks don't have a fix yet. Until then, I'm staying far, far away from Lion.

Firstly there are many who don't need a fix and secondly why come to the Lion Forums when you are running Snow Leopard and wanted nothing to do with helping Apple when, as you say, they asked you. Don't rely on everybody else to figure out a fix to your issue and then come here complaining.

 

Good Luck

 

Pete

Hi Pete,

The reason I come to this thread is twofold: one is that I bought and tried to run Lion on three separate MBPs last year. The battery life was so poor, that I returned each of them before the return policy expired. So I was thoroughly involved in this forum last year. I bought instead a 2011 MBP that could still run Snow Leopard.

Secondly, I still would like to move to Lion since there is a piece of software I need, but it has only been developed for Lion. But I won't do that at the expense of losing portability, which is why I have a laptop in the first place.

And I do apologize for my comment above which, I see, you have taken the wrong way. I did not mean to say that I'm surprised that you readers don't have a fix created by yourselves. Rather, I simply intended to say that I am surprised that you don't have a fix provided by Apple yet for you—or me.

Cheers.