Macbook Air 2014 Short Battery Life

Question

Level 1

0 points

Macbook Air 2014 Short Battery Life

My brand new Macbook Air 13in is getting only about 6 to 7 hours battery life. I've ran it down to near 20% twice and charged it back up to 100% and the poor battery performance continues. This Macbook is only 4 days old and I've yet to come close to the advertised 12-13 hours battery life. My usage consists of 2 or 3 tabs of google chrome open at a time, with one being Pandora ocassionally. I put the computer to sleep at 27% battery and left it idle with only a single chrome tab open. When I returned 45 minutes later the battery was down to 15%. Why is the battery performance so poor?

I updated to OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 as soon as bringing it home from Best Buy if that makes a difference.

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Jan 20, 2015 7:51 PM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Jan 20, 2015 10:49 PM in response to NM121212

1. Check the cycle count of the battery against the rated life for your model. The battery may be due for replacement. If the power adapter is connected almost all the time, the battery may need replacing even though the cycle count is not too high.

2. Follow these instructions, or thesefor OS X 10.8 or earlier.

3. In the Energy Saver preference pane, uncheck the box marked

Enable Power Nap while on battery power

if it's shown (it may not be.)

4. You can also try resetting the SMC.

5. Make sure your system is up to date in Software Update.

6. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service center.

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Answer 2

NM121212 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 21, 2015 11:13 AM in response to Linc Davis

The cycle count is 6. The Macbook Air is brand new. I'll try resetting the SMC though. Thanks

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Answer 3

Jan 25, 2015 7:46 PM in response to NM121212

Lol, this is because of Google Chrome's horrid performance in osx

Switch to safari and ensure that you've fully quit Google Chrome (command+Q) and you'll see at least published battery life if not better

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Answer 4

jbaumann

Level 1

19 points

Jan 29, 2015 5:17 AM in response to NM121212

I have to agree that your problem is probably caused by Chrome. When I use Chrome or Firefox on my Macbook Air, I notice that the battery drain is FAR higher than when I use Safari (e.g. install CoconutBattery or any other Battery utility and look at the current discharge rate). So I only use Firefox/Chrome if I really need some functionality (Addons or whatever) which Safari does not offer, but otherwise I prefer to use Safari because the battery lasts longer. It is not a small difference, it really is a difference of several hours of battery life.

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