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New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

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Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#21

Post by patryn20 »

dschuler wrote: post #19
patryn20 wrote: post #9

Based on my (admittedly unusual) workloads, the effective charge time of the 2016 is awful. I already only get 4-5 hours out of a 2014 MBP. I bought a 2016 and only managed 3 1/2 hours. Maybe they've improved that with some software fixes, but it's still a non starter. So I returned it. I know I'm not a typical user, but I get much better battery life (with lower productivity) out of my windows laptop. Which was not…

You mean the battery life is less than for the previous generation, or that it takes longer to charge? While Apple seems to improve idle power efficiency, not much is or can be done about high CPU workloads, but decreasing battery capacity doesn't help at all. My 2012 MPBr shows ~94Wh capacity from System Report. I know they've changed battery sizes several times since then - down to ~75Wh, then more again.

That's actual life. I never manage more than five hours while working on my current 2014 MBP 15". The loss of additional time under load on the 2016 was a deal killer for me.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#22

Post by snowwrestler »

cthalupa wrote: post #13
patryn20 wrote: post #9

Based on my (admittedly unusual) workloads, the effective charge time of the 2016 is awful. I already only get 4-5 hours out of a 2014 MBP. I bought a 2016 and only managed 3 1/2 hours. Maybe they've improved that with some software fixes, but it's still a non starter. So I returned it. I know I'm not a typical user, but I get much better battery life (with lower productivity) out of my windows laptop. Which was not…

Are you controlling for the screen having a higher maximum brightness? I thought I was getting much worse battery life on my new MBP compared to my old one, but then I paid attention to screen brightness - when I level match the screens to the same level of brightness, I get the same battery life as my older one. I'm used to just jamming the screen to 100% brightness, so I've had to get used to keep it around 70% or…

Mac laptops these days are built with backlights strong enough to compete with daylight. In typical working conditions, 100% is way overkill.

For max long term comfort, your display should be no brighter than the ambient light levels. Otherwise--if the display is way brighter--your pupils will have to contract when you look at the screen, and dilate when you look away. Your pupils are controlled by muscles and like any muscles, they can get tired.

I have a 2012 MacBook Air and I rarely have the brightness over 50% indoors. And the new MacBook Pros have way brighter screens.

Sitting in my living room right now, my iPhone is at about 15% brightness.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#23

Post by matt4077 »

konceptz wrote: post #4

Very happy to hear that idle is better. Very unhappy to hear that usage is worse. I would prefer not to think about my usage patterns and just sit back knowing my new laptop (2016 mbp) is always better than my old (2015 mbp) one in all cases.

The article defines "usage" as "high load". That could still mean that any fixed workload is handled better on the new MBP than the old version.

I'm pretty sure that the new CPUs are more efficient – in terms of power/workload – than the previous generation.

That would mean the new MBP is <= 25% worse for a given workload. Maybe somebody knows the numbers for the CPUs, but previous generations improved efficiency by 10-30%.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#24

Post by Alex3917 »

I love the new 2016 MBP, and after using it think most of the purported issues are BS.

That said, there is one very real issue that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere: because of how thin they are, many of the minor issues that could previously be fixed in the Apple Store now require sending it out.

I had an intermittently working key on my keyboard and took it in for something I assumed would take half an hour to fix. They told me they needed to mail it in and it would be 4 - 6 days, probably 4. It's now going on day 13.

Fortunately my last one was old enough that it had zero resale value, but for anyone thinking of upgrading I'd highly recommend keeping a backup.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#25

Post by patryn20 »

greglindahl wrote: post #20
patryn20 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My particular crime? Heavy VM use with multiple concurrent OSes and server processes.

Huh. I develop on a beefy server, and give everyone who works with me beefy servers, too.

I'm often highly mobile with unreliable connectivity (think back country Alaska/Washington/Missouri/etc). Remoting is not a reliable option while traveling. Now when I'm working from home, I have other workstations I can connect to. And if the connectivity on the road is decent, I do have equipment I can connect to.

However I generally find my most productive workflow is all local. Which is why I was doubly disappointed by the lack of upgrades to 7th gen i7 and 32GB of RAM. The battery life loss under load was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#26

Post by retreatguru »

patryn20 wrote: post #9

Based on my (admittedly unusual) workloads, the effective charge time of the 2016 is awful. I already only get 4-5 hours out of a 2014 MBP. I bought a 2016 and only managed 3 1/2 hours. Maybe they've improved that with some software fixes, but it's still a non starter. So I returned it. I know I'm not a typical user, but I get much better battery life (with lower productivity) out of my windows laptop. Which was not…

I had the same experience. I bought a 2016 MacBook Pro and with my usual work load of a VM, IDE and browser with 20+ tabs open battery life was worse than my 2011 MBP with its original battery. So I returned it. First apple return in 23 years.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#27

Post by camillomiller »

I think a lot of people are talking about the new MBP as if they had one. It's 2017 and a too many power users still base their opinion simply on specs divination -- that is, theoretical musings about this and that component will perform. Especially with Apple, it should be clear that the whole thing is much more complicated than a 1+1 based on a spec list.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#28

Post by FireBeyond »

010a wrote: post #2

Everyone talks about the downsides of the new MacBooks. No one talks about about how they reduced the size of the internal battery by 30%, effectively added a second screen, improved overall performance, and still kept the same battery life.

Let's not call the touchbar a "second screen". Yes, it is. But it's just that - a touch bar/ status bar.

Most commentary around 5th vs 6th generation is that it's pretty much identical.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#29

Post by Spooky23 »

patryn20 wrote: post #9

Based on my (admittedly unusual) workloads, the effective charge time of the 2016 is awful. I already only get 4-5 hours out of a 2014 MBP. I bought a 2016 and only managed 3 1/2 hours. Maybe they've improved that with some software fixes, but it's still a non starter. So I returned it. I know I'm not a typical user, but I get much better battery life (with lower productivity) out of my windows laptop. Which was not…

Are you using VMWare Fusion by chance? I've noticed lately in my 2 year old MacBook Pro that it just slays the battery when running, even when VMs are idle.

Re: New Macbook Pro power efficiency and time remaining

#30

Post by mconzen »

Have had one since November and this mirrors my experience. YMMV, but I find that the 2016 MBP charges quite a bit faster than the 2015. For me, I prefer the faster charging over the slight increase in overall battery life, with the added bonuses of the '16 using a standard charging cable. Anyone with a newer Android phone (and soon, airport shops and convenience stores nationwide) can hook you up with a spare MBP charger in a pinch. External USB-C batteries are also easily available and add as much portable charging capacity as you want to buy. Anyone serious about needing to travel with their laptop will probably find it easier to keep a '16 MBP charged than before.
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