10-31-2009, 02:44 PM

i got a refurbished macbook pro 15 inch from apple.ca

the specs said that it had a 7 hr battery, this one lasts about 3-5 hours. is this normal for newly purchased items? or should i send it in for a new one

thanks!

10-31-2009, 02:47 PM

You can't expect seven hours for everything that you do. One can't expect the same battery life from a machine if one day they simply browse the web and encode video the next. What are you doing on your machine when you experience this battery life?

10-31-2009, 02:56 PM

I bet you have your brightness turned all the way up and like 6 apps open at once, expecting 7 hours of battery life . That's usually the case. Mine is advertised as up to 4.5 hours. If I turn down my brightness to one bar and just have safari open surfing and reading the news in bed, I can get 6 and a half hours. If I'm playing World of Warcraft with iTunes going and Mail and Adium open, I can probably get an hour and fifteen minutes.

10-31-2009, 04:16 PM

Need to read the fine print people. >_<"

10-31-2009, 04:52 PM

so yeah i had my brightness on full. but other than that i was just browsing the web, nothing serious. i turned my brightness down to about 60% and im gunna leave it to charge now and when i get back home i'll test it out again.
thanks for the help

10-31-2009, 05:09 PM

More proof for the need of a "user replaceable" battery.

10-31-2009, 06:39 PM

Haven't you ever used a laptop/notebook before? Battery life depends on what you run while using it. Having a "7 hour" battery doesn't mean you will have a battery that lasts 7 hours every single time. It means, if you are aware of what you need to do on your computer to get the most out of your battery, you can very well achieve 7 hours of battery life. Also, keep in mind that 7 hours is not the maximum life of these batteries. You can get more than 8 hours out of them if you wanted...you just have to NEED the 8 hours for you to run that long...for most people though, they don't care much about how long, to the minute, their battery lasts...as long as it lasts a good amount of time, and they can get what they need done on it.

10-31-2009, 06:45 PM

I've managed almost 10 hours on my macbook pro

That was in clamshell mode though

Though, with the LCD at about 25%, bluetooth turned off, wifi on, keyboard lights off, only running safari, mail, and adium... i have managed over 8.5 hours.

10-31-2009, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by sambam

i got a refurbished macbook pro 15 inch from apple.ca

the specs said that it had a 7 hr battery, this one lasts about 3-5 hours. is this normal for newly purchased items? or should i send it in for a new one

thanks!

Compare your laptop battery to an automobile.

If you own an automobile, and it's supposed to get 30 mpg on the highway...that's probably when you are traveling 55-65 mph, on fairly flat terrain.

Now if all of sudden you start driving your auto at 100mph...can you really expect to still get 30mpg on the highway...I think not!

The same logic applies to your laptop. If you "drive" it conservatively...you will get close to the battery life claims Apple advertises...but if you "drive" your Macintosh "like a wild man" (like playing games, watching You-Tube for hours, having screen brightness set high, etc.)...then you will get a much shorter battery time on a full charge.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

10-31-2009, 07:55 PM

lol you will get 7 hours if screen is on dimmest setting and you are just browsing...

10-31-2009, 08:07 PM

you'll only get a full 7 hours of charge if the laptop is off.

10-31-2009, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by CrimsonRequiem

Need to read the fine print people. >_<"

boooo

10-31-2009, 08:31 PM

Is this really shocking news to people? I mean, portable batteries have been like this since their inception, and well.. the fine print? That predates even ancient me

10-31-2009, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Dysfunction

Is this really shocking news to people? I mean, portable batteries have been like this since their inception, and well.. the fine print? That predates even ancient me

I think for most "seasoned" laptop users it isn't new news (or at least it shouldn't be)...but there are always new laptop users (like maybe the OP), who may not understand.

It's sort of like Summer reruns on TV..."If I haven't seen them before, they're new to me!"

- Nick

10-31-2009, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by idrinorbarsaku

Haven't you ever used a laptop/notebook before? Battery life depends on what you run while using it. Having a "7 hour" battery doesn't mean you will have a battery that lasts 7 hours every single time. It means, if you are aware of what you need to do on your computer to get the most out of your battery, you can very well achieve 7 hours of battery life. Also, keep in mind that 7 hours is not the maximum life of these batteries. You can get more than 8 hours out of them if you wanted...you just have to NEED the 8 hours for you to run that long...for most people though, they don't care much about how long, to the minute, their battery lasts...as long as it lasts a good amount of time, and they can get what they need done on it.

agreed.