“By now you’ve heard that under ‘normal’ usage, the Air can only manage about 2.5 hours of battery life. That’s true and at the same time it isn’t. I touch on part of this in the review, but the MacBook Air isn’t designed to be your work notebook – no ultra portable is. It’s a notebook for a writer, for someone taking notes in class; it’s a second notebook, or a third system. As such, the typical usage model can be very different than your standard notebook,” Anand Lal Shimpi reports for AnandTech.
“At the same time, most of the people considering the Air aren’t looking at it as a second notebook or a third system, they are looking at it as their primary notebook (and will be left sorely disappointed or frustrated after a while). The end result is that you need a handful of battery life tests to really cover all bases. And that’s what I’ve done,” Lal Shimpi reports.
Lal Shimpi’s tests revealed:
• 4.27 hours for wireless Internet browsing and MP3 playback
• 3.42 hours for DVD playback
• 2.43 hours for Xvid playback, Web browsing, and heavy downloading
More in the full article here.
They really assaulted the battery.
A DVD playback test? It has no built-in optical drive. Not a very reasonable test for this Mac.
A complete battery of tests seems to have been done.
That’s more battery life than I have ever had from my 15 inch G4 Powerbook. Sounds good to me.
Take it with a pinch of salt.
A – ssault & battery
“A complete battery of tests . . . “
I wouldn’t be anode at how thorough they were. If their tests were deliberately weak, then they would be guilty as charged.
They’re more concerned than ion this issue. I think the results are both positive and negative…
The report has sparked some interesting discussion here.
Some interesting power points.
grok: Comments like that last one tend to polarize people.
Is this a current report?
It makes one wonder if these concerns are grounded.
A very powerful analysis – lots of plusses and minuses here. Absolutely electric.
Weak. Very weak.
Why do you all have to be so caustic?
MP – Maybe you’re right. I think we’ve about completed the circuit on this story anyway.
Wow, and I thought I worked with a bunch of dorks every time I went on Conan . . .
“The report has sparked some interesting discussion here.”
Reports like these tend to galvanize people into an open discussion rather than zinc them into a revolting, circuitous cycle. And some just like to be lead along.
“Why do you all have to be so caustic?”
Just a little wired, maybe.
This has to be terminated! Even if we have to take it all the way to DC.
Wow the MBA is really showing it’s flaws. Now you have to use it reasonably to get more than 2.5 hours of ultra slow computing. Next they are going to tell us that it only works in certain time zones and has to be held at certain angles, the moon phase has to be right….
What a practical machine. Again MBA 2.0 will be a much better machine. The economic crunch is coming, nobody should spend their money on half-baked beta phase products. I am sure Apple released this one for legal reasons. As in..if they did not release a laptop computer with multi-touch they could not extend the iPhone patents to protect that product.
Just my $0.02
I could meet you at the DC terminal. It’s not far from my ohm.
Off subject, but
Joe Scott and Jane Skinner on FOX NEWS, have replaced their MBP’s with new MacBook Black ones
The white Apple really stands out against the black plastic!
Ampar wins…not only for the usual punishment he doles out, but for his name.
I really didn’t want to get involved in this conversation, but resistance is futile.
“Ampar wins”
Congratulations Ampar. As I recall, last time there was a pun competition, ChrissyOne won by one pun pun.
OK the Micro Me, I was then curious about Ampar’s name. Dictionary says:
“Ampar is a non-NMDA-type ionotropic transmembrane receptor for glutamate that mediates fast synaptic transmission in the central nervous system”
Now it all becomes clear…
Or wasn’t that what you were thinking Amp?
I put up a lot of resistance to writing that parallels these series of comments but I have something to say that may shock all of you. Lord Voltemort is real and bought EverReady’s battery division. In that way he could make sure that the MBA batteries could keep going anion. anion, anion………..
“Or wasn’t that what you were thinking Amp?”
You certainly didn’t sell me short. I could axon at these but I’d better bolt now.
(And thanks, Uncle Al and Micro Me.)
No problem Ampar. After all, puns are your bread and buttery.
Wow… just… wow!
I cannot remember when was the last time I saw this many puns in one single thread! Some creative bunch! Of course, leave it to Ampar to take the crown (not for the lack of trying of others, though – it was quite a contest!)
Ampar –
I C what you are doing all the way backup to your original post. I’ll have to give you a double A or even a triple A rating. Yes I’m positive – I definitely not negative on your posts. More power to you. You have my support and I am sure we could get an additional 9 volts of confidence.
Peace.
Is it snappier with the battery or on wall juice?
2MB MacBook Pro vs 2MB MacBook Air SSD
What $3000 MBA gets you vs MBP + AppleCare for $3000
Performance: Xbench MBA % of MBP 100%
CPU 87% (MBA slower)
Thread 60%
Memory 100% (both same)
Quartz 75% (MBA slower)
OpenGL 14% (WOW! Crawling vs MBP)
User Interface 38% (wow! Slow vs MBP)
Disk Test: not accurate due to data on drives.
Conclusion: MBA Open GL sucks bad. If your program has a option to turn off Open Gl, use it. The integrated graphics is most likely responsible.
@Ampar
“They really assaulted the battery.”
Oi – that was my line back when we were looking into Chrissy1’s box!!
I for one am utterly revolted at the current discussion… let’s cut it short.
Regards, R Badger
The truth about MacBook Air battery life…
You can’t handle the truth!
somebody had to say it!
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That review is fresh until Aug 2012.
Lurker_PC:
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I knew you had the potential for some alternates!
Ran MBA through it’s paces, it does get hot underneath, not nearly as hot as a MBP. Sort of a warm spot vs a egg frying hot spot.
The hot spot on a MBA is slightly on the left, right on your leg.
By the way, don’t accidentally wiggle the USB security connection to the Apple-Store MBA’s when playing with it’s lightness.
A very loud ear piercing siren occurs. :O
This is a complex issue for some who find it revolting that it deflects attention from the scale of the problem, placing them poles apart from others who are galvanized into action.
We should look at this series of tests in parallel from the perspective of Henry Watt, charged with battery and who tested positive for ion possession. Currently incapacitated at ohm, he has a magnetic personality that some find electrifying and he likes to curl up in his field with an ample supply of right hand rules for measuring flux. He has strong views on power consumption and reacts negatively when his power hungry wife displays her joules. Indeed, she claims he assaulted her recently and is positive she lost an electron.
Here’s another opportunity to contribute to a scintillating exchange. How can I re-fuse?
“A very loud ear piercing siren occurs.”
Isn’t she working the abandoned Dell kiosk outside the Apple Store?
Thanks, Predrag.
It’s been a real contact high.
Pft. Where is steve Balmer to point out that these batteries don’t even explode.
Thats watt I am afraid of.
I’m positive this will have a negative outcome.
Ugg… this thread seems to have a terminal illness about it.
Peace.
If the bronx is up, then the battery has to be down.
this conversation has been completely ionic.
Some of these are starting to sound recycled. But I still get a jolt out of all the cleverness here. Ampar is fully charged.
Wow, this thread has me fully Energized.
Maybe even overcharged.
Zapped?
This thread is becoming static and is running into the ground. It is time for that dynamo Ampar to zap back into action and thrill us with yet another pun as he has LED this discussion so far.
dynamo
ground
Agree that Ampar should take the lead.
I’m depleted.
Peace.
Waaayyyyy too much time on your hands folks!!!!
A faraday keeps the circus away
“This thread is becoming static . . .”
Dam! And I was trying to stay insulated from it. I’m sure some dynamo is cable of more. Boy, if only I had a nickel . . .
You know watt? My sibling had a sex change. She is now my ….
wait for it……
transistor!
Groan!
Apmar…don’t insulate yourself or you will overheat. Hell, come up and visit me. It sure is cold up here at the North Polarity.
That last message was for Ampar’s dyslectic brother. However, AMPAR is invited to visit me at the South Polarity.
“transistor”
C’mon! That’s funny!
I got a charge out of it
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Well, I’m sure that article will recharge the spirits of Air owners. They know now they can play their AC/DC MP3s without a worry.
“Next they are going to tell us that it only works in certain time zones and has to be held at certain angles, the moon phase has to be right….”
Actually it works best when you place it in your room in your mother’s basement among your collection of Apple hardware and whack off while looking at it’s sleek lines. Then it’s battery lasts a long time.
Just don’t try to use it as replacement for an ultra-portable notebook.