Consumer Reports stated on 22nd of December that it does not recommend Apple MacBook Pro, due to inconsistent battery performance on tests.
First for Apple Notebooks
This is the first time it is happening for Apple MacBook Pro – a non-recommendation from Consumer Reports. This has created quite a controversy. However, the reasoning behind the decision is quite simple as far as Consumer Reports is concerned. The test results for battery performance on the MacBook Pro laptops showed wild inconsistencies, in case of several versions of the device. The test conducted is one that is commonly done in the industry, with web pages being loaded one by one.
The Battery Test
According to Consumer Reports, the test was done by downloading ten web pages in a sequence, beginning with the full battery and stopping when the notebook shut down. The pages get stored in their lab and are transmitted over a network that is particularly set up for the purpose. Safari, the default browser on the laptop, was used for the MacBook Pro notebooks.
Inconsistency in Results
During the above test, the Consumer Reports noted that the battery lasted for sixteen hours in some cases and also went to about four hours in other cases. This was while using the 13 inches laptop with Touch Bar. The 15 inches version of the MacBook Pro laptops saw a range from 18 ½ hours to 8 hours. CR has concluded that due to such a discrepancy, it is not recommended to buy this device, till more is known about the inconsistency of the battery.
Working with Consumer Reports
However, Phil Schiller of Apple has tweeted that Apple hasn’t viewed any such results during its extensive laboratory tests or with its field data. He added that the company is trying to work with the Consumer Reports to get a grasp of the battery test inconsistencies.
List of Complaints
Even strong Apple enthusiasts have complaints regarding the newly released Apple MacBook Pro laptops. The reasons are varied and are connected with the dongles, the processor power and the price. Now, the battery performance can be added to this list. This is especially so after Mark Gurman’s report in the Bloomberg that the company, Apple, had initially planned on using a more advanced kind of battery technology, but later opted for the conventional one. In addition, Apple has decided that the ‘time remaining’ feature for the battery is not such a good idea after all, and it has been removed from the iOS for the MacBook Pro.
Is it Trustworthy?
The argument now is whether the test conducted by the Consumer Reports is trustworthy. According to CR, they conduct such tests on several hundreds of notebooks every year using the same procedure in a controlled environment. It remains for Apple to hash out the issue with the Consumer Reports, so that users and fans can get an idea about what is actually going on. The problem could be flaws in the tests or flawed software from Apple. Nothing can be said definitely at present.