MacBook Pro again

Thanks to journalists, Apple corrected the error affecting the work of the battery

At the end of December 2016, the authoritative American magazine Consumer Reports has released a review of the new MacBook Pro laptops. The tests showed such a different time of the computer from one battery charge that the publication did not dare to recommend to buy it - for the first time in the history of the MacBook line. Three weeks later, Consumer Reports changed his mind. Medusa says what has changed during this time.

The first review of Consumer Reports was released three days before Christmas. The magazine always emphasizes its independence from manufacturers: it does not take devices from companies, but buys them in a store; Testing results cannot be used in advertising. In a review of the new MacBook Pro with Touchbar, the magazine noted that all the parameters are at a height, except for the battery life, the computer could turn off in three to four hours, and could work for 18-19 hours. Because of this, the laptops for the first time did not receive an editorial recommendation.

Apple was versed in the problem on the holidays. The magazine handed over the corporation data collected during testing, so that it could analyze the reasons for such strong discrepancies in the battery life. And Apple found out what was the matter.

Apple: Testing methodology is to blame. Consumer Reports checked the MacBook Pro battery (like other laptops), alternately loading one of 10 web pages from its server in the Safari browser-until the computer will turn off due to complete discharge. At the same time, it turned out that the magazine turned off the data caching in the browser. If the caching were turned on, Safari would not have to pump the whole pages every time - data (for example, pictures), which did not change from time to time, would remain on the hard drive and loaded from there.

To turn off the caching, you need to go to the hidden Safari menu for developers. “This is not the settings that include ordinary users, and it does not reflect the use of [MacBook Pro] in the real world,” Apple said.

Caching was turned off for a reason. Consumer Reports said that this setting is specially activated when testing all laptops. The idea is that the computer should load the entire test page every time, and not tighten the saved data from the hard drive. In fact, the opening of hundreds and thousands of different sites is simulated - which is closer to how ordinary people will use the computer.

There was a mistake in Safari - now it is fixed. In her statement, Apple admitted that the matter is not only in the methodology, but also in the “vague and irregular” error in working with the icons that was found in the browser. Because of this, the bug (it manifests itself only in the mode with the caching disconnected) and the contradictory test results arose. Apple released the correction until it is available only in the beta version of MacOS Sierra.

The new test showed good results. Consumer Reports checked the time of operation of the new MacBook Pro from the battery after correcting the error. This time everything turned out to be much more stable: different versions of the laptop kept on average from 15 to almost 19 hours (Apple promises up to 10 hours). Given the new results, the magazine nevertheless appropriated the status of “recommended” MacBook Pro.