Three signs that there is no battery problem; it's that you're using it wrong

In the end, users are going to start thinking it’s really our fault that the batteries in Apple’s latest laptops fall so far short of what the brand itself claims they can last, and of what we expect based on what we’ve seen so far.

It’s quite curious that in such a short time so many things arise that we users consider negative, and that, in turn, all of them point to the battery. And the best part is that these things we don’t like look very much like accusing fingers meant to make us notice that the laptops’ dismal battery life isn’t because there’s some problem with the battery; it’s that we’re using it wrong.

First, Apple decided that our perception of battery consumption is mistaken, and the solution was to remove the remaining-time indicator. The problem arose when the early adopters of the new MacBooks checked how long their new machines lasted, that is, “so you don’t see how little your battery lasts, we removed the meter because your perception of time is wrong”. So far, no user has been able to calculate whether they have time to finish their work with 3% battery left, but they have had a more accurate reference with 3 minutes of battery. And now it turns out that the “time” concept the machine gave us, based on the processes running at that precise moment, was being perceived erroneously on our part. It doesn’t matter that it was approximate or merely indicative, or even that we considered it correct while knowing it wasn’t. It was wrong, and that’s why they removed it.

Then, Consumer Reports did not put the new machines on its list of recommended products, due to the inconsistent results their batteries gave in its tests, but later the site announced it would repeat the tests, since those measurements were made running a version of the Safari browser with a bug that, incidentally, is already on its way to being fixed. That is, “it was measuring it wrongly“, although indeed, with faulty software. Yet pay attention to the bug, because it is capable of knocking down a laptop’s battery life and tipping the balance on whether a machine gets recommended or not.

And finally, the laptops’ software will now display an excessive screen brightness indicator, so that we become aware that if the machine doesn’t have enough battery life it’s because “we’re using it wrong”. It doesn’t matter if we need more brightness because of the environmental conditions at specific moments. We’re doing it wrong, period. Outside, and that’s the end of it. Better hope the machines’ automatic brightness sensor is excellently calibrated, because it would be a laugh if the laptop itself raised the screen brightness based on working conditions and then immediately triggered the excessive brightness warning. Though of course, most likely the problem would be the working conditions, not the machine. Nobody has considered that, perhaps, if laptops allow “X” brightness it’s because, hey, maybe that “X” is normal in some specific cases, because otherwise, why include it?

There are three signs that something doesn’t add up about the batteries. Well, no. Three signs that there is something we are doing wrong. And it’s that, since laptops are something so new and users, apart from being beginners at this task, are idiots, the truly important decisions must be made by certain companies on our behalf. We are all wrong, except Apple.

At the very least, we should thank the company for not going behind our backs and altering the software part that states the percentage of battery remaining, which could, after manipulation, indicate that 99% of battery life remains when in reality it is nearly exhausted. (That’s why sometimes batteries need calibrating, and not only laptop ones.) And indeed, the “iPad generation” has been working since minute 1 without that remaining battery time meter, and no, the world hasn’t ended. But the treatment the company is giving everything surrounding batteries gives much to think about. Some have been warning for days now that the battery problem is not the one they paint for us. Batteries are lasting everything they can given their size, and in most cases there is no battery life problem.

And from the real problem, others derive, and you have to fend for yourself. But that is already a different matter.