macOS 10.12.2 Solves MacBook Pro Battery Woes (Report)

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Apple released the 10.12.2 update on Tuesday (Dec. 13) to its macOS desktop operating system, and some users are already singing its praises. While Apple doesn't mention battery life in the release notes for the update, reports are coming out that suggest this version of macOS fixes battery life problems found in the recently released Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pro notebook.

The reports come from posts in the MacRumors forum, where member lobo1978 claimed "macOS Sierra 10.12.2 fixed my battery. I am up back to 9-10 hours of regular use." The forum member also claims that after applying the update, power consumption has gone from 6 watts to less than 4 watts. Forum member JohnnyGo discovered similar results, stating that their MacBook Pro went from getting "7-9 hours with 50-60% brightness" to more than 10 hours at an even brighter setting.

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Of course, these reports, and all allegations that the Touch Bar MacBook Pro notebooks offered sub-par battery life are anecdotal. Apple claims that the notebooks should offer up to 10 hours of life on a single charge, while the 13-inch Touch Bar-equipped made it 8 hours and 48 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery test. The 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro posted a time of 10:32, and the 13-inch model without a touch bar lasted 9:50.

To find 10.12.2, click the Apple icon in the top left corner, select App Store and click Updates. While we never discovered battery life issues during our testing, we can report that this update (as rumored) includes a change to the battery life menu bar tab, removing the estimated remaining time.

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Henry T. Casey