New Macbook Pro: thumbs down for Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports has refused to recommend the latest range of Macbook Pro laptops for purchase. The influential consumer organisation said that seriously unpredictable battery life was the main reason for users to delay their purchase.

“The laptops did very well in measures of display quality and performance, but in terms of battery life, we found that the models varied dramatically from one trial to another,” read an excerpt from their website.

“Apple says that these computers should operate for up to 10 hours between charges, but some consumers in Apple‘s support forums reported that they were only able to use their laptops for three to four hours before the battery ran down,” it explained.

Apple didn’t directly respond to the Macbook Pro issue, merely saying that users with queries regarding their device should contact AppleCare.

The latest range of Macbook Pro laptops suffer greatly in the battery department, Consumer Reports found

Consumer Reports tested three variants, in the form of the 13-inch model with the Touch Bar, the 13-inch model without the Touch Bar and a 15-inch model (all of which feature a Touch Bar). The company noticed “highly inconsistent” results.

“For instance, in a series of three consecutive tests, the 13-inch model with the Touch Bar ran for 16 hours in the first trial, 12.75 hours in the second, and just 3.75 hours in the third. The 13-inch model without the Touch Bar worked for 19.5 hours in one trial but only 4.5 hours in the next. And the numbers for the 15-inch laptop ranged from 18.5 down to eight hours.”

It added that laptops were tested repeatedly and that, usually, a laptop’s battery life varies from one test to another by under 5%.

“After factoring together our complete test results, Consumer Reports finds that all three MacBook Pro laptops fail to meet our standards for recommended models,” Consumer Reports wrote.

It tested the laptops before and after the Sierra 10.12.2 update and added that it would test them again if a software update claimed to fix the issue.