zlacker

Apple's power management isn't as great as everyone claims.

I've an older MacBook Air with a severe battery drain problem.

The battery will last maybe a day or two when SHUT DOWN (not sleep) before being fully drained and refuses to power on.

It's done this since day one.

I tried resetting everything possible which could be reset and nothing helped.

Allegedly the problem is related to a Bluetooth radio which does not shut down properly but as usual Apple is tight-lipped, and the cult members that moderate their community forum try to gaslight you into believing the computers are perfect and you're doing something wrong.

Eventually I just gave up and lugged the power adapter everywhere.

>>sugarp+(OP)
I haven't used a MacBook in years but when I did, their power management was actually the worst thing about them - this was before they moved to ARM, so I assume it has improved, but it was common for a MacBook pro to turn into a screaming hot chunk of aluminum which would burn your legs on contact and misrepresent the actual battery life available to it.

>>shortr+b1
The Apple Community moderators would have you believe you're using the built-in pizza stone function wrong.

>>shortr+b1
> their power management was actually the worst thing about them - this was before they moved to ARM

I'd wager all of the improvements are from the silicon itself and not anything Apple has done with macOS.

>>sugarp+(OP)
Like, "Intel older"? Those had terrible thermal management for a laptop. An "older" laptop with a dead battery or one misreporting is not uncommon and has no bearing on how modern laptops, be they from Dell, HP, or Apple, perform. You could have 500+ cycles on any laptop and see the behavior you're claiming is terrible power management.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102888

Get a semi-new Apple laptop and then let us know how terrible the power management is.

>>shortr+b1
My biggest issue with pre-arm macs is that on the highest end models (issued Core i9 from my job), it would thermal throttle to the point it was nearly useless when I needed it the most. It was really locked down, so I couldn't do anything to undervolt/underclock it, which would have made it run much better.

>>shortr+b1
tbh it seems intentional to me, and I broadly prefer it. I would much rather have a hot device than a loud fan, at very nearly all times I use a computer. hot aluminum dissipates heat quite well, just passively cool as long as possible please.

could they have used larger fans to reduce that noise? yes, definitely, and probably should have. but it's hard to beat using the whole device as a radiator.

>>p_ing+76
> Get a semi-new Apple laptop and then let us know how terrible the power management is

So your solution to Apple's terrible power management is to give them even more of my money?

As I said, it did this since it was brand new. Battery cycles have nothing to do with it. It's a macOS or hardware problem in the SMC.

>>sugarp+(OP)
I’m not doubting you’re having a problem, but as counterpoint I have owned and bought for others more than 20 MacBook Airs and Pros the last 10 years - all with flawless power management.

>>sugarp+o8
You should've returned it and gotten a new one. It sounds like a hardware issue. I've used a 2018 MacBook Air as my daily driver for a while (to cut down on weight for my bike commute) and never experienced the problem you described.

>>Groxx+j8
Personally I would prefer a laptop which optimizes for heat and noise over one which optimizes for thinness as a measure of success

>>shortr+DE
you've got quite a lot of alternates then, just not any macs :)