Anandtech provides more standardized battery results for their 1.8GHz MacBook Air (HDD).
They setup 3 tasks of varying intensity with the MacBook Air's display set at just above 50% brightness, and not to go to sleep, though the hard drive was allowed to spin down if able. The tasks and battery life times are listed as follows:
1) Use Wifi to browse 20 pages in a loop, spending 20 seconds on each page, while playing MP3s in iTunes. 4hr 16min 2) Play a DVD image (off the internal hard drive) in a loop. 3hr 25min 3) Download 10GB of files, Web browsing loop from #1, play two 480p Xvid videos in a loop. 2hr 25min
As expected, the battery time varies greatly with use, and helps explain the discrepant battery life times seen by various users. Andantech summaries:
Apple's 5 hour claim is laughable but not as much as I expected. If I wanted to I suspect I could hit 5 hours by making the web browsing test less stressful, but my focus was on real world usage scenarios, not proving Apple correct. Regardless, 4 hours and 16 minutes doing what I consider to be the intended usage model of the Air is respectable. It's not great, but it's not terrible either.
Tuesday October 6, 2026 12:59 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Since 2023, Apple's newer iPhones have had an 80 percent charge limit for those who want to extend battery lifespan. Charging to 80 percent instead of 100 percent is supposed to put less stress on the battery, improving longevity.
For the last three years, I've used that setting on my iPhone. I started with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, then did the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and most recently, the iPhone...
Thursday October 8, 2026 9:04 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today announced an upcoming product launch that will take place on Tuesday, October 13. We are expecting Apple's announcement to focus on new smart home products, including the long-rumored smart home hub, a new Apple TV 4K, and a refreshed HomePod mini.
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The home hub is an all-new device that's like a cross between an iPad and...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to unveil an all-new home hub, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV 4K on Tuesday, October 13, and MacRumors has since learned about another launch slated for later in the month.
Apple is planning to unveil additional new products in the final week of October, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
While we do...
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
