The 2016 MacBook Pros represent a revamp in design to the laptops that we haven’t seen for a while. It is thinner, comes in more color options, and even features the Touch Bar, a unique new feature that so far seems to be getting some pretty positive feedback despite initially being viewed as a gimmick.
That being said, it seems that Consumer Reports has decided that they will not be recommending the new MacBook Pros, representing the first time that Apple’s MacBooks arehn’t receiving a recommendation from the organization. Apparently this is due to the inconsistent battery life, something that we have reported about before.
According to Consumer Reports, “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 8 hours.”
These are in line with what customers have been complaining about. It was initially thought that the macOS 10.12.2 update solved those battery problems, but ArsTechnica has debunked it claiming that it was probably coincidental. A recent report from Bloomberg also revealed that Apple had initially planned to include a tiered battery system like the 12-inch MacBooks, but ultimately decided against it. Here’s hoping that whatever the problem is, Apple will address it with 2017’s models.