Consumer Reports Recommends Apple’s MacBook Pro Now

After Apple released a fix for the battery issue that caused Consumer Reports’ MacBook battery tests to go insane, the organization now recommends Apple’s 2016 MacBook Pros – just like all MacBooks that came before them. That’s why the new laptops were the first Macbooks not to be recommended by Consumer Reports. Apple told the organization that the method Consumer Reports used to test the laptops triggered a bug in the Safari web browser, which led to the poor results. Having tracked down the issue that was creating unpredictable battery swings, further testing with a new version of the software shows a consistent battery life that exceeds Apple’s stated “up to than ten hours” endurance.

With this bug now patched, Consumer Reports has once again recommended Apple’s range of new MacBook Pros.

Apple’s software update is now only available through its Beta Software Program, but will begin rolling out to all users in the next few weeks.

Apple hoped that the MacBook Pro would help with boosting sales around the world and while it has gone some way to do this, it hasn’t been the significant boost that the company had hoped for. “Since Apple made a fix, we retested the laptops”. Users enrolled in Apple’s beta software program already have access to the update. The new battery hour estimate for the new 13-inch Macbook Pro now stands at 15.75 hours.

Battery life is highly dependent on the software and processes you’re running so don’t take Consumer Reports numbers to heart.

In December, Apple removed the “time remaining” battery life estimate from its Mac software, saying the number has been inaccurate and the percentage remaining tally was a better measure.

Even the folks over at Apple have seemingly been sending out signals that they are ready to put this lineup to bed.

After looking into the matter, Apple discovered that Consumer Reports conducted its testing with a hidden Safari setting (meant only for developers) turned on. Consumer Reports gave the 15-inch model a 74. The issue has since been fixed in the latest macOS 10.12.3 beta.