13" 2010 MacBook Pro Windows 7 Battery Life

I need to order a new computer tomorrow since college starts on Monday, and my decision hinges on how much battery life the 13" 2010 macbook pro gets with Windows 7? I tried googling a lot but couldn't find a convincing answer.

Also, when are the new MBPs expected to come out?

TIA for your help.

 

i don't know about the battery life, but they should be upgrading to i3 processors anytime soon seems like every laptop has i3 available in it, core 2 duo is old

 

I get about 4-5 hours of just browsing the internet with WIFI and medium brightness using Windows 7 bootcamp.
Just browsing the internet on WIFI in Mac OSX, I get about 5-6 hours with medium brightness.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks! I'll be using Windows 7 quite a bit because I have about a thousand dollars worth of Windows only software which I need for work, but atleast I'll be able to use OSX for browsing etc.

 

If you've invested that much into Windows software and would only be using OSX for browsing, you'd be better of buying a Windows laptop. Buy a Mac and OSX because you have a need or want for it, not because Macs are pretty or because you want to be cool.

Battery life will take a hit while running Windows 7 and there are little quirks with the keyboard backlight and trackpad functionality that people eventually get frustrated with while running Windows.

 

My school gives out MAC license for almost everything they have, I would check.

What windows only software are you using?

I mean ever for engineering MACs are fine on most things (solidworks is kind of annoying). For everything else Windows should be fine. Most of my Windows software had a MAC version.

 

So you're saying he should purchase almost $1000 worth of software again, just because he's changing platforms?

If that's what he wants to do, more power to him, but that sounds silly.

If his school does offer a free license for the software, then that would probably be alright.

 

No a lot of my software came with the MAC version I was asking him to check.

A lot of my software was also free, so I would check that as well.

The only thing I had to buy was Microsoft office 2008.

 

strange.. what else are you doing? on my MBP2010 doing normal light web browsing on WIFI with the screen at half brightness I can pull over 9 hours (in OSX, i don't have Windows on it)... of course if you do a ton of flash you might lose a couple of hours... but with your description, 5 to 6 sounds pretty low.

 

Well I need good battery life and a solid build quality. And a good resale value. Can't find a PC which fits the bill.

 

Then you shouldn't be running Windows on a Mac.

 

Why, whenever someone posts they have a Macbook that that plan to run Windows on, you ALWAYS say they should buy a PC?

 

Again:
1. I'm getting a really nice price on the 13" MBP.
2. It doesn't use nVidia Optimus which I'm not a fan of
3. When I need ~8 hrs of battery life (browsing at airports etc), I can use OSX.
4. For my everyday use I need about 4-5 hours of battery life which I guess I'll get on Windows on this machine.
5. The 320M is better than the 310M in comparable PCs by a fair bit.
6. The downside is the processor, but I'll make do.
7. There's not a single other PC that weighs 4.5lbs and has even half as good battery life as the MBP.
8. Much better resale value than its PC counterparts. I intend to upgrade in 2 years.

 

On low brightness (screen is still plenty bright though) doing some web surfing I get around 6 hours of battery life in Windows 7 on the new 13" 2010 MBP. You also can disable some hardware you don't use in the Device Manager to be really sure they don't draw power. Like Bluetooth, iSight, SD slot, etc.

 

Windows is really quirky on a mac without an external mouse / while not plugged in

you may also need an external keyboard with windows depending on how picky you are

 

I have a Macbook Pro 17 with Windows 7 on it, I know the the trackpads not the best, but I've used a few Acer laptops with MUCH worse trackpads.

 

Because I can't comprehend why anyone would willingly use the wrong tool to do a job. Would you use a hammer with push pins on a cork board? How about paint and a roller to erase the mistake you made writing your term paper? Maybe using sharpie markers to paint your wall black? All examples would technically work, however they're improper tools for the respective jobs. Same idea with running Windows primarily on a MacBook. While technically it does work, even at it's best, it's only half-assed.

 

But theres nothing "improper" about running Windows on a mac. Only cons are less batter life(still good though) and the trackoad isn't super. Otherwise its fast and looks great. Your analogies sound smart, but have little to do with the question.

 

Actually my analogies get the point across perfectly. Yes Windows runs on a Mac, however Macs are designed to run OSX and work best running OSX.

 

So what if they work best with OS X, they also work great with Windows.

 

damn i didn't know window uses more power than mac OS? the battery description say up to 10hrs on apple site...

 

And its probably close to 10hrs, in OS X. More like 6-7 with Windows.

 

In real world use, most people are getting 7-8 hours in OS X, so that should equate to 4+ hours in Windows if you're lucky. I have a 15" MBP Core i5 and I'm not even getting the advertised 8-9 hours in OS X.

 

I think Khris means to say that, choose the tool that satisfies the function not the frills.

Reselling a C2D powered 13" machine for a lot of cash in 2 years time? The P8600 will be 4 years old by then.
Perhaps you might not get so much for it. Then again, the T5xxx series (and some T7xxx) came out 4 years ago, and you still see it around here and there.

 

Am I right in thinking 4-6 hours battery running Windows on any laptop is fairly standard?

...So to say "Then you shouldn't be running Windows on a Mac." to someone who needs to run Windows software doesn't really make sense, Khris. 20LEGEND has other criteria that you trimmed off in your quote:

You get the same amount of battery life from a Macbook running Windows as any other notebook, so if battery life is your criteria for Windows-based software, you can consider a Macbook just like any other option, surely?

If battery life is your top, top, TOP priority, then it seems running OS X on a Mac is hard to beat, but you'd have to buy OS X software, right?

 

You're not getting the point at all. 4-6 hours MAY be standard on some PC notebooks (but not most, I've seen 2-4 hours) but we're talking about a severe performance degradation when running Windows on the Mac as oppose to under OS X.

Kris's point and mine is if your plan is to run Windows most or all of the time and don't have interest in replacing your Windows software with Mac OS X software then you should buy a PC. Too many people (mostly PC fanboys) talk about how overpriced Macs are but then you'll see some PC people that are willing to spend the extra money on a Mac, buy a copy of Windows (or torrent it ), then install it. The idea of Windows being able to installed on a Mac is to help bridge gaps for switchers or for someone that wants a Mac to use OS X but has one or two pieces of Windows software not available on Mac. It's just stupid to buy a Mac to run Windows most of the time or only.
What's the point if you can't get the same experience in Windows as you do OS X. Poor and limited trackpad performance, shorter battery, gets hotter, non-Windows keyboard, lack of keyboard backlight control and different ports than what normally comes on a PC notebook.

Is a Mac really just another Windows PC? NO, NO, NO!

My only question is, why don't the PC fans just buy Dell's Precision line or HP's Elite or Envy line if they want a Macbook Pro-like computer but a real Windows machine. Are PC's so "uncool" that they are willing to fake it to impress their friends?

 

Maybe 2-4 hours is more accurate, yeah. Battery life guidelines are a dark art, huh?

But if you can get 7-8 hours on OS X when you need it, and use Windows the rest of the time for specific software (already owned or Windows-specific) then why not? Just the same as having a Precision/Elite/Envy, but with the option of extra battery life.

Macs are expensive, but you get different things for your money. I think they are overpriced, but only because there has been little competition in that specific market. They have lots of plus points, of course. They are durable, look great, have decent components, and you get great service. Best battery life around (Phew, on topic). Still expensive. 20LEGEND was talking about selling in 2 years time. Buying a Mac isn't a bad idea if you want to sell in a couple of years because they will last, and they look pretty and people think they're cool. A good investment in that respect (Dual Core 2 is a factor in the 13", obviously).

Ha. I didn't know about the track pad being a bit funny when in Windows. Fair point. Battery life and heat will just be like any other notebook, so makes no difference when choosing at this stage, right? Or is it more of a problem on a Mac than on anything else? Keyboard is different, yeah. Ports; depends what you need, yeah. Good points.

This is an interesting point. I think you can be a fan of the Macbook Pro and the Envy and the 4820TG, etc. etc. It doesn't have to be either/or. For me, the Envy seems to be a better spec for a better price at the size I want, and it actually looks great, but I've had to look around for quite a while to see its benefits, and the others are great notebooks too. But if I wanted to re-sell a new notebook in 2 years time, I think re-selling a Mac would be easier just because it's a very popular brand, y'know?

 

Hey, I'd like to point the obvious. For the price of a MBP, you can get a top of the line PC...

Thanks.

 

^ can I have a link to that pc? I would like it to fit on my uni table and have 8 hour battery life! I am now choosing a notebook and would like a pc since we are going to use MSDN

Almost forgot. I am going to get a free iPod and a printer + 100$ educational discount,soo...

 

Printer? i only see Free ipod...