Consumer Reports reverses opinion on Macbook Pros after retests

Apple's bug fix on January 9 appears to have resolved the battery life issues that prevented Consumer Reports from recommending the device when they first evaluated it in December. This comes only a few weeks after Apple's Senior VP Phil Schiller tweeted that the company was working closely with Consumer Reports to resolve the issue.

The highly variable battery life in the Macbook Pros ranged from 3.75 hours at worst to 19.5 hours at best, reflecting poorly on what was an otherwise well-made machine. In the statement from Consumer Reports, they said that they followed the same protocol in the tests as they did with the other hundreds of laptops they evaluate annually.

Consumer Reports was not alone in their concerns about inconsistent battery life; many owners also took to social media to vent their frustrations regarding the same issue. Now that Apple's fix has been delivered, Consumer Reports now recommend the Macbook Pro, saying that they saw battery life range between 15-19 hours across the three devices.The notebooks that were evaluated included two 13-inch models (one with the Touch Bar and one without) along with one 15-inch model.

Users who wish to download the update should do so through Apple's Beta Software Program. All users will receive the bug fix in a full Software Update within several weeks to macOS Sierra Version 10.12.3 Beta (16D25a).

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