Apple claims there is suppose to be up to 10 hours battery life in the new mac pros and white model.Why is there only maybe 5-6 hours use? A lot of people I spoke with are claiming no way there is even 8-9 hours.

Key words there being "up to" ;-)

Battery life depends on a lot of factors and not everyone is going to get the same usage out of them.

And a lot of people I spoke with say they can get more.

That's the problem...the people you and I speak with don't know a hill of beans regarding batteries.

If you turn off the wifi, 3G and dim the screen, you could probably get 10 hours. Like six of one said, the keywords being "up to".

Just like car manufacturers can claim up to a certain MPG. Do you get it? Sure..on a downhill slope while idling.

And besides, since when does the Mac Pros run on batteries?? And they come in white?? Now THAT is news to me!

I'm thinking he meant MacBook Pro's and white MacBook.

I'm thinking John knows that and was just being a smarty-pants.... you silly goober!

The updated white mac book not pro is suppose to have up to 10 hours of battery life.My friend just bought the new 13inch mac book pro and he has done everything you noted here and still gets only 6 hours of battery life.He has it plugged in all the time as he is retired. Twice a week he lets the battery go to about 2% and then recharges it again. What is wrong with that? J

Having it plugged in all the time isn't the best option, especially for new ones. Might as well have gotten an iMac.

It depends entirely on what he's doing with the computer -- if he's watching a ton of movies or using processor-intensive apps all the time or having a ton of apps open and grinding away at the same time, he's going to get less life out of the battery than someone who just uses it to play solitaire and read e-mail =)

Also, it bears repeating that the 10-hour claim is the *best* you're going to get out of the battery. People rarely use their machines in the most optimal way ... a better number to rely on would be something like "average battery life," which I'm guessing would be closer to the six hours your friend experiences ...

My friend is like me he surfs the web watches hardball on MSNBC the news and downloads music sometimes. Listens to i tunes radio stations. He is on the computer about 41/2 hours in the am and 4 hours at night. He shuts it down when he is finished until around 5:30 pm.Twice a week he drains the battery to 2% and instlls the power adopter to fully recharge once again. J

I still say Apple is not being honest by saying 10 hours of battery life up to.They said you can get this in idle mode. Who uses your laptop just in idle mode? J