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New iBook battery life?

post #1 of 14
8/3/05 at 5:07am
Thread Starter 
Does anyone have any info on what the updated/refreshed 12" and 14" iBooks now get in terms of battery life?

Thx in advance.
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post #2 of 14
8/3/05 at 1:40pm
I get ~6-7 hours depending on the screen brightness and what I'm doing, nothing less than that so far.
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post #3 of 14
8/3/05 at 2:03pm
On the latest iBook 12" i get around 3-3.5 hrs from full charge while running safari, ichat, itunes, and bittorrent running constantly using airport.
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post #4 of 14
8/3/05 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dynamyk
I get ~6-7 hours depending on the screen brightness and what I'm doing, nothing less than that so far.
That sounds way too high.
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post #5 of 14
8/3/05 at 3:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwick7
That sounds way too high.
Yeah. Dynamyk you're using the stock Apple battery and not the aftermarket nupower 4800 right?
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post #6 of 14
8/3/05 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kuurosan
On the latest iBook 12" i get around 3-3.5 hrs from full charge while running safari, ichat, itunes, and bittorrent running constantly using airport.
Hmm, it looks like the new 12" iBook has a shorter runtime than the old one? Or is that because you're running CPU intensive tasks on it non-stop??
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post #7 of 14
8/3/05 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacmert
Hmm, it looks like the new 12" iBook has a shorter runtime than the old one? Or is that because you're running CPU intensive tasks on it non-stop??
yeah, its the bittorrent client thats the battery killer
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post #8 of 14
8/3/05 at 5:11pm
To update, I've been running Safari, iTunes and APX for about 3.5 hours and according to the battery monitor i have another hour remaining. I think its better to use the running times on a fully charged battery in normal life situations, rather than have no apps running with the backlight turned off!
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post #9 of 14
8/6/05 at 1:24am
Thread Starter 
Oh, ok; thx. The estimated 4.5 hours brings the 12" iBook back in line with what it was like before.

I'm still wondering about Dynamyk's crazy 6-7 hour battery life report, though, lol. What iBook do you have, anyways?
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post #10 of 14
8/6/05 at 1:35am
On the Apple website it says that it can last for 6 hours. But, that is probably doing nothing or very little. The PB battery life is a 4.5 hours, but I only get 2.5-3 hours. So I would say that the average iBook battery life is 4-5 hours.
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post #11 of 14
8/6/05 at 7:15am
the G4s in the iBooks (7447A Freescale processors) run @ 1.1V up to 1.42Ghz. there should be no difference in battery life simply based on the CPU speed. i get 4-5hrs, more sometimes depending on the use and conditions. there may be some differences in the new GPU for power use between the 9200 and 9550 (a 9600 variant), but my guess is that Apple would not run the newer chip any faster, if by much, than the last one, simply due to internal temperature requirements of the iBooks. if my research serves me right the 9600 family was made on the .13nm process while the 9200 family was on .15nm. this may have changed as the chip (9200) began to mature, but if it stayed put it means that the 9600 actually has a lower voltage than the 9200.

also, since the new iBooks come w/ BT, it needs to be turned off if u aren't using it.
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post #12 of 14
8/6/05 at 5:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by triadone
the G4s in the iBooks (7447A Freescale processors) run @ 1.1V up to 1.42Ghz. there should be no difference in battery life simply based on the CPU speed. i get 4-5hrs, more sometimes depending on the use and conditions. there may be some differences in the new GPU for power use between the 9200 and 9550 (a 9600 variant), but my guess is that Apple would not run the newer chip any faster, if by much, than the last one, simply due to internal temperature requirements of the iBooks. if my research serves me right the 9600 family was made on the .13nm process while the 9200 family was on .15nm. this may have changed as the chip (9200) began to mature, but if it stayed put it means that the 9600 actually has a lower voltage than the 9200.

also, since the new iBooks come w/ BT, it needs to be turned off if u aren't using it.
Thx for the info. Just a note of correction, though, even though a CPU or GPU might be running at the same voltage, power consumption WILL increase if you increase the clock speed. Let me explain this in two ways:
Anedoctal way - When people overclock their CPU or video card, even when they keep the voltage constant, the power consumption and heat production always goes up, which is why they report higher temperatures and are so fixated on getting good cooling.

Theoretical/technical explanation - This is because even though you are supplying the same voltage, the chip will draw MORE CURRENT @ that voltage if the clock speed is higher. This is because the transistors, which make up the logic circuits in the chip, are working more quickly @ this clock speed by "switching" voltages (cause transistors are like switches) more quickly; it's this switching that draws the current and consumes power. This is also why even when your CPU is running @ a constant 3GHz, let's say, you will produce more heat when it's under load @ 3GHz (because it'd be performing computations and doing work) vs. when you're just idling @ 3GHz (of course, you will save some more power if you idle @ a lower clock speed).
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post #13 of 14
8/6/05 at 7:41pm
agreed, but much like the typical operating voltage, the ceiling under load is the same across models as well, up to 1.42Ghz.
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post #14 of 14
8/6/05 at 7:53pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, you mean like how the Pentium M 1.6GHz up to 2.13GHz are rated for a max TDP (I think tha'ts Total Dissipated Power) of 27W? That's good to hear.

I wonder how they manage to keep that the power dissipation ceiling across the different speed grades, though.
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