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Report Claims OS X 10.8.1 Update May Fix Battery Life Issues Being Experienced Under Mountain Lion

posted on Aug 21st 2012 at 4:13pm by Alex Jordan

Screen Shot 2012 08 09 at 1 15 52 PM

Ars Technica reported earlier this month that OS X Mountain Lion is draining notebook batteries faster than it should, decreasing battery life by 38%. For what it’s worth, I have first hand experience with this problem.

Now Softpedia reports that one developer claims that OS X 10.8.1, a build that is currently in developer testing, addresses the issue. This individual claims that battery life is back up to where it was before installing Mountain Lion. Apple’s own discussion forums seem to back this statement up at the moment as well.

Just as I have been sitting writing this post, in a span of minutes, I have watched my battery life indicator in the Menu bar drop from 70% when I opened the lid, to 64% by the time I finished typing. Before Mountain Lion a single charge would safely last all day. Regardless, it seems that help in on the way with OS X 10.8.1.

Are you experiencing battery problems under Mountain Lion as well? How bad is the drop in charge? Leave a comment and let us know.

  • jay

    I am definitely experiencing this too. Before the expiration of a free upgrade, I installed Mountain Lion earlier this week. Saw immediate decline in battery and performance. What really freaked me out, however, was that the MBP stayed on in my bag all day, and when I removed it at home, it was hot to the touch and down to 14% in battery life.

  • Norm S

    Upgraded to Os 10.8.1…no fix for battery issues. I still experience a drastic reduction (about half) in battery life over previous OS X versions. In fact, the rate is about 1% every minute.

  • Alvin

    I also updated the OS X 10.8.1 and like the other posters saw no fix in the degradation of the battery. In fact it has gotten worse. I have a call with the Apple support group tomorrow but i seriously do not know how to fix this and this is making me lose faith in Apple!

  • Philip

    I’ve recently upgraded my 2011 macbook air to mountain lion realizing the horrible battery life. After upgrading to 10.8.1, there was barely any noticeable difference. C’mon Apple make a better fix for this.