Consumer Reports Does Not Recommend The New 2016 Apple MacBook Pro, Battery Issues Being Blamed

First showcased back in October, the new 2016 Apple MacBook Pro models have been around for some time now. Apple continues to maintain that the new MacBook Pro lineup is still doing pretty good as far as overall sales are concerned. However, ever since its launch, many people, including some of the most ardent Apple fans out there have openly criticized the MacBook Pro.

Battery issues with the new machines have been one of the major reasons for the flak it has been receiving over the past few weeks. This is of course, apart from the other major issues like the abrupt move to USB Type-C ports, complete removal of the legacy USB ports as well as the MagSafe connector, and lastly, the absence of a micro SD card reader – which is a big downer for photographers who were looking to “upgrade” to the new machines. In fact, many people now dread the prospect of owning the MacBook Pro since they would also have to invest in a plethora of dongles – just to ensure that all their older hardware can continue to work with the new machines.

To add to Apple’s woes, a new report by Consumer Reports clearly says that they do not recommend consumers invest their money in buying any of the new MacBook Pro models. In fact, this is the first time since the introduction of the original MacBook Pro back in 2006 that the product has failed to win a Consumer Reports stamp of approval. According to the Consumer Reports article, while the new 2016 MacBook Pro models impressed the reviewers with its great display, build quality and performance, the product let them down with its inconsistent battery performance.

For the first time ever, Consumer Reports does not recommend the new MacBook Pro https://t.co/ChDBDbpEsr

— David Papp (@DavidPapp) December 23, 2016

Another reason for Consumer Reports to not recommend the new MacBook Pros models is the fact that several complaints about the battery performance of the machines have been popping up online ever since the first of the laptops went on sale back in November. The main bone of contention with regards to the MacBook Pro battery life is the fact that none of the new laptops have been able to deliver the claimed 10 hours of battery life that Apple had advertised at the time of the product announcement. In fact, some people have posted online saying that their laptop’s battery barely last 3 or 4 hours – nowhere close to the claimed 10-hour battery life.

Another thing that Consumer Reports noted was the bizarre inconsistency in battery life showcased by the machines under the same circumstances. In one example, they tested the 13-inch model with the touch bar and in the first trial, the battery ran for 16 hours. In the second test, it ran for 12.75 hours while in the third, it only lasted 3.75 hours. Another model, this one without the touch bar, worked for 19.5 hours on the first test, while only lasting 4.5 hours in the second test. The same pattern was noticed across other models as well.

Typically, there should not be more than five percent variance in results when you are doing the same tests, under the same circumstances on the same machine. In fact, it became impossible for Consumer Reports to calculate an average battery life score for any of the new MacBook Pro models. This is one of the main reasons that the new MacBook Pros failed to meet their standards for recommended models.

Consumer Reports also notes that this, coming from an Apple product is very rare and once again reiterated that Apple products have had a history of scoring well on almost all parameters. The same, however, cannot be said about the new 2016 MacBook Pros.

Were you by any chance looking to upgrade to the the new, 2016 MacBook Pro versions? If your answer was yes, you might want to wait a while and see if these issues are fixed before you invest your hard earned money on these machines.

[Featured image by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Images]