Apple Explains Why Your MacBook’s Battery Is Acting Up

Apple has published a document that explains one of several potential reasons why you MacBook computer’s battery is draining faster than anticipated.

The document addresses owners of either one of these systems: MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010).

Customers who have noticed that their battery life seems decreased when certain applications are running, even when "Automatic graphics switching" is enabled, are being told to consider closing OpenGL-based applications when they finish using them.

Cupertino offers a few examples of popular OpenGL applications, such as Google Chrome 13, Firefox 4.x through 6.0, Grab (an Apple-developed application used for capturing screenshots), and some iLife and iWork applications, such as iPhoto, iMovie, and Keynote.