Report claims Apple gave up on new battery tech at the very last minute due to problems experienced during testing stage

Dec 20, 2016 17:00 GMT  ·  By

​Early reviews of the new Apple MacBook’s battery life have been mostly negative, with the majority of people claiming that the new generation offers substantially lower battery performance compared to its predecessor despite Apple’s promises.

And according to a report from Bloomberg, there is a very good reason this is happening. It appears that Apple planned to equip the new MacBook with a completely new battery technology, but due to issues experienced during the testing stage, the company decided to give up on it at the very last minute.

Lighter battery packs

Specifically, Apple wanted to use several lighter battery packs that were shaped to the insides of the laptop, with the company thus trying to kill two birds with one stone: reduce the overall weight of the device and, at the same time, offer longer battery life because of the number of battery packs installed underneath the case.

However, the company experienced problems when testing the new technology, so it decided to replace it with an old-style battery pack that features an older design. As a result, the laptop is heavier than Apple originally wanted, while also offering lower than expected battery performance.

Apple didn’t want to delay the debut of the new MacBook and continue working on a longer-lasting battery for the laptop because it wanted the device to arrive in time for the holiday season, which typically generates very strong sales for the company.

Apple losing the cool factor

And the battery wasn’t Apple’s only problem. Several engineers working within the Mac unit decided to leave the company, some of them criticizing the company’s vision and explaining that the MacBook Pro lacks the cool factor, while others keep innovating.

Microsoft, which is one of Apple’s biggest rivals, is aggressively investing in the hardware industry with new devices included in the Surface series. The Surface Book, which is Microsoft’s alternative to the Apple MacBook Pro, comes with Windows 10 and features hardware such as a detachable touchscreen and support for pen.

Apple has also been strongly criticized by its own staff for sticking with a traditional approach for the MacBook which no longer seems to work. Many believe that the decline of the MacBook could have a bigger impact on Apple, as it can break down the company’s ecosystem and spread across the entire device lineup, including on the iPhone.

In the meantime, Apple keeps praising its hardware with every occasion and is now promising further upgrades for the desktop lineup as well. The iMac is expected to be overhauled next year, but with Microsoft investing here as well, it’ll be hard for Apple to stay relevant without dramatic upgrades.