Darker Me

Laptops score big numbers because they’re tested with screens dimmed to 20 to 30 percent of full brightness, the Wi-Fi turned off and the main processor chip running at 7.5 percent of capacity—just like those cars idling downhill. Techies and industry insiders have long known that official battery-life claims are pretty much worthless. But regular folks don’t. As a result, some are getting pushed toward pricier machines by sales reps who tell them they’ll get an extra hour of battery life. Those customers may be paying a premium and getting nothing. “There’s only three endings to this story,” says Patrick Moorhead, a marketing vice president at AMD. “Either the industry regulates itself, or the FTC steps in and regulates us, or we get hit with a class-action lawsuit. I suggest the industry go with the first option.

-

Daniel Lyons, Why your laptop runs out of juice so fast.

This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Hat tip to @chrisdimare for posting the link.

(via soupsoup)

(via mikehudack)