It’d be a pretty poor laptop that didn’t tell you how much juice you’ve got left, but Snow Leopard will do you one better on a MacBook, with the new version of OS X telling you what state your battery is in the long term too, so you’ll know when it’s time for a replacement.
Laptop longevity declines with charges, and while the latest MacBooks will keep most of their maximum charge for a good long while (Apple claims 1,000 cycles, which is 3 years of daily use), it’s still useful to know how the old battery is faring, especially if you work out and about for long lengths of time. Snow Leopard lets you do just that, with a click of the battery icon showing its status with a one word description (for example “Poor”) and an exclamation mark.
Snow Leopard shown off at WWDC
It’s a nice touch in Snow Leopard considering irremovable batteries are now the standard in the MacBook range, although the cynical might take it as a way to encourage you to pay Apple for the charge for a battery switch over. Us though? We reckon Snow Leopard’s stunningly low upgrade price will leave few grumbling.
Out September | £TBC | Apple (Via AppleInsider)
