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Apple executive fires back at Consumer Reports on Macbook tests

Posted at 9:01 AM, Dec 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-25 17:35:07-05

After Consumer Reports announced on Thursday that for the first time, it would not give a recommended rating to Apple's new line of MacBook Pro computers, Apple executive Phil Schiller fired back at Consumer Reports with a tweet. 

The exchange led to a number of customers tweeting Schiller with issues similar to those found by Consumer Reports. 

Apple claims its MacBook Pros get up to 10 hours of battery life off a single charge, but Consumer Reports found that might not be entirely true. 

Consumer Reports tested the 2016 line of MacBook Pro laptop computers for their battery life and found numbers varied wildly. 

"In a series of three consecutive tests, the 13-inch model with the Touch Bar ran for 16 hours in the first trial, 12.75 hours in the second, and just 3.75 hours in the third. The 13-inch model without the Touch Bar worked for 19.5 hours in one trial but only 4.5 hours in the next," Consumer Reports said. "And the numbers for the 15-inch laptop ranged from 18.5 down to 8 hours."

Because of these inconsistencies, Consumer Reports used the low end figures to base its rating rather than an average.

Schiller blasted the testing. 

"Working with CR to understand their battery tests. Results do not match our extensive lab tests or field data," he said in a tweet. 

But many customers agreed with Consumer Reports findings.