To help you get the most out of your Mac, we look at everything. From how OS X works with the hardware to how it works with your apps. The more we look, the more ways we find to increase battery efficiency. And boost performance too. Explore just a few of the advanced technologies that help your Mac work smarter, not harder.
Timer Coalescing groups low-level operations together, creating tiny periods of idle time that allow your CPU to enter a low-power state more often. With its activity reduced, the CPU uses less energy, giving your battery a break too. This happens so fast you won’t notice a thing. And your Mac still gets just as much done just as quickly.
App Nap helps you save power when you’re working with multiple apps at the same time. OS X can tell when an app is completely hidden behind other windows. And if that app isn’t currently doing something for you — playing music, downloading a file or checking email, for example — App Nap conserves valuable battery life by slowing the app down. But as soon as you start to use it again, the app instantly shifts back to full speed. It’s so seamless, you’ll think it had been running that way all along. App Nap works the same way with Safari tabs, so only the visible tab is running at full speed.
How it works: An app enters App Nap when it’s completely hidden from view and not actively working.
Many websites display animations using power-hungry plug-ins that can drain precious battery life. But OS X is watching out for you. The Safari Power Saver feature recognises the difference between what you came to see and the stuff you probably didn’t. If the content is front and centre, it plays as usual. But if it’s off in the margins, Safari Power Saver pauses it. You’ll see a static preview, and it won’t run until you click to play it. So if you don’t want to watch something, it won’t take a toll on your battery life.
OS X improves the energy efficiency of iTunes HD video playback. So go ahead and watch iTunes HD TV programmes and films full screen even when you’re unplugged. The video playback engine takes greater advantage of the efficient graphics hardware in your Mac and reduces the frequency of disk access. Even audio playback is more energy efficient. Altogether, your CPU will use less energy while you’re watching video.
The more memory your Mac has at its disposal, the faster it works. But when you have multiple apps running, your Mac uses more memory. Compressed Memory allows your Mac to free up memory space when you need it most. As your Mac approaches maximum memory capacity, OS X automatically compresses data from inactive apps, making more memory available. Once the memory is compressed, your Mac doesn’t have to waste time continually transferring data back and forth between memory and storage. So it’s able to get more done in less time. And since compressing and decompressing happens almost instantly, the only thing you’ll notice is how responsive everything feels.