To help you get the most out of your Mac, we looked at everything. From how OS X works with the hardware to how it works with your apps. The closer we looked, the more ways we found to increase battery efficiency. And boost performance too. Take a look at just a few of the advanced technologies that help your Mac work smarter, not harder.
- 2 seconds
- Idle
- 1 minute
In OS X Mavericks, 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 up to 72 per cent, 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.1
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. With App Nap, CPU energy use can be reduced by up to 23 per cent.1
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 Mavericks is watching out for you. The new 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. With Safari Power Saver, when you’re browsing websites with plug-in content, your CPU will use up to 35 per cent less power.2
OS X Mavericks 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 up to 35 per cent less energy while you’re watching video.3
- Inactive
- Active
- Inactive
- Active
- Free Space
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. With OS X Mavericks, 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.
- OS X Mavericks
- 1.4x faster
- OS X Mountain Lion
- Baseline
- OS X Mavericks
- 1.5x faster
- OS X Mountain Lion
- Baseline
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. Especially when you’re doing everything at once.