Apple Support Communities threads are filling with reports from a number of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air owners who are complaining of battery performance issues since updating their machines to OS X Mountain Lion. Some are reporting their battery life has dropped to less than half of what it was before the Mountain Lion install.
Since the first complaints surfaced in an Apple Support Communities thread started on July 25, the day Mountain Lion launched, the number of reportedly affected MacBook Pro and MacBook Air owners has grown to the point where Apple has supposedly initiated an investigation. As of this writing the thread, titled “Battery life dropped considerably on Mountain Lion” now stands at 15 pages.
Most users are reporting a drop of one to two hours in their battery life, some though, are complaining that their battery performance has dropped to less than half of what it previously was, with machines only being capable of staying on for a little over two hours.
Users are reporting high CPU temperatures even if the machine is at idle, while others are seeing the battery drain while the computer is asleep.
Various methods to resolve the problem are being tried by users affected by the problem, with no universal remedy being found. Users have tried re-installing the software, turning off some of Mountain Lion’s new features, and even resetting the machine’s system management controller. The battery issue seems to crop up again after continued use.
Apple has taken notice of the reports, and one community member reports that the company has sent out a questionnaire on Friday in an attempt to pinpoint the problem.
