Battery

What Automatic Graphics Switching is on your MacBook Pro and how to use it

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 16, 2022

Depending on the model of MacBook Pro you have, you may be able to physically choose whether your computer uses the high-power discreet graphics card for better performance or the low-power integrated graphics chip for better battery life by using an option known as Automatic Graphics Switching.

The feature is only available on MacBook Pros which have two Graphics Processing Units (GPU). The reason it only exists on certain models of the MacBook Pro is not all Macs have dual GPUs. And desktop Macs don’t need this as they don’t rely on batteries and are connected to a power source all the time.

Here's more about Automatic Graphics Switching and how to enable it on your Mac.

Tim Cook says Apple wants to use AI to boost iPhone battery life

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

Apple's boss Tim Cook traveled around Japan on a bullet train last week as part of his whirlwind tour of the country, his first visit since becoming CEO.

Speaking to Nikkei Asian Review, Cook expressed hope that Apple Pay will help realize a cashless society and hinted that the company's new research and development center in Yokohama, near Tokyo, would be “very different” from its Chinese R&D center as it would explore “deep engineering”.

He then said that Apple wants to use artificial intelligence to turbo charge the iPhone battery life.

Battery cases for your new iPhone 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple says the iPhone 7 gets up to two more hours of power over the iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 7 Plus gets an additional hour over its predecessor. But folks wanting true all-day battery life, or erratic all-weekend battery life, are still going to need some help.

That's where battery cases come in. A battery case can double (or more) your iPhone's battery life. There aren't a ton of them available for the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus yet, but we've put together a list of some solid options based on price and customer feedback.

Review: The Kanex GoPower Watch with integrated charger for juicing up your Apple Watch

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 5, 2016

A range of portable battery packs exist for juicing up your Apple Watch when you can’t get near a power outlet for a long-enough time, but not all of them have an integrated charging puck like the GoPower by Kanex does.

Twelve South’s HiRise 2 Deluxe dock looks great with the new iPhone 7

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 29, 2016

Twelve South is at it again, making great accessories for Apple products. The company’s release of the HiRise 2 and HiRise 2 Deluxe charging docks earlier this month brought forth a redesign with new color options and improved stability for larger devices.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the HiRise 2 Deluxe in black, a color made to match Apple’s new black iPhone 7 & 7 Plus finish.

Lithium Ion lets you theme your battery indicator without Winterboard

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 28, 2016

Lithium Ion is a new free jailbreak tweak that provides you with nearly limitless customization of the battery indicator in your Status Bar on any of your jailbroken devices.

With this tweak, you can choose from new colors and themes for the indicator and apply them faster than you can say "done." Plenty of themes are included out of the box that you can pick from and then further customize with different colors depending on your current battery level, and you don't even need Winterboard to do it.

AdaptiveColorPower makes the charge screen indicator match your iPhone’s wallpaper

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 25, 2016

AdaptiveColorPower is a new jailbreak tweak that utilizes the dominant color of your Lock screen's wallpaper to tint the full-screen charging indicator you see whenever you plug your iPhone into a power source.

Turning on Power Reserve mode on your Apple Watch

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 28, 2021

Power Reserve mode is a feature of watchOS that let's you conserve what's left of your battery when you get low on juice by limiting your Apple Watch's functionality to nothing more than a time piece.

Starting with watchOS 3, the steps to enable it has changed, so we'll show you how it's done.

Bloomberg: Note 7 fires result of Samsung’s rush to beat “dull” iPhone 7 to market

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 19, 2016

After they began hearing earlier this year that the iPhone 7 would look just like the previous two models, the top brass at Samsung Electronics, including its mobile chief D.J. Koh, have made the decision to outmaneuver Apple and move up the launch of the Note 7 to early August. In hindsight, it was a risky, ill-fated move that has backfired and damaged Samsung's brand and reputation.

In its desire to beat the “dull” iPhone 7 to market, Samsung pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines which caused problems with the handset's battery, according to a report Monday from Bloomberg citing “people familiar with the matter”.

iOS 10 gains convenient cellular data shortcut with a little help from 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 14, 2016

iOS 10 takes 3D Touch, a pressure sensing technology which debuted a year ago on the iPhone 6s, to plenty new places throughout the operating system. With 3D Touch, you can clear all notifications in one fell swoop, rename folders quickly, prioritize downloads, interact with notifications and more.

You also get useful 3D Touch shortcuts upon pressing app icons in Control Center (sadly, 3D-touching Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles does nothing).

Worse, Control Center continues to inexplicably lack a dedicated cellular data toggle. But worry not, as Apple has found a way to slip in that sought-after cellular data shortcut with a little help from 3D Touch.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both sport larger batteries

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 13, 2016

Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are said to sport higher-capacity internal Lithium-Ion batteries than their predecessors.

No official battery capacity specs are listed on Apple's website, but they do say that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are supposed to get 2 and 1 additional hour(s) of battery life respectively, in what are supposed to be after effects of the new power-sipping A10 Fusion chip combined with the efficient iOS 10 firmware.

On the other hand, a higher-capacity internal battery may also have something to do with it.

Apple Watch Series 2 tech specs

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 8, 2016

The Apple Watch Series 2, which was announced at yesterday's keynote, is Apple's answer to improving on what was already one of the best-selling smartwatches on the market today.

In this piece, we'll recap all the technical specifications of the new Apple Watch lineup.