A few years ago, Apple introduced a life-saving feature to many iPhones and iPad users around the world, especially those who like to, say, live dangerously and / or away from power outlets.
O Low Power Mode (Low power mode) turn off some connectivity options on the device and have the processor lower the ball to give you those extra minutes you need to call an Uber, check information or even roll some more tweets on your device. But be that the Macs also deserve something like that?
That's the idea of ​​the developer Marco Arment, who wrote an article on his blog with several very convincing arguments talking about such a possibility.
According to Arment, a macOS Low Power Mode would work on some fronts: it would turn off the dedicated GPU on models equipped with one (except for tasks where they are needed, such as connecting to an external monitor), pausing synchronization / photo analysis and Spotlight indexing would reduce the frequency of backups and would not install or download updates or content from iTunes and the App Store. In addition, third-party applications could detect when the mode was active, thereby reducing its background activity for essential tasks only.
The most important point of the possible tool, however, would be the machine's own processor: a self-respecting Low Power Mode on the Mac would have to, according to Arment, turn off the mode. Turbo boost Intel chips and reduce their maximum power. Using the Volta application, the developer did some testing with his Macs, recording battery time with the processor running normally or with performance restrictions.
See the results:
Obviously, the restrictions make your Mac run slower just by looking at the last column of the tables above how long it took Macs in each scenario to run a particular one. script used by Arment. Still, the developer stated that this would be a swap he would happily make at times of low battery and no power outlets nearby and I believe many would agree with him.
While Apple is not introducing a solution of its own (if it ever does, someday), Arment recommended that users worried about their batteries use the Turbo Boost Switcher Pro app, which turns off peak performance on Intel processors to save money. those very important battery tithes for the next few hours of work.
And you: would you use such a feature? Is there a real need? Leave your opinions below.
via MacStories
