Some say virtualization the obvious culprit, others quick to blame Apple drivers
Computerworld - Users running Windows on Apple Inc.'s Intel-based MacBook laptops have long complained about how quickly they find themselves running on empty.
"Whenever I am using Fusion [with XP] my battery life is substantially cut," wrote one typical MacBook owner last fall on the support forum for VMware Inc.'s virtualization software. "On a max charge, I am lucky if I can get an hour and 45 minutes compared to about roughly 4 hours without using Fusion."
That's not surprising. Virtualization software performs the extremely CPU-taxing task of simulating an entire PC environment to get Windows to run. This generates heat that must be dissipated by the MacBook's fan, which drains the battery even faster.
More: http://computerworld.com/s/article/9136310/
Computerworld - Users running Windows on Apple Inc.'s Intel-based MacBook laptops have long complained about how quickly they find themselves running on empty.
"Whenever I am using Fusion [with XP] my battery life is substantially cut," wrote one typical MacBook owner last fall on the support forum for VMware Inc.'s virtualization software. "On a max charge, I am lucky if I can get an hour and 45 minutes compared to about roughly 4 hours without using Fusion."
That's not surprising. Virtualization software performs the extremely CPU-taxing task of simulating an entire PC environment to get Windows to run. This generates heat that must be dissipated by the MacBook's fan, which drains the battery even faster.
More: http://computerworld.com/s/article/9136310/