MacBook Air battery gauge - lack of one

[trance2]

I have been using Apple laptops for a long while and I have always loved the fact they have a little button to quickly see how much battery you have. It makes a big difference in just picking up the laptop and dashing out the door for the day; and do I need to pack the charger or not?

Well I picked up the MacBook Air to be just that laptop to take on quick trips and the like. I really don't like the fact that Apple neglected to include a battery gauge button on the Air. Grant it the battery isn't removable but the end-user would love to have this feature, a feature that is available on even the standard starter MacBook.

Just a rant and nothing more... happy computing!!!

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I don't see it as a problem as you can set the battery icon in the menu bar to show either the percentage of battery life or time left on the current charge. not sure what you mean by button, but this works perfectly fine for me.

 

[iToaster]

I don't see it as a problem as you can set the battery icon in the menu bar to show either the percentage of battery life or time left on the current charge. not sure what you mean by button, but this works perfectly fine for me.

Removable Apple batteries have a button on them and 5 LEDs that light up respective to the charge level of the battery (convenient when you don't want to turn on the computer). As for on the MBA, I can't see where Apple would have put it without making it a pain for the user... maybe the thin sleep light could light up proportionally... I dunno, but whatever the case, the MBA can't do that.

 

[AC Rempt]

I was just whining about this yesterday! I sometimes leave my Air for a day or two, and I want to know if I need to plug it in, or can I just open it up and get to work without having to find a nearby outlet.

It's one of the very few things I don't like about the Air, but it's still one of my all-time favorite Macs (and this after 14 years of Mac ownership).

 

[umgolfer]

Haha. I was just complaining to my wife about this. She looked at me weird, but I am glad someone else was annoyed by the lack of the visual gage on the bottom. It was convenient to see the charge from the outside. I guess I got used it to it in the previous 9 Apple laptops that all had it. Oh well minor problem in an otherwise outstanding machine.

 

[Piarco]

Despite years of PB and MBP/MB use, it's never even entered into my head that my MBA doesn't have a battery gauge, even though I thought it was a cool thing to have!
Guess its of more use to those with multiple batteries to see how the charge is holding, so not of major import on the MBA...