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Touchbar MacBook Pro not Rated for Colder than 50°F — Serious Design Flaw for Active Users?
I’ve had my iPhone act dead when I camp overnight in the mountains (unresponsive or dead battery indicator). I put it into my pocket or in the airflow of a heater vent, and it comes back to life.
Update: my assumptions were wrong: even the 2015 MacBook Pro specifications state 50° to 95°F as well as the 2013 MacBook Pro specifications— same as the 2016 models. But it is also rated for humidity of 90% or less... I don’t know how any New Yorker or Bostonite can use a Mac in the summer!
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What about the Macbook Pro? My trusty 2013 MacBook Pro served me over three years, including in conditions down to 0°F (32 degrees F below freezing) as well as many an enjoyable snowstorm. I now have a brand-new 2015 MacBook Pro, opting for that instead of the flawed and already out of date late 2016 MacBook Pro.
Over at blog.MacSales.com there are some good tips in Tech Tip: Keep Your Electronics Warm During Cold Weather: TEST
Not Sure If It’s Too Cold? Check the Specs
One final word of caution. If you’re not sure whether your device will work outside in cold weather, check the manufacturer specifications. Most specs include minimum and maximum temperatures both for storage and for use, and as long as you keep those limits in mind while either storing or using your device, you should be able to prevent damage.
The new 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, for example, can be stored in temperatures from -13° to 113°F (-25 to °C), but only used in temperatures between 50° to 95°F (10° to 35°C). An iPhone 7 or 7 Plus can operate in a wider range — 32° to 95°F (0 to 35°C), and can withstand non-operating temperatures between -4° and 113°F (-20° to 45°C).
As I often travel in the mountains where temperatures frequently approach 32°F (and often drop into the teens), the 50°F minimum temperature specification is a bad joke. Basically, most of the year and most of the time I’m in the mountains, the MacBook Pro technically is inoperable, according to Apple. But here’s the thing: once the MBP is warmed up, its internal temperature is much warmer, and it should be fine. So once I heat up the cabin of the SUV, I’m good. Still, it’s hardly instant.
Fortunately most of the time I am working in my SUV when on my laptop, so I can warm it up given a little patience (running the engine and sealing the cabin).
See also:
- Another “Going Back” Review of the 2016 MacBook Pro
- 2016 MacBook Pro: Siri Icon on the Touchbar is Driving me Crazy
- 2016 MacBook Pro (all)
Canon EOS 5DS R + Zeiss Milvus 100mm f/2M
[low-res image for bot]
Dana M writes:
My suspicion is that the operating temperature range is mostly noted for the battery. The polymer batteries that Apple uses in all their devices fail within minutes in the bitter cold.
We routinely use all versions of the MacBook Pro at temps from -10˚ to 30˚ F as long as they are plugged into power source (usually a generator or lead acid car battery). I know, I know… not always available for everyone especially when using a computer designed for portability. Also, when in the cold, I keep a hand warmer rubber banded to my iPhone in the cold and it works as well as on a 72˚F sunny day (hand warmer goes on the backside of the phone against the battery).
MPG: that makes sense. On the other hand my Lupine batteries work fine in extreme cold, and for the Iditarod.
