Long-time Kibbles readers might know that I’m kind of an electricity/power/engineering buff. I’ve written articles for Kibbles before about solar power, batteries and other power generation techniques. It’s easy to focus on power generation because it’s flashy, techy, and seems like the go-to place if you’re trying to use power that’s greener. We often forget about the less sexy side of the electricity use cycle: consumption.
Fortunately, Apple hasn’t forgotten about the consumption side. When everyone else was drooling over the multitasking, Siri, and app improvements in iOS 9, I was combing over the notes about improved battery life (by 1 whole hour!) and low power modes. We all seem to have a good understanding and appreciation of power consumption on our battery-based devices because it means we can use them for longer without being interrupted for charging. That’s a good thing because with iOS 9 providing even more capability we’ll probably be using them for longer.
What you may not know though is that Apple’s entire product line strives to be power efficient. One of the big selling points of the Macbook Air over the 13” Macbook Pro for me was the lightness and extremely low power consumption. I hoped to be able to run and charge it using my small 50-watt PV power station. I can happily report that thanks to the efficiency and low power consumption, I am able to do that for most of the year.
For you, dear Kibbles readers, I have taken to our showroom with a notepad and my Kill-a-Watt meter to report some other power consumption readings of various Apple devices that I don’t own personally.
Coming in at the very lowest end are the iPhones and iPads. My iPad Air (first generation) charges effortlessly with my power station. The iPads use a 10-watt plug which basically means it’ll deliver up to 10 watts to the device (5 volts at 2 amps DC in the case of USB powered tablets). The AC to DC conversion is very efficient and can be virtually discounted from calculations. A 10-watt charger will never draw more than a little over 10 watts from the wall.
Next up we have the new 12” Macbook. For what is effectively a full desktop machine (it runs the full latest version of OS X, not iOS) the Macbook is extremely stingy with its power consumption. Fully charged and idling, it consumes only 6 watts. When active it spikes consumption to somewhere in the 8-20 watt range. Powered by a 29-watt USB-C adapter, it’ll never draw more than that from the wall. Maximum draw will be during charging.
After the Macbook, we step to my realm with the 11” and 13” Macbook Airs. The 13” consumes only 8 watts at idle. Since I use my Air with my power system, I calculate run times based off a 1-2 amp draw on my battery. With a 42-amp hour battery, that’s a long run time. The 11” air will consume slightly less, but the only difference is in the screen size and power required to light it as all the hardware is the same. Macbook Airs come with 45-watt chargers, and so will not consume more than that. Maximum draw will again be during charging.
The amazing thing though is that even when you move to the 13” and 15” Macbook Pros, power consumption is still remarkably low. I read the 15” Macbook Pro at 18 watts during idle and around 30 watts during activity. The 13” Macbook Pro was the same at about 30 watts during activity, but came in slightly lower at 12 watts while idling. Again, the hardware is the same, so the only difference is in power required to light a bigger screen. Macbook Pros come with either a 60 or 85-watt charger, and once again, they will not consume more than that from the wall. Maximum draw will be during charging.
I wasn’t able to test Apple’s non-portables, but I know for a fact (we use them in our server room) that Mac minis are about as good on power as Macbook Airs. They use similar hardware. The latest Mac minis can park themselves comfortably down in the 10 watt range if they’re not doing too much work.
A very new addition to my home tech collection is a 3rd generation Apple TV (yes, I know, why didn’t I just wait for the new one?). Actually, I got it because I liked the price and because it has optical audio output. With the new Apple TV, I’d need to split the audio signal from the HDMI somehow. Anyway one of the first things I did was test the power consumption of the Apple TV. 1-2 watts at the wall. That’s it. So basically I just leave it plugged into my PV power strip and plan to only ever power it using my generated solar power.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this very brief rundown of power efficiency and consumption among Apple’s devices. Even if you don’t generate your own power like I do, choosing a power efficient device can mean a lot of cost savings in electricity bills, especially if you use the device a lot. For a detailed environment report for each Apple device, visit Apple’s Environment Reports page.