Apple releases macOS update for 2016 MacBook Pro, which removes “battery remaining” readout, fixes graphics problems, more
Chris Liscio: — The combination … Tyler Lee / Ubergizmo : macOS 10.12.2 Update Remove ‘Time Remaining’ Battery Indicator John Gruber / Daring Fireball : MacOS Sierra 10.12.2 Release Notes Denisse Moreno / International Business Times : macOS Sierra 10.12. 2 Update Removes Battery Life Indicator On MacBook Pro Andrew E. Freedman / Laptop Mag : Facing Criticism, Apple Axes Battery Estimate from MacBook Pro Christian Zibreg / iDownloadBlog.com : Here's why macOS Sierra 10.12.2 removes your battery's estimated time remaining Evan Selleck / iPhone Hacks : macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Removes ‘Time Remaining’ Battery Life Notice William White / InvestorPlace : Tuesday Apple Rumors: AirPods Are Finally On the Way Tweets: Rob Griffiths / @rgriff : macOS Sierra 10.12.2— at 1.94GB—is the largest non-combo update ever. [And my blog post post is 11 years old today!] http://robservatory.com/... Fenno / @fennobear : “Should we fix the battery issue?” “Nah, just get rid of the estimate.” “But peop-” “Just do it.” http://twitter.com/... Jeremy Bowers / @jeremybowers : Because “1 hour and 6 minutes” was pretty embarrassing. http://twitter.com/... Justin Tse / @jtechapple : Why is everyone freaking out, it's not like it was ever remotely accurate http://twitter.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
The 2016 MacBook Pro's debut was dogged by complaints about real-world battery life, and this update is Apple's response — but instead of extending runtime, macOS Sierra 10.12.2 takes away the number users were watching. It lands months after Apple had already conceded a related trust problem, acknowledging an inaccurate battery meter bug on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
The removal also fits a longer Apple pattern of deciding which hardware metrics deserve screen space at all: the company later stripped the battery percentage from notched iPhones and only brought it back as an option in iOS 16 beta 5. The Sierra release notes themselves frame it as one fix among several, alongside graphics corrections for the new laptops.
First-order effects
- Owners of the 2016 MacBook Pro lose the estimated time-remaining readout entirely, gaining graphics stability fixes in exchange — the estimate is gone rather than made more accurate.
Second-order effects
- Reviewers and buyers lose a standardized on-screen figure for comparing the new MacBook Pro's endurance against rivals' laptops, shifting battery comparisons to third-party tests where Apple doesn't control the readout.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Apple treats system readouts as brand surface to be curated — hiding estimates when they're unflattering and restoring them only when design allows — rather than as neutral telemetry owed to users.
The trend: Apple is steadily asserting control over which hardware performance numbers are visible to users, removing or restoring readouts based on how they reflect on the product rather than on measurement value.