Laptop users are being warned of the impact that new
operating systems may have on their
PCs battery life.
Laptop Mag have conducted a series of battery tests comparing
notebooks which use
Microsoft Windows 7 to those using the older
XP version of Windows. The findings confirmed that those using
Windows 7 would have a shorter
battery life than older models – a perhaps unsurprising given the additional capabilities of Microsoft’s new operating system.
The investigation tested an
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
netbook, an ION-powered
HP Mini 311 and a
Toshiba NB205. Battery life was measured while the
netbooks were continuously using wireless
internet, and all three small
laptops had a longer battery life when using XP. The smallest difference was found on the Toshiba, which gained an extra 33 minutes by using XP, whereas the HP enjoyed an extra 51 minutes and the Asus a hefty 57 minutes. The Toshiba netbook was found to have a much longer battery life, lasting for 9 minutes and 24 seconds on XP – nearly four hours longer than either of its rivals.
The findings raise questions as to the usefulness of Windows 7 on netbooks.