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Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch) User Manual

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Chapter 3

Using Your MacBook Pro

 Turn off AirPort or Bluetooth when they are not in use. (Use the AirPort and Bluetooth

status menus in the menu bar. If these icons don’t appear in the menu bar, you can

turn them on in the Network and Bluetooth panes of System Preferences.)

 Quit open applications that you are not using.

 Remove CD and DVD discs when they are not in use.

 Reduce screen brightness using the brightness controls on the MacBook Pro

keyboard.

 Set the hard disk to spin down after a short time. In the Energy Saver pane of System

Preferences, select the “Put the hard disk to sleep when possible” option.

 Set your MacBook Pro to sleep after inactivity of five minutes or less.

 Your MacBook Pro is preset to automatically reduce its processing speed during

periods of light processing activity when using battery power, thus reducing power

usage. The setting that determines this is the Normal option in the Optimization pop-

up menu of the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences. During periods of high

processing activity, your computer will automatically switch to a higher processing

speed. To conserve the most battery life, choose Better Battery Life from the

Optimization pop-up menu. Be aware that choosing this option may affect your

computer’s performance. To set your computer to use its highest processing speed at

all times, choose Better Performance.

Getting More Information About Your MacBook Pro Battery

Additional information is available in Mac Help. Choose Help > Mac Help and search for

“battery.” You can also find information about extending the life of your battery at

www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html.