Following users' reported battery issues with the new MacBook Pro and an update to macOS Sierra that eliminated battery estimates completely comes a report from Bloomberg suggesting that Apple tried -- and failed -- to make a longer-lasting battery for the MacBook Pro.
The report, which cites an anonymous source, says that engineers at Apple wanted to create high-capacity battery packs that were the same shape as the laptop rather than the usual square cells. But the new battery failed "a key test" before its debut this year, and it was axed in favor of an older design in order to make the holiday season. The report says engineers from other teams were pulled in to get the 2016 MacBook Pro done, and other Macs (possibly desktops? The report doesn't say) fell behind.
MORE: MacBook Pro 13-inch (Touch Bar) Review
Other details in the story suggest that the MacBook division is getting left behind for the iPhone. The story suggests that head designer Jony Ive doesn't spend as much time with the Mac team as he does with the phone and tablet teams, and that Apple's software engineering department had been rejiggered in a way that left no dedicated macOS team, but plenty of employees who focus on iOS first and foremost.
It certainly sounds like Apple had some grand plans to make the MacBook Pro stand out beyond the Touch Bar, but the rest of Bloomberg's report suggests that we may not be seeing anything major in terms of the laptop or its OS anytime soon.
