Windows Vista delivers some pretty snazzy new graphics, but all that "wow" can be a real drain.
With the new version of Windows, Microsoft has created an operating system that offers advances in many areas, but laptop battery life is not one of them. Going by internal tests at one hardware maker, which declined to be named, there is noticeably lower battery life when Vista runs in its "average power" mode.
What's new:
Laptops running the Windows Vista beta version, with its snazzy graphic features, have lower battery life than with XP, Microsoft has acknowledged.
Bottom line:
Any drop in battery life is a blow to PC makers, which have found it a struggle to boost battery juice, even as they've made other advances.
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Microsoft has said that the current versions of the update deliver less battery life than Windows XP, but the company has also said it hopes to close the gap in the coming months.
One of Vista's most visible changes is its Aero interface, which offers spiffier graphics when people navigate through the operating system. Its advanced Aero Glass effects include translucent windows and animated transitions, as well as the ability to move between windows and documents by selecting from miniature versions of those items.
"Doing all of those wonderful things that (the Aero Glass effect) allows, you are going to end up burning more milliwatts," said chip analyst Nathan Brookwood.
Even so, any lowering in battery life is a blow to the rest of the PC industry. Manufacturers have found it a struggle to boost the battery life of notebook computers, even as they've made easy advances in other areas, such as disk space and processor performance.
"Just when they thought they were getting closer, now they are further away," Brookwood said. Several hardware makers contacted by CNET News.com declined to comment.
Microsoft acknowledged that Vista's more intense graphics do cause a hit to battery life.
"The Windows Vista Aero theme and components which implement it can use more resources than previous versions of the operating system," Microsoft product manager Mike Burk said in a statement.
The company said it is working with PC makers to ensure that systems are better able to handle the change. "As a result, the impact on battery life is small," Burk said. However, the company would not say how it might solve the battery woes.
