Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
To set the number of minutes MacBook Air waits before putting an idle hard drive to sleep, choose Finder →Applica-
tions →Utilities →Terminal to open a new Terminal session. Type sudo pmset disksleep
minutes
(where
minutes
is the
number of idle minutes MacBook Air waits before putting the hard drive to sleep). To put the hard drive to sleep after
60 idle minutes, you'd type sudo pmset disksleep 60. Note that you must type your MacBook Air administrative pass-
word to put this command into effect.
More ways to save energy
Even with the energy settings optimized for longer battery life, you can still do a few other things to keep
MacBook Air running longer. Generally, this means turning off or closing anything you don't need while run-
ning on battery power. Here are some suggestions:
Quit any unneeded applications.
Running programs may still use up some processor cycles, even when
you're not actively using them. For example, your e-mail program may check for new messages every so often.
To avoid these power drains, you should shut down any application unnecessary for your work.
Minimize your tasks.
Avoid secondary chores, such as checking for software updates and organizing your
iTunes library. If your only goal is to finish your presentation, stick to that until it's done (given that you don't
know how much time you'll have).
Sleep MacBook Air by hand, if necessary.
If you get interrupted — for example, the in-flight meal arrives
— don't wait for MacBook Air to put itself to sleep, because those few minutes will use up precious battery
time. Instead, put MacBook Air to sleep manually right away by either closing the lid or choosing Apple
→Sleep (you can also press Option+ +Eject).
Disconnect any devices you don't need.
Even an unused device can drain battery power, so if you have
anything connected to a MacBook Air USB port, disconnect it.
If you have an external DVD drive connected to MacBook Air, eject the disc.
Even if you don't use the
disc, the DVD drive still occasionally spins up to read something from it, which drains battery power. Eject the
disc or, better yet, disconnect the external DVD drive if you don't need it.
Turn off AirPort if you don't need it.
When AirPort is on, it regularly checks for available wireless net-
works, which drains the battery. If you don't need to connect to a wireless network, turn off AirPort to conserve
energy. Click the AirPort status icon in the menu bar and then click Turn AirPort Off. If the AirPort status icon
isn't displayed, open System Preferences and click Network. Click AirPort and then click Turn AirPort Off.
Turn off Bluetooth if you don't need it.
When Bluetooth is running, it constantly checks for nearby
Bluetooth devices and this drains the battery. If you aren't using any Bluetooth devices, turn off Bluetooth to
save energy. Click the Bluetooth status icon in the menu bar and then click Turn Bluetooth Off. If the Bluetooth
status icon isn't displayed, open System Preferences and click Bluetooth. Then deselect the On check box.
Use simple applications to accomplish simple tasks.
For example, if you're just typing a to-do list, you
don't need to fire up Microsoft Word — use TextEdit instead.
Cycling the MacBook Air Battery
