A more recent commit has suggested Microsoft is toying with a new system that could detect when a Windows 10 laptop is plugged into AC power or not. In theory, this could allow Chrome to keep a computer’s disk active if it’s charging but limit such activities if it’s unplugged in an effort to preserve battery life.
Discussing the implementation, senior Microsoft software engineer Shawn Pickett stated: “Since the goal is to improve battery life, this scopes the change so that it doesn’t impact scenarios when the device is connected to power.
“The potential disadvantage is that the caching behaviour can now be different depending on whether the device is connected or not.”
It seems Google could soon begin experimenting with Microsoft’s initiative in Chrome. Replying to the post by Pickett, a Google Chrome engineer with the name “Chrome Cunningham” on Chrome Gerrit, said the firm is “hoping to kick-off the experiment soon”.
If successful and released to all Chrome users, it’s possible the browser could function more efficiently on Windows 10 laptops and improve battery life.