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News & Opinion
Apple Updates
Tech Trends
News & Opinion
I Now Know Why Someone Would Want a MacBook
Air
So says ZDNet blogger Christopher Dawson, who allows that what he
really wants is an affordable, yet much higher performance, Chrome
notebook. For now a natural fit just might be the MacBook Air (MBA) until OEMs
starting taking off with Chrome OS, but - as usual for him - with Macs
it's that value-for-your-money proposition, although he concedes that
the Chromebook is worthless if it isn't connected to the Net and
suffers from performance- and durability-related shortcomings, while
the MacBook Air's Core 2 Duo processor will blow away Atom processors
any day. The MBA can support 4 GB of RAM, has an awesome keyboard,
extreme durability, excellent portability, above-average notebook
performance, and local storage besides -and that its dated processors
put it at an attainable price point in the
super-portable-but-not-a-netbook category.
Link: I've Now
Discovered Why Someone Would Want a MacBook Air
Café Computing
"Leave the heavy laptop at home and try one of these lightweight
alternatives instead, with or without a latté," says InfoWorld's
Galen Gruman, noting that last weekend he did a double-take when he
spied a prototype Chrome OS laptop being used by a young woman at his
favorite coffee house, noting that the Chromebook is much lighter than
a laptop, while its screen is a larger, more readable size than a
netbook's screen.
Gruman notes that using a Chromebook or other lightweight device -
such as an iPad, Android tablet, or smartphone docked into a dumb
laptop like the Motorola Atrix/Lapdock combo - as a casual "café
computer" makes a lot of sense, noting that when he flies these days,
he sees about as many iPads (and the
occasional Motorola Xoom) as he does MacBooks and PC laptops, with the
tablets having the advantage of fitting comfortably on an airplane
tray, plus, an iPad will easily run for an entire cross-country flight
- and considerably longer.
He also takes a look at how much one can rely on café
computers for "real" work, noting that they can only go so far, but
they perfectly fine for café computing, citing the MacBook Air
as a logical alternative for a users who find that the iPad's "so far"
isn't quite far enough for their needs, with the 11" MacBook Air weighing
weighs just 50% more than an iPad and being not even twice as thick -
albeit at a stiffer price.
Link:
Café Computing: iPads, Atrix Lapdocks, Chromebooks, and MacBook
Airs
Thunderbolt MacBook Pro: The Last Notebook You'll
Ever Need
InfoWorld's Tom Yager says if the new MacBook Pro and its amazing
Thunderbolt don't blow your mind, you're not paying attention, noting
that Apple's MacBook Pro has been the standard-bearer for professional
notebook computers from the outset, with Apple's "go the extra mile"
engineering setting the bar for performance, durability, build quality,
longevity, ergonomics, battery life, and connectivity.
Yager observes that for the past several years, Apple has had only
itself to outdo with each new generation of MacBook Pro, yet it has
still managed to set and advance the pace, such as with its one-piece
machined aluminum frame and dynamic GPU switching, among many unique
and jaw-dropping innovations, and with the new Thunderbolt MacBook Pro,
buyers will realize double, triple, and order-of-magnitude level
improvements that can justify spending $1,799 to $2,499 on a notebook
in a dodgy economy - a brand of magic that can't be (or at least hasn't
been) conjured up by Apple's competitors.
Link: Thunderbolt
MacBook Pro: 'The Last Notebook You'll Ever Need'
The MacBook Pro and Paired Storage
ZDNet blogger David Morgenstern says that one hot topic in data
storage right now is paired storage, the combined use of a hard disk
drive and a solid-state drive (SSD). A third-party upgrade kit, the
OWC
Data Doubler, lets owners of the MacBook Pro give this advanced
storage architecture - not to be confused with hybrid hard drive
technology - a spin by swapping out their optical drive and replacing
it with an SSD.
A hybrid drive integrates flash storage with the primary hard drive
media, while paired storage uses separate flash and hard disk drives,
addressing the lower speed performance associated with using just hard
drives and the lower data storage capacities found in higher-performing
SSDs.
Morgenstern cites a joint report by storage analysts Tom Coughlin
and Jim Handy of Coughlin Associates and Objective Analysis entitled
"HDDs and Flash Memory: A Marriage of
Convenience" (PDF), noting that according to the authors'
projections, the paired storage market will grow to 328 million units
by 2016 AND be found in 53% of desktop computers and 25% of notebooks.
The emergence of a new category of "fat tablets" that will also
incorporate paired storage.
Link: MacBook Pro and
the Latest Innovation: Paired Storage
How to Activate TRIM on Any SSD
Hardmac's Guy reports that they were able to activate the TRIM
command on an OCZ-Vertex SSD, thanks to a Hardmac member reporting a
solution discovered by German and/or Russian Mac users.
To activate the command, you'll need a hex editor such as 0XED,
HexEdit, and others, some of them freeware.
You will also need to review the activation of TRIM on an APPLE SSD,
because the procedure is essentially the same, with the necessary
addition being is the modification of the extension identifying the
disk and thus allowing TRIM or not: IOAHCIFamily.kext version 2.05.
If you don't have a 2011 MacBook Pro, you'll need to download that
version of the extension following the link in the news about the APPLE
SSD. With the 2011 MacBook Pro, you'll find it in the extension
folder.
Link: How to Activate
TRIM on Any SSD
Very Powerful USB Ports on 2011 MacBook Pro
Hardmac's Lionel reports that peripheral device bus-powering through
USB is usually limited to 500 mA at 5V, a minimum required by in order
provide 1 A of power for it external SuperDrive, an external hard
drive, or to recharge an iPhone.
Citing
a 9 to 5 Mac report, he notes that Apple has gone even farther with
the 2011 MacBook Pro, making a total of 2.1 A available. It may
soon be possible to power a 3.5" external drive from a USB port.
Link: Powerful USB Ports
on the 2011 MacBook Pro
Does Your 2011 MacBook Pro Literally Rock?
Hardmac's Lionel notes that some 2011 MacBook Pro users have noticed
that their laptop is a little "unsteady" when resting on flat surfaces
- not a whole lot, but enough unevenness to be able slide a sheet of
paper under one corner.
Lionel says that the problem is not case warpage, but rather
assembly of the bottom panel, and that according to Apple (and
confirmed by Hardmac's own tests), the remedy is to remove all ten
screws securing the panel and then align and refasten the panel
carefully, making an effort to torque all ten screws as evenly as you
can.
Link: If Your 2011
MacBook Pro Is a Little Unsteady
60W MagSafe Power Adapter Shortage
Hardmac's Lionel reports that Apple has informed its retail partners
that multipacks of 60W MagSafe power adapters, the model that ships
with the 13" MacBook Pro, are will not be available until further
notice, with dealers only able to order single adapters.
Normally Apple offers authorized dealers packs of five or 20 units
of MagSafe adapters. Packs of 85W adapters for the 15" and 17" MacBook
Pro and 45W units for the MacBook Air remain available.
Lionel speculates that the shortage is likely due to the sales
success of the 13" MacBook Pro, with Apple diverting the bulk of 60W
MagSafe production to manufacturing plants assembling those
laptops.
For anyone needing a replacement MagSafe adapter and finding them
backordered, note that it is perfectly okay to substitute an 85W unit
in place of a 60-watter (or, for that matter, a 60W instead of a 45W).
Arguably, a more powerful than necessary power adapter could last
longer, because it will never be stressed to its full capacity in use.
It's not recommended to use a lower-wattage power adapter with a laptop
(although my wife has been getting away with using an iBook adapter
with her 17" PowerBook for several years now).
Another word to the wise: Frequently coiling and uncoiling the
MagSafe adapter's cable will accelerate fatigue, so it's preferable to
just stuff it loosely in your computer bag or case when mobile, or even
better - have one adapter dedicated to your home or office workstation
and another for road warrioring.
Link: Shortage of
MagSafe 60W Power Adapters Reported
Apple Updates
Mac OS X v10.6.7 Supplemental Update for 13" Late
2010 MacBook Air
The Mac OS X v10.6.7 Supplemental Update for 13" MacBook Air (Late 2010)
addresses an issue that makes the system unresponsive when using iTunes
and is recommended for all 13" MacBook Air (Late 2010) users running
Mac OS X v10.6.7.
Link: Mac
OS X v10.6.7 Supplemental Update for 13" MacBook Air (Late
2010)
Early 2011 MacBook Pro: Spotlight Indexing Makes
the Cooling Fans Run Harder
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says:
Sometimes you may notice your computer's fans may run on high after
you perform a data migration from another computer and Spotlight begins
to index your hard drive.
Products Affected: MacBook Pro (17-inch,
Early 2011), MacBook Pro (15-inch,
Early 2011), MacBook Pro (13-inch,
Early 2011)
Resolution
After you complete your data migration, Spotlight automatically
indexes the contents of your hard drive. This activity may increase the
CPU utilization and your computer may become warm. Your computer's fans
should turn on and run to cool your computer. After Spotlight completes
its index, the computer and its fans should return to a normal idle
state if no other applications are open. After a file has been indexed,
Spotlight updates the index only if that file is modified.
To confirm Spotlight is indexing:
- Click the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner of your
display If your computer is indexing, a message and a progress bar will
appear. The magnifying glass will also have a tiny dot in the
middle.
You can also prevent Spotlight from indexing certain folders.
Open System Preferences and select Spotlight. (From the Apple ()
menu, choose System Preferences, then choose Spotlight from the View
menu.)
Under Privacy, add specific files to exclude from the indexing
process. Note: Although you can exclude your entire hard drive this
way, doing so may prevent search features in applications from
functioning properly.
Link: MacBook Pro (Early 2011):
Spotlight Indexing Makes the Fans Run Faster
Tech Trends
Vendors to Ship Chrome OS Notebooks in Bulk in
2011
DigiTimes' Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai report that first-tier
notebook vendors - including Acer, Asustek Computer, Sony, and Samsung
Electronics - are set to launch Chrome OS-based notebooks featuring
Intel or Nvidia processors, 10" to 12" screens, and Chrome OS or
dual-OS support, with mass shipments to start in the second half of
2011. Machines may be showcased at Computex Taipei 2011, according to
sources from notebook makers who also note that Acer and Asustek's
Chrome OS or dual-OS notebooks will have a chance to see prices below
US$300 to separate them from the tablet PC market.
Link: Vendors to Mass
Ship Chrome OS Notebooks in 2H11 (subscription required)
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