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News & Opinion
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News & Opinion
Why Don't Laptops Have USB 3.0?
Cnet's Brooke Crothers says he's been asking himself a lot lately
why his laptop doesn't have USB 3.0, observing that there should be a
USB 3.0 port on his 2010
MacBook Air, but there isn't - and it's not necessarily Apple's
fault, since none of his Windows laptops have USB 3.0 ports either.
Nor, for that matter do, the the laptops purchased recently by his
business acquaintances.
So what's the holdup? Crothers says he finds the various
explanations and excuses made by industry spokespersons lame, noting
that they don't change the fact that devices he uses demand a faster
USB interface - now (or in fact yesterday), and that Intel/Apple's
Thunderbolt, as promising as it sounds, does nothing for consumers
today.
In the end, Crothers points the finger at Intel, since its chipsets
power the bulk of the worlds PCs, and those chipsets don't yet support
USB 3.0.
Editor's note: I can identify, having been on a Late 2008 Unibody MacBook for
the last two-plus years that has no high-speed I/O interface at all.
Sorry, but USB 2.0 is a poor excuse for one. cm
Link: Why Doesn't My
Laptop Have USB 3.0?
O'Grady's Wish List for the 2011 MacBook Air
ZDNet's Jason D. O'Grady says he uses his 11" MacBook Air almost as much
as his workhorse 15" MacBook Pro, and he's been waiting for a
next-generation model to replace it, widely rumored to be coming in
June with Intel Sandy Bridge Core "i" processor silicon and Thunderbolt
I/O support. In addition to the Core "i" CPU and Thunderbolt upgrades,
which in my estimation are a given, the two other items on his MacBook
Air wish list are:
- A backlit keyboard.
- Upgradable, socketed RAM
Link: My Wish List for
the June 2011 MacBook Air
New iMac or 17" MacBook Pro: Which Is Right for
You?
Laptop Mag's Kenneth Butler says that with Apple having added its
for now exclusive Thunderbolt I/O ports to its latest iMac models, many users will be
trying to choose between buying the stationary performance of an
all-in-one desktop or the limited portability of a 17" MacBook Pro that
also supports Thunderbolt.
He's posted spec comparisons to help you figure that out.
Link: New iMac vs.
MacBook Pro 17: Which Is Right for You?
Apple Working on Fix for SATA 6 Gbps Bug in 2011
MacBook Pro
Hardmac's Lionel report that there's good news for folks who've been
waiting for Apple to fix the SATA 6 Gbps bug on the 2011 MacBook Pro.
Hardmac has been tenaciously covering this story, and Lionel links to
the editor of the Mac
Performance Guide announcing that after several discussions with
Apple, the company asked him to send back his 17" MacBook Pro with his
SATA 6 Gbps SSD inside to be tested by Apple engineers. He received a
new MacBook Pro, and Apple reimbursed him for the cost of the SSD. He
reports that the replacement runs without any problem with a SATA 6
Gbps SSD.
Link: Apple Finally
Working on Fix for SATA III Bug in 2011 MacBook Pro
How to Replace Your MacBook Air SSD with OWC's Aura
Pro Express
Ars Technica's Chris Foresman has posted an illustrated tutorial
article on replacing the original, Toshiba-sourced, SSD flash memory
drive in Apple's Late 2010 MacBook Air models with Other World
Computing's Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD, which uses faster
SandForce controllers.
Link: How to Replace
Your MacBook Air SSD with OWC's Aura Pro Express
Finding a Protective Shell for a MacBook Pro
Blogger and sometime PC switcher David Allison says:
"When I packaged up my old MacBook Pro for my daughter, I did a
quick wipe down of the machine and found that though it was three years
old it had very little visible wear and tear. The keyboard and palm
rest areas were in perfect shape, and there were no dents in the
aluminum case. Though the white power supply and cords were a bit
dirty, a quick wipe down with a damp cloth had them looking like
new.
"About the only thing that made the machine look used was the
outside of the case. As I had slipped it into my bag or carried it in
my hand, objects like my watch band had rubbed against it and put a
series of small scratches all over the outer shell. They were purely
cosmetic but annoying nonetheless.
"I'm determined to treat this new MacBook Pro with a little more
care, and as a result started searching around for a protective shell
case for it...."
Link: Finding a
Protective Shell for a MacBook Pro
SSD Wear Leveling Demystified
Storage Switzerland analyst George Crump writing for
InformationWeek's says:
"Solid state storage brings high performance to the enterprise
through memory-based, zero-latent storage. It also brings with it new
terms that may be confusing. One of those is wear leveling. Most solid
state storage vendors have controllers on the memory that handle wear
leveling for you, but the reason to understand wear leveling is so that
you understand how it impacts the performance of the storage systems
you are purchasing."
Editor's note: This is the clearest and most concise explanation of
this issue I've seen yet. cm
Link: SSD
Wear Leveling Demystified
Products & Services
InvisibleShield for 13" 2006-2009 MacBook
PR: Features:
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- Unique properties provide self-healing qualities
- Helps reduce the appearance of fingerprint smudges and smears
- Includes free lifetime replacement warranty for the life of your
device
- Trusted worldwide with over 17 million invisible Shields sold
- 45 day money back guarantee
Zagg's InvisibleShield is an exceptionally clear and virtually
indestructible film that will protect your MacBook or other supported
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that ZAGG backs it with a lifetime guarantee, so, if it ever does wear
or scratch, they will replace it for free, for the life of your
device.
The precision precut InvisibleShield applies directly to your
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Now you can utilize that same powerful technology to protect your
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Nano-Memory Technology
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Lifetime Replacement Guarantee
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45-day Money Back Guarantee
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MacBook Full Body Maximum Coverage sells for $54.99
Link:
InvisibleShield for 13" 2006-2009 MacBook
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