General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in Mac News Review. iPad, iPod, iPhone, and
Apple TV news is covered in iOS News
Review. All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Tech Trends
News & Opinion
Hidden App Helps Find and Arrest MacBook Thief
Blogger Joshua Kaufman says that on March 21, 2011, his
MacBook was stolen from his apartment in Oakland, California. He
reported the crime to the police and even told them where it was, but
was told they couldn't help him due to lack of resources. Meanwhile,
Kaufman's been using the app, Hidden, to capture photos of thie guy who
had his MacBook and posted them online, which finally spurred the
Oakland police department into action, tracking him down and arresting
him.
Link: This Guy Has My MacBook and I
Want It Back!
Could a MacBook Air Be the Ideal Desktop
System?
ZDNet's James Kendrick reports that his current desktop system is
getting long in the tooth, and in starting to consider system upgrade
options for upgrading. he finds himself leaning toward an unusual
desktop system: the 13.3"
MacBook Air.
Link: My Next Desktop
System May Be a MacBook Air
Living Day-to-Day with an 11" MacBook Air and iPad
2
Cnet's Brooke Crothers has been using an 11.6" MacBook Air in tandem
with an iPad 2 a on a day-to-day
basis in an ongoing study in high-mobility computing and the pros and
cons of both devices.
This piqued my interest, as I am weighing the pros and cons of
buying the anticipated Sandy Bridge Core "i" MacBook Air, as opposed to
switching partly to an iPad 2, and am holding off on replacing my
current Core 2 Duo
aluminum MacBook. Or, as a more expensive alternative, buying both
an Air and an iPad. Decisions, decisions.
Consequently, Crothers' report on his experiences is helpful,
although it has mostly confirmed deductive impressions I'd already
formed and has not provided any clearly definitive answer to solving my
personal quandary.
Crothers finds both machines useful, strongly favoring the Air for
production work and serious computing, calling it "the ultimate
productivity platform," but finding the iPad irresistibly seductive for
more casual interfacing with the Internet, as a note-taking platform,
and for most mobile computing.
As for my dilemma as to whether I need both, defined by the question
of whether these two machines are mostly complementary or mostly
redundant, Crothers says that even after experiencing the reality of
living with both for some time, he still finds himself wrestling with
that conundrum, but on balance he thinks there are two gigantic
differences making him lean toward complementary - one has a keyboard,
one doesn't; one runs OS X, the other iOS - making the iPad more
convenient to use for some tasks and the Air better for others.
He says the immediacy of the iPad is highly seductive, and its
extreme portability and touch interface, make it irresistible anywhere
else than in his office (where there is "no role for the iPad") or
formal business/journalism settings. However, he points out that the
iPad's virtual keyboard and the iOS's manifold limitations (such as
even simple and basic tasks like doing a simple cut-and-pastes in
certain mission-critical applications being impossible) create major
obstacles to productivity very quickly.
Crothers details his usage preferences in a variety of different
circumstances, and summarizing, concludes that the iPad trumps the Air
in a surprising number of cases but often quickly slams into a
productivity wall, making its coolness is irrelevant, and the takeaway
for me at least is that if he had to choose just one of these devices,
it would be the MacBook Air hands-down.
Link: Day-to-Day with
the 11-inch MacBook Air and iPad 2
MacBook Air vs. iPad 2: Laptop, Tablet, or
Both?
Commenting on Brooke Crothers' musings, Online Social Media's Debbie
Turner says that as a MacBook Air user herself, she can't imagine being
persuaded by anything else and that she hasn't yet been lured to the
tablet side, and continues to weigh if it's better to opt for either
the laptop or the tablet, or whether they are indeed complementary, and
draws a provisional conclusion that having both devices will give you
the best of both worlds.
Link: Apple MacBook Air
vs. iPad 2: Laptop, Tablet or Both?
MacBook Air Supplies Constrained Ahead of Summer
Refresh
9 to 5 Mac's Mark Gurman reports that sources around the globe have
informed him that supplies and shipments of the MacBook Air are
constrained ahead of the product's rumored June/July refresh. Gurman
shares the developing general consensus that the the new MacBook Air
should feature Intel's Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt,
especially in light of Intel pumping out Sandy Bridge processors for
Apple's MacBook Air competitors.
Link: MacBook Air
Supplies Constrained Ahead of Summer Refresh
MacBook Air Sale at Best Buy Points to Imminent
Refresh
Apple Headlines' Brian reports:
While checking out the local Best Buy I spotted something rather odd
in the Apple area, the current gen MacBook Air models were on sale.
There were also MacBook Pro models on sale but they were previous
generation models so it was not strange to see them marked down, but
the MacBook Air model are current generation which is leading us to
speculate that the Sandy Bridge refresh may be coming very soon.
Link: MacBook Air Sale
at Best Buy Points to an Imminent Sandy Bridge Refresh
Bottom Case Replacement Program for Late 2009 and
2010 White MacBooks
Apple has determined that under certain circumstances, the rubber
surface on some current-generation white MacBooks may separate from the
bottom case of the system. MacBooks shipped between October 2009 and April 2011 may experience this
issue.
Apple will replace the bottom case of any affected MacBook, free of
charge, that exhibits the issue, whether it's still under standard
warranty or AppleCare coverage or not.
Bottom Case Replacement Process
You can choose from three options to get a replacement bottom case
for your MacBook. In all instances, your MacBook serial number will be
checked to verify that it is eligible for this program.
Assisted service
- Visit an Apple Retail Store - Set up an appointment with a
Genius.
- Visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider
Self service
- Order a replacement bottom case kit online. You will receive a kit
that includes a new bottom case, screws, a Phillips head screwdriver,
and instructions for how to remove the current bottom case and install
the new one. If you feel comfortable with the self-service option, you
can place your order via the Web.
If your MacBook does not exhibit any signs of this issue, no action
is required on your part at this time.
If you believe you have paid for a repair or replacement due to this
issue, contact Apple regarding a refund.
This program covers affected MacBooks for two years from original
purchase date. Apple will continue to evaluate the service data and
will provide further extensions to this program as needed.
You can sign up for the MacBook Bottom Case Replacement Program
online.
Editor's note: Similar to previous programs covering specific
quality issues with the PowerBook
5300 and some dual-USB
iBook models, this worldwide Apple repair program does not extend
the standard warranty coverage of the affected MacBook. cm
Link: MacBook Bottom Case
Replacement Program (sign up link)
SATA 3.0 (6.0 Gb/s) Issues and 2011 MacBook
Pros
OWC's Larry says:
"Since we first looked at a potential fix for problems with SATA 3.0
operation in the main bay of the 2011 MacBook Pros on April 15, we've
learned much more.
"It's not so sweet at this point, but I will at least try to keep it
as short as possible.
"Before going any further, I do want to be clear that, while I
believe the issues noted should be and will be resolved, Apple makes no
advertisement in specification or otherwise that creates any obligation
for them to fix the issues noted. Again, I do believe they will I also
believe it is in everyone's best interest that they do fix it, with
respect to the incredible performance that our SSDs unleash in these
fantastic MacBook Pro 2011 models. If were lucky, it will be a fix
handled via some software update; it would seem more likely to require
a hardware adjustment, but well see. FWIW, our shielding kit does make
a difference for some, but not all, as there is just significant enough
variability in the issue which means it ultimately needs to be resolved
by Apple themselves.
"OK - To the details...."
Link: MacBook Pro 2011
Models and SATA 3.0 (6.0 Gb/s) Issues
A5 MacBook Air Spotted?
Japanese Apple-watcher site Macotakara Kanteidan's danbo notes that
a few weeks ago, Taiwan's DigiTimes forecast that Apple will launch a
MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge Core "i" processor power and the new
Thunderbolt ultra-speedy I/O interface in June-July.
Now, an anonymous source says Apple is evaluating a test mule
Thunderbolt MacBook Air made by Quanta Computer powered by Apple's
in-house designed dual-core A5 processor that is used in the iPad 2
rather than Intel silicon. The source, who claims to have seen a real
live A5 MacBook Air, says it appears to perform better than expected,
although it wasn't clear whether it was booted from Mac OS X or
the iOS is preinstalled on this A5 MacBook Air, suggesting that iOS
would have difficulty supporting Thunderbolt with no Finder, and even
if Mac OS X has been ported to A5, third-party developers would be
obliged devote much engineering effort to supporting A5 with Universal
Binary Applications. Consequently, it is deduced that the A5 MacBook
Air would seem to be most likely a design exercise constructed for
experiment.
That assessment makes sense, and no one should be holding their
breath waiting for an A5 powered MacBook Air. The next Air refreshment
will almost certainly be powered by Intel Sandy Bridge Core "i"
processors and have Intel HD integrated graphics as DigiTimes
predicted.
However, my take on this is that it's more evidence Apple may be
seriously considering expansion of its iOS family to include a
clamshell form factor laptop that would not be a MacBook.
Link: A5 Powered MacBook
Air Being Tested?
A5 Powered MacBook? Perhaps a Prototype
Cnet's Brooke Crothers reports that rumors posted on Friday by the
Japanese Web site Macotakara Kanteidan about Apple building a prototype
MacBook with one of its own A5 chips, instead of Intel processor
silicon, have impelled Intel's marketing chief Tom Kilroy to express
some thoughts on the subject.
Kilroy told Crothers that Intel is "very closely aligned with Apple,
and that Intel's best design teams are working with Apple's best design
teams", and he's "quite comfortable we've got good collaboration going
forward."
Crothers also cites AnandTech's Anand Shimpi, who thinks that Apple
won't think seriously about moving to ARM-based notebooks until a
next-generation A6 CPU, expected to be based on ARM's Cortex A15 core,
is ready, although it's not surprising that Apple would be
experimenting with speculative design concepts.
Link: A MacBook with
Apple Inside? Intel Begs to Differ
Tech Trends
Asus UX21 Ultrathin Laptop: A MacBook Air
Challenger?
PC Magazine's Cisco Cheng reports that Asus has unveiled its new
UX21 thinbook Computex 2011, a machine that he says has more MacBook
Air characteristics than any other ultraportable he's encountered thus
far, and packing an impressive quite a performance punch for such a
little guy
The UX21 apes the MacBook Air with a unibody aluminum chassis -
a more polished, hardened one than the MacBook Air has, and measures
7mm thick in the back, tapering to 3mm at the front and weighing the
same 2.2 pounds as the 11.6" MacBook Air, also sharing the Air's 1366 x
768 display resolution and using a Chiclet-style keyboard and glass
touchpad, albeit the latter with two mouse buttons
Other distinctions include a USB 3.0 port in addition to one
supporting USB 2.0, and a mini-HDMI port rather than the Air's
MiniDisplay port, but SSD storage options are the same at 64 GB and 128
GB.
The UX21is powered by a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, which is
higher-performance than the Core 2 Duo silicon found in current (and
likely soon to be replaced) MacBook Airs.
While prices have yet to be announced, Cheng reports that Asus PR
reps emphatically assured him that it will be less expensive than the
$999 11" MacBook Air.
Link: Hands On: Asus UX21
Laptop Takes On the MacBook Air
ASUS Selects SanDisk SSD for Ultra-Thin Sandy
Bridge Notebook
SanDisk Corporation, specialist in flash memory storage solutions,
has announced that ASUS has selected the U100 drive for use in its new
UX Series ultra-thin notebook. The drive's flexible, cost-effective
SATA III performance and low power consumption allows ASUS to deliver a
sleek, powerful notebook with a long battery life.
SanDisk has created a customized form factor to meet ASUS design
requirements for its UX Series ultra-thin notebook that measures 0.3cm
to 1.7cm and weighs 1.1kg with an 11.6 screen
The recently announced U100 drive builds upon the successful SanDisk
P4 modular SSD series, which is widely used in ultra-thin notebooks and
other mobile computing platforms. The ASUS UX Series notebooks measure
0.3cm to 1.7cm thick and weigh only 1.1kg while providing remarkable
performance with a SATA III SSD, Intel core CPU and Instant-On
technology.
"SanDisk tailored their SSD to meet our specific needs and then
helped us optimize the drive in our new UX Series notebook." says S. Y.
Shian, ASUS corporate vice president and general manager, notebook
business unit. "SanDisk's U100 drive allows our notebook to achieve the
thin size, fast performance and long battery life needed to produce an
enjoyable user experience."
"The ASUS UX Series notebook combines advanced features with the
portability that consumers demand from a mobile computing platform,"
comments Kevin Conley, senior vice president, solid state drives,
SanDisk. "Our form factor miniaturization leadership enabled us to
customize the U100 drive according to ASUS needs while providing high
performance and low power consumption."
The U100 drive delivers fast SATA III performance with up to 450
megabyte per second (MB/sec)1 sequential read and up to 340 MB/sec
sequential write speeds. The drive's low-power architecture allows OEMs
to extend battery life while maintaining high performance. The U100 is
available in a variety of form factors, including Half-Slim SATA SSD,
mSATA, mSATA mini and 2.5 cased, with capacities ranging from 8
gigabytes (GB) to 256 GB.
SanDisk SSDs Offer Additional Benefits
- nCache Acceleration Technology provides fast random burst write
performance for improved system responsiveness and multitasking
functionality nCache acceleration technology is a large Non Volatile
Write Cache, a unique feature in SanDisk U100 SSD that improves random
write performance to ensures an improved user experience. Studies show
that modern operating systems mostly access the storage device using 4k
access blocks. The cache is filled during these small write commands
and emptied during idle time when the host is not accessing the drive,
with no risk of data loss. For a typical everyday use, the write
performance that the users see is the nCache (burst) high performance,
and not steady state (sustained) SanDisk U100 SSD performance. Based on
IOmeter 4K random write test.
- Based on a JEDEC-standard package for industry compliance
Link: SanDisk
Bargain 'Books
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
