In what seems like another addition to a long list of examples of how when you rent digital content, you’re actually renting it with a strict set of conditions, Apple owners are running into trouble with High Definition Content Protection (HDCP). The problem, affecting owners of the new aluminum MacBooks and MacBook Pro, occurs when [...]
Ars Technica wrote an article about Macs and Blu-ray drives. That’s fine, but they did so under a misguided premise:
In the third quarter earnings call in July, Apple warned investors about an upcoming product transition that would eat away at the company’s cushy margins. However, in the intermediate, no new or updated products have surfaced that look like they could be [...]
Apple had it so close…
That was the first thought I had when Apple unveiled the new aluminum MacBook and MacBook Pro on October 14.
Many Mac owners out there are still longing for a successor to the PowerBook G4 12″. I am one of them. Someone needs the features and performance of Apple’s Pro notebooks in [...]
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between professional industry analysts and Apple fanboys coming up with dream specs for their ideal notebook. Such is the case with the most recent prediction by Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics. His call for the (immediate) future of the MacBook? 3G HSDPA connectivity.
Cellular broadband connectivity built-in to notebooks [...]
Maybe it is because I am a recent switcher that I notice details long-time Mac owners may take for granted, details that are so minute yet so useful and so quintessentially ‘human’. The level of attention painstakingly paid to the many small details found on every Apple product is a testament to Apple’s design philosophy, [...]
Apple’s decision to axe FireWire from the MacBook line is not sitting well with many users, to say the least. For high-quality audio and video transfers, FireWire is the standard for professionals and hobbyists alike. Though USB is technically capable of faster transfer speeds than FireWire 400 (480 Mb/s vs. 400), FireWire has greater effective [...]
I’ve now had my new MacBook for two days, and the expectations of what I’d hoped or suspected the machine to be have been true. It really is sweet and, along with the PowerBook 170 and the PowerBook 12″ G4, may be the best overall portable Apple has ever made.
Of course, nothing is prefect, and [...]
The problem with function keys on a MacBook or MacBook Pro is that they are one-trick ponies; they are either regular or special F-keys, but not both. With FunctionFlip, you can have complete control over those flipping function keys.
On the keyboard of a MacBook or MacBook Pro, function keys can either be standard or special. [...]
Fellow TAB writer, Charles Moore, wrote a great article about why it’s a good idea to seriously consider the “mature technology” of a refurbished Mac as soon as a new generation is announced. I won’t recount the details in that article, but his reasoning is very sound, and it’s solid advice.
So solid, in fact, you might [...]
Clearly, Apple’s decision to leave out FireWire ports on the MacBook line has ruffled some feathers. For their part, Apple claims to have left it out to save the $0.25 per port licensing fee attached to including the hardware, which, when considered on the scale of a massive production run, does amount to significant savings. [...]
With the release of the new MacBooks and Macbook Pros, I suspect there are many of you that have been holding out waiting to buy a new computer, and now that you have your shiny new notebooks, you need to get everything set up just how you like it. One of the most important things [...]
The recent rise in the popularity and availability of netbooks has led some wireless carriers to package the computers at significant discounts for customers who purchase subscriptions. According to a recent report by Lisa Thompson, a tech research analyst with firm JRPG, Apple may be in talks to work out a similar deal with O2, [...]
In January, 2001, I was initially blown away by the just-introduced Titanium PowerBook G4, titling my initial commentary on Steve Jobs’ Macworld keynote’s “one more thing….” – “Simply The Coolest Piece Of Hardware Apple Has Ever Built.” Then, after some sober second thought I ordered a leftover PowerBook G3 Pismo.
Two years later, Mr. Jobs unveiled [...]
Apple may not have broken the $900 mark with the new line of laptops they unveiled at Tuesday’s event, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a never-before-used Mac at that price. As long as you’re willing to bury your head in the sand and pretend no new models exist, or your computing habits don’t [...]
Or words to that affect. That’s what I’m seeing on blogs and in a boatload of forum comments. Geez, people. Why is it every time Apple makes a move there’s a pile of people to step in and claim how stupid Apple is, or how they don’t care about their customers, etc.? As if Apple’s [...]
For the first time in Apple’s history, the recent incarnation of consumer and professional laptops are starting to show signs of being part of the same family. While the MacBook has seen arguably the most impressive bump in terms of comparison to its original feature set, MacBook Pros have also received great treatment.
This brief review [...]
Microsoft released three updates yesterday which fix bugs and address security concerns in their Office family of products and utilities.
The first is for the Open XML File Format Converter, which bumps the version to 1.0.1 and fixes a remote code execution (rated by Microsoft as “important”) associated with security bulleting MS08-057. The Open XML Converter [...]
We’ve managed to get our hands on a brand new 15″ MacBook Pro and have a collection of photos of the box, packaging and accessories.
Initial Impressions
The look and feel of the new MacBook Pro is one of luxury. The aluminum shell has clearly enjoyed hours of planning, thought and tedious design work before being unleashed. [...]
Notably absent from today’s laptop announcements regarding the new MacBook line was the 17″ MacBook Pro. Well, it wasn’t truly absent, because it was refreshed.
The new configuration is definitely sweeter than before; for the same price as yesterday’s base model ($2,799) you now get:
A 320GB drive
The full 4GB of memory,
The formerly-optional 1920×1200 resolution.
Those of you [...]
When I wrote about the MacBook earlier, I mentioned that Apple’s strategy to make it more of a MacBook Pro “lite” was rather amazing.
Rather than bring down their laptop’s entry level, as everyone insisted and expected it would do, Apple chose to dramatically bring down the laptop’s “pro” level instead. The smaller screen (actually an [...]
© 2009 The GigaOM Network. Marketing consulting by ACS.
