Mac

Apple’s new MacBook Pro lineupApple’s updated 15.4-inch and 17-inch models include quad-core Intel Core i7 processors, and the 13.3-inch model is available with dual core i5 or i7 processors. The 15- and 17-inch models now ship with AMD Radeon video processors, and the lineup includes a higher resolution camera dubbed the FaceTime HD camera.The 13-inch…

Light Peak is Intel’s new high speed connection for laptops that supports displays, hard drives, and other peripherals through a single port. The interface is intended to use fibre optic for its connections, although Apple is rumored to be using copper instead.New MacBook Pro rumor: ThunderboltThe Thunderbolt port apparently looks exactly like Apple’s current Mini…

New MacBook Pro rumors keep coming inApparently the new MacBook Pro models will include an internal sold stage drive (SSD) with between 8GB and 16GB storage for the operating system, and a standard internal hard drive for data and applications. Apple will reportedly offer an SSD build-to-order option for customers that don’t want a traditional…

Windows Phone 7 Connector lets Mac users sync iTunes content and photos with Windows Phone 7 devices or the Zune HD, uploads photos to iPhoto, supports browsing the content of connected devices, and manages software updates for devices. The application doesn’t, however, sync calendars and contacts.Windows Phone 7 is free and available through Apple’s new…

Mini rack from H-SquaredEach Mini rack can accommodate up to six Mac mini (mid 2010) computers which have a removable bottom panel. The Mac mini is mounted in a vertical orientation, allowing easy access to all of the mini’s ports, and allowing the mini to vent heat via the exhaust port.  The cables attached to…

QuickerTek’s Apple JuiczThe Apple Juicz Solar Charger is available in 27 Watt and 55 Watt versions, and includes a MagSafe connector, adapters for other QuickerTek batteries, messenger bag-style carrying case, and a 12 volt car charger adapter. The 27 Watt model weighs 1.78 pounds, and the 55 Watt version weighs 3.9 pounds.The Apple Juicz Solar…

TimePreserver is designed to complement Apple’s Time Machine data backup system, backs up data to external hard drives, maintains incremental backups, doesn’t require users to interrupt their regular backup schedule, and can be used to restore user data as if the backup were the original Time Capsule or Time Machine drive.TimePreserver is priced at US$35…

Apple’s new MacBook Air lineApple released an update for the MacBook Air in October that corrected an issue where the laptop might not wake properly when connected to an external monitor, along with a bug that could cause the system, to stop responding when playing movie trailers in iMovie ‘11. Like the first update, the…

I’ve had trouble waiting. Over the subsequent weeks, I found myself continuing to return to this topic. Where exactly is Apple heading with all of this? Does Apple really hope to transform the Mac into a giant iOS device? Would Apple actually risk making such a dramatic change? Would it throw overboard all of the…

Reeder for Mac OS XSince Reeder for the Mac is in an early public beta phase, its feature set isn’t complete yet. Searching, downloads and feed management, for example, are currently missing in action.Gloria, the developers behind Reeder, aren’t saying yet when they plan to release a final version will ship or how much it…

What made PhotoFast’s SSD upgrades was their speed. While Apple also offers a 256GB SSD option on its MacBook Air models, they operate with a read/write speed between 150MB/sec and 160MB/sec. PhotoFast’s would run with a read/write speed of 250MB/sec. We don’t know, of course, why Apple asked the company to stop making these upgrades.…

FingerPrint from Collobos SoftwareCollobos Software’s FingerPrint supports most printers and doesn’t require Mac OS X 10.6.5 — a limitation of Apple’s own AirPrint software. Instead, FingerPrint supports Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6, although it does require iOS 4.2 to provide the necessary print components for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.FingerPrint is priced at…

Mr. Munster told investors that he has analyzed recent NPD Mac sales data, which is up 20% year over year. “…it leads us to a Mac number of 4.1 M to 4.3 M [for the quarter ending in December]…. This early data, along with our assumptions for international Mac sales, which are growing faster than…

While the company didn’t specifically announce that these are the same thin SSDs Apple is using in the MacBook Air, our friends at MacRumors noted that both the Blade X-gale and Apple’s SSD units, which is not-so-coincidentally supplied by Toshiba, have the same part numbers. The 64GB and 128GB units are a mere 2.2mm tall,…

WaterRoof (that’s the opposite of FireWall, get it?) is a GUI that allows you to interact with ipfw without all that nasty mucking about on the command line. When you start WaterRoof, you may be taken aback by the initial dialog, which provides buttons for Rules and Logs, and a Help button. Your first choice…

Citing a single unnamed source “familiar with the progress of the technology,” CNet said Light Peak will appear earlier, rather than later, in that first half of 2011, which means Apple could be introducing it in the first quarter. Intel has been developing the technology for years, and first demonstrated it in 2009 (on a…

Let’s start with the bottom line. Are you happy with the new MacBook Air? Delighted. Spectacularly so. The MacBook Air is all that I expected it to be — and more. My old MacBook Pro (MBP) had been a reliable workhorse. But I can’t say I ever enjoyed using it. In fact, if I had…

The Firmware Restoration CD is available as a downloadable disk image at the Apple Support Web site and must be converted to a physical CD before use. Here’s how: After downloading the Firmware Restoration CD disk image, launch Disk Utility. It’s in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder on your Mac’s hard drive. Select…

The TSA’s policy kills the notion that electronic devices without hard drives can stay in traveler’s bags since the 13.3-inche version of the MacBook Air has to pass through X-ray machines outside of carryon bags. Like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, the 13.3-inch model uses flash RAM for data storage instead of a hard drive.The 11.6-inch…

Most of the new MacBook Air’s body is filled with six lithium-polymer batteries, leaving just a small space near the back for the tiny circuit board that includes the processor, system memory and solid state storage. This laptop doesn’t have room for an internal hard drive, so Apple when with flash memory, just like the…

FaceTime for Mac (Apple)The FaceTime public beta is available now from Apple. It’s a .dmg file that contains a .mpkg installer. When I see that, I get curious about the contents of the package, but if you take a look at the files (File -> Show Files) you’ll be blocked from seeing them. What is…

There’s no word on why Apple chose to leave Flash Player out of the new laptop’s factory software installation, which will no doubt lead to speculation that the company is beginning to distance itself even more from the current Internet media playback standard.The new MacBook Air: Flash-free. Sort of.Flash isn’t supported on Apple’s iOS devices…

“We believe the iPad is a ‘magical’ content display device, [but] our experience has been less than stellar when actually trying to create content on it,” Mr. Marshall said. “Enter the hardware refresh… it is our view the updated MacBook Air will be a phenomenal ‘mobile content creating’ device and not cannibalistic with the iPad.”Apple introduced…

 The Apple Magic Trackpad is a blessing, but in disguise. It’ll require new muscle memory for dedicated mouse users, is better than a conventional trackball, and has amazing new features. But it’ll require a period of acclimation. The Apple Magic Trackpad was released on July 27, 2010 without a lot of fanfare. It’s a five…