Etched Advertising on a MacBook Pro
Remember my post a couple of months ago about my plan to put up my laptop lid as advertising space? It worked okay for Sacha Chua, whom I got the idea from. She was able to sell two large blocks for her BarCampEarth event in Toronto. I wasn’t so fortunate, though. But it still seemed a good idea, especially with the prevalence of laptops today, particularly in areas with good traffic, such as cafes and conferences.
But if you don’t have a laptop, you won’t have ad space to sell, right? I guess you just have to be creative. You can get the ads and brand new laptop to boot, just like what Leah Culver did.
When Leah Culver needed a new laptop, but had no money with which to buy it, she got creative. In exchange for $150 toward the purchase of a new machine, Leah offered local companies one square inch of advertising space on the back of the MacBook. What at first looked like a feeble attempt to raise the required funds soon evolved into a successful exercise in the power of the community at large, and Leah quickly had enough cash to buy her laptop.
Of course, one consideration would be that the laptop would seem commercialized, and the ads in this case are permanent, unless you decide to cover the lid with something. But the MacBook Pro has advantages. Firstly, it has relatively more lid real estate than other laptops, with either 15 or 17 inch widescreen. Second, the casing is made of anodized aluminum, so advertisers contributing to the purchase of the computer would be more comfortable knowing their ads would be more or less permanent (a good selling factor).
[via TUAW]
Apple Announces Core 2 Duo MacBook
Following the much-anticipated upgrade of the MacBook Pro to Intel Core 2 Duo, Apple has announced that its upcoming batch of MacBooks (non-Pro) are loaded with upgraded specs: double the standard RAM, larger hard disc capacity, better optical drives, and most important, Core 2 Duo processors.
With prices starting at just $1,099, the new MacBook lineup includes three models: sleek white 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz MacBook models, and a stunning black 2.0 GHz MacBook model. With Intel’s latest Core 2 Duo processors, the new MacBook is up to 25 percent faster than the previous MacBook and up to six times faster than the iBook(R), making it even easier for consumers to manage and enjoy their digital content with iLife ‘06.* Consumers will also benefit from the added power in the new 2.0 GHz models, including double the memory and greater storage capacity than the previous generation, as well as a double-layer SuperDrive(TM) for burning professional-quality DVDs.
The new MacBooks sell for the same SRPs as the first-generation MacBooks so if you’re planning on buying a MacBook, it’s best to hold off until you’re sure you get the Core 2 Duo variety. Also, this means there will be cheaper Core Duo (first-gen) MacBooks for sale either on Apple’s refurb store or in the aftermarket.
Core 2 Duo Apple MacBook Pro Now Available
The rumors that Apple will not be able to use Core 2 Duo processors on its laptops because of legal issues did not run true, after all. Apple has announced that all its new MacBook Pros now feature Intel Core 2 Duo processors.
The entire MacBook Pro line of notebooks now includes the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor and delivers performance that is up to 39 percent faster than the previous generation. All MacBook Pro models now offer double the memory and greater storage capacity than the previous generation, as well as a FireWire 800 port for connecting to high-speed peripherals.
The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is already shipping, while the new 17-inch version will start shipping next week.
Living With My ThinkPad: Part One
I disconnect my laptop from its adapter and put it in its IBM branded black leather bag. I am getting ready to go show a client the work I have done thus far on a website for them. My ThinkPad beeps as it goes into a standby mode. I put the bag over my shoulder, and get ready to go out.
Before I bought my Lenovo sold machine, I was all excited. The IBM name meant corporate, durability, and made me feel as though I was deserving of a little more respect than those that had gone with a lesser brand name machine. After I bought the laptop, I figured that I had made the best choice possible. There were rumors that Apple was going to release an Intel powered machine, but I assumed that it would be hardware locked to only running OS X, and while I loved the polish of Apple’s operating system, I was not ready to detach myself from the Windows world just yet.
Getting to my appointment, I opened up my laptop and slowly waited for it to come to life. I tapped the touchpad, waiting for it to spring to life any second, so I could show the work I had done. The laptop eventually rose from its slumber and showed me that I needed to log in. I swiped my finger on the fingerprint reader, and the machine went to the default Windows screen saver. My face cringed at my nearly two thousand dollar machine doing the oddest of things. I moved my finger along the touchpad, and the machine asked me again to log in. I swiped my finger again on the fingerprint reader, and it said that it could not recognize my finger. I sighed and tried again.
On receiving my laptop from Lenovo, I opened it like a child does knowing they are getting the exact present they wanted for Christmas, wrapping, and air filled bags flew left and right as I uncovered my black matte machine. I had wanted a laptop for a long while, and even more since I started blogging, but the excitement quickly died down as I realized it was just another laptop.
Sure there were some cool features, like the fingerprint reader, great Wi-Fi connectivity, and a light attached to the top of the screen, allowing me to illuminate the keyboard for work in the dark.
Getting the laptop working, I finally showed off what I had done on the website. My client seemed impressed by the work I had completed, but I only felt embarrassed by my laptop’s performance. I was having a bit of MacBook envy, as my half a gigabyte of RAM filled up, and my machine lagged. Thanks Microsoft for creating such a wonderful operating system.
I can’t say that I dislike my ThinkPad, but I wish it was a little more powerful, in both CPU abilities, and battery life. I don’t mind Windows, but I would love to be given the choice of using any or all operating systems currently on the market.
Living With My ThinkPad will hopefully be an ongoing series where I talk about my problems, and enjoyment in having my laptop, which happens to be an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43 with a 1.7GHz processor, 512MB Ram, 40GB hard drive, and an ATI X300 video card.
MacBook Users Planning Class Action Suit for Shutdown Problems
A group of MacBook users is planning to file a class action lawsuit against Apple for intermittent shutdown problems. Apple Insider reports,
While Apple has publicly acknowledged the ongoing issue — asking affected users to contact AppleCare for support — its repair process has caused many users to lose access to systems for exhaustive periods of time. While some affected users in the U.S. have been fortunate enough to have their repaired MacBooks returned to them within a week, those in other regions have been left waiting weeks, and sometimes months, for their systems to be repaired.
Making matters worse, are widespread reports that Apple’s initial solution to the RSS problem — to replace the MacBook’s processor heat sink — does not completely eliminate the random shutdowns. As a result, many affected users have been forced to request a second or third round of repairs, leaving some without access to a computer for even longer periods of time.
If you have been experiencing these problems with your Macbook, you can have your unit sent in for repairs and Apple will replace the heatsink and perhaps other components (like the logic board, in some cases). But with the reports that problems still persist even with repairs, it might be best to ask for a total replacement.
If you would like to participate in the planned class action suit, you can sign up with ClassAction.com, which will facilitate interaction with a law firm that can act on a class action request.
The Black MacBook: The Best Laptop Ever?
T3 UK thinks the black MacBook may be the best laptop yet. Yes, there are more powerful and better spec’d models in the Mac laptop line (and perhaps other brands), but the blackbook trumps the others in terms of size, functionality and even price. Consider the price jump from the black MacBook to the lowest-spec’d MacBook Pro (a $500 difference), and that the Pro is significantly larger in terms of width and height, then the MacBook might just hit the sweet spot.
OK, that this costs £130 more than the next model down – a white ’Book with an identical spec apart from a 20GB smaller hard drive – is ridiculous. But when has buying an Apple ever been about logic?
Most non-high-end users will find this does everything the MacBook Pro range does for far less. Adobe’s software (Photoshop et al) may run a bit clunkily (until Adobe optimises it for Intel’s processors), and Macs are never much cop for TV-viewing (no built-in tuner) or gaming (er, no games), but who cares? There’s nothing better than a Mac for organising your digital life, and there’s never been a better time to buy a Mac.
One major area where the MacBook is lacking is in graphics, since it uses an integrated Intel 945-based chipset, while the MacBook Pro uses a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card. This means you cannot expect to get good performance on 3D and high-end games. Still, if you’d rather spend your time on your mac on productivity applications and work, then the MacBook’s lack of discrete graphics won’t be much of an issue.
Disabling Dashboard in Mac OS X
One of the supposed wonders of Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” was Dashboard, along with those sometimes-useful, sometimes-distracting widgets. Widgets are basically applets that serve simple purposes, which you can call up on your screen in your own organized or cluttered manner.
One problem with Dashboard, though, is that it’s a resource hog. Now if you have the latest MacBook Pro or Mac Pro that might not be much of a problem. But if you’re using an older Mac, like my own PowerBook, then you would surely appreciate any speed improvements, no matter how marginal. And then, of course, there’s the productivity improvement that comes with not having all those distracting pieces of information cluttered on your desktop at a press of a button.
Two steps only
Dashboard is built into the OS X dock, and you cannot just disable it like you would when closing any regular application. Sure, you can just drag Dashboard.app over to Trash, but that might prove to be more problematic, and you would sure find a hard time re-enabling Dashboard when you find the sudden need to use widgets.
Here’s a quick tip from MacWorld. First, you need to open up a terminal session, and then enter the following commands.
- defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES
- killall Dock
The first command disables the auto-launching of Dashboard along with Dock. The second restarts Dock–a step necessary so Dashboard would be closed.
If you want to re-enable dock, execute the above commands again in Terminal, but replace the YES with NO.
As the MacWorld article mentions, there may be other reasons you would want to disable Dashboard, such as when it proves to be too much of a distraction, or even for security purposes.
The MockBook from Sony?
Sony has just issued a press release for their latest N-10 series VAIO notebooks, and guess what. It looks just like Apple’s MacBooks. Or at least that’s what MacDailyNews thinks (and we know how the Mac cult is just so passionate about Apple). Indeed, at a first glance, you would notice some elemenets, umm, borrowed, from the MacBook. Do particularly check out the chicklet keyboard and the latch-less design (which has also been adopted by several models from other manufacturers, such as the Compaq V3000).
First of all, yes, we did a genuine “Grade A” double-take when we first saw the press release images. Right down to the chiclet keyboard, no less! When companies do this, it really draws attention to their lack of original ideas and their inability to innovate. See Microsoft’s Windows Vista, for example: It’s Windows XP dressed up to fool the general public that it’s “just like Apple’s Mac OS X.” Now poor Sony with this OS-limited, can’t-run-Mac OS X-but-obviously-wishes-it-could, knock-off spawn of a MacBook Pro and a MacBook.
I haven’t personally owned any VAIO laptops, but judging from what I’ve seen from VAIOs and other Sony products, I think Sony values its designs highly. And they’re not likely to just rip off design elements from yet-another-company-with-cool-designs. Perhaps gadget designs do really take cues from what’s succesful and usable. Remember that once, laptop hinges were not on the laptop chassis’ edge, but closer to the middle, with some part of the lid extending to the back of laptops? Well, we rarely–if ever–see this design anymore. And remember that the iBook once started the trend of trick hinges–the ones mounted on the back of the chassis instead of on the top. I really liked this design, because it lowered the screen’s profile, making it, for instance, easier to see what’s behind the laptop, which is great when doing presentations on a podium, or when in a boardroom (or cafe table) meeting. Even my other non-Apple laptop (the Compaq V2000) has this feature.
Sure, at first glance, the N-10 looks like a MacBook. But look a little longer, and the similarities start to fade away.
Sony vs. Apple
Do take note I’m not putting down the MacBook. I’m actually a MacHead, myself. But I think the ripoff accusation may just be too much.
Check out Apple MacBooks and Sony VAIOs here.
Core 2 Duo MacBooks
Just buy a MacBook? Was it Core 2 Duo? Probably not yet as Apple has not launched their Core 2 Duo MacBooks yet. In a world where even Lenovo’s lower end machines are now fitted with Core 2 Duo processors, can Apple let themselves fall behind in the market?
Don’t be surprised if you see the MacBook you just bought get an upgrade you wish you had.
Source: Engadget
Lucky Apple Store Visitor Gets a Free MacBook
It’s all about being at the right place at the right time (and sometimes being the right person, too). A lucky visitor at the Fifth Avenue, NYC Apple Store was gifted wtih a MacBook and other premium Apple items just by being the store’s one-millionth visitor.
The Fifth Avenue (NYC) store honored its one millionth visior with gifts, less than four months after it opened. At 2 p.m. on Sept. 9th, Elizabeth Rodriguez came down the glass stairs and received a MacBook, iPod, iPod Hi-Fi, and an Apple ProCare membership from store employees.
The Fifth Avenue Apple Store had been open for just four months, and is apparently among the most popular of the bunch, garnering seven times as many visitors as other Apple Stores in average. Maybe it’s because of the purchasing capacity of the upscale patrons there.
[via TUAW; Image from Global Giants]
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