Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited
by Dan Knight
- 2006.01.27
This Week's MacBook, PowerBook, and iBook News
This
week's top news is Apple's "Repair Extension Program" for 15"
PowerBook G4s, something we covered three weeks
ago. Only 1.5 GHz and 1.67 GHz models produced between January
and April 2005 are included although sources "suspect it is
probably as a 'known issue' in all of their 15" G4 PowerBook
Models."
General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod news is covered
in The iNews Review. News about
Apple's transition to Intel CPUs and other Intel developments is
covered in The Macintel Report.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Advice
Products and Services
Software
News & Opinion
15" PowerBook G4 1.5/1.67 GHz Memory Slot
Repair Program
Apple has announced a PowerBook
G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5 GHz) Memory Slot Repair Extension Program
- a worldwide program covering repair or replacement of the memory
slot in PowerBook G4 models manufactured between January 2005 and
April 2005 (2005-01 through 2005-04) that are experiencing specific
component failures. If your PowerBook G4 has a serial number within
the eligible range and is experiencing any of the symptoms listed
below, it may be eligible for repair, free of charge. Apple or an
Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will determine eligibility
under the program. Repairs will be covered by Apple for up to two
years from the original date of purchase even if your computer is
out of warranty.
Affected PowerBook G4 systems will exhibit one of the following
symptoms:
- The computer does not start up; instead, there are three short
beeps (typically) followed by the the sleep LED flashing
periodically.
- When both SO-DIMM memory slots are filled (populated), only one
slot's memory is recognized.
- System performance may be degraded because the memory in only
one slot is not recognized.
These symptoms may only occur intermittently.
If your PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67GHz/1.5GHZ) is not
experiencing any of these symptoms, you do not have to contact
Apple or any Apple Authorized Service Provider. You can disregard
this article.
The PowerBook (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) Memory Slot Repair Extension
Program is available for certain PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz)
computers that were manufactured between approximately January 2005
and April 2005 in these serial number ranges:
The affected PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) computers have
eleven-digit serial numbers in this range:
W8503xxxxxx through W8518xxxxxx
To participate in the program, call your local Apple contact
center (1-800-275-2273 in the United States), or bring your
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) to the Mac Genius Bar at your
local Apple Retail store or Apple Authorized Service Provider
(AASP). If you are located outside the U.S., please see Apple's
international contact list for your local Apple Technical Support
phone number.
The repairs outlined in this program, including shipping
charges, are covered at Apple's cost.
The program covers affected PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz)
computers for up to two years from the original date of purchase.
Apple will continue to evaluate the repair data and will provide
further repair extensions as needed.
- Link: About the
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) Memory Slot Repair Extension
Program
There are allegations that a much broader range of 15"
PowerBooks have this problem. For more information, follow these
links:
Apple: Expect MacBook Shortages
TechWeb News' Gregg Keizer reports:
"Apple Computer will likely run into shortages of its first
Intel-based laptop when the machine debuts next month, company
executives said as they laid out the Mac contribution to its most
profitable quarter ever.
"'We may not be able to meet the demand on the MacBook Pro,'
said Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, in a telephone
briefing to analysts and reporters. 'The limited number of weeks to
ship [the MacBook Pro] in the second quarter, and the very strong
response we've gotten means we may not be able to meet
demand.'"
- Link: Apple: Expect
Intel Laptop Shortages
MacBook Pro: What's in a Name?
PowerPage's DoubleB says:
"I was sitting there Tuesday morning all stoked about what would
be revealed at MWSF, clutching my mouse and double clicking the
refresh button on all the news sites. I eagerly waited. I guessed
the Intel iMac debute and waited anxiously for the Intel Mac mini
but to my surprise the PowerBook received the Intel chip - or
should I say the 'MacBook
Pro?'
"Eek... MacBook Pro?!....
"The PowerBook name worked on so many levels. The word 'Power'
really worked because it portrayed serious computing power that
could be harnessed while on the run and away from the typical desk.
The word 'Power' associated with 'Book' help to differentiate
itself from the herd of other lame laptops out there. And from a
marketing perspective, it just worked."
- Link:
MacBook Pro... What's in a Name?
Getting a MacBook Pro
MacDevCenter's Chuck Toporek says:
"As I've mentioned in earlier blog posts, I have the oldest
running PowerBook in O'Reilly. At present, I'm using a 667 MHz PowerBook G4 with 768 MB RAM -
a TiBook. Aside from a minor problem that came with the PowerBook
when it arrived (the wireless antenna wire wasn't, um, wired), my
O'Reilly-issued PowerBook has served me well. And despite the fact
that the display cracked (due to no fault of my own, mind you), and
that it's titanium casing shields all WiFi signals (which forced me
to get a PCMCIA wireless card), it's been a faithful little road
warrior....
"Then yesterday, Chris pops up on iChat to let me know that a PO
had been put in for me to get a MacBook Pro. Imagine that! Cool! I
was so happy about that that I forgot to look at the specs he sent
me, and I guess I could go dig through my iChat logs and see, but
really, who cares . . . I'm getting a new Mac. Well,
okay, not right now, but sometime next month, a new box will arrive
here at my 'home/office' in Portland, Oregon, and I'll soon be
driving one of the new Intel-based Power . . . er
. . . MacBook Pros."
- Link: Getting a MacBook
Pro
Why My Next Mac Will Be a MacBook
billpalmer.net's Bill Palmer says:
"So we can all stop pretending there's any chance that the iBook
will be renamed to something other than 'MacBook' when it goes
Intel, right?....
"But with Apple's impending laptop lineup presumably consisting
of the MacBook and MacBook
Pro, the more intriguing question is that of whether the two
lines will actually join each other to become one solidified
lineup....
"As for me, I'm awfully tempted to jump on a 15 inch MacBook Pro
the day it hits the market. My iBook is fast enough, but I know how
much more productive I could be on a machine whose processor rates
out four to five times faster than the one I'm currently
using....
"...Most folks don't like buying 'Rev. A' models, but I don't
think it's as much of an issue as it used to be. Apple always used
to want to hold something back until the second revision so they
could get that secondary sales bump down the road, but what the
heck are they holding back at this point? I'd say they've thrown in
the kitchen sink this time. This thing's a multimedia iMac with a
flip-top head."
- Link:
Why My Next Mac Will Be a MacBook
Advice
Definitive, Annoying Fix for PowerBook G4
Audio-Skipping Problem
Mac iLife's Jim Heid says:
"The world's eyes may be looking ahead toward the imminent
arrival of the MacBook Pro laptops, but many recent PowerBook G4
buyers are still wondering when and if Apple ever plans to fix a
serious flaw in its final generation of G4 laptops.
"I'm one of them.
"The annoying PowerBook audio-echo problem persists. I was
hoping Mac OS X 10.4.4 would address it, but it didn't.
"I poked around on Apple's support discussion boards, and found
some lively conversation on the topic. One user even posted a
recording of what the echo sounds like.
"In that discussion thread, I found what appears to be Apple's
'fix' for the problem: running only one 'audio application' at a
time."
- Link:
The Definitive, Annoying Fix for the PowerBook G4 Audio-Skipping
Problem
PowerBook G4: 65W Power Adapter Doesn't Charge
Battery; Charge Light Is Off
An updated Apple Knowledge Base article says:
"If your PowerBook G4's 65 W AC power adapter seems not to work
anymore (the charge indicator light does not stay on and the
battery does not charge) you may want to check a few things.
"65 W AC power adapters first shipped with the 15-inch PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)
and the PowerBook G4
(17-inch). If you have one of these or a later model aluminium
15-inch or 17-inch PowerBook G4, you probably have a 65-watt power
adapter."
- Link: PowerBook
G4: 65 W AC Power Adapter Doesn't Charge the Battery; Charge Light
Is Off
Products and Services
MacStyles Changes the Look of Your 'Book
PR: MacStyles.com has relaunched an all new and expanded
website
MacStyles are
custom-cut vinyl decals for iBooks & PowerBooks. They can be
made in a variety designs (also known to followers as "voices") and
are crafted from a selection of 21 colors. Eleven new colors are
being offered as of January 20th, and they will prove to be an
anticipated expansion. Along with the addition of MacPads and
MacStyles Pro, the company is working on a line of decals for
iPods, appropriately called "PodStyles". Also in the works is an
extended line of accent decals known as "Maccents".
"MacStyles were created to mask the easily scratched plastic
surface of iBooks. It only seemed logical to expand the line to
include PowerBooks and iPods," said Scott Rafferty, MacStyles"
president. "We offer an inexpensive way to revitalize your tired
notebook in a major way. With over 80 designs they not only enhance
your computer, they personalize it. That"s what MacStyles is all
about protection and personalization."
The company
plans on continually adding new voices and colors.
MacStyles and MacPads are set to sell at $19.95 and $4.95
respectively. All MacStyle add-ons - such as custom monogramming
and Maccents are $4.95 as well. A premium line is also said to be
in the works.
"The premium line will really take MacStyles to a new level; we
expect that new vinyl types like carbon fiber, brushed chrome,
ultra-metallic and "shade-shifter" - whose color changes depending
on the viewing angle - are going to be in high demand."
Prices on this line have not been disclosed as of yet, and no
release date has been reported, but the company hopes to begin
offering them in the first quarter of 2006.
MacStyles can be viewed, customized, and ordered online.
- Link: MacStyles
TechRestore 160 GB 5400 RPM Overnight Hard
Drive Upgrade Service
PR: TechRestore, Inc. have announced that they have begun
offering a 160 GB upgrade as part of their overnight hard drive
upgrade service for PowerBooks, iBooks, and PC Laptops. The new
upgrade features the first 160 Gigabyte drive upgrade available for
laptop users.
The service includes overnight pickup of the customers laptop
from any location in the continental United States, installation of
the new drive with data transfer within 24-hours and return
overnight shipping back to the customers location. In addition, the
customers old hard drive is returned so that they will have a
backup of their data. The customer can choose to have their old
hard drive installed in a portable case for only $19.99.
The 160 GB overnight upgrade is $489 including the drive, all
shipping costs and installation. The upgrade includes a 1-year
warranty from TechRestore and a 5-year warranty on the hard drive
from the manufacturer.
The service is available immediately.
- Link: TechRestore 160 GB
5400 RPM Overnight Laptop Hard Drive Upgrade Service
Waterfield Designs Adds SleeveCase for MacBook
Pro
PR: The MacBook SleeveCase is now available from
Warterfield Designs, designated Size #25.
This version of the SleeveCase is designed specifically to
protect your MacBook Pro . . . and comes in 30 other
sizes for the rest of us....
What do you get when you wrap your laptop in a neoprene and
ballistic shell? A nearly bullet-proof SleeveCase that holds its
own - in or out of a bag. And if that weren't enough, it's designed
for one-hand access.
- Link: Waterfield
Designs SleeveCase
Software
coconutBattery Free Laptop Battery
Monitor
PR: coconutBattery v2.x is completely
rewritten...preferences menu...dashboard widget...more
languages(coming soon)...many groundbreaking new features are
planned for the next versions...and it's still freeware(but
donations are more than welcome)
coconutBattery is a tool that reads out the data of your
notebook-battery (iBook/PowerBook). It gives you live feedback,
what's going on in your battery (not only a snapshot like other
tools).
It shows the current charge of your battery as well as the
current maximum capacity related to its original. If coconutBattery
detects that you have connected the wrong charger (i.e. an
ibook-charger plugged in a PowerBook) it will warn you! That's a
cool feature!
Of course you are able to save the current maximum capacity of
your battery - with just one click! coconutBattery uses Apple's new
and really powerful technology named "CoreData" to realize
that.
Finally coconutBattery calculates the age of your Mac exactly!
So you can derive the age of your battery. And last but not least:
coconutBattery is Universal Binary (you can run it on Intel-Macs! -
cool!) and it is complete localizable!
Many localizations are ready to start but still need some
bugfixes.
If you want to help translating coconutBattery to your language,
just write me an email - but you should wait these few days until I
know what localizations needs a update.
By the way: The really really cool and absolutely
coconut-flavoured icon was created by http://www.afterglow.ie -
really good job! Check out the webpage.
New in version 2.2:
- widget bugfixes and improvements,
- new localizations (Finnish, Spanish, French, German),
- minor bugfixes
New: in version 2.1:
- much cooler widget - chinese localization - minor
improvements
New in version 2.0:
- completely rewritten, added a dashboard widget, preferences
menu for custom values and much much more!
System requirements:
- Mac OS 10.4.3 (Tiger)
- An Apple notebook (PowerBook or iBook)
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later.
coconutBattery is free.
- Link: coconutBattery
Bargain 'Books
Bargain 'Books are used unless otherwise indicated. New and
refurbished units have a one-year Apple warranty and are eligible
for AppleCare.
There are two different versions of WallStreet running at 233
MHz, the cacheless MainStreet
version and the later Series II
with a level 2 cache. It's not always possible to determine from
the vendor's listing which is being offered, so we've included
links within this paragraph to the two models. The same goes for
the PowerBook G4/667 (VGA) and
G4/667 (DVI), the titanium vs.
aluminum 15" PowerBook G4 at 1 GHz, and 1.25 GHz to 1.5 GHz 15"
PowerBooks.
PowerBook, iBook, and MacBook profiles linked in our Portable Mac Index.
- 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz, 256/40/Combo, $779.99
- Upgrade to SuperDrive - $129.99
- Add 512 MB RAM with purchase of machine (total of 768 MB) -
$49.99
- Add 1 GB RAM with purchase of machine (total 1.25 GB of RAM -
$189.99
- 1 year extended service warranty (w/purchase of machine) -
$99.99
- Add AirPort Extreme card - $39.99
- Upgrade to 80 GB hard drive - $119.99
- 15" aluminum PowerBook G4/1 GHz, 256/60/Combo, BT,
$1,179.99
- 17" PowerBook G4/1.33 GHz, 512/60/SuperDrive, APX, BT,
$1,499.99
- used 12" iBook G3/800, 640/30/Combo, $499
- used 12" iBook G3/900, 256/40/Combo, $499
- used 12" iBook G3/900, 384/40/Combo, $549
- used 14" iBook G3/900, 256/40/Combo, Scratch and Dent,
$499
- used 12" PowerBook G4/867, 256/40/Combo, $699
- used 12" PowerBook G4/867, 256/40/SuperDrive, $749
- 12" iBook G3/600, 256/40/CD, $399
- 15" PowerBook G4/867, 256/40/Combo, $798
- 15" PowerBook G4/800, 256/40/Combo, $749
- refurb 12" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz, 512/60/Combo, APX, BT 2.0,
$1,099
- refurb 15" PowerBook G4/1.33 GHz, 256/60/Combo, APX,
$1,299
- refurb 15" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz, 512/80/Combo Drive, APX, BT
2.0, $1,399
- refurb 15" PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz, 512/80/SuperDrive, APX, BT
2.0, $1,599
- refurb 17" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz, 512/80/SuperDrive, APX,
$1,699
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our best aluminum PowerBook G4
deals, best titanium PowerBook G4
deals, best iBook G4 deals,
best PowerBook G3 deals, and best iBook G3 deals.
