General Apple and Mac desktops is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod, iPhone, and Apple
TV news is covered in The iNews Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Reviews
Tech Trends
Products & Services
News & Opinion
Hell Freezes Over: Dvorak's Son Buys a Mac
Veteran Apple
critic and curmudgeon John C. Dvorak says "it was a somber day for the
Dvorak family recently when my son switched to the Mac, likely never to
return to the PC. I saw this coming. The family flag is flying at half
mast," but concedes that if he was going to buy a new laptop this
minute, a MacBook Pro is probably what he'd get, too.
Interestingly, in this instance the tipping point was the superb
Mac-only information manager/desktop database (and much else besides)
DEVONthink, which John's son needs for a book he's writing, and which
Dvorak senior says is about as close to a killer Apple app as anything
he's seen since VisiCalc in the late '70s.
Link: My Son Bought a
Mac
Optical Drives on the Way Out
Computerworld's Seth
Weintraub predicts that SD Card slots should be arriving on the MacBook
Air and the regular MacBook in their next updates, and it might replace
the DVD drive on the next MacBook.
"What would you rather have on your laptop?," Weintraub asks: "An
easily rewritable 32 GB SD card the size of a postage stamp that can
hold about the same amount of data as 8 DVDs or a big spinning disk
that can scratch easily and takes up about 1/4th of the internal usable
area in your laptop?"
"It is a no-brainer," declaims Weintraub, "optical is over."
I think he may be on to something.
Link:
Apple's MacBook Strategy: Optical Is Over
SD Card Slot Won't Replace the DVD Drive Any Time
Soon
On the other hand, Blogger Thomas Fitzgerald
says:
"Computerworld recently published an article suggesting that Apple's
decision to add an SD card slot to the MacBook and MacBook Pro range
was the beginning of the end for the optical drive in Apple's laptop
range. I strongly disagree however. I don't think the optical drive is
going anywhere anytime soon."
Link:
Why the SD Card Slot in the MacBook Range Won't Replace the DVD Drive
Any Time Soon
MacBook Pros Still Can't Display Millions of
Colors
Tweaktown says:
"It has been about a month since Apple announced its new line of Mac
Book Pros. This new line was supposed to dove-tail in nicely with the
release of Snow Leopard and usher in a new era of Mac Book
dominance.
"Well there is trouble in Mac land. It seems that some of the
trouble that existed with the last line of MacBooks is following the
new ones too.
"This trouble is all about the colors man. You see Apple says that
its new MacBooks have support for Millions of Colors this is great
right? Well you see it is not all good. Apple uses 6-bit panels as such
they are really only capable of supporting 262 thousand colors."
Editor's note: This is an old issue that doesn't seem to go away.
We've covered it twice (see Apple Sued:
Can 262,144 Colors Be Considered 'Millions'? from 2007 and Millions vs. Thousands of
Colors: What's the Difference? from 2008). While the Mac OS and
graphics hardware both support 24-bit color, the built-in displays are
"only" capable of displaying 18-bit color - 6 bits per color channel.
When used with an external display that supports 24-bit color, these
MacBooks can output millions of colors. Apple specifications don't make
it clear that the displays in its MacBooks (and the iBooks and
PowerBooks before them) cannot display the full 24-bit range of colors,
although anyone would be hard pressed to see the difference.
dk
Link:
Apple MacBook Pros Cannot Show Millions of Colors
MacBook Pro Owners Report Problems with 7200 RPM
Hard Drives
MacNN reports that some
owners of Apple's latest MacBook Pros equipped with 7200 RPM hard
drives are reporting strange clicking and beeping noises along with
performance issues - the cause of the problem as yet unclear, with
attempted workarounds suggested to some users by Apple Support failing
to resolve the issue and some suggesting that it is caused by an
incompatibility between the Seagate's G-Force protection system and
MacBook hardware.
The article also cites a staffer at Other World Computing, which
resells many brands of hard disks, suggesting that the issue may be
with Seagate's Momentus 7200.4 G-Force hard drives, which in the case
of MacBook Pros may be creating a conflict, and noting that the
proprietary Seagate G-Force technology is essentially irrelevant on
Macs, since the computers already have built-in Sudden Motion Sensor
technology.
Link: MacBook
Pro Owners Report Problems with 7200 RPM Hard Drives
Create a Tab-switching Multi-Touch Gesture Shortcut
in Firefox 3.5
Macworld's Rob
Griffiths reports that recently-released Firefox 3.5 supports multitouch
gestures on newer Mac laptops, at least if you believe the Firefox
features page, but these gestures don't seem to be documented in
detail anywhere on the Firefox website and there's no apparent
documentation on which gestures do what. In order to spare you
experimentation, Griffiths outlines the preprogrammed Firefox gestures
and explains how to activate gestures to support switching between
tabs.
Link: Create
a Tab-switching Multi-Touch Gesture Shortcut in Firefox 3.5
Is the MacBook Air Doomed?
The
Apple Blog's Charles Jade says:
"What Apple fan of small-and-light computing doesn't remember that
Macworld Expo Keynote . . . where, uncovering Apple's
then-latest laptop and holding it aloft, Steve Jobs declared it 'the
smallest full-featured notebook in the world.'"
"Two years and change later, it was canceled.
"That would be the 12" PowerBook G4 of 2003
that met its demise in 2005* but what happened then seems eerily
familiar in 2009. Since the manila-envelope unveiling at Macworld Expo
2008, the MacBook Air
has gotten less Apple Event love than the time it takes Yael Naïm
to sing 'New Soul.'"
"...that seeming indifference to the Air that led me to ponder the
history of the smallest PowerBook in relation to the fate of the
thinnest MacBook."
* Editor's note. It was actually discontinued in May 2006 with the
debut of the
MacBook. cm
Other editors note: Although the 12" PowerBook was discontinued in
May 2006, its legacy lives on in the MacBook and 13" MacBook Pro.
The 12-incher was Apple's only PowerBook that didn't have a widescreen
display, something every Intel-based 'Book has. 13 inches is the new 12
inches. The MacBook
Air fills a unique niche in the world of netbooks, subnotebooks,
and ultralights - it has a full sized keyboard, a 1280 x 800 display,
and a dual-core CPU. It is far more capable and usable than any netbook
(which usually has a 1.6 GHz single-core Atom CPU), and Apple is
undoubtedly selling enough to keep the MBA alive - and updated on a
regular basis. dk
Link: Is the
MacBook Air Doomed?
The Land Between an iPhone and a MacBook Pro
Pixobebo's Kate
MacKenzie says:
"There is a big, unfilled hole in Apple's OS X product line of
portable devices. At the low end is the iPod touch (to a lesser extent,
the iPhone). At the high end is the MacBook Pro. Between the two is a
lonely, aging, white polycarbonate MacBook. What's missing? What would
fill the obvious gap? A new MacBook? A Mac netbook? Or, something else?
Something different? An iPad?"
Link:
The Land Between an iPhone and a MacBook Pro
Apple Could Release Touch Tablet Device as Early as
October
MacFixIt
says:
"According to a cavalcade of Mac rumor blogs and Web sites, Apple
could be planning on releasing a touch screen tablet device as early as
this October, pairing nicely with the expected Snow Leopard release and
iPod updates....
"Reports suggest parts requests at Apple's suppliers include a
9.7-inch touchscreen . . . When looking at possible hardware
inclusions, expect at least one USB port as well as a dock connector
for syncing purposes and third-party device connectivity. Also expect
to see the newly adapted SD card slot - a feature which could prove to
be the device's most valuable asset...
"Most of the rumors suggest that the tablet will be around $800.00 .
. . Look for subsidies in the $200.00 range, bringing the device to a
very marketable $599.00."
Link: Apple
Could Release a Touch Tablet Device as Early as October
Apple touch Netbook Due in October for $800?
Electronista
says:
"Rumors of a touchscreen Apple netbook gained fuel on Monday with a
claim by China's InfoTimes that supposedly confirms launch
details. Backing earlier claims, the site says the system will use a
9.7-inch touchscreen supplied by Wintek and is due to ship in
October...."
Link:
Apple touch Netbook Due in October for $800?
Look for PA Semi's Chip Designs in
Upcoming Apple Tablet
VentureBeat's
Dean Takahashi says:
"Reports surfaced today that Apple will launch an $800 tablet
computer in October. But we've dug out something interesting ourselves:
the processor chip for the tablet is being designed by Apple's own
internal chip team.
"Apple acquired
PA Semi in April, 2008 for $278 million. It never said what it
planned to do with the chip design firm...."
Link:
Look for PA Semi's Chip Designs in Upcoming Apple Tablet
Apple Tablet Will Have PA Semi Chips, Ship in
'Early 2010'
Cnet's Erica Ogg
says:
"The Apple rumor mill kicked into high gear again Monday regarding
the much discussed, yet still mythical Apple tablet. But a significant
new piece of information emerged.
"Tech blog Venture Beat is reporting (above) that
PA Semi, the chip
company Apple bought last year whose specific function within Apple has
thus far been unclear, will be designing the chips for an Apple tablet
in house....
"But October is very soon. Reports from Apple analyst Gene Munster,
beginning in May, have repeatedly pinpointed a tablet launch in early
2010."
Link: Report: Apple
Tablet Will Have PA Semi Chips
Reviews
13" and 15" MacBook Pros a 'Huge Increase in
Value'
Tech Radar says that
while the mid-2009 unibody MacBook Pros are an incremental upgrade,
they also represent a huge increase in value for the money, with new
features and benefits that were introduced back in January for the
top-of-the-range 17-inch model have filtering down throughout the
MacBook Pro range, which also now includes the newly promoted 13-inch
unibody MacBook. Yet prices have also gone down.
Link:
MacBook Pro 13" 2.53 GHz and MacBook Pro 15" 2.8 GHz Review
13" MacBook Pro 'Sets New Standards'
Tech
Republic's Erik Eckel says that Apple's new 13.3" MacBook Pro laptop
sets new standards for industry design and performance in a mobile PC
with its integrated gigabit Ethernet, wireless-N networking, potent
graphics capability and a highly secure native OS, and declares
unequivocally that the 13-inch MBP is the best pound-for-pound laptop
available - "a dynamic workhorse that can meet the demanding and varied
computing needs of everyone from traveling sales executives to graphic
artists."
Link: Product Spotlight:
Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch notebook
13" MacBook Pro Packs a Punch
Computerworld's Ken Mingis says:
"When it comes to Apple laptops, what's in a name? More
specifically, what does adding the 'Pro' moniker to Apple's 13-in.
MacBook mean?
"It means that Apple again has three MacBook Pro models to choose
from: this newly renamed 13-in. MacBook Pro, the popular 15-in. version
and the larger 17-in. model. Best of all, the change comes with price
reductions across the lineup - the MacBook Pro line now starts at
$1,199 for the basic 13-in. model, with a slightly more tricked out
version going for $1,499. That's $100 less than the respective MacBooks
that preceded them....
"The 13-in. MacBook Pro is the spiritual successor to the 12-in.
PowerBook G4, which was discontinued three years ago when the company
moved to Intel processors...."
Link:
Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro Packs a Punch
Tech Trends
Sprint Offers 99¢ Netbook
Windows
For Devices reports that Sprint is offering a netbook for the friendly
price of 99¢ to customers who sign up for two years of data
service. The computer is a Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX sold via Best Buy
stores, also claimed to be available to AT&T and Verizon customers
for $200.
Either price is not bad at all (but consider the cost of the service
you're committing to - see the next item below) for a machine with the
ubiquitous Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz CPU, the Intel Graphics Media
Accelerator 950, 1 GB of RAM, a 5-in-1 SD/MMC card reader, a 16 GB
SSD, a 10.1" HP BrightView 1024 x 576 display, 10/100 Ethernet. a
un2400 3G cellular modem, compatible with GSM or CDMA, 802.11b/g, 3 USB
ports, a Webcam, a Microphone, Mic/headphone ports, and a 92-percent
sized keyboard
Link: Sprint Offers
'99-Cent' Netbook
The Subsidized Netbook Rip-off
TG Daily's
Carmi Levy observes that netbooks are the new cellphones - or at least
that's what wireless carriers want you to believe, and are now offering
them at ridiculously cheap subsidized upfront prices in exchange for a
two-year service contract commitment. "We'd do well to be cynical,"
says Levy - citing the old and accurate truism that there's no such
thing as a free lunch, and these purported "bargains" could cost you
well into four-figure territory by the time your contract is up.
Link: The Great Netbook
Ripoff
Subsidized Wireless Netbooks Come with
Strings
Consumer Reports
warns that mini-note laptops sold at subsidized prices - or even
virtually "free" - in exchange for signing a two-year service contract
may not be the good deal they purport to be.
CU examined the netbook deals offered by AT&T and notes that
although you pay up to $250 less up front than you would for a straight
purchase of the netbook, you're obliged to sign up for either a $40- or
$60-a-month AT&T data plan, which adds up to $960 or $1,440
respectively over the two-year contract period, and the $40 AT&T
plan's data limit is a measly 200 MB a month, after which the meter
will be running to the tune of 10¢ per megabyte. You'll be locked
in with that carrier even after the initial two years, because the SIM
card enabling your netbook to access the Internet via the company's
data network is locked to that carrier (although WiFi access is
unrestricted).
Link:
Carrier Subsidized Wireless Netbooks Come with Strings
Netbook Shipments to Double Year-over-Year
PR: DisplaySearch expects shipments of almost
33 million mini-notes (netbooks) in 2009 as penetration of these
products into the notebook PC market grows to 20% worldwide, according
to its Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report. At the same
time, DisplaySearch expects the market for traditional notebooks (those
with displays 12.1 and larger) to be flat Y/Y for the first time (see
Table 1).
In emerging markets like Latin
America, the low prices of mini-notes offer a more affordable product.
In 2008, 45% of all mini-notes were shipped into EMEA markets. While
this figure is forecast to drop to 40% in 2009, this share is well in
excess of the region's total share of the notebook PC market.
In many regions, telecom providers have been offering subsidized
mini-notes for several quarters, which helped propel growth. In North
America, the three largest telecom providers (AT&T, Sprint and
Verizon) are aggressively marketing mini-notes. As smart phone
penetration continues to increase in North America (and a number of
other regions), it will become increasingly necessary for telecoms to
find their next revenue stream as the incremental revenue increase from
smart phone subscribers slows.
Penetration of mini-notes is one of the primary factors behind
DisplaySearch's expectations of flat Y/Y demand for notebook PCs. The
other factor is a dramatic reduction in demand from enterprise
customers. Businesses responded quickly to the economic downturn by
cutting purchasing, especially of expensive IT-related products.
DisplaySearch believes that there is significant pent-up demand in the
B2B market as many enterprises did not upgrade from Windows XP to
Vista. The launch of Windows 7 in late October this year, if combined
with economic recovery, could lead to a rapid recovery in enterprise
notebook PC demand; however, DisplaySearch does not expect this to
occur until 2010.
In its Q2 09 Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report,
DisplaySearch analyzes the breadth and depth of mini-note and notebook
PCs demand in the major geographic regions, and identifies the key
variables influencing changing demand patterns in these markets.
Mini-notes are forecast to continue to be a significant portion of
the market. However, as display sizes of these devices have quickly
moved from 7.0 to 8.9 to 10.1 , and now with the emergence of 11.6 and
12.0 mini-note products, it is clear that buyers want a lightweight
device, but that they also want a bigger display. While these devices
have certainly created a new market, our research indicates that they
are predominantly used as secondary PCs by consumers, and are not
replacing notebooks, said John F. Jacobs, Director of Notebook Market
Research and author of the report.
The DisplaySearch Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report
is a comprehensive and exclusive compilation of market data from
DisplaySearch's industry sources, along with insightful analysis of the
state of the notebook PC industry.
DisplaySearch, an NPD Group Company, has a core team of 57
employees, located in Europe, North America and Asia, who produce a
valued suite of FPD-related market forecasts, technology assessments,
surveys, studies and analyses.
Link:
Mini-Note (Netbook) Shipments to Double Year-over-Year
Products & Services
RadTech ClearCal Anti-Glare Film for 13" and 15"
MacBooks, 24" iMac
PR: ClearCal Anti-Glare Film for Glossy Displays
Significantly reduces glare on glossy glass displays. Easy to apply and
remove - leaves no residue. Blemish-healing adhesive layer conceals
existing abrasions and scratches.
MacBook Pro display with and without RadTech ClearCal Anti-Glare
Film.
ClearCal AG (anti-glare) films greatly improve the viewability of
glossy glass displays when used in brightly lit or outdoor
environments.
ClearCal films combine a
tempered 2-mil matte finished, antireflection layer, permanently
laminated to a 3-mil flexible transparent base. A blemish-healing
siliconized adhesive provides an optically-correct, yet easily
removable bond that conceals existing surface defects like abrasions
and scratches. The siliconized adhesive is permanently bonded to the
base layer and will never leave any residue behind if later
removed.
ClearCal's tempered, optically-correct surface resists scratches and
abrasions and is easy to clean. In addition to glare reduction,
ClearCal provides a level of impact protection and minimizes the
appearance of oils or streaking if the display is touched. Detailed,
illustrated instructions included - installation video
downloadable.
Features:
- Provides good impact protection for glass displays
- Significantly reduces glare in brightly lit or outdoor
environments
- Reduces eyestrain, flares and reflections
- Blemish-healing siliconized adhesive layer conceals existing
abrasions / scratches
- Can be removed, cleaned and reapplied several times
- Minimizes the appearance of oils and streaks if touched
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Also available for iPod touch and iPhone
ClearCal Specs:
- Material: Optically-pure PETE
- Film Thickness: 5 mil
- Transmissivity: 94%
- Size & Weight:
- 13in: 296x188mm / 114g
- 15in: 341x217mm / 116g
- 24in: 535x340mm / 204g
- Fits:
- 13in MacBook (unibody)
- 13in MacBook Pro (unibody)
- 15in MacBook Pro (unibody)
- Apple 24in iMac
- Apple 24in LED Display
Priced from: $19.95
Link: RadTech
ClearCal Anti-Glare Film
OWC Upgrade Installation Videos Cover Entire
MacBook & MacBook Pro Range
PR: Other World Computing (OWC) announces that it has
completed its series of free, step-by-step online installation videos
for all available upgrades for MacBook and MacBook Pro machines. Now
owners of the earliest 2006 models to the latest 2009 "Unibody"
machines can upgrade memory, hard drive and/or optical drive components
in as little as 10 minutes for greater performance over factory
configurations.
A Faster Mac In 10 Minutes
The OWC series of free online upgrade installation videos for
MacBook and MacBook Pro models are rated from an "Easy" to
"Straightforward" level and can be performed at home as quickly as an
estimated 10-minute installation time. The complete series of
installation videos for MacBook and MacBook Pros, as well as videos for
Mac tower, desktop, and iPod battery installs is available.
"One of OWC's founding principles is to maximize the usefulness of
existing resources. Whether a customer has a legacy Mac or the latest
machine, these videos are an invaluable resource for getting greater
performance from their Mac and/or extending its useful life," said
Larry O'Connor, CEO, OWC. "With the typical service center charging
upwards of $80 for an easy memory install, MacBook and MacBook Pro
owners can save both time and money by utilizing this free
resource."
Memory Upgrades from $29.79, 7200 RPM Hard Drives from $64.99
OWC Memory Upgrade Kits priced starting at $29.79 are available up
to 8 GB for MacBook and MacBook Pro models and are backed with a
Money Back Guarantee and OWC's Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty.
Additional money savings are also available through OWC's Rebate
program, which provides $5.00 Cash Back per 1 GB Apple Factory
Standard memory module.
Upgrading the internal hard drive can also make MacBook and MacBook
Pro machines faster. Prices start at $64.99 for a 250 GB 7200 RPM
drive, with the most popular upgrades including a 320 GB 7200 RPM drive
priced at $84.99 and a 500 GB 7200 RPM drive priced at $149.99. In
addition, MacBook and MacBook Pro owners that purchase a new hard drive
from OWC also enjoy the benefit of keeping their existing drive, which
can be used as a temporary backup drive, converted into an external
storage solution, or sent to OWC for a cash back trade-in.
For a complete list of upgrades for MacBook and MacBook Pro models,
visit <https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade>
OWC - The Trusted Name in Mac Memory
OWC memory upgrades are available from 16 MB up to 32 GB for nearly
every current and past Apple notebook and desktop computer manufactured
during the past twenty years, including Mac Pro Xeon, iMac, PowerMac,
Xserve, iBook, and PowerBook computers. By maintaining an active
state-of-the-art test lab, OWC can ensure its memory upgrades offer the
highest product quality and reliability and backs them with a Lifetime
Advance Replacement Warranty and Money Back Guarantee.
The full OWC Memory line, as well as a compatibility guide which
directs customers to the correct upgrades for each specific Apple
model, can be found online at <https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/>
Link: OWC Install Videos
Seagate Momentus 7200.4 7200 RPM Laptop Hard
Drives
PR: The Seagate Momentus 7200.4 drive is claimed to deliver
the highest available laptop hard drive capacity, satisfying the need
for desktop performance in a notebook computer. All this without
sacrificing battery life, because these new 7200 RPM drives draw only
slightly more power than a 5400 RPM laptop drive.
Seagate 7200 RPM drives can shut your system down 34 percent faster,
and opening big files can be up to 30 seconds faster than a 5400 RPM
drive can manage.
The Seagate Momentus 7200 RPM family comes with optional G-Force
Protection technology for hard-core road warriors or even aspiring
warriors in need of extra robustness. The G-Force Protection feature
provides enhanced data protection against shock that may occur while
the drive is operating. This feature is designed to decrease the
likelihood of data loss by detecting a freefall event and unloading the
actuator before a shock takes place in falls of greater than 8 inches
(nominal). The drive uses a drop sensor mounted on the printed circuit
board assembly to sense this event and protect your data. (Editor's
note: for Mac users it may be best to order without the G-Force
Protection option, since Apple laptops already have Sudden Motion
Sensor technology built-in, and there are reports of possible
conflicts).
Available in capacities up to 500 GB with 16 MB of cache and a SATA
3Gb/s NCQ interface, the Momentus 7200.4 laptop hard drive is ideal for
mainstream and performance laptops, workstations, small form factor
desktop systems, industrial applications and non-mission-critical blade
servers.
Key Features and Benefits
- Highest available notebook performance increases productivity in
all environments.
- SATA 3Gb/s interface with Native Command Queuing (NCQ) and command
ordering
- 16-MB cache on every capacity
- Green features:
- Leverages Seagate laptop power management technology, delivering
the lowest-power 7200 RPM laptop hard drive yet
- Utilizes ramp load features that remove the head from the disk
during idle periods, improving idle power consumption and adding to the
durability of the drive
- Optional G-Force Protection feature adds another layer of
robustness for road warriors.
- QuietStep technology enables ultra-quiet load/unload acoustics
- State-of-the-art cache and on-the-fly error-correction
algorithms
- Fluid dynamic bearing motor for quiet operation
- Support for S.M.A.R.T. drive monitoring and reporting Key
Applications
- High-performance and mainstream laptop PCs
- Small form factor PCs
- Workstations
- Non-mission-critical blade servers and industrial applications
Momentus 7200.4 Industry-leading 7200 RPM performance meets extreme
green low power consumption levels.
Specifications
- Capacity (GB) 500 and 250
- Interface SATA 3Gb/s NCQ
- Cache (MB) 16
- Spindle Speed (RPM) 7200
- Shock, Operating: 2 ms (Gs) 350
- Shock, Nonoperating: 1 ms (Gs) 1000
- Acoustics, Idle, typical (bels) 2.3
- Acoustics, Seek, typical (bels) 2.5
- Operating Temperature (°C) 0 to 60
Link:
Seagate Momentus 7200.4 7200 RPM Laptop Hard Drives
Samsung Introduces High-Capacity 250 GB 1.8" Hard
Drives
PR: Strengthening its line up of portable 1.8" hard drives
for external storage markets, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today
announced its 250 Gigabyte (GB) 1.8 inch hard disk drive, the Spinpoint
N3U which incorporates a native USB controller on its printed circuit
board. This optimized design results in a smaller foot print, less
power consumption and optimized performance, which is ideal for
portable external storage devices. The Spinpoint N3U stores up to 125
Gigabytes per platter for a total 250 GB data storage capacity.
Most external hard drives require the addition of a bridge circuit
board to convert the hard drive's PATA interface into a USB interface.
Samsung's N3U drive, however, uses a native USB interface and as such
does not require this bridge board. Note: this drive won't work in the
MacBook Air because the Air requires a SATA interface.
"The new high-capacity 1.8" 250 GB drive enhances Samsung's product
offerings and is ideal for consumers who require a small form factor,
high capacity data storage," said Choel-Hee Lee, vice president of
marketing Storage System Division, Samsung Electronics. "It is easy to
carry around and it is designed to withstand a free fall drop of up to
50 centimeters and be resistant to a maximum shock incident of up to
1500G."
As a native USB interface device, the Spinpoint N3U eliminates
possible points of failure due to loose cable connections and optimizes
performance by eliminating the interrupt service time for the bridge
board to convert PATA to USB signals. And the N3U 1.8" drive also
consumes about 40 percent less power than a 2.5" hard drive of an
equivalent capacity.
Samsung now ships industry leading areal density levels for all of
its hard disk form factor products with up to 1.5 Terabyte for 3.5"
drives, 500 GB for 2.5" drives and 250 GB for 1.8" drives. The
Spinpoint N3U comes in 120-, 160-, 200- and 250-GB capacities, the disk
rotation speed is 3600 rpm, and it supports a USB 2.0 interface. The
drives are equipped with an 8 MB cache memory. Initial shipments
to OEMs are scheduled from mid-July with a MSRP at $199.
Editor's note: This drive could potentially make its way into the
MacBook Air, giving it more storage capacity than ever. dk
Bargain 'Books
Bargain 'Books are used unless otherwise indicated. New and
refurbished units have a one-year Apple warranty and are eligible for
AppleCare.
PowerBook, iBook, and MacBook profiles linked in our Portable Mac Index.
Factory refurbished units with Apple's full one-year warranty.
- 1.6 GHz MacBook Air, 2 GB/80 HD, $999
- 1.6 GHz MacBook Air, 2 GB/64 SSD, $1,199
- 1.6 GHz MacBook Air, 2 GB/120 HD, $1,199
- 1.8 GHz MacBook Air, 2 GB/80 HD, $1,099
- 1.8 GHz MacBook Air, 2 GB/64 GB SSD, $1,299
- 1.86 GHz MacBook Air, 2 GB/128 GB SSD, $1,449
- 2.0 GHz Unibody MacBook, 2 GB/160/SD, $949
- 2.4 GHz Unibody MacBook, 2 GB/250/SD, $1,099
- 15" 2.4 GHz Core 2 MacBook Pro, 2 GB/250/SD, $1,349
- 15" 2.4 GHz Core 2 MacBook Pro, 2 GB/128 SSD/SD, $1,449
- 15" 2.66 GHz MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, $1,699
- 15" 2.8 GHz MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, $1,699
- 15" 2.93 GHz MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, $1,949
- 17" 2.5 GHz MacBook Pro, 2 GB/250/SD, $1,799
- 17" 2.5 GHz MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, $1,999
- 17" 2.66 GHz MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, $1,949
- 17" 2.66 GHz MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, antiglare, $1,999
- 2.0 GHz Unibody MacBook, 2 GB/160/SD, $1,024.99
- 15" 2.4 GHz Core 2 MacBook Pro, 2 GB/250/SD, $1,569.99
- 15" 2.66 GHz Core 2 MacBook Pro, 4 GB/320/SD, $1,829.99
- 15" 2.66 GHz Core 2 MacBook Pro, 4 GB/250-7200rpm/SD, $2,144
- Lombard PowerBook G3/400, 256/6/DVD, OS 9, $179
- Pismo PowerBook G3/400, 512/10/no optical drive?, AP, $299
- 2.0 GHz Core Duo MacBook, black, 1 GB/80/SD, $879
- Pismo PowerBook G3/400, 128/6/DVD, $299.99
- Pismo PowerBook G3/500, 128/6/DVD, $349.99
- Pismo PowerBook G3/400, 256/40/DVD, $399.99
- Pismo PowerBook G3/400, 256/60/DVD, $419.99
- Pismo PowerBook G3/500, 256/40/DVD, $439.99
- Pismo PowerBook G3/500, 256/60/DVD, $449.99
- Pismo PowerBook with G4/550 upgrade, 256/40/Combo, $529.99
- 12" iBook G4/800 MHz, 256/30/Combo, 60 day warranty, $289.99
- 12" iBook G4/1 GHz, 256/30/Combo, 60 day warranty, $369.99
- 12" iBook G4/1.2 GHz, 256/30/Combo, 60 day warranty, $409.99
- 12" iBook G4/1.33 GHz, 512/40/Combo, AirPort & Bluetooth, 60
day warranty, $489.99
- 14" iBook G4/1.33 GHz, 512/60/Combo, 60 day warranty, $499.99
- 14" iBook G4/1.42 GHz, 512/60/SD, 60 day warranty, $529.99
- 1.83 GHz Core Duo MacBook, white, 512/60/Combo, $594.99
- 2.0 GHz Core Duo MacBook, white, 512/60/Combo, $659.99
- 2.0 GHz Core Duo MacBook, black, 512/80/SD, $719.99
- 2.0 GHz Core 2 MacBook, white Core2 Duo, 1 GB/80/SD, $769.99
- 2.0 GHz Core 2 MacBook, black Core2 Duo, 1 GB/120/SD, $799.99
- 2.0 GHz MacBook, white, 1 GB/60/SD, scratched, $549
- 2.0 GHz MacBook, white, 1 GB/100/SD, $679
- 15" 2.16 GHz MacBook Pro, 2 GB/100/SD, $999
- 15" 2.33 GHz MacBook Pro, 3 GB/500/SD, $1,299
- 17" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz, 1 GB/80/SD, $699
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.
