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Review. All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Rumor Roundup
Reviews
Tech Trends
Products & Services
News & Opinion
Apple MagSafe Adapter Replacement Program
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says that Apple may provide
customers a replacement MagSafe AC adapter if their adapter shows signs
of strain relief. Strain relief is defined as a condition where the DC
cable (the thin cord that attaches the MagSafe connector to the power
adapter) separates from the end of the MagSafe connector or from the
other end of the thin cord, at the power adapter. For more information
about strain relief, see section 6 of Apple Portables: Troubleshooting MagSafe
Adapters.
"T" style MagSafe Adapter exhibiting a strain relief issue.
Whether your product is in or out of warranty, you can take your
adapter to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store
for evaluation and replacement if necessary. Pending the results of
evaluation, you may or may not be eligible for a replacement adapter
free of charge. Signs of accidental damage would negate any coverage.
Be sure to bring in the computer used with the adapter; it is required
to process potential adapter replacements.
For information about the cash payment for replacement adapters
referred to in the notice, go to http://www.AdapterSettlement.com
or call 1-888-332-0277. You will be provided with a detailed notice and
claim form package that contains everything you need.
For more information on this issue and associated litigation, see
the MagSafe Power Adapter Settlement Website which notes:
"The purpose of this website is to inform original owners of certain
MacBook or MacBook Pro computer and/or if you purchased a standalone
60W or 85W MagSafe MPM-1 (T) Power Adapter for these computers, you
could be entitled to benefits under a class action settlement.
"The settlement will provide a cash payment if you are the original
owner (by purchase or gift) of certain Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro
computer models (Subject Computer) or separately purchased an Apple 60W
or 85W MagSafe MPM-1 (T) Power Adapter (Adapter), your Adapter showed
signs of Strain Relief Damage, and you purchased a Replacement Adapter
within the first three years following the initial purchase of the
Subject Computer or Adapter. If the court approves the settlement, you
may be entitled to a cash payment in the following amounts depending on
whether you purchased your Replacement Adapter during the first, second
or third year following the initial retail purchase of the Subject
Computer or Adapter: (a) first year, the actual amount you paid
(excluding taxes and shipping/handling fees) up to a maximum of $79;
(b) second year $50; (c) third year $35. There is a limit of three
refunds per Subject Computer. You may also be able to obtain a
Replacement Adapter at no charge from Apple if your Adapter shows signs
of Strain Relief Damage now or in the future.
"To file a claim, you can print a Claim Form via this website or you
can request a Claim Form over the phone by calling 888-332-0277."
Link: About Apple's Adapter Replacement
Program
Link: AdapterSettlement.com
MacBook Casing Supplier Reports 15.8% Drop in
October Sales
Taiwan News' Lo Hsiu-wen and Frances Huang report that Catcher
Technology Co., a Taiwan-based metal notebook casing supplier to Apple,
said its consolidated sales for October fell 15.8% from a month earlier
due to a shutdown of its operations in Suzhou in China's Jiangsu
Province.
As we reported here last month, in mid-October, operations at
Catcher's Suzhou facility were suspended by Chinese authorities after a
noxious odor was detected emitting from the plant. After the shutdown,
the company had forecast its sales in October would fall 20% from
September - and 40% in November if its Suzhou operations did not resume
by then.
However, Lo Hsiu-wen and Huang report that it turned out October
sales rang in better than expected, thanks to the company assigning its
facilities in other Chinese cities to assist. In addition, stock of
Catcher's semifinished products made up the shortage of production
capacity from the shutdown, and the October figure was actually up
44.9% higher year-over-year, although the month-over-month decline in
October sales snapped a five month rising streak.
Link: Apple Casing
Supplier Reports 15.8% Drop in October Sales
Smaller First-tier Notebook Brands, Including
Apple, to Achieve Strong Performance in 2012
DigiTimes Research senior analyst Joanne Chien reports that despite
the the global notebook market being expected to remain mired in the
doldrums, several smaller first-tier brands are expected to achieve
shipment growth in 2011 and will continue to maintain excellent
performance in 2012.
Ms. Chien believes that notebook brand vendors including Lenovo,
Asustek, Apple, and Samsung, will continue to expand their market
shares in the future, while Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Acer, which
suffered from operational impacts in 2011, will maintain stable
shipment performance in the traditional notebook segment in 2012.
However, Ms. Chien notes that as HP and Acer's netbook shipments
will both drop significantly in 2011 and 2012, HP's overall notebook
shipments will drop 8.8% and 1.2% on year in 2011 and 2012,
respectively, with Acer to drop 22.2% and 13.5%.
Meanwhile, she predicts that Japan-based brand vendors, benefiting
from a recovery of Japan's PC market, will enjoy shipment growth in
2012.
Link: Smaller First-tier
Notebook Brands, Including Apple, to Achieve Strong Performance in
2012 (subscription required)
Rumor Roundup
MacBook Air Pro in the Works
Mac News' Dennis Sellers cites the Japanese Apple-watcher blogsite,
Macotakara, which reported last week that
Apple is working on a thinner, lighter version of the 15" MacBook Pro.
Sellers thinks they're on the right track, and predicts that within 24
months Apple's laptop line will consist of the MacBook Air (11" and 13"
models) and the MacBook Air Pro (15" and 17" models). That's right - a
17" MacBook Air Pro model.
If he's right, it doesn't look good for fans of the 13" MacBook Pro,
of which your editor is one.
Link: My Crystal
Ball: The MacBook Air Pro Is Coming
Reviews
iFixit Opens Up the Late 2011 MacBook Pro, Finds
Little Changed
iFixit blogger Phillip says that despite skepticism that the
refreshed Late 2011 MacBook Pro would be significantly different from
the model it replaced, the site bought one and opened it up for a
looksee.
Philip notes that their suspicions had been generally correct, with
nothing appeared to have changed upon first appraisal, but a closer
look revealed that Apple actually did make some "teeny-tiny"
modifications to its new laptop, e.g.: new graphics memory chips with
double the graphics memory from the Early 2011 edition, updated Radeon
graphics processors, and slightly faster i5 and i7 processors.
Apparently not enough change to warrant a full iFixit teardown
treatment.
Link: The 'New' MacBook
Pro
Tech Trends
Ultrabooks to Deliver Ultrafast Growth If Prices
Below $1,000
PR: iSuppli's Matthew Wilkins reports that in a bid to stave
off the rising competitive threat posed by media tablets, the mobile PC
market is embracing the new ultrabook platform in a big way, with
shipments expected to rise to account for more than 40% of all
notebooks by 2015, according to the IHS iSuppli Compute Platforms
service.
Ultrabooks will represent 43% of global notebook PC shipments in
2015, up from 2% in 2011 and 13% in 2012. Following their first year of
shipments in 2011, Ultrabook penetration of the notebook market will
increase rapidly, rising to 28% in 2013 and to 38% in 2014.
"To compete with media tablets,
notebook PCs must become sexier and more appealing to consumers," says
Wilkins, principal analyst, compute platforms at IHS. "With media
tablets having already reversed the expansion of the previously
fast-growing netbook platform, PC makers now are keenly aware that the
notebook must evolve to maintain market growth and relevance. Enter the
ultrabook, which borrows some of the form-factor and user-interface
advantages of the media tablet to enhance the allure of the venerable
notebook."
While media tablets aren't expected to bring an end to the notebook
market, they are contributing to slowing growth in the segment.
Mainly driven by Apple Inc.'s iPad, the media tablet market is set
to boom in the coming years, with worldwide shipments rising at a
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) more than 42% from 2011 to 2015.
Meanwhile, the notebook market has entered a stage of maturity, with
shipments increasing at a CAGR of only 10% during the same period.
Ultrabooks Unveiled
Ultrabooks are defined as notebooks that are extremely light and
thin, at less than 0.8 inches in thickness. While ultrabooks employ a
full PC operating system like Microsoft Windows, they also add features
now commonly found in media tablets, such as instant-on activation,
always-connected wireless links, solid state drives and battery lives
that are longer than eight hours on a single charge. Ultrabooks are
targeted to be priced at less than $1,000, although most of the early
models are more expensive.
Future ultrabooks are expected to employ convertible form factors
and touch screens, allowing owners to use these devices either as
notebooks or tablets, depending on their needs.
The initial target market for ultrabooks will be consumers. However,
PC makers also are likely to develop models aimed at corporate
users.
Intel Impetus
While multiple companies are pushing ultrabooks, the strongest
supporter is PC microprocessor giant Intel Corp., which made the
announcement at Computex Taipei 2011 and discussed its concept of the
platform at its Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in September.
Intel's vision of the ultrabook includes the use of the company's
second-generation Core microprocessors, along with Microsoft's upcoming
Windows 8 operating system. The company said the first Intel-style
Ultrabooks are expected to be shipping in time for the Christmas sales
season this year, and some PC original equipment manufacturers -
including Acer and Asustek - already are selling the products.
Intel at IDF also previewed the next generation of ultrabooks set
for release in 2012 that will be based on the company's
third-generation Core microprocessor line, codenamed Ivy Bridge.
Infection Point
While Intel's ultrabook push could be viewed as a reaction to the
rise of media tablets, the effort could set the stage for the
revitalization of the electronics supply chain.
"With the introduction of the ultrabook, the computing industry is
poised for yet another paradigm shift," comments Len Jelinek, research
director and analyst, semiconductor manufacturing at IHS. "The
technology now exists that actually could bring about a convergence of
major mobile devices. If an attractive price point can be achieved and
the consumer deems this a must-have product, the entire semiconductor
manufacturing supply chain could rapidly reorient itself to serve the
fast-growing ultrabook market."
Jelinek predicted this event could bring to an end the current
slowdown in the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing
industries.
"In the age of the ultrabook, the demand for technology would not be
limited to only a few companies," Jelinek says. "Ultrabooks require a
comprehensive bill of materials, so companies focused on memory, logic
and power management all would participate in the revitalization of
demand."
One potential significant growth area would be in flash memory. The
transition from the hard disk drives commonly used in notebooks to the
solid state drives employed in ultrabooks will increase unit demand for
flash memory while stabilizing chip average selling prices. The
benefits would not just be confined to chip manufacturers alone but
also positively impact other supply chain participants, such as battery
suppliers and electronics contract manufacturers.
Products & Services
Tom Bihn Cadet Briefcase for 'Books and iPads
PR: Seattle-based designer,
manufacturer, and retailer of laptop and travel bags Tom Bihn has
introduced the Cadet, a laptop briefcase designed for Apple laptops
including the 15" MacBook Pro, 11" and 13" MacBook Air and the iPad 2.
The Cadet is designed to carry your laptop or iPad, a few files or
magazines, power supplies, pens, notebooks, and other small
accessories. The Cadet is a checkpoint friendly laptop bag: using two
clips, the bottom edge of the Cadet Cache attaches to two vertical
pieces of webbing sewn into the Cadet.
The Cadet is available is two sizes: 15/13" and 11/iPad. Both sizes
feature a removable protective laptop sleeve (called the Cadet Cache)
in sizes designed specifically to fit Apple laptops and the iPad: the
15/13 size fits both the 15" and 13" MacBook Pro, the 13" MacBook, and
the 13" MacBook Air, while the 11/iPad size fits the 11" MacBook Air
and the iPad/iPad 2. In addition to a laptop, the Cadet can also fit an
iPad or iPad 2 with or without a protective case or sleeve.
The
Cadet is made with an exterior of 1050d U.S. ballistic nylon, which has
twice the abrasion resistance of 1680 denier fabric, and an interior of
ultra-lightweight Japanese Dyneema/nylon ripstop fabric, made for Tom
Bihn in Japan. In between the exterior and the lining is .25"/8mm
closed cell foam on the front, back and bottom, which gives the Cadet
its shape and provides additional protection for your laptop (and if
you choose to go au naturale, this foam will provide some protection
for an unprotected laptop). It features #10 and #8 YKK splash-proof
zippers with metal pulls. Want cord pulls? You can buy accessory Cord
Zipper Pulls separately, allowing you to add them to the metal zipper
pulls or replace the metal zipper pulls entirely.
The bags have two padded handles that meet above the bag's center of
gravity; when the Cadet is zipped shut, the handles come together so
you needn't fish for them when it's time to grab and go. Shoulder strap
attachment points are on the left and right sides of the Cadet and
feature exclusive (designed by Tom), super-heavy-duty DuPont Delrin
eye-loops, tested to 260 pounds each. A Standard Shoulder Strap is
included with the Cadet. You have the option of upgrading to the
company's Absolute Shoulder Strap for an extra $20. The Cadet can be
worn three ways: across-body ("messenger style"), on one shoulder, or
carried in hand as a briefcase.
The bag
has three exterior access compartments, six interior organizer pockets
(five on the 11/iPad size), and one exterior open-top pocket (on the
back). The small, front horizontal zippered pocket is lined with
Ultrasuede and designed to fit an iPhone or iPhone. Like the bag's
other compartments, this pocket zips shut with a YKK Uretek
splash-proof zipper.
Behind
the small zippered pocket is a contoured zippered compartment that
opens to about half of the height of the bag, revealing organizer
pockets sized for a Magic Mouse or similarly sized device; cellphone;
passport; plus three pen/pencil pockets. There's plenty of additional
room in this compartment for a power supply and phone charger as well -
even a small notebook or your lunch. Inside this front compartment
you'll also find two O-rings. If you already have one of Tom Bihn's
bags, you probably know about (and perhaps love) their O-rings. If
you're new to these products, you may be wondering - what's all this
about O-rings? They are just as they sound: small, plastic "O" shaped
rings that are sewn inside of the compartments and pockets of our bags.
Clip an extra Key Strap to an O-ring to keep track of an extra set of
keys or your work or school ID. Clear, Dyneema/nylon, Padded, Cork, or
Cordura Organizer Pouches can be clipped to O-rings to add further (and
color-coded) organization. A Guardian Light can be clipped to an O-ring
to serve as an interior bag light. Clip a 3D Clear Organizer Cube via a
Key Strap to an O-ring, and you have a TSA 3-1-1 liquids bag on a
tether - making sure you won't lose it when going through the airport
security line. There are endless uses for O-rings and the accessories
that clip to them.
Inside
of the Cadet's main compartment is a Cadet Cache: a specially modified
version of Tom Bihn's Cache laptop sleeve. Using two Gatekeeper clips,
the bottom edge of the Cadet Cache attaches to two vertical pieces of
webbing sewn into the Cadet. When passing through a TSA checkpoint, you
can easily slide your laptop/iPad (still in its protective Cadet Cache)
out of the Cadet for X-ray inspection; your laptop remains protected
and attached to the Cadet. Also inside the main compartment is a large
open-top pocket: your files or magazines won't come along for the ride
when you slide the Cadet Cache out at the checkpoint.
The
Cadet works well as briefcase for those who eschew laptops and just
want to carry files or a book or two; you can buy it sans Cadet Cache
for $30.00 less. And if the Cadet's native organizational structure is
not enough, you can add a Horizontal Freudian Slip so you can be the
most organized person on the planet (Note Horizontal Freudian Slip fits
in the larger 15/13 size only, not the 11/iPad size).
The outside back of the Cadet features a wide, quick-access pocket
for a magazine or newspaper (the only pocket on the Cadet that doesn't
zip shut). The bottom of this pocket unzips so you can slide the Cadet
over the handle of rolling luggage.
Tom designed the Cadet for people who want a smallish briefcase,
simple with lots of features: a safe place to carry a laptop,
comfortable handles, and easy-access phone and magazine pockets. Plus
the Cadet zips up for use in zero-gravity situations like being turned
up-side-down in your car or under the seat of an airplane.
Features:
- Ultrasuede lined iPhone pocket
- Exterior of 1050d U.S. ballistic nylon
- Interior lining of ultralight Japanese Dyneema/nylon
- YKK splash-proof Uretek zippers
- Three exterior access compartments, six interior organizer pockets,
and one exterior open-top pocket
- Lifetime Guarantee
- Made in the Tom Bihn factory in Seattle, Washington, USA
The Cadet sells for $170 and includes the Cadet Cache protective
laptop sleeve and Standard Shoulder Strap. It is available for preorder
in colors Black/Steel, Black/Iberian, Steel/Solar, Forest/Steel,
Navy/Solar, and Cardinal/Steel and ships by mid-to-late November.
The 15/13 Cadet is available for preorder and ships by
mid-November.
The 11/iPad Cadet is available for preorder and ships by late
November.
Link: Tom Bihn
Cadet
Bargain 'Books
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