General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in Mac News Review. iPad, iPod, iPhone, and
Apple TV news is covered in iOS News
Review. Older Macs are covered in Vintage Mac News. All prices are in US
dollars unless otherwise noted.
Purchases made through links to Amazon.com and
Apple's iTunes/iBook/App/Mac App Store support Low End Mac.
News & Opinion
Reviews
Apple Updates
Tech Trends
Products & Services
News & Opinion
MacBook Air Snags Top Spot in ABI's Ultrabook
Assessment
Electronista reports that even though it's not technically (or even
nominally) an Ultrabook, Apple's MacBook Air family is ranked
highest in ABI Research's latest Ultrabook Competitive Assessment,
scoring well ahead of Lenovo and Samsung, which placed second and third
respectively.
The Assessment gauges innovation and implementation in the
ultraportable segment, and Apple scored an 84.7 out of a possible 100
by ABI's measure. Lenovo and Samsung had respective scores of 77.5 and
74.4.
Link: Apple MacBooks Snag
Top Spot in ABI's Ultrabook Assessment
Apple Laptops 'Less Innovative' than Lenovo's - but
Beats the Pants Off Them in Sales
The Register notes according to market watcher ABI Research, Asus
and Lenovo both offer more innovative Ultrabook-style laptops than
Apple, bur the MacBook maker has both of them licked when it comes to
implementing and marketing product, as evidenced by the MacBook Air's
dominant market share.
ABI points to Apple being on track to ship almost three times as
many ultraportables by end of 2012 as its nearest competitors,
including Lenovo and Samsung, which placed second and third on ABI's
list of Ultrabook vendors.
Apple scores of 84.7 out of 100, with Lenovo and Samsung
respectively at 77.5 and 74.4, in ABI's assessment of a vendor's
ability to deliver innovative technology to users, and the new
developments it introduces to the platform.
Publisher's note: Interestingly, Lenovo (formerly IBM) ThinkPads
seem to be the only PC notebooks to have the same kine of fan base as
Apple's PowerBooks, iBooks, and MacBooks. dk
Link:
Apple 'Less Innovative' at Laptops than Lenovo
Upgrade Your MacBook Pro with an SSD
MacTuts+'s Toby Seers has posted a tutorial on how to upgrade your
Mac with a speedy Solid-State Drive (SSD). Seers notes that upgrading
RAM has traditionally been a relatively cheap way to increase your
Mac's speed and make your Mac run smoother if you have multiple
applications open at the same time and generally allows your Mac to do
more without slowing it down. However, adding an SSD will be make your
laptop run faster than it ever has - a lot faster.
Seers observes that SSD prices have been falling rapidly year over
year, and you'll be able to find plenty of options for less than $1/GB,
and explains how to find the best SSD for your Mac and provides a step
by step guide to installing it.
Link: How to Upgrade Your
MacBook Pro to an SSD
13" Retina MacBook Pro: White Lines May Appear in
Mission Control
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says that when you use Mission
Control on the 13"
Retina MacBook Pro, you may notice a few fine lines appear on the
desktop.
To resolve this issue, Apple says you should install the latest Mac
OS X updates for your computer. See OS X: Updating OS X and Mac App
Store apps for instructions.
Link: MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late
2012): Subtle White Lines May Appear in Mission Control
Some 15" Retina MacBook Pro Users Report Graphics
Issues After EFI Update
AppleInsider's Mikey Campbell reports that some 15" Retina MacBook Pro
owners are experiencing noticeable drops in graphics and processor
performance after having updated their machines to the latest EFI
(extensible firmware interface) version, such as drastically clipped
frame rates when running graphics-intensive programs.
Link: Some Retina MacBook
Pro Users Complain of Graphics Issues after EFI Update
Foxconn Expects More MacBook Orders from Apple
DigiTimes' Aaron Lee and Joseph Tsai report that Foxconn Electronics
(Hon Hai Precision Industry) has reportedly enjoyed an increase in 15"
MacBook Pro orders in the second half and is currently supplying 10-15%
of Apple's total MacBook shipments, up from its original single-digit
percentage allotment, according to sources from the upstream supply
chain. This has not been confirmed by Apple.
Lee and Tsai also note that longtime major Mac laptop supplier
Quanta Computer is still enjoying stable orders from Apple and
Foxconn's order increase has not affected Quanta's order volumes in the
second half, their sources tell them.
Another rumor says Pegatron Technology has received an opportunity
from Apple to manufacture MacBook products, but Lee and Tsai's sources
think that one is unlikely to be true since they've not yet heard any
instructions from Apple about sending components to Pegatron for pilot
production.
Another interesting bit of scuttlebutt is that 13" MacBook Pro are
said to be less robust than expected, and the 15" model is the better
marketplace performer.
That could be partly due to Apple's pricing of the two models. The
base 13" RMBP's base configuration with a 128 GB SSD sells for $1,699.
A more reasonably-sized capacity 256 GB flash drive will bump that up
to $1,999. Add the optional faster processor (still only dual-core),
and you're up to $2,199, which happens to be the price of the base 15"
RMBP with a 256 GB SSD, a much-faster quad-core CPU, and a discrete
graphics processor unit as well, making the 13-incher a relatively poor
value, unless its smaller footprint and lower weight are really
important to you.
Link: Foxconn Sees More
MacBook Orders from Apple (subscription required)
Reviews
Ars Technica: 13" Retina MacBook Pro 'Hard to
Recommend'
Ars Technica's Chris Foresman says the Retina display in Apple's
latest MacBook Pro offering is gorgeous, but comes with
compromises.
Foresman determines that while the 13" Retina MacBook Pro (RMBP)
offers an overall great package, pricing and performance compromises
compared to its larger 15" sibling cause it to fall short in relative
value
For example the 13" RMBP is limited to dual-core processors and
lacks a discrete graphics chip, which limits its graphics performance,
and the base model comes with a tiny-capacity 128 GB SSD. And while
8 GB of RAM is soldered to the logic board, unlike the 15" model,
you can't order it with more RAM or upgrade later. The old-school,
non-Retina 13"
MacBook Pro comes with 4 GB standard, but it has two expansion
slots that can be fitted with aftermarket 8 GB RAM modules for a
total of 16 GB.
Foresman notes that the 13" MacBook Air can perform
nearly as well as the 13" Retina MacBook Pro and lasts up to 7 hours on
a charge, but it has a lower-resolution display and less RAM by
default, while with the old non-Retina 13" MacBook Pro, which starts at
$500 less, you'll get identical CPU and GPU performance, the same
battery life, and legacy features like FireWire 800, ethernet, and an
optical drive. In the end, he leans toward the 15" Retina MacBook Pro,
which for an extra $200 gets you a lot more computer if you can go the
extra weight and footprint, making the 13" MacBook Pro hard to
recommend.
Link: 13" Retina MacBook
Pro Review: More Pixels, Less Value
AnandTech: 13" Retina MacBook Pro 'Perfect in My
Eyes'
AnandTech's Anand Lal Shimpi has posted a typically thoroughgoing
and detailed review of the 13" Retina MacBook Pro.
Lal Shimpi notes that over the past few years, the 13" notebook form
factor has emerged as a sweet spot balance between functional size and
portability, making a 13" variant a logical follow-on to the 15" RMBP
Apple released last June, noting that the 13" RMBP does a lot to blur
the line between the Air and Pro lines - and he's now finding it more
difficult to recommend the 13" MacBook Air, his previous pick for most
users, and says he has almost every reason to recommend the new
Pro.
He says "almost," because the 13" RMBP is a machine that really
can't be upgraded, with the difficulty of providing more (or easily
upgradeable) storage being his biggest complaint about what is a fairly
fixed configuration, although the SSD module actually can be upgraded
and some companies do offer an upgrade path for it.
The 13" RMBP retains the familiar and expected Mac laptop virtues of
a solid keyboard and trackpad, good WiFi, decent speakers and a
well-built chassis, although you do lose out on the quad-core CPU
option and there's no room for a discrete GPU, both of which the 15"
RMBP has.
The base 13" RMBP at $1,699 comes with a tiny 128 GB SSD, and it'll
set you back $300 more for the 256 GB SSD option, plus another $200 for
the optional faster (still dual-core) CPU. Now you're up to $2,199,
which happens to be the price of the base 15" RMBP with a 256 GB SSD, a
much more powerful quad-core CPU, and a discrete graphics processor as
well, making the 13-incher hard to justify and a relatively poor value,
unless its smaller footprint and lower weight are really important to
you.
Lal Shimpi also notes that the biggest issue for him with buying a
13" Retina MacBook Pro today is that Intel's Haswell family of
processors is coming in 2013, and it rarely hurts to wait, since
there's almost always something better around the corner, but he still
says that while expensive, the 13" RMBP is "easily the best balance of
portability and productivity in Apple's lineup today."
Link: 13-inch Retina
MacBook Pro Review (Late 2012)
OWC Aura Pro SSD Upgrade for Retina MacBook Pro Up to 50%
Faster than Apple's SSD
Bare Feats' rob-ART Morgan notes that the internal flash storage of
the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is fast, but what if you could replace it
with something faster? Other World Computing has a compatible upgrade,
the Aura Pro 6G SSD.
Morgan reports that the OWC Aura Pro 6G SSD tested faster than the
factory flash storage - especially in the case of large sequential
writes and small random reads, and it is SandForce-based, which
includes block management and wear leveling, read disturb management,
recycling, ECC protection, and redundant array of independent silicon
elements, as well as being very easy to install.
Link: Upgrade: OWC Aura Pro - Internal
Flash Storage for the Retina MacBook Pro
Apple Updates
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update for Mid 2012
Models
The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0 includes graphics
performance and reliability enhancements and improves compatibility
with some USB devices.
Apple recommends this update for all Mac notebooks introduced in
June 2012.
File Size: 127.07 MB
System Requirements: OS X 10.7.4 or later
Link: Apple has since removed this update.
Tech Trends
Laptops Beat iPhones and Tablets to Top the List
of Most Requested Gifts by Kids This Holiday Season
PR: Online cash back shopping specialist Ebates.com has announced findings from its
Ebates 2012 Holiday Wish List Survey. The national survey conducted
online by Harris Interactive of 1,121 youth aged 8-18 discovered that,
among those that had a preference, kids rank the gifts they want to
receive this holiday in the following order: a laptop computer (17%),
the latest iPhone (15%), and clothes (11%). The 4th most desired gift
is a 10" tablet like the iPad or the Motorola Xoom (9%), followed by
the latest Android Smartphone (6%), and latest mini tablet (5%).
e-Readers like the Nook and Kindle are wanted by 4% of youth.
It's interesting to see how the older kids want a laptop while the
younger kids generally would prefer a smartphone or tablet. No matter
which one parents plan to buy, between Ebates coupons and cash back,
they say they can save shoppers more than 20% on laptop and tablet
purchases.
Among the top-named gift choices, answers vary by age group and
gender:
- Boys 8-9: 10" Tablet like the iPad (17%)
- Girls 8-9: Latest iPhone (16%) or Clothes (16%)
- Boys 10-12: Laptop (19%)
- Girls 10-12: Laptop (16%)
- Boys 13-15: Latest iPhone (22%)
- Girls 13-15: Clothes (18%)
- Boys 16-18: Laptop (24%)
- Girls 16-18: Laptop (22%)
"Ebates feels the holidays are a time to focus on children, so we
wanted to hear directly from them what they would most like as a gift
with our 2012 Holiday Wish List," says Kevin H. Johnson, CEO of Ebates.
"It's interesting to see how the older kids want a laptop while the
younger kids generally would prefer a smartphone or tablet. No matter
which one parents plan to buy, between our coupons and cash back, we
can save shoppers more than 20% on laptop and tablet purchases," said
Johnson.
Girls between the ages of 8-12 report being influenced by
celebrities the most when it comes to what they want for a gift this
holiday season with 55% of girls 8-9 saying a celebrity would influence
their holiday gift choice and 67% of girls 10-12 saying the same thing.
Overall the number one named star who would influence a child's wish
list is Taylor Swift (9%) followed by Justin Bieber (7%), One Direction
(6%), Selena Gomez (6%), Nicki Minaj (5%), Justin Timberlake (2%),
Robert Pattinson (2%) and Jennifer Lawrence (1%).
When it comes to the number one influential celebrity, answers vary
by age group and gender:
- Boys 8-9: Justin Bieber (13%)
- Girls 8-9: Taylor Swift (18%)
- Boys 10-12: Justin Bieber (9%)
- Girls 10-12: One Direction (20%)
- Boys 13-15: Selena Gomez (6%)
- Girls 13-15: Taylor Swift (15%)
- Boys 16-18: Justin Bieber (6%)
- Girls 16-18: Taylor Swift (14%)
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
Interactive on behalf of Ebates from October 17-24, 2012 among 1,121
8-18 year olds. This online survey is not based on a probability sample
and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be
calculated.
For complete survey methodology, including raw data and weighting
variables, please contact Deanna Siste at Grayling Connecting Point at
deanna.siste@graylingcp.com.
About Ebates
Over 1,500 online stores have joined the roster of retailers that
offer cash back, special deals, including free shipping, and over 5000
coupons to members of Ebates.com. The free membership allows consumers
to shop online at their favorite retailers while earning back a
percentage of every purchase via a "Big Fat Check" or PayPal payment.
From niceties to necessities, members of Ebates save with discounts and
cash back at top-name merchants for everything from furniture to
fashion and appliances to airfare. Shopping with Ebates is hassle-free:
no rebate forms to fill out and no points or miles to redeem just
straightforward savings plus cash back. Ebates supports a strong
community of 12 million savvy shoppers across the country and around
the world.
Toshiba Pulls Online Laptop Service Manuals
Future Proof's Tom Hicks runs a section of his blog devoted to the
free sharing of laptop service manuals, a project he's been at for
three years, gathering as many repair manuals as he could find on the
Internet and rehosting them on my website for anybody to download and
use.
Hicks says he has been contacted by Toshiba Australia's legal
department, which he says insists that he does not have permission to
disseminate Toshiba copyright material nor will it be granted to him in
the foreseeable future, so all Toshiba material that was on his website
is now gone, permanently.
Hicks cites he primary reason Toshiba gave for this edict are that
they are concerned that providing the manuals to unqualified persons
"may endanger their well-being."
Hicks ripostes that he's never heard of anybody being injured by
working on a consumer laptop, noting that Dell, HP and Lenovo provide
service manuals for all of their laptop computers for download, free of
charge or registration or membership of any kind, on their various
support websites, which would indicate that none of these companies
share Toshiba's concern in this regard.
Link: Toshiba Laptop
Service Manuals and the Sorry State of Copyright Law
iFixit Steps Up to Support Toshiba Laptops
iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens says:
"Toshiba just took down one of the most popular sources of repair
information for their laptops, Tim Hicks laptop repair manual
repository at Future Proof. Tim's site is one of the only places online
to get completely ad- and malware-free, manufacturer-authorized
manuals.
"At iFixit, we're outraged, but we're not surprised. As the largest
online repair manual for electronics, we're well-versed with how far
manufacturers like Toshiba and Apple go to keep service information out
the public's hands.
"So, we decided to do something about it - and we need your help to
stop Toshiba's campaign of planned obsolescence.
"Let's [un]screw Toshiba! We want to write a free and open repair
manual to replace the manuals that Toshiba took away. We currently have
manuals for just a few Toshiba laptops, but it's nowhere near good
enough. We want to write more manuals, but we don't have the hardware!
All we need is more hardware to take apart. That's where you can
help.
"Donate a couple bucks here. We will spend 100% of the funds on used
Toshiba hardware; we'll write manuals for them.
"We'll document every repair/replacement procedure in step-by-step
guides with high-res, color photos and videos - which is a far cry
better than what Toshiba offers in its manuals.
"We're targeting our efforts at Toshiba laptops made within the last
four years. We're going to start with the 50 most popular Toshiba
laptops on the market. If we exceed $10,000, iFixit will broaden its
efforts to 100 most popular Toshiba laptops - or however many we can
afford with the money. You give mo' money, we write mo' manuals. Simple
as that.
"Every laptop manual we write will help thousands of people repair
their computers. But aside from that, there are other fun perks you can
opt to receive in kind gratitude for your donation...."
iFixit already has guides for six
Toshiba laptops.
Link:
Operation Fix Toshiba: Help Us Write Repair Manuals
Products & Services
QuickerTek Upgrades New Apple AirPort Express
PR: QuickerTek has announced an upgrade to the latest Apple
AirPort Express. While the AirPort Express is a great product,
sometimes you just need a little more range than it provides right out
of the box. 
To respond to this, QuickerTek's upgrade puts two
powerful 3dBi antennas on top, giving it a 20% boost to its signal
strength, with a corresponding increase in range. No extra software is
needed, so connecting to your network is just as simple as it is with
the original AirPort Express. It works just as easily as before - it's
just stronger.
But while this alone is noteworthy, QuickerTek has gone the extra
mile to make it even better than the antenna upgrade alone could
provide. QuickerTek's connectors allow you to use other antennas such
as a high gain omni directional or directional antenna (also available
from QuickerTek) to match the unique situations for different
users.
If you want to upgrade the antennas that's easy too. The hard work
for upgrading them has already been done with the addition of the
connectors. Just take the old antenna off, and screw the new antenna or
antenna cable on. If you have a long one-story building or one that's
several stories, QuickerTek's upgrade to the AirPort Express is
flexible enough to accommodate almost any situation.
Features
- Extends the range of WiFi using external antenna
- 20% increase in signal strength from existing unit
- It has the same footprint as the original unit
- No 3rd party software required
"We love the fact that Apple has made an access point that you can
open up and make better," says Rick Estes, owner of QuickerTek. "We've
taken advantage of this." QuickerTek is always thinking about ways to
make everyone's life easier. This is done either by making totally new
products, or by taking a good product and making into a great product,
as they did with the upgrade to the AirPort Express."
The price is $178.95, with a special introductory price of $168.95
until 11/16/2012. Included is a new Apple AirPort Express base station
with antenna upgrade.
Link: Upgraded AirPort
Express
Bargain 'Books
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.
