Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited
by Dan Knight
- 2006.12.08
This Week's MacBook, PowerBook, and iBook News
Macworld Expo is just a month away, and rumors of a thin 12"
MacBook Pro are rampant. In other MacBook Pro news, Hardmac reports
that Apple appears to have halted production of both the 15" and
17" models temporarily.
A new website provides links to useful software for MacBook
users, and the clever Huckleberry mirror lets you turn your MacBook
into a video camera. Toshiba has achieved 100 GB on a 1.8" hard
drive, the size Apple uses in the iPod, and we report on two
programs to control the speed of the MacBook's fan.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review.
News & Opinion
Reviews
Products and Services
Software
News & Opinion
Rumors of Ultrathin MacBook Pro
Ars Technica says:
"As Macworld creeps up on us (only a month away now!), rumors of
the iPhone and what features the iTV will have aren't enough for
the Mac web. Because of this, in comes the smaller, ultrathin
MacBook Pro rumor, which claims that there will be a new iteration
of MacBook Pro that will use the 12-inch form factor - I can hear
throngs of 12" PowerBook users
cheering in the distance - as well as be much thinner and much
lighter than its current design."
Also see my Road Warrior column on MacOpinion this week -
cwm
Will Apple Make a 12" MacBook?
PowerPage reader Eric Nix says:
"Have we seen the end of Apple's ultra portable laptops?
Hopefully, no.
"Many users demand ultra portability because of frequent travel.
In my case, I frequently travel to third world countries for
international relief work. I need something that's ultra portable
with a decent battery life. Stocked with a few extra batteries, it
might be days before I can plug into an electrical outlet to
recharge a battery.
"Here are the reasons why we 12" PowerBook users feel abandoned
and why we hope Apple will produce another ultra portable
laptop...."
Link:
Will Apple Make Another 12" Laptop?
MacBook Pro Production Temporarily Halted?
Hardmac's Lionel reports:
"Last Monday, we have received a message from
Pierre-Yves.
"I wanted to purchase a MacBook Pro 17" Core 2 Duo, but I was
told that they had received a message from Apple asking for not
taking orders of MB Pro anymore; with no additional information. We
were following this news, waiting for additional information,
comments or reports, and today we have received another message
from FxParis.
"I have received the following message from my
Apple Reseller: 'bad news: MacBook Pro 15" production is
temporary stopped due to a quality issue identified on non-glossy
LCD panel. There is no additional information!'
"It remains unclear if the production is stopped for all MacBook
Core 2 Duo or only for those models with the non-glossy widescreen
LCD display."
Link: MacBook Pro Core 2
Duo Production Is Stopped!?
Extremely Useful MacBook Freeware
For a collection of links to mostly MacBook & Intel-ready
applications, visit Extremely Useful MacBook Freeware.
Other freeware sites:
Link: Extremely Useful
MacBook Freeware
Sony Says Battery Probe Should Have Been
Quicker
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Sony has admitted it could have moved 'more quickly' to tackle
the burning battery bug that hit two of the company's biggest
power-pack customers, Dell and Apple, and prompted many others to
recall Sony-made lithium-ion batteries.
"In an interview with Japanese-language newspaper the Mainchi
Shimbun, relayed by Agence France-Presse, Sony President Ryoji
Chubachi is quoted as saying: 'The company should have investigated
the cause of the battery problem more quickly.'"
Link: Sony
Says Battery Burn-out Probe Should Have Been Quicker
PowerBook Drops 3 Stories
Blogger "Motherfunky" says:
"PowerBook G4 falls from three story balcony and almost
survives
"You see alot [sic] of damaged computers in desktop support, but
this morning a real doozy rolled in. This one had been accidentally
dropped from a 3 story balcony."
Link: Three
Story Drop PowerBook
Reviews
Core 2 MacBooks 'Provide Brisk Improvements in
Performance'
The Orlando Sentinel's Chris Cobbs reports:
"Without going all techie on you, let me just say the shift from
the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo chip delivers a nice speed bump
without cutting into battery life or making the systems run hotter.
The revised lineup of laptops doesn't mean their predecessors are
candidates for
eBay, but users who crave all the speed they can get
are likely to feel an urge to upgrade.
"The best-looking laptop computers have just been tweaked to
increase their appeal to holiday shoppers and general users.
"However, you'll have a hard time spotting the differences, even
with a careful visual inspection.
"The exteriors of the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook models from
Apple have hardly changed at all. With the exception of a
high-speed port on the right side of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the external
design hasn't changed.
"The higher-end MacBook Pro retains its silvery aluminum case,
while the MacBook still comes in
a choice of shiny white or matte black plastic.
"Once you press the power button, however, you will likely
notice how the addition of Intel's Core 2 Duo processors provide
brisk improvements in performance."
Link: Beauty of Apple's
New MacBooks Is under the Hood
Windows Expert Has 'No Second Thoughts' about
Switch to Mac
Computerworld's Scot Finnie reports:
"Last month, I initiated a three-month trial of the Macintosh as
a total replacement for my primary Windows machine. That computer
is asked to pull double duty as a work and personal machine. It's
also the only computer I run e-mail on. And it's the one machine
(other than backup) that contains all my data files. In other
words, it's got to work flawlessly.
"I've had serious pain switching to the Mac (we'll get to that
in a moment), but I've also had great success and no second
thoughts about my experiment.
"...Enter a brand-new, 2.33-GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro 17 with a
160 GB hard drive and glossy screen. I love this new 17-in. MacBook
Pro. The screen is glorious. The performance is top-notch. It
became my primary computer about 10 seconds after it first
booted.
"If I decide to go back to Windows when this Mac trial is over,
returning to my ThinkPad T60 Core Duo may be a very difficult move.
I've settled into the MacBook
Pro 17 and Mac OS X 10.4.8 as if I was born to them. If
the Mac OS doesn't mesmerize me to the point that I lose all
interest in Windows, this piece of hardware might just do that all
on its own.
"My only complaint is that the spacebar squeaks whenever I press
it. Whoop-de-doo. I'll head to the nearest Genius Bar and see if I
can get Apple Computer to replace it free of charge.
"Why can't Dell, Hewlett-Packard or even Lenovo build notebook
hardware this good?"
Link:
A Windows Expert Opts for a Mac Life
Products and Services
iBooks Get Quicky WiFi Transceiver
PR: QuickerTek announces the addition of support for
Apple iBooks to the Quicky USB Transceiver. No longer do iBook
users have to resort to disassembling the computer to gain wireless
networking enhancement. iBook users can double the wireless
performance for a suggested retail price of $225 from either
authorized dealers or from QuickerTek.
Quicky temporarily clips to the top of
the open iBook case. The Quicky is a unique combination of the
wireless networking power of the transceiver and an external
antenna that is more effectively located up and out of the confines
of the iBook case. It requires no computer skills to either set up
or use - no extra steps are necessary.
Once Quicky is clipped on and the short USB cable is connected
to the USB port, users experience ten times more RF power than a
stock iBook. This additional wireless power produces greater
operating distances from the AirPort Base Station or wireless
access point and more available networks to choose from.
Quicky works with all 802.11/b/g WiFi equipment including Apple
AirPort and AirPort Extreme. Quicky works with all AirPort-equipped
iBooks and requires no software drivers. Quicky now works with USB
and AirPort-equipped PowerBooks, MacBook Pro, MacBooks, and
iBooks.
Like most QuickerTek products, Quicky is backed with a one-year
warranty on parts and labor.
Link: Quicky
Huckleberry Turns MacBook into a Video
Camera
PR:
Ecamm Network on Wednesday announced the immediate availability of
the Huckleberry MacBook mirror. Ecamm will offer Huckleberry via
their ecamm.com website, shipping worldwide.
Is your built-in iSight tired of the view? Turn your MacBook or
MacBook Pro's camera around with Huckleberry.
Huckleberry is a unique mirror device that connects to the lid
of any MacBook or MacBook Pro, reflecting the built-in camera's
field of view back over the top of the screen. This allows users to
create pictures and movies while still viewing and controlling
their favorite Mac video application.
The
Huckleberry mirror is the perfect addition to any MacBook or
MacBook Pro. Consisting of an acrylic mirror and two durable
plastic mounting brackets, Huckleberry is placed above the screen
to reflect the built-in camera's field of view.
Fun Uses For Huckleberry:
- Film home movies in iMovie HD.
- Create stop-motion video in iStopMotion.
- Scan your media with Delicious Library.
- Take pictures in Photo Booth.
Ecamm includes their award-winning iGlasses software for image
enhancement and video mirroring. with every purchase. iGlasses
provides iSight video enhancement and manipulation, including
mirror image functionality.
Dimensions: 32mm H x 67mm W x 51mm D
Compatible with MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Compatible Apps
- iChat AV
- Skype 2.0 or higher
- iMovie
- QuickTime Pro Player
- Apple Photo Booth
- Yahoo! Messenger
- SightSpeed
- BTV and BTV Pro
- SecuritySpy
- iSpQ 6.3.1
- QuickTime Broadcaster
- EvoCam 3.5
- GCam 1.2
- iVisit
- Delicious Library
- vChat
- iCamShare
- ohphoneX
- ineen
- WuffCam
- Blog.Mac
- Boinx iVeZeen
- Boinx iStopMotion
- MulleSight
- aMSN
- Mercury Messenger
- Journler
- Gawker
- KeyCamX
Includes:
- Huckleberry
- Carrying Case
- iGlasses Serial Number
Price: $19.95, shipping worldwide.
Huckleberry is available from Ecamm Network.
Link: Huckleberry Turns Your
MacBook into a Video Camera
Toshiba Hits 100 GB Mark with 1.8" Hard
Disk Drive
PR: Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the industry
pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), continues to
lead innovation in the mobile HDD category with the introduction of
the world's highest-capacity 1.8" HDD. The 100GBa two-platter HDD
is based on perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) and propels the
functionality and storage capacity of mobile PCs.
Designed in the "short" 1.8" form factor, Toshiba's new
MK1011GAH offers a footprint that is 10 percent smaller than
first-generation 1.8" drives. With an areal density of 155.3
Gbit/in2, the drive is specially designed for thin and light mobile
computers with an 8 MB cache. In addition, Toshiba's new 1.8"
capacity leader features the same tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR)
head technology combined with perpendicular recording that
delivered the company's world-leading 200 GB capacity in the 2.5"
HDD class with an areal density of 178.8 Gbit/in2.
"We are enhancing the capabilities of PMR with the incorporation
of TMR head technology to deliver another industry-leading mobile
HDD," said Scott Maccabe, vice president and general manager,
Toshiba Storage Device Division. "Toshiba's technology innovation
is setting the bar for mobile HDDs, and our first-to-market
position in PMR is clearly helping us define the possibilities for
pushing capacity limits in the mobile sector with more than two
million mobile PMR HDDs shipped and over a year in
commercialization."
Toshiba's 100 GB 1.8" HDD integrates a low insertion force (LIF)
connector, providing a format that enables mobile PC manufacturers
to easily transition to higher capacities in smaller footprint
HDDs.
Marking its technology leadership in mobile HDDs, Toshiba was
again the world market-share leader in HDD shipments into consumer
electronics applications and tied for the lead in overall mobile
HDD shipments, for the third quarter of 2006 according to leading
research firm IDCb. Toshiba commands a resounding 80 percent share
in the 1.8" category, according to IDC, and has shipped more than
40 million 1.8" drives since introduction in 2000.
Toshiba's MK1011GAH 1.8" HDD is RoHS compliant and will ship to
OEMs for integration into mobile PCs in January 2007. For more
information about Toshiba's full line of small form factor HDDs,
visit:
Link: Toshiba
Software
iCyclone MacBook Fan Control
PR:
iCyclone lets the user set the minimum speed of the built-in fans.
So you can increase your minimum fan speed to make your Mac run
cooler with manual mode or let the program set the minimum fun
speed for an appropriate Idle temp with Automatic mode. In order
not to damage your machine iCyclone let's you not set minimum speed
to a rate under Apple's defaults.
Growl is a notification system for Mac OS X. It allows
applications that support Growl to send you notifications.
With Sparkle integration applications is able to get instant
self-update functionality. it'll read the update information from
iCyclone server, download, extract, install, restart, and even
offer to show the release notes before to decide if you want to
update.
System
requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.4 or later,
- MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac mini(Intel)
System Support: Intel
Free
Link: iCyclone
smcFanControl Control MacBook Fan
Speed
PR: Control the MacBook or MacBook Pro fans to make it
run cooler.
smcFanControl lets the user set the minimum speed of the
built-in fans. So you can increase your minimum fan speed to make
your MacBook run cooler. However in order not to damage your
machine smcFanControl let's you not set minimum speed to a rate
under Apple's defaults. To change fan-speeds you need to
authenticate with valid credentials of an user-account with admin
privileges.
- If you want to auto-apply your changed settings after a
restart, check the "auto apply after launch" checkbox and add
smcFanControl to your Login-Items.
- In order not to lose your changed settings after standby, run
smcFanControl in the background.
- Let's you set the minimum speed for each fan individually.
- Adjust fan speed until the MacBook(Pro) is finally comfortable
on your legs again
- Auto apply mode to set the new fan-speeds after a restart
- Source code included! Extend it and change it to your
needs
New in version 1.2.3:
- Adds support for the new 17" MBP with Core 2 Duo CPU and some
fixes related to authentication.
Info: On MacBook Pros the speed of fan #2 can not be set under
the speed of fan #1. This behaviour seems to be due a setting in
SMC controller. I can not change it.
System requirements: MacBook or MacBook Pro, Mac OS X 10.4 or
later.
System Support: Intel
Free
Link: smcFanControl
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" iBook G3/500, 256/10/CD, $275
- 12" iBook G3/700, 256/20/Combo, $379
- 12" iBook G3/800, 256/30/CD, $425
- 12" iBook G3/800, 256/30/DVD, $455
- 12" iBook G3/900, 256/40/Combo, $499
- Add AirPort for $79
- 12" PowerBook G4/867, 128/40/SD, no AirPort, $499
- 12" PowerBook G4/867, 384/40/Combo, Scratch & Dent,
$549
- 15" PowerBook G4/1 GHz, 512/60/SD, Scratch, $549
- 15" PowerBook G4/1.25 GHz, 768/80/SD, APX, BT, Screen Issue,
$599
- 17" PowerBook G4/1 GHz, 512/60/SD, PAX, BT, $899
TechRestore is offering a $25 discount to 'Book Review readers
off any PowerBook or iBook in stock. Just enter the code CWM during
checkout when ordering online. The coupon code is valid from now
through 2007.12.31.
- 12" iBook G4/1 GHz 256/30/Combo, $599.99 - $25 = $574.99
- 17" PowerBook G4/1 GHz, 512/60/SD, APX, $999.99 - $25 =
$974.99
Computer Geeks
- 12" iBook G3/900, 256/40/CD, AirPort, OS X, $449.99
- 12" iBook G3/900, 256/40/Combo, AirPort, OS X, $479.99
- 12" iBook G4/1.0 GHz, 512/30/CD, APX, OS X, $519.99
- 12" iBook G4/1.0 GHz, 512/30/CD, APX, OS X, $529.99
- 12" iBook G4/1.3 GHz, 512/40/Cobo, APX, OS X, $749.99
- 12" iBook G3/500, 128/10/CD, OS X, $209
- 12" iBook G3/600, 128/30/CD, OS X, $329
- Clamshell iBook G3/300, 128/3/CD, OS X 10.2, $259.99
- 12" iBook G3/600, 128/20/CD, OS X 10.2, $209.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/400, 128/6/DVD, $349.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/500, 128/6/DVD, $399.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/400, 256/40/DVD, $439.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/400, 256/60/DVD, $459.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/500, 256/40/DVD, $479.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/500, 256/60/DVD, $499.99
- refurb 1.83 GHz Core Duo MacBook, 512/60/Combo, $849
- refurb 2.0 GHz Core Duo white MacBook, 512/60/SD, $899
- refurb 2.0 GHz Core Duo black MacBook, 512/60/SD, $999.00 - out
of stock at press time
- refurb 15" 1.83 GHz Core Duo MacBook Pro, 512/80/SD,
$1,399
- refurb 15" 2.0 GHz Core Duo MacBook Pro, 512/80/SD, $1,449
- refurb 15" 2.16 GHz Core Duo MacBook Pro, 512/100/SD,
$1,599
- refurb 17" 2.16 GHz Core Duo MacBook Pro, 1 GB/120/SD,
$2,199
- refurb 17" PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz, 512/100/SD, $1,799
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.
