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News & Opinion
Troubleshooting
Tech Trends
Software
News & Opinion
Robust MacBook Sales Expected Through 1Q11
DigiTimes' Yenting Chen and Yen-Shyang Hwang report that according
to sources in unnamed retail channel vendors, Apple's notebook
shipments are expected remain robust through Q1/2011 - and Intel's
manufacturing flaw in the "Cougar Point" controller chipset for its
Sandy Bridge Core "i" CPUs didn't impact Apple portable production
schedules.
As for any apparent delay of Apple's rollout of a MacBook Pro
refresh being inferred by association, DigiTimes notes that Apple is
normally slower in upgrading its notebook products to the latest
platform than many of its PC notebook rivals and, as a result, has
"completely avoided" any product release impact from the Intel chipset
issue.
Thus far, there's no evidence to contradict that analysis. Apple's
historically typical calendar envelope for notebook refreshes is from
mid-March to mid-June, so while I anticipate seeing them sooner than
that this year, we couldn't really consider the next MacBooks revision
to be "late" or "delayed" unless it isn't released until summer, and of
course the hot-selling redesigned MacBook Air was all-new just last
October, although the rumor mills say it's likely to get an upgrade to
Intel Core "i" silicon soon as well, which (if it happens) would
constitute an early refresh by Apple standards.
Another interesting analytical observation made by DigiTimes'
"sources" is that because Apple's Macintosh products have high average
selling prices (ASPs), relatively leisurely upgrading of these products
to the latest technical specs doesn't significantly impact pricing or
Apple's gross margins. On the other hand, its big-name PC competitors
like Hewlett-Packard (HP), Acer, and Dell, with their lower sticker
prices, depend on sales volume and the economies of scale for their
profits, so they are quick to adopt any new hardware platform that will
give them an opportunity to provisionally increase their ASPs and
consequently are motivated to launch notebooks with new platforms as
early as possible.
DigiTimes notes that after shipping some 2.86 million notebooks in
Q4/2010, up 34.2% year-over-year, according to IDC research metrics,
Apple's notebook shipments in January satisfied its expectations and
the company is reportedly even planning to increase its OEM orders for
Q1/2011.
AppleInsider's Kasper Jade and Neil Hughes also report that the
first major overhaul of Apple's MacBook Pro line in nearly a year is
imminent, with production actively underway and volume shipments to
begin as early as the first week of March, according to sources
"familiar with the matter."
The article also cites other insider intelligence that the new
spectacularly popular redesigned MacBook Airs have reached a sales
volume roughly half that of the entire MacBook Pro line after less than
six months on the market, so there would be little incentive in that
context for Apple to hurry a refreshed Air out the door.
Jade and Hughes think the MacBook Pro refresh is "long overdue". I
beg to differ. As I noted above, ten months between revisions is not
historically out of line for Apple notebooks. The PowerBook G3 Series Lombard and
Pismo variants had no
refreshes at all in their roughly 10 month production lives, and the
original MacBook Air went
more than a year before its first, relatively minor one.
Link: Apple Expected to
Achieve Strong Shipments in 1Q11, DigiTimes (subscription
required)
Link: Apple's New MacBook Pros in
Production, Due by Early March - Sources, AppleInsider
Apple Doubling Orders for Some Notebook Models as
PC Laptop Sales Spiral Down
DigiTimes' Yen-Shyang Hwang, Yenting Chen, and Steve Shen report
that, excepting Samsung Electronics and Apple, first-quarter 2011
shipments of notebooks from brand-name vendors are lower than expected,
presumably largely due to the Intel defective chip controller farrago,
with sales typically spiraling down 5-10% from the last quarter, and
flat year-over-year according to sources in Taiwan's notebook upstream
supply chain.
Meanwhile, as most others falter, Apple is picking up the slack,
reportedly revising its orders upward, with volume of some hot-selling
models being doubled, according to the DigiTimes report.
For its part, Samsung has outperformed other PC laptop brands by
ramping up deliveries from suppliers.
Link: Apple Doubling OEM
Orders for Some Notebook Models as Most PC Laptop Brand Sales Spiral
Down (subscription required)
Email Indicates New MacBook Pro Models Coming March
1
Danish IT blogger and Apple watcher Kenneth Lund Wedmore reports
that he's come into possession of evidence that leads him to deduce
that new MacBook Pro models will be on sale in Danish stores on
Tuesday, March 1st.
Wedmore says his anonymous source is at one of the three major
Danish Apple Resellers on the Danish market,
Link: Hemmelig email
bekræfter øjensynligt nye MacBook Pro-modeller om ca. 2
uger (English
translation by Google Translate)
How Soon Will Apple Transition MacBooks to Latest
Intel CPUs?
Cnet's Brooke Crothers takes a speculative look at how swiftly Apple
will move the MacBook to the latest Intel CPUs - now that the chipmaker
has announced it will resume regular shipments of its "Sandy Bridge"
silicon.
Crothers thinks it's a reasonably safe bet that the 15" and 17"
MacBook Pros will be upgraded to Sandy Bridge "sooner rather than
later", noting that it's been 10 months since the last refresh of those
models (April 1010), at which time they got Intel's first-generation
Arrandale Core i5 and i7 processors - some three months after after the
Core "i"s were released in early 2010. He deduces that Sandy Bridge
adoption timing should be similar, notwithstanding the famous - and now
remedied - controller chipset flaw discovered by Intel last month.
As for the the 13" MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, which are still
using two-generations back, 2008 vintage Core 2 Duo CPUs, the lack of
advance seems not to be hurting sales of either model so far, but with
a gaggle of attractive, thin, and lightweight Sandy Bridge compact
notebooks expected to hit the market from from Apple's Windows
competitors, the Air is going to look more and more long-in-the-tooth
in the CPU department.
Crothers also notes that the next major evolution of Intel mobile
silicon will be the power-efficient Ivy Bridge chip, but it won't
likely be available until mid-2012, from which we can project a roughly
10-12 month tenure for Sandy Bridge in the MacBooks if they get it out
the door this spring.
Link: How Fast Will
Apple Move MacBooks to Latest Chips?
'Sandy Bridge' Update to MacBook Air Expected in
June
Cnet's Brooke Crothers reports that according to an anonymous
insider source, the new MacBook Air's first refresh will come in June
with Intel's second-generation "Sandy Bridge" Core i chips replacing
the two-generations-outdated Core 2 Duo processors and state of the art
Nvidia GeForce graphics chipsets now shipping in the Airs.
Crothers observes that the switch to Sandy Bridge processors will
allow Apple to use Intel's cheaper HD integrated graphics that is
incorporated in the main processor without incurring much of a video
performance hit, with the HD's more modest power compared with the
GeForce 320M IGPUs somewhat compensated for by the Core "i" CPU's extra
muscle.
Crothers also suggests that a MacBook Pro refresh is widely
anticipated as well, possibly as early as March. It is not clear if
these systems would use Sandy Bridge (a.k.a. Second-Generation Intel
Core Processor). If they do, it's worth noting that the Sandy Bridge
issue has thrown shipment schedules back by a few weeks.
Link: MacBook Air 'Sandy
Bridge' Update Expected in June
Apple Customer Survey Sparks Hope for More Powerful
MacBook Air with Built-in 3G
AppleInsider reports that Apple, notorious for keeping its own
counsel on new product development, is actually reaching out to some
select MacBook Air owners this week with a survey that could help
define future versions of the hot-selling smallest Mac notebook, with a
raft of questions regarding 3G, data syncing, I/O usage, and the desire
for models with greater computing power, as well as intensiveness of
USB ports and external disc drive, Web-based file storage and syncing
use and and use of certain function keys on the keyboard. The
questionnaire, whose several pages are reproduced in the AppleInsider
report, also includes queries related to wireless 3G data connectivity,
which implies that Apple may be considering integration cellular
capability in future notebooks.
Link: Apple Customer
Survey Sparks Hope for Brawnier MacBook Airs with Built-in 3G
We Like Intel's New Laptop Ads
9 to 5 Mac's Seth Weintraub says he's not suggesting the black, slim
laptops depicted in a new Intel ad for its mobile silicon are the new
MacBook Pros, but he likes the look. Me too.
Link: We Like Intel's
New Laptop Ads
Will the New MacBook Pro Move to SSD? Without a
Doubt
AppleBitch contends that Apple is absolutely going to move to
offering Solid State Drives (SSDs) as the default notebook storage
option, citing as factors SSD speed, lower power consumption than with
hard drive drives that can increase battery life dramatically,
enablement of thinner form factors with Apple having stated that moving
to flash storage in the MacBook Air freed up a whopping 90% more
internal space when compared to using a hard drive, and Apple's
substantial investment in flash storage.
AppleBitch contends that the upcoming MacBook Pro refresh will
cement the SSD migration, predicting that a 256 GB SSD will be the
standard storage configuration when the new MacBook Pro is launched
(probably in a few weeks).
We'll see.
Link: Will the New
MacBook Pro Move to SSD? Without a Doubt
What Do the Evolution of MacBooks and the Mac App
Store Mean for Software?
AppStorm's Connor Turnbull notes that Apple has demonstrated a keen
interest in removing optical and traditional hard drives from laptops,
as it already has with the spectacularly successful second generation
MacBook Air, observing that Apple has done a pretty good job of
mitigating the need for these hardware components with the Mac App
Store and iTunes, although not everyone is enchanted with the
transition.
Turnbull notes that while iMacs come with a base half-terabyte of
hard drive storage, the MacBook Air starts at just 64 GB of SDD
capacity, deducing that as indicating Apple thinks a lot of storage
space is unnecessary to experience OS X to the full, and that what
he calls a "major tentpole feature" in the notebook computer's future
will be solid state drives, which he deems an inevitability in Apple's
future portables, with last fall's MacBook Air a pioneer of what's to
come.
He also projects that the Mac App Store's successful launch will be
a bellwether for digital distribution of software becoming the de facto
standard over the next 12-24 months, and a future of notebooks without
desktop software, depending on the Web/cloud, which requires reliable
and ubiquitous Internet access (a prerequisite that is far from being
universally realized outside major urban centers).
Turnbull suggests that the future of notebooks in the long-term
could be the death of desktop apps, or at minimum desktop apps more
closely integrated with the cloud.
Link: The Future of
Notebooks: What Does It Mean for Software?
Experiments with Drenched Laptops
Hardmac's Lionel reports that staff continue to conduct experiments
on damage caused to a 15" MacBook Pro subjected to liquid, focused on
variability of the damage, such as a finding confirming that the more a
liquid is sweetened, the more difficult is to clean the motherboard,
especially at points where the short-circuits have occurred creating
caramel - and unsurprisingly that the greater a volume of liquid
spilled, the more difficult it will be to recover the machine, but the
important factor determining salvageability will be where the liquid
falls first, causing the first short-circuit, worst case being of that
is the processor area.
Link: We Continue With
the Portables That Have Been Subjected to Water
Android on ARM Running Inside a MacBook Pro
TGDaily has posted a fascinating video of Netbook News' Nicole Scott
demonstrating two MacBook Pros running Android on ARM hardware - and
doing it amazingly well, a hack achieved by swapping out the laptop's
optical drive and replacing it with a TI OMAP-based
daughterboard module. One very cool aspect of this is that the modified
MacBook Pro can run both Android and the Mac OS in tandem - switchable
via a button - without having to quit one or the other. Among other
things, running Android/ARM extends battery life dramatically,
according to Scott.
Link: Video: This
MacBook Pro Runs Android on ARM
iPad Shipments Propel Apple to Top Mobile PC
Position
Surging iPad shipments have propelled Apple to a 17.2% share of
worldwide mobile PC shipments in Q410, placing Apple at the top of the
DisplaySearch market share ranking. According to preliminary results
from the DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast
Report, Apple shipped more than 10.2 million notebook and tablet PCs
combined - nearly a million more units than HP did in Q410.
DisplaySearch says that while Apple's iPad
is benefiting from a first-mover advantage, particularly in mature
markets, its notebook PC shipment growth rate continues to exceed the
industry average.
"While we anticipate increased competition in the tablet PC market
later this year with the introduction of Android Honeycomb-based
tablets, Apples iPad business is complementing a notebook line whose
shipments widely exceed the industry average growth rate," says Richard
Shim, Senior Analyst at DisplaySearch. "Apple is currently benefiting
from significant and comprehensive growth from both sectors of the
mobile PC spectrum, notebooks and tablet PCs. Cannibalization seems
limited at this point.
Among the top five brands in the mobile PC market, Toshiba was the
only other company to exhibit Y/Y shipment growth. Toshiba's shipments
increased 15% Y/Y, to over 5.1 million units in Q410, as it maintained
its #5 position in market share. HP, Acer Group (including Founder
shipments), and Dell took the #2, #3, and $4 positions, respectively.
The top five brands accounted for 65.4% of the total mobile PC
market."
In Q410, worldwide mobile PC shipments (including tablet PCs)
reached 59.6 million, up 8% Q/Q and 17% Y/Y, the highest volume since
DisplaySearch first began to track this segment in 1999. Growth of
notebook PC shipments, excluding tablets, was weak in Q410, up 4% Q/Q
and 1% Y/Y.
The DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report
covers the entire range of mobile PC products shipped worldwide and
regionally. Covering global and regional brands, the Quarterly Mobile
PC Shipment and Forecast Report provides an objective, expert view of
the market with insight into historical shipments, revenues, forecasts
and more. For more information about the report, contact Charles
Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, e-mail
contact@displaysearch.com or contact your regional DisplaySearch office
in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan or more information.
Link:
iPad Shipments Propel Apple Past HP to Top Mobile PC Position
Troubleshooting
How to Repair MacBook Pro Cooling Fan Rattling
(Maybe)
Mac OS X Hints contributor theosib notes that the little cooling
fans inside of Mac notebooks run upwards of 6,000 RPM and can
eventually wear out (which is one reason why your editor is obsessive
about keeping MacBook operating temperatures down), with users
reporting symptoms of rattling and even loud grinding, and noting that
while the fan may need replacement, perhaps it just needs to be
relubricated, which can obviate the need for a $100+ repair job and
several days downtime.
For an illustrated tutorial is included.
Link: How to
Repair MacBook Pro Cooling Fan Rattling (Maybe)
Tech Trends
Netbook Buyer's Guide Posted
"Don't give up on netbooks just yet," says PC Mag's Cisco Cheng,
noting that netbook manufacturers like ASUS, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba,
Dell, HP, and Lenovo are fighting back against the tablet onslaught by
including more features, bigger screens and keyboards, and faster
parts, meanwhile slashing prices like a Walmart special. Cheng
endeavors to walk his readers through the latest netbook trends and
advise what features really matter in a netbook.
Link: How to Buy a
Netbook
Software
Battery Report: A New Reporting Tool for Mac OS
X
DSSW's new Battery Report creates detailed reports about your
computer and any connected power sources. Power sources include power
adapters that connect your Mac to the mains power, internal batteries
such as laptop batteries, and uninterruptible power supplies.
Battery
Report reveals information about your power sources that is not
commonly available. This information includes power adapter's unique
serial numbers, and the health of your internal laptop battery.
The information available in Battery Report's report varies
depending on your Mac and your power sources. Modern batteries tend to
include more information about their condition and state. Older
batteries will still appear but may not display as much detail.
For Desktop and Laptop Macs
It is not just laptop Macs that have power sources. Desktop Macs can
also be connected to multiple power sources in the form of
uninterruptible power supplies.
Battery Report includes information about all power sources
available to your Mac. For uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
devices, this includes devices connected by a serial cable, USB cable,
or over the network. If your UPS is supported by Mac OS X, it will
appear in the report.
Live and Updating
As Battery Report runs, its continuously monitors your Mac for
changes in connected power sources. Whenever a change occurs, your
report is immediately updated. Disconnect or connect your laptop's
mains power adapter to watch the report update live. Switch to another
power adapter and prepare to be surprised by how much the two adapter's
information can differ.
Share with Others
Reports can be quickly and easily shared with others by e-mail. A
single click on the E-mail icon will create a new e-mail and attach a
PDF copy of your report, all ready for you to address and send.
One click e-mailing is ideal for sending to Mac repair and support
staff. The report includes detailed information to help diagnose
battery problems.
Reports can be saved as PDF documents. Keeping a report as a record
of your Mac's configuration, unique serial numbers, and battery serial
numbers is good practice. If your Mac is stolen, the information in
this report can help uniquely identify your Mac.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 or later.
Battery Report costs $8.99 or 5.99 EUR
Demo (Watermarked reports) available.
Link: Battery Report
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.
