tech news and opinions
No one really seems to know what the problem is but it might have something to do with either the piece that actually holds the headphone jack in or some sort of weird interaction caused by the integrated mic in the headphone jack of the new MacBooks.
AppleInsider | MacBook owners frustrated by new audio jacks.
I have already been in contact with at least one company that plans to solve the Macbook to HDTV issue. MonoPrice.com, a wholesale distributor of computer cables and accessories based in California, has informed me that Apple fans are on their radar and a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI video adapter is on the way. “Yes, we will carry this item soon. However, it won’t be available until end of January 2009 or so,” a company representative said via email.
MonoPrice.com makes some awesome stuff. There cables and adapters are just as good as everyone else but unbelievably cheap when it comes to pricing.
MacBook owners rejoice: Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter soon | MacYourself
Apparently some of the content in the iTunes store (from what I can tell, only the HDTV shows) have HDCP which means that if you want to connect one of those brand new MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Airs to a non-HDCP compliant display that uses DVI or HDMI your not going to be able to watch that content on that display.
I’m not sure if there is a way around it, I would guess that since the HDCP is ignored if connected to a VGA display you could get a DisplayPort to VGA adapter and then a VGA to DVI adapter which could (possibly) make your computer think that it is connecting to a VGA monitor and not a DVI monitor and therefore ignore the HDCP flag, but since I don’t have the hardware to test it I can’t say for sure if that will work.
Regardless of whether or not there is a workaround this is a problem and I don’t know if Apple is ever going to fix it, since the limitation is put on the media because of the content providers Apple will most likely tell consumers to complain to the media companies and not to Apple.
I just wish that media companies would stop treating regular joes as pirates and understand that the ones they really need to stop (you know, the guys who are selling pirated copies) don’t have any problem getting around this restriction and therefore is pointless in the “war against piracy.”
So Apple had some pretty good announcements yesterday and overall I’m very satisfied with what was announced. Rather than do a full run down of what was announced I’m going to instead do a quick list of the announcements (I’m sure many of you have already heard about them thus the shorter post).
Apple has managed to develop a way to carve a large portion of the new notebooks out of a block of aluminum which not only makes the notebook sturdier and thinner but also cuts down on the overall materials used to make it.
All of the notebooks (with the exception of the 17″ MacBook Pro and the old 13″ plastic MacBook) will be getting the new Geforce 9400M integrated graphics (The MacBook Air will be running it at a lower clock speed do to thermal constraints).
The MacBook Pro will also have a discrete graphics (Geforce 9600M GT 256MB/512MB) card allowing the user to switch from integrated to discrete when you either want more battery life or more graphics performance.
MacBook Pro gets an easy access panel to replace the battery or hard drive. But, will be losing FireWire 400.
All new notebooks get a mini DisplayPort.
MacBook Pro and MacBook get a buttonless glass trackpad (the entire pad is a button) along with a battery indicator on the side of the notebook.
New MacBook Pros start at $1999.
All notebooks now have options for solid state drives.
Brand new 24″ Cinema Display with glass front, MagSafe power adapter to power your laptop, 3-port USB hub, and DisplayPort. 1900×1200, Built in iSight camera & mic, built-in stereo speakers, LED backlit.
Old plastic MacBook gets a price drop to $999.
New MacBook will see almost all of the benefits that the MacBook Pro did except for the discrete graphics and will start at $1299.
The MacBook Air will be getting a mention at todays event. It will be shown off and announced at the event but won’t be available until January 2009. – 9 to 5 Mac
That mysterious button/port on the left side of the MacBook Pro case photos is supposed to be a battery release button. – 9 to 5 Mac
According to Gizmodo the new MacBooks will not be seeing any price cuts at all. – Gizmodo
It is also very possible that the $899 product that has been rumored is not a MacBook but instead is an LED based Cinema Display with Displayport and Magsafe power adapters. – Mac Rumors
Unfortunately I’m going to be working during the event so I won’t be able to even find out what happend until I get out at 4:30pm Eastern time. But, I’m expecting new MacBooks and MacBook Pros with a mention of new MacBook Airs. I also see the possability of some Apple TV announcements but I’m not holding my breath for it (this prediction is more of my wishful thinking prediction). Either way I’m sure we’ll have a nice event (that is unless you are expecting something crazy coming out of left field).
Apple always sends invitations to events a week in advance and if the rumors are true we should be seeing invitations sent out tomorrow. New designs are always showcased on stage by Steve Jobs and “the brick” rumors are really pointing a big change to the design of MacBooks.
Not only should we be seeing a change to the design of the MacBook but we should also be seeing faster processors, the inclusion of Nvidia graphics processors, more memory, and bigger hard drives. This is truly worthy of an event and the rumors are pointing to Oct 14.
The MacBook Pro is also supposed to be seeing a bit of a design change and some updates under the hood. I haven’t been able to find any information talking specifically about what we will be seeing under the hood but a slightly thinner design, smaller bezel around the display, and new MacBook style keyboard are some of the design aspects to keep an eye out for.
The Brick will be a new manufacturing process for the MacBook (and possibly the MacBook Pro and Air). This new manufacturing process is supposed to revolutionize the use of Aluminum in manufacturing and according to 9 to 5 Mac is “One of the biggest Apple innovations in a decade.”
If this is all true we are in for quite a treat and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw big price drops in the notebooks, maybe $100-200 off in the new lineup. Since Apple gives invitations out a week in advance we should be seeing them tomorrow inviting all of the press to some sort of event on Oct 14.
Want to get a MacBook Air but don’t want to drop all that cash on one, how does a discount sound?
MacRumors has a deal with MacMall allowing you to get a $50 or $100 rebate (depending on which version of the MacBook Air you order) + 3% off which can come to up to $201.67 off MSRP.
The offer is only available until Feb 28 so go ahead and pick it up today.
So now that the MacBook Air is shipping the first unbox and tear down pics have started to show up around the net. Like all of Apple’s products the MacBook Air is packaged beautifully and the inside of the MacBook Air even looks incredibly well designed.
Check out the unbox pics at UneasySilence, here is a quick sample:
And while you’re at it why not check out Gizmodo’s tear down video and pics, a quick sample of those as well:
Yesterday I posted about my excitement for the AppleTV update and of course, today Apple had to go ahead and delay the release of the software update by one or two weeks.
I’ve been waiting for nearly two weeks to watch “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” it has been sitting on my MacBook just waiting to be transfered to my AppleTV. In 17 days the movie will expire and I may have to watch it on my laptop or iPhone instead of my AppleTV (no fun).
The focus of the press release though was to let everyone know that the MacBook Air is shipping, and, I don’t really care.
As we get further and further away from Macworld my early anticipation for the MacBook Air has subsided. Although I still think it’s a great notebook I think it would be a much better deal if it was priced at $1,499 (that would make it much easier for people to purchase the notebook). The current price is just too expensive, which makes me think that for most people purchasing the Black MacBook at $1,499 would be a much better deal.
The MacBook Air was announced last week and will be shipping next week so what will Apple do to keep people talking about them this week? How about having reviewers post their reviews today? Sounds great!
There were 3 posted today:
Wall Street Journal
“beautiful, amazingly thin computer, but one whose unusual trade-offs may turn off some frequent travelers.”
“MacBook Air’s screen and keyboard were a pleasure to use.”
Newsweek
“When I slip it in the sleeve of my backpack where my six-pound MacBook Pro usually travels, the pocket still looks empty”
“diminutive dimensions pretty much evaporate the eternal quandary of whether or not to take your computer along with you.”
USA Today
“remarkably sturdy-feeling machine, especially given its size and weight”
“Jobs told me last week that Apple considered [adding 3G mobile broadband] but that adding the capability would take up room and restrict consumers to a particular carrier. Through a USB modem, he says, you can still subscribe to wireless broadband with your favorite carrier.”
MacRumors has reported a few times that the multi-touch trackpad (debuting with the MacBook Air) will soon be found in MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and I say “duh.”
Speculating that the multi-touch trackpad will be in the MacBook and MacBook Pro is like saying that Intel’s next line of processors will be faster than previous models.
Of course Apple will be adding these new trackpad features to these notebooks the only question is… when?
MacRumors says that the MacBook Pro is due for an update and it is likely that the MacBook Pro will see the new trackpads before the MacBooks, although they also mention that the MacBook Pro did see a small update in November 2007.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in the next few weeks but I don’t really think that we will see it in the MacBook for a month or so after we see it in the MacBook Pro. According to Mactactic.com the MacBook Pro is overdue for a replacement but the MacBook may not see an update for 3 months or so.
I would love to see these multi-touch trackpads in action, my only problem with these new trackpads though is that the button under the trackpad is much smaller than on my MacBook (which may make me a little frustrated for a bit).
Although Apple claims that the MacBook Air is the world’s thinnest notebook they actually mean that they make the world’s thinnest notebook that is still in production.
There are actually three notebooks that were thinner (that’s all that I know of at least), the Sharp Actius MM10 Muramasa notebook measured 0.54 inches thick. This notebook was released in 2003 and had a 1GHz Crusoe processor from Transmeta, 256MB of memory, a 15GB hard drive, Wifi, 2.5 hours of battery life, and cost $1,499. Sharp also released the Mebius notebook that measured 0.65 inches thick.
The third notebook was the Pedion which was developed by Mitsubishi and Hewlett-Packard in 1997. The notebook was 0.7244 inches thick and cost $6,000. The notebook had 64MB of memory and a 1GB hard drive.
So there you go Apple, you may have one heck of a notebook but it isn’t the world’s thinnest ever.
Oh, by the way, that cool little SuperDrive that you can get with the MacBook Air for $99, supposedly only works with the MacBook Air which, in my opinion, is a pretty dumb move. But, I don’t really know why anyone other than customers purchasing the MacBook Air would want to spend $50 more than they really need to for a DVD burner.