New MacBooks Mini DisplayPort finally support audio

by Justin Horn on Apr 13th, 2010 @ 5:28 pm

From Ars Technica:

Until now, the miniDP port only transmitted video, even though the DisplayPort spec supports optional alternate signal channels such as audio or USB.

Apple confirmed to Ars that the just-updated MacBook Pros will pass both video and audio signals to an HDTV or receiver when using an miniDP to HDMI adapter.

Those dedicated When Will Apple blog followers will remember our review of the Monoprice Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. It worked great, but even though the Mini DisplayPort spec and the Monoprice adapter  supported audio, the MacBook did not. The good news is the latest MacBooks support Mini DisplayPort audio. The bad is that my hopes for a simple a software update to enable audio are crushed.

(via Rene Ritchie of TiPb)

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MacBook, Macs

Tell us what you think the Apple Tablet will be called Google Wave invite giveaway

by Justin Horn on Jan 20th, 2010 @ 11:19 pm

The title says it all, just leave a comment letting us know what you think the new Apple Tablet will be called…iTablet, iSlate, etc. etc.  My personal favorite is MacBook touch, but it seems unlikely now with the latest iSlate and iPad rumors. Also, I guess it makes sense for them to break away from the MacBook name as this will be a very different device.

We will pick 2 comments at random to give the Wave invites to. If you already have Google Wave leave a comment anyway because it will be fun.

Also, don’t forget to register with When Will Apple and take your best release date guess for the yet to be named tablet device for a chance to win a $50 iTunes or Apple store gift card.

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Featured post, iPad, Macs, Speculation

Apple customers targeted by smash and grab auto thieves

by Justin Horn on Nov 9th, 2009 @ 11:23 am

car_window

A pretty obvious warning, especially in this economy, but it’s worth mentioning.

The Miami Herald reports:

Shoppers in Pinecrest and Kendall beware: Thieves are preying on customers who leave their electronics purchases in their cars while they eat or continue shopping.
A favorite target: Apple computers.

“At some point after the purchase is made, the customers are spotted carrying the purchase in an Apple bag,” he said. “If the customer does not go home directly with the purchase — if they make an intermediary stop — criminals, having watched them make this purchase, know the equipment is in the car.” [Pinecrest Police Chief John Hohensee]

This could obviously happen after a purchase from any electronics store, but we all know Apple’s products can be a bit pricier and much nicer. So it makes sense for thieves to target Apple products over the new Windows 7 computers. The few examples used in this article were all purchases made at the two Apple stores 10 mins from me (yes I have 2 Apple stores that close). So if you must stop somewhere on your way home, lug your new toys with you!

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Apples & Oranges, Macs

My thoughts on TG Daily’s “Microsoft blindsided vulnerable Apple with Windows 7″

by Justin Horn on Oct 23rd, 2009 @ 3:51 pm

Just saw this TG Daily article on Daring Fireball, Gruber had this to say:

I’m coming around to the idea that Enderle’s really a genius and his doofus routine is a Stephen Colbert-esque schtick.

Unfortunately Gruber is joking (at least I hope so)…Enderle is not a genius. I pretty much disagree with everything he says in this article with the exception of the Magic Mouse (Apple has never been good at making mice) and when Apple almost went belly up.

Let’s take a look at “Windows 7: A New Hope” section of the post:

Steve Jobs and Apple clearly planned for the same traditional behavior [Windows launch failure] and were completely unprepared for both the quality of Windows 7 and the fact Microsoft has a war chest this time. Their near pathetic recent release of a couple slightly improved PCs and a couple peripherals showcases this. They figured they could easily skate through the next few months because, traditionally, Microsoft would be vulnerable and not able to fight back.

The new updates were just that, updates. They got faster hardware and a few other tweaks with the lone MacBook getting the biggest upgrade. Apple is not “unprepared”, but instead sticking with what works and Windows 7 isn’t going to change that. Not sure what Rob thinks Apple should have released? Apple isn’t going to suddenly start competing in the thin margin budget computer business.

Windows 7 should shake some of the bad Vista press (just as XP did for Windows Millennium), but the problem for Microsoft is all the negative press has pushed Apple into the spotlight…even with their teeny weeny market share. People that have never considered a Mac are now thinking about “the switch”. Add in the success of the iPhone and iPod touch and Apple has gained a much larger audience than they ever have before.

Here is what’s really going to happen for Apple and Microsoft in the Windows 7 world:

  • People running XP now will continue using XP for as long as they have that computer, especially businesses.
  • At lot of people running Vista will pay the upgrade fee since it will probably be worth the price to get the hell off Vista.
  • People on a tighter budget will buy a new cheap PC with Windows 7 just as they would if it still had Vista on it.
  • People deciding between a Mac and PC will not be swayed to a PC by Windows 7, they just won’t be pushed to Apple by Vista (so one plus for Microsoft here).

Rob wraps things up with:

Two good lessons here, even when you are on top it is very foolish to under estimate a competitor with Microsoft’s resources because they can actually get it right, and picking too many fights at once can take out the most powerful of entities just as it took out a nearly unbeatable Germany in the second world war.

Not even sure how to respond to this one. The “too many fights” is referring to the Droid (Google, Verizon, and Motorola) in addition to Microsoft. I don’t see how Apple is under estimating anyone? Apple is selling more Macs then they ever have before and have the fastest growing consumer devices ever with the iPhone and iPod touch. Looks to me like they are winning both wars.

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Apple vs ?, iPhone, MacBook, Macs

new MacBook… still $999

by Chiyin on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 12:45 pm

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It was only logical for Apple to refresh their most popular Mac and the update comes in the form of an unibody enclosure and glossy LED display. Also new to the MacBook is the glass multi touch introduced with the aluminum MacBook Pros, which was to be expected. Gone is the removable battery, just like its aluminum sister, the new unibody MacBook doesn’t have a removable battery.

For complete specs:

http://www.apple.com/macbook/

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MacBook, Macs

Apple store down, this is not a drill

by Justin Horn on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 10:18 am

title_backsoon1

Talked to a friend that works at an Apple store an even though they don’t get more info than the general public they were convinced that we would get new iMacs today or next Tuesday. Apple store is down this morning…on a Tuesday. I think we have the real deal here.

We are supposed to be seeing new iMacs for sure, but also rumored are updates to the lone MacBook (the plastic one, everything else is Pro now).

According to The iPhone Blog (via Daring Fireball) here is the full list of what we could see:

Redesigned Plastic MacBooks, Redesigned (‘Impressive’) iMacs, Updated Minis (Including One That Ships With Mac OS X Server), the Multi-Touch Magic Mouse, and, as the Wildcard I’m-Not-Sure-I-Really-Believe-It-Myself Out-There Rumor, Maybe Even Some Sort of Mentioned-Nowhere-Else-But-in-This-Very-Headline Multi-Touch Trackpad Gadget for Desktop Macs

AppleInsider has posted some possible part numbers:

The unedited parts list is as follows:

MC207LL/A – K84 BEST BTR- USA
MC238LL/A – MAC MINI 2.26/2x1GB/160/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC239LL/A- MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/320GB/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC340LL/A – AIRPORT EXTREME (SIM DUALBAND) – USA
MC343LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 1TB (SIM DUALBAND) -USA
MC344LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 2TB (SIM DUALBAND) – USA
MC408LL/A – MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/1TB/NO ODD/AP-BT-USA
MC413LL/A – IMAC 21.5″/3.06/2x2GB/1TB/4670-256MB-USA
MC434LL/A – APPLE VESA MOUNT ADAPTER
MC461LL/A – MACBOOK 60W MAGSAFE POWER ADAPTER – USA

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MacBook, Macs, Speculation

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