In a few weeks, Apple will unveil the next generation iPad, John Packowski of AllThingsD confirms today. If history (and carrier code) is any indication, it should go on sale shortly after that. Maybe even just a few days later. And that’s interesting because it doesn’t give developers a lot of time to prepare. And they’ll want to prepare for the higher resolution “Retina” display that the device will pack.
The situation is similar to the Summer of 2010. That year at WWDC, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4, the first device to feature a Retina display. That conference took place on June 7. The iPhone 4 first went on sale on June 24 — two and a half weeks later. That timeframe allowed some developers to get their apps Retina-ready, but for many it took quite a bit longer. Again, this year, the window may be even more condensed. → Read More
Habitual component-stream eavesdropper Digitimes says that “a small volume of components” that fit the spec for a 15-inch ultra-thin notebook have shipped, and March of 2012 is their estimate for full-scale device shipping.
We’ve talked about Macbook Air DNA being injected into the Pro line, and this is just more evidence of that. The latest update to the notebook line was minor and the design is getting a little long in the tooth. → Read More
Apple has updated its MacBook Pro offering on the Apple Store, reports This Is My Next, after 9to5Mac earlier leaked details of the notebook product line-up refresh.
Don’t expect to see spectacular changes, as the tweaks are relatively minor. They include faster processors, more storage and a number of small graphics updates. → Read More
The Sandy Bridge update to the Air line has been enough to make some feel the lightweight laptop is ready for prime time (I’m convinced, personally), but it’s still not enough for some. MacBook Pro users are accustomed to more storage, more screen real estate, and a greater number of ports. If rumors are to be believed, the best of both worlds might be on its way, with Air-style design making its way to the Pro line.
The sources are obscure, referred to only obliquely (MacRumors “has learned” and TUAW is “hearing”), so take this with a grain of salt. But even sans source, it makes sense, while leaving room for plenty of speculation. What will the compromises be? → Read More
It appears that the new MacBook Pros (introduced in February) aren’t quite fully baked. Or rather, they’re a bit overdone: there seems to be a pervasive overheating issue related to the new discrete Radeon GPUs. → Read More
Here’s a quick heads-up for you on this Monday afternoon. MicroCenter will shave off up to $200 on your purchase of one of those new MacBook Pro laptops. That’s handy. → Read More
When there’s a new gadget, iFixit simply must tear it apart in the name of gadget pr0n. This includes the latest MacBook Pro. The firm found that the battery is the same as the current generation even though the advertised life is slightly lower. (or rather more realistic) It’s also secured separately from other components, allowing it to stay in place rather than removing it when working on other sections of the notebook. The new models also feature a slightly different wireless card design with four antennas rather than three and aluminum mounting brackets. In the end, iFixit deemed the latest model a 7 out of 10 in regards to ease of repair with 10 being the easiest. This is thanks to the relatively compartmentalized internal design. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Apple knows a thing or two about notebook design. → Read More
If you’re in need of a sexy sleeve for your new Sandy Bridge/Thunderbolt MacBook Pro, you might consider picking up one of these from Acme Made. I reviewed a couple of their bags a while back and I know them to be pretty solid, with nice materials.
These two new entries are available only in Apple Stores, though, so you’ll have to move your feet around to get ‘em. → Read More
Now that the news about the new MacBook Pros is out there, one thing that may disappoint someone just reading the spec sheet is battery life. Across the board, the Pro is now rated at 7 hours. While still very solid, this is actually a step down from the previous versions which were rated at 8 to 9 hours for the 15 and 17-inch models, and 10 hours for the 13-inch model. So what gives?
Well, just as they sort of quietly announced with the new MacBook Airs late last year, Apple has begun using a new method of battery life testing. And they feel it’s much more accurate in real world scenarios. Specifically they call this the “Wireless Web protocol testing”. → Read More
As you’re undoubtedly aware by now, tomorrow (in just a few hours, really), Apple is expected to unveil their latest line of laptops. News has already started to trickle out about what’s getting upgraded and what’s changing. Noticeably absent in this talk is the MacBook itself. And that begs the question: is it the end of the line for the product?
Simply put: it should be. → Read More
There is no confirmation of this other than a vague email from a charming New Zealandee to his customers, but it seems that someone let slip that new MacBooks with SSD “hard drives” and Sandy Trail chipsets are in the offing in the next 20-25 days. Considering the guy who sent this presumably sells MacBooks in New Zealand, his advice to “place your order on hold, but also advise us of your plans so we can place you on our wait list” is pretty bold, pointing to either generally reduced stock or a real belief this rumor is real. I always say if you’re in the market for cameras or Apple gear, buy what’s available and don’t wait for some nebulous possible upgrade, but this email points to a fairly solid change in hardware so I’d advise listening to this kiwi. Read his note after the jump. → Read More
Could his beautiful, svelte, and decidedly black laptop be the new Macbook Pro that should land in stores on or around the ides of March or early April? Probably not, but a girl can dream. Why does it look fairly convincing? Well, as 9to5mac points out, Intel has leaked future MacBooks before and there is some evidence of new MacBooks in the pipe for Best Buy and others. → Read More
Not exactly the most groundbreaking news, but reports from suppliers (as usual, on tap at Digitimes) indicate that Apple will be launching new MacBook Pros in the first half of 2011 (likely in April, like last time). They also suggest we’ll see a new size of iMac appear. Big? Small? Convertible? Well, probably not convertible. → Read More
Last Wednesday, I got my hands on one of the new MacBook Airs. I haven’t touched my MacBook Pro since. It’s six months old. RIP.
I know that sounds outrageous. Or like hyperbole. But it’s not. When I wrote up my initial thoughts, it was after only a few hours of usage. I hadn’t even used it outside the house yet. But now I have. I’ve used it almost everywhere I’ve been for just about a week now. There’s no question in my mind that this has replaced my MacBook Pro as my go-to machine. → Read More
I’ve done it. I’ve worn the battery completely down on one of the new MacBook Airs. As such, I thought I’d post some initial thoughts about the machine. This isn’t a huge all-encompassing review — I haven’t even used it outside of my apartment yet — but rather my initial thoughts for those of you thinking about rushing out to buy one.
All day, I’ve been testing out the 13.3-inch model. After playing around with the 11.6-inch model in the demo area after Apple’s event today, I decided that while it is freakishly, insanely small, I’d rather carry the extra .5 pounds and get the extra 2 hours of battery life that the slightly larger model offers. And I think that was the right choice, I’ve been using it all day and the battery just wore out.
The iPad has spoiled me. I often look at my 5.6 pound MacBook Pro with dread now. It’s simply too bulky. And considering I have never used the optical drive on the thing, I can’t figure out why I need some of that bulk. This new MacBook Air eliminates it.
Bottom line: so far, I love this thing. → Read More
We have here what appears to be a new touchscreen interface for a Mac. Exactly what type of Mac, or when it’s due, or whether it’s even real, not sure. The leading candidate, however: a touchpad display for the MacBook Pro. Tenterhooks, people, tenterhooks. → Read More
It’s a fact that no one uses optical drives anymore and so why not replace the one in your late-model MBP with something a bit more useful like an SSD. It doesn’t really seem that hard as long you’re comfortable totally disemboweling your MacBook Pro. The SSD and optical drive both use SATA so it’s really plug and play and only requires a special adapter plate to properly hold the SSD in place. → Read More
And I thought my new monitor was fancy! (It certainly cost enough…) Here we have a plain ol’ MacBook Pro using a series of 28 projectors to create a 22-megapixel display. That works out to 7168×3072. Borderline insane, yes. → Read More
The flaymasters at iFixIt have torn down the MacBook Pro 15-inch Unibody, revealing all of its terrible secrets including, but not limited to, a motherboard, an AirPort Express card, and some other stuff. Come to think of it, there are no terrible secrets. Just a bigger battery and new wireless antenna. → Read More
Today’s MacBook Pro refresh left a lot of us feeling, well, bored. The new notebooks aren’t particularly powerful with dual-core Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs along with low-memory GPUs. They really aren’t anything special compared to similarly-priced PCs. Numerous manufacturers offer a PC for around $2000 that comes with quad-core i7′s, 1GB graphics card along with tons of RAM and a higher-res screen than what’s in the new MBPs. It really seems that Apple didn’t go with the most powerful hardware available to boost the projected battery life to previously unheard of levels.
Battery life is really the only compelling feature — besides OS X of course — in the refreshed MacBook Pros. Apple is claiming that the 15- and 17-inch can see between 8-9 hours while the smaller, Core 2 Duo-equipped 13-inch can rock for 10 hours straight. That’s impressive even if Apple exaggerated those claims a bit. → Read More
