Stan's List

A MacInTouch reader has some interesting ways to bring more connection reliability to his MacBook G4 and MacBook Pro b/g airport card and an Apple TV. The reader was “having major connection problems. Read the steps the reader took. More …

Roving reporter Doug Borchert spotted this one.

If Monday’s earthquake in China sparked a lot of interest in seismology, well in the science blogs. A free program from Suitable Systems’ SeisMac 2.0 takes advantage of the acceleration sensor inside you computer to register when it gets the shakes. The program was developed supported by the National Science Foundation and from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, a consortium of nearly 100 universities. http://www.suitable.com/tools/seismac.html

Most current laptops, even from the darkside, have an acceleration sensor. This software happens to be only for the Mac. On the same page is SeisMaCalibrate to calibrate your Mac’s Sudden Motion Sensors.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5.1 fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers.

Firmware Restoration CD 1.7 is used to restore the firmware of an Intel-based Macintosh computer.

With all the problems with past firmware updates, wait a day or two for the comments to determine if you should install this update.

Firmware Restoration CD 1.6
The Firmware Restoration CD can restore the firmware of an Intel-based Macintosh computer.

MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 1.0
This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Air computers.

MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.2
This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook computers.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5
This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers.

iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.3
This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of iMac computers.

Aluminum Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0
This firmware update addresses an issue with the aluminum Apple Keyboard and the aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard where a key may repeat unexpectedly while typing. The update also addresses other issues. Mac OS X 10.5.2 is required before installing this update.

According to 9 to 5 Mac, better than Dell. This would mean users would prefer a portable that cost multiples of a Dell laptop. The advantages we already know about. Quoting Apple’s COO Tim Cook at a recent Goldman Sachs Investment conference:

We just received word on Monday that Apple surpassed Dell as the number one supplier of portables to US higher education for 2007,” said Cook. “The ceiling for the Macs is nowhere in sight. Even if the market itself isn’t growing, for us, switching Windows users is an enormous opportunity.

This MacBook and MacBook Pro firmware update addresses an issue where the first key press may be ignored if the computer has been sitting idle. It also addresses some other issues.

The update package will install an updater application into the Applications/Utilities folder and will launch it automatically. Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the update process.

Installation of MacBook and MacBook Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 requires Mac OS X 10.5.2.

The MacBook and MacBook Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 supports the following products:

MacBook (Late 2006)
MacBook (Mid 2007)
MacBook (Late 2007)
MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2007, 2.4/2.2GHz)
MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2GHz)

I have taken some time with this one. The style is Apple, yet it is for a special segment. As Mossberg has stated, the Air is likely for someone who spends a lot of time in the air. Strange isn’t?

The only way to install the OS is by an attached DVD drive. No networking, no Target Mode, no FireWire, no Ethernet, no PC card slot, as there is only USB. Single applications may be installed via Wi-Fi., but without an external DVD drive the MacBook Air is an island with maybe web access.

I also think the price is too high, reminiscent of the iPhone. At $1,800 for the Air, the MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 and you get a fully equipped laptop:

15 inch 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1440 x 900 resolution
2GB memory
120GB hard drive1
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 128MB SDRAM

and don’t forget, ethernet and FireWire and PC card slot

Do we even want to mention the MacBook? No PC card slot, but pretty much everything else and at a darn better price.

Dr. Bott’s T3Hub USB 2.0 hub for laptops has the ability to report itself as a powered hub to the laptop. As their web mentions the T3Hub powers devices which normally would not function when connected to an unpowered hub. This would be most useful in the field where your extension cord can not follow and you have more than one USB device to connect or a device that requires a powered hub. I have it presently connect to my desktop Mac, but I am looking forward to testing it far from a wall socket. Normally $20, save $5 at Macworld, Booth 2118, or you could try their web page and see if they will honor the Macworld price.

Nicely done!!

Bill Fox’s Macs Only! has stopped doing daily news due to limited resources. Their reviews and opinions have always been a good read. In fact Bill will return to doing just that:

It will continue to persist, not as a daily news source but with occasional commentary, articles, reviews, software tests and speed tests like the article below.In a hands-on-review.

Bill provides some helpful information for anyone considering this surgery. As noted in the article, this is the largest hard drive you can fit into a MacBook Pro.

Update(1/7): At CES in Las Vegas, Samsung announced their Spinpoint M6 500GB 2.5″ laptop hd drive, expected to be available as early as March, will be the necessary 9.5mm.

CNN Money reports that among PC companies, Apple notebooks were the choice of 29% intended purchases, followed by Dell (28%) and HP (21%). For desktops, Dell topped the survey with 31% with HP second (24%).

The figures represent significant gains for Apple; a year ago, only 16% of purchasers said they intended to buy a Mac notebook, while 11% said they would purchase a Mac desktop.

Furthermore, 24% of those surveyed said OS X 10.5 Leopard made it more likely they would buy a Mac.

Among corporate purchasers, 7% of laptop buyers said they would order Macs, with Mac desktops rating slightly lower at 6%; these data represent almost a doubling of Mac laptop, a twice the desktop number reported in the year-ago survey. Predictably, however, Dell and HP continue to dominate corporate purchasing. More …