Stan's List

After Battery Update has been installed, each battery you insert into your MacBook or MacBook Pro will be updated automatically. Your computer’s power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source. Download page.

If while operating your MacBook or MacBook Pro, you remove the battery the laptop will automatically reduce speed. The KB article indicates it is because the AC may not supply enough power. More …

This means that while using AC, it also must use battery power for certain operations, but you can do those same operations while only on battery.The opposite of what I would have thought. This is true on doorstop laptops as well.

Apple MacBook Pros were conspicuous at a recent Hewlett-Packard analyst meeting and one caught the eye of CEO Mark Hurd. This was reported by Arik Hesseldahl in his Business Week Blog on Tuesday. More …

Apple has released a wireless update for its current-generation Intel-powered portables. AirPort Update 2006-002 improves AirPort compatibility in the following computers:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
• MacBook (13-inch Core 2 Duo)

More …

Battery runtimes can be reduced if an application(s) has runaway or taken over system processes. This can cause the processor to work overtime and consume unnecessary battery power.
Products affected

* Portable computers running Mac OS X

More …

Some Intel-based Macs can become unresponsive while being used as a host in FireWire target disk mode. This may occur if the second computer is left connected for over 24 consecutive hours to the Intel-based target Mac.
Products affected

* Mac Book Pro
* iMac (Early 2006)

More …

MacBidouillie is reporting that Apple may be halting some MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo orders in order to investigate a “grainy screen” issue. “Today we have received another message from FxParis. ‘I have received the following message from my Apple Reseller: ‘bad news: MacBook Pro 15″ production is temporary stopped due to a quality issue identified on non-glossy LCD panel. There is no additional information!” It remains unclear if the production is stopped for all MacBook Core 2 Duo or only for those models with the non-glossy widescreen LCD display.” More …

Parallels has announced, by way of a blog posting, the release of Parallels Desktop Beta 3036, a “free” update of the currently available version. Parallels allows you to switch back and forth between Mac OS X and XP without rebooting

New and / or improved features are said to include:

• New look and feel, improved usability
• Virtual machines catalogue
• One-click virtual machine aliases:
• Automatically created by OS installation assistant
• Clicking on alias automatically starts the VM
• Shutting down a VM automatically closes Parallels

More …

You can only use this to restore the firmware after an interrupted or failed update. If your computer is already in this state, you’ll need to download the software and create the CD on another Macintosh computer, or you can take your computer to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to restore your firmware. This CD can be created on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macintosh computers.

This CD cannot be used to return an Intel-based Macintosh computer’s firmware to a previous version if a successful update has already been performed. More …

Apple has released a quintet of firmware updates that address Boot Camp, start up and wake-from-sleep issues with the company’s iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and Mac Pro product lines, essentially the whole enchilada.

Here are the links:

• iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.1
• MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.2
• MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.0
• Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.1
• Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.1

Apple’s offering the following info each of these updates:

This EFI Firmware Update fixes several Boot Camp, start up, and wake-from-sleep issues on [model name] computers.