Stan's List

Apple has posted a MacBook random shutdown page which requests that users with MacBooks so afflicted contact AppleCare service.

Ever wondered what those LiION cells inside your (recalled) battery look like? Well, wonder no more as Jason O’Grady, at his ZDNet blog, does the dirty work.

As ever, you are warned against doing this yourself, as these batteries contain toxic, acidic chemicals which are also highly flammable.

So look at the pictures instead. More …

Apple KB article: “Learn why your Mac might not go to sleep when you expect it to, or why it might not stay in sleep mode. What’s sleep mode? It’s a low power, energy-saving feature of that offers both environmental and economic benefits, as well as helping to extend the life of batteries and displays.” More …

With BootCD not yet compatible with Tiger, tuaw.com has an article on how to create a bootable Apple Software Restore (asr) DVD. More …

Apple has posted a FAQ article on the announced eMac Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues:

The eMac Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues applies to eMac computers that exhibit a certain video or power-related issue as a result of a specific component failure. These computers were sold between approximately April 2004 and June 2005. If your eMac is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed below and your computer’s serial number is within the noted ranges, your computer may be eligible for repair, free of charge. If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) determines that your eMac computer is eligible as part of the program, the repair will be covered by Apple for up to three years from the original date of purchase even if your eMac is out of warranty. This is a worldwide Apple program.

Affected systems will exhibit one of the following video- or power-related symptoms:

* Scrambled or distorted video
* No video
* No power

Note: If your eMac is not experiencing any of these symptoms, you do not have to contact Apple or any Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Which eMac computers are affected by the eMac Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues?

The program is available for certain eMac models that were sold between approximately April 2004 and June 2005 featuring 1GHz and 1.25GHz G4 processors.

The affected eMac computers have serial numbers where the first 5 digits fall into the ranges noted below.

Serial Number ranges:

* G8412xxxxxx - G8520xxxxxx
* YM412xxxxxx - YM520xxxxxx
* VM440xxxxxx - VM516xxxxxx

MacFixIt continues “to report on severe battery failure — apparently due to overheating — from some MacBook Pros.” More …

Some have complained that Apple’s serial number analyer gives a more general discription. Try using this Dutch site

Apple’s serial number interpreter provides specifications (and the Apple model designation) for a Mac whose serial number you provide. (You can copy the number from About This Mac > More Info > Hardware.)

Blu-ray Disc (BD), one of two new HD video disc formats, will debut on June 20 when Sony releases eight titles plus a ninth on June 27 and seven more in July. Samsung’s BD-P1000 Blu-ray disc player is scheduled to hit the market on June 25 as the first such player on the U.S. market. Sony will also release a BD-compatible Vaio PC. Pioneer has already released a computer drive that will read the BD discs, the BDR-101A.

Blu-ray discs hold up to 25GB/50GB of data.

Apple Computer supports the BD format but has not yet announced any products using it–stay tuned. More …

Apple has released a SuperDrive 2.0 firmware update for the following Macs:

* PowerBook G4 (12 -inch 1.5GHz)
* PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.33GHz, 1.5GHz, or 1.67GHz)
* PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.67GHz)
* iMac G5 (17-inch 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz)
* iMac G5 (20-inch 1.8GHz)
* Mac mini G4

The new release “fixes burning speeds when writing to certain recordable DVD media.”