HomeKit compatible products are about to become easier to find and more affordable thanks to IKEA. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about IKEA’s place in the smart home market, plus they noteDenise Young Smith’s new position at Apple, and Huawei’s new laptop that targets the MacBook.
New Macs at WWDC, Apple vs Diabetes, Lattice Data - ACM 411
This could be the year Apple breaks form and introduces new hardware at WWDC, and Bryan and Jeff explain why. They also discuss Apple’s big bets on an even bigger future and the importance of AI, neural nets, and machine learning.
Imagine What Mac Sales Would Do If Apple Did Something Crazy Like Update All the Macs
During the second quarter of 2017, Apple saw Mac unit sales increase by a modest four percent. Jeff Butts, ever the dreamer, imagines what would happen if Apple gave us new Macs across all the various form factor categories, from the Mac Mini to the Mac Pro.
Microsoft Launches a New Assault on Apple: Surface Laptop
On May 2nd, Microsoft presented its latest product in the Surface family, the Surface Laptop. This is a pure laptop, in the style of Apple’s MacBook line, and has a 13.5-inch display. Notable is the low weight, 2256 x 1504 display, fabric keyboard, four available colors, Windows 10 S and a claimed 14 hour battery life.
Final Polycarbonate MacBook Joins Apple's Obsolete Product List
Farewell, white MacBook, because Apple just added you to its vintage and obsolete products list. The 2010 13-inch MacBook with white polycarbonate body joined the unsupported hardware list on May 1, closing the final chapter on the laptop model along with three MacBook Pro models.
A Ventilated Lapdesk Designed for Apple MacBooks
Check out iSkelter’s Slate 2.0, a ventilated lapdesk designed for Apple’s MacBook line. iSkelter has a number of products for Apple users, as well as a large ventilated laptop desk designed for PC gamers with ginormous PC laptops. The ones aimed at Mac users include slots to hold an iPad (or book or whatever), and you can choose to get it with a mousepad, a naked work space, or a white board(!!). They’re made from bamboo, and are priced starting at $59.95. Models with a mousepad are available through Amazon Prime for $69.95.
Freshen Up Your Older Mac and Make It Feel New
When a new version of macOS comes out, many people are tempted to get the latest and greatest Mac to go with it. You don’t have to do that in most cases, though. Jeff Butts shows us how a few timely upgrades can make an older Mac feel like new again.
Get Your New Mac up and Running with These Tips
When you bring home a new Mac, there are a few important steps you should take to get it running as smoothly and securely as possible. These will secure your Mac as well as make it easier to use, especially if you are new to the Mac world. Follow along with Jeff Butts as he walks you through setting up your new Mac.
Apple Working on Custom Mac Chips to Cut Reliance on Intel
Apple is reportedly working to scale back its reliance on Intel for MacBook and MacBook Pro chips by designing its own ARM-based processor. The Apple-designed chip will handle low power functions such as Power Nap, and could be a step towards abandoning Intel at some point in the future.
Some People Have Found Coins In Their MacBook [Update]
In today’s weird news, apparently some people have found coins hidden inside their MacBook, specifically the optical drive. Is this an engineering tradition of good luck? Or perhaps an error in manufacturing? We dive in to explore the explanations, and apply Occam’s Razor in a show of logic. Updated with comments from Kyle Wiens of iFixIt.
Minix NEO C Mini USB-C to HDMI: Low Cost, Low Weight
The Minix NEO C Mini is the little brother of the USB-C NEO C Multiport Adapter Dock previously reviewed. This smaller, less expensive model supports only pass-through power, HDMI (UHD) and two USB-A ports. It’s also half the price. John liked it a lot and highly recommends it for the Apple MacBook and new 2016 MacBook Pro.
Here's What You Need to Know About USB-C and Thunderbolt 3
The MacBook introduced USB-C to Apple’s laptop lineup in 2015, and the just announced Retina MacBook Pro with Touch Bar gives us Thunderbolt 3—which looks exactly like USB-C. Not sure what the differences are and how they affect you? Read on to learn more.
Blood in the Macintosh Water: Apple's Competitors Now Sense Weakness
Apple’s competitors are sensing Macintosh weakness and are making bold moves. The MacBook Air hasn’t been updated since March, 2015. The Mac Pro, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini are very long of tooth. The latest iMac is coming up on a year old, and only the MacBook looks fresh. Soon, there may be much blood in the water.
Apple's Mac Problem Could Soon be a Mac Crisis
Apple is long overdue for a refresh of its Macintosh line. The last Mac mini update was October 2014. The 2013 Mac Pro has never been updated. The last MacBook Pro (15-inch) was updated in May of 2015. The company still sells a 2012 13-inch MacBook Pro with a SuperDrive. Only the iMac and MacBook lines are less than a year old. The Verge lays it all out and questions why Apple isn’t keeping most of its Macs more current. Yet there are glimmers of hope. It’s all on page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris.
My Year With the Stellar 2015 MacBook and Life With USB-C
John has had his 2015 MacBook with its single USB-C port for a little over a year now. Here’s his complete first report on life with that Macintosh notebook and daily life with USB-C. Did he regret an early engagement with USB-C? Read on.
