The Ultimate Toolbox for Photos on the Mac
Sometimes Apple can take its product line a little too literally. That’s the only reason we can think of behind Apple’s latest storefront setup in various Apple Stores, where a MacBook Air is gently floating in the air, attached to a balloon. Sure, a metal wire is attached to the balloon – but the trick works. The whole setup looks pretty cool.
Most of all, Apple put an end to all those MacBook “air” jokes. Check out the video below. [Obama Pacman via 9to5mac] Read more
Marco Arment predicts a new MacBook Pro 15” inspired by the success of the new MacBook Airs:
No glass and SSD by default may end up on the new MacBook Pro as well. The problem with a wedge design is that it leaves small room to “big ports” like FireWire and Ethernet, something users are really used to have on the MBP 15-inch. I agree with Marco when he says there’s little sense to keep the 13-inch MacBook Pro in the line-up now that the 13-inch MacBook Air is so portable and powerful.
Also, Apple’s homepage says it all: MacBook Air is the next generation of MacBooks. We just have to wait to see where do we go from here.
We’re big fans of Twelve South’s accessories for the Mac and iOS devices: from the Compass mobile stand and BookArc for iPad to Mac-only products, we think Twelve South makes the most beautiful third-party accessories for Apple devices. Today Twelve South introduces the BookArc stand for the new MacBook Air, which aims at turning the ultra-thin and portable machine into the perfect solution for your desktop.
The MacBook Air, in fact, can power an external monitor with ease, such as Apple’s own Cinema Display. The BookArc firmly grips the MacBook Air vertically and offers a system for cable management so you won’t have the power cord or USB cables cluttering your desk. Twelve South also promises an increase in performances when using the MacBook Air with a BookArc as the computer (when closed) only has to power the external monitor.
The BookArc for MacBook Air will be available next month at $39.99 both for 11-inch and 13-inch models. More information available here.
No matter the decade, it always feels like we’re just getting started.
Earlier today Apple released a Software Update for the MacBook Air (late 2010 model) which resolves an issue with some units that prevents system from sleeping. The update is available in Software Update or on Apple’s website. In November, several new MacBook Air owners reported of graphic issues and kernel panics when using the machine.
Apple also released a minor update to iDVD:
This update improves overall stability and ensures compatibility when sending slideshows from iPhoto ‘11 to iDVD.
This update is recommended for all users of iDVD 7.
iDVD 7.1.1 is available here, or in Software Update.
If the blazing speed of Apple’s built in SSD for the MacBook Air isn’t fast enough, head over to OWC and check out their Aura Pro Express. Featuring write speeds up to 275 MB/s over Apple’s factory 215MB/s, you’re looking at a 15% increase in face melting performance. At the top of the line, you can nab yourself a 360 GB Express SSD if you still can’t live out of the cloud, though that’ll set you back an easy $1,180. You can nab a 180 GB model at a cooler $500, and you’ll still get OWC’s chip based encryption, RAID-like data protection, and ultra-efficient wear leveling that any good SSD drive should have. I don’t know if I’ll pick one of these bad boys up any time soon, but we’re sure there will be plenty who are willing to grab their torx screwdrivers and empty their pockets for one of these.
The new MacBook Air is a thing of beauty. Like I tweeted a few days ago, a friend of mine bought the 11-inch model last week and I’m finding myself constantly trying to reach it to see how much Apple managed to squeeze into that tiny piece of aluminum. It’s thin. It’s fast. But I guess that at this point you’ve heard about that.
What you probably don’t know is that some users are coming up with neat MacBook Air mods that will make you want one even more. From the same guy who created the iPhone 4 Leica skin for the most sophisticated photographer comes the composition notebook MBA skin. You know, just to remember the good old school days. Or maybe not.
If you don’t feel like carrying an aluminum composition notebook around, perhaps some Angry Birds is what you’re looking for. It’s got the birds, the pigs – no slingshot though. It’d be nice to apply this skin once Angry Birds comes to the Mac. Because it is coming, right?
More photos after the break. [via Gizmodo & Flickr] Read more
Is the MacBook Air just another netbook that can barely run Photoshop? We all know it’s not. Benchmark numbers and stats aside, that thing is fast. I’ve been trying a 11-inch model (a friend of mine bought one) this week, and it literally screams. Instant-on thanks to SSD, strong battery life, responsive…just do yourself a favor and go try one at an Apple Store near you.
Or, if you want a quick example, take a look at the picture above. It doesn’t provide any numbers, but it gives you an idea of what this machine can do. It’s a MacBook Air running on four different screens: a 20-inch Apple Cinema Display, a 7-inch Mimo 720-S USB display and an old Apple IIc which is displaying a Terminal session through serial cable.
Geek stuff.
A few weeks ago we reported of the graphic issues and kernel panics many users were experiencing on the new MacBook Airs. The issues got quickly reporte to Apple, which acknowledged them in a document leaked by BGR. With the latest Mac OS X 10.6.5 update, it seems like the issues have been fixed.
As Apple writes in a support document:
Symptoms
After waking from sleep, your MacBook Air display may flicker or fade from light to dark repeatedly.
Resolution
Download and apply the Mac OS X v10.6.5 update to resolve this issue.
You can go download 10.6.5 from Software Update or Apple’s website, and watch a video of the aforementioned MacBook Air graphic issues below.
