MacBook

Recently a number of Mac users of Adobe's InDesign software found that after upgrading to Apple's new MacBook Pro systems, the software would crash and show an empty warning box after performing certain actions within the program. Adobe has addressed this problem in part by releasing a small software patch for InDesign, but also by recommending against certain OS X updates.

Initially it was unclear what caused the crashes, with the only correlations being that it happened on the latest Apple hardware that was using the OS X 10.7.4. After investigating the issue, Adobe found that … Read more

Blame it on Windows 8.

Analysts this week cited "waiting for Windows 8" as one reason for flat shipments of traditional PCs.

But I would submit that's an excuse rather than a reason. Instead of waiting, consumers are buying MacBooks, iPads, Google's Nexus 7, and large-screen Android phones.

In other words, what Intel CEO Paul Otellini likes to optimistically call -- in the case of tablets -- "additive" devices, or machines people buy in addition to a PC. But I think they're what consumers actually buy instead of a PC.

Does that portend … Read more

Those who ordered one of Apple's new MacBooks with the Retina Display immediately after it was announced at WWDC last month have no doubt had theirs delivered by now. But those who might have held back a week or two were quickly faced with wait times of up to a month.

That seemingly improved overnight, with Apple today reporting ship times of two to three weeks for new orders, MacRumors notes.

The change is significant for one of Apple's notebooks, which are typically in ready supply following a product launch. The high-end machine was a different story though. … Read more

A number of Adobe users who have purchased one of Apple's latest MacBook systems have been experiencing crashes of Adobe's InDesign layout software.

Yesterday, AppleInsider reported that a number of users had been complaining on the Adobe discussion boards about InDesign becoming unresponsive (for some displaying an empty warning dialog box) and requiring users to force-quit the program. This happens when performing several different tasks, including after deleting a page that has content on it and when packaging a file.

Following these complaints Adobe has been investigating the problem and has narrowed the issue down to an incompatibility … Read more

Displays that could be used on a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina are slated to begin production this quarter, but "business plans" for Apple are not definite yet, an analyst told CNET.

Retina-class 13.3-inch displays with a pixel density of 2,560-by-1,600 are slated for production this quarter (Q3), said Richard Shim, an analyst with DisplaySearch.

But when this would result in a Retina-endowed 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro is unclear at the moment, according to Shim.

Production of the 13.3-inch Retina-class display is about a quarter behind the Retina screen used in the 15.… Read more

With the economy still struggling, a lot of consumers are looking to upgrade their computers rather than drop a couple grand on a new machine.

If you want to upgrade your existing setup, you need to swap out the guts. The major organs are the hard drive, motherboard, and RAM. Sure, there are other bits and bobs, but these are the primary elements. Of them, the motherboard is usually the most difficult to mess with.

But if we're looking at just the RAM and hard drive, the average consumer can effectively remove and install both with some basic tools, a deft touch, and a little patience.

So we attempted a two-phase plan. First, upgrade a 2009 13-inch MacBook Pro with three different hard-drive and RAM configurations. Then, test the resulting Frankenbooks against the same make and size of laptop, circa 2012. (More recent MacBooks, especially Airs and the new 15-inch Retina Pro, are virtually impossible to disassemble, so this process works better the older your MacBook is.) … Read more

Microsoft is going to turn up the heat on Apple, with a more aggressive focus on hardware, CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with Computer Reseller News.

After making predictable declarations about advantages in the corporate "enterprise" software market, he said that "we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested to Apple]...Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch," according to CRN.

"Hardware-software innovation" is the operative phrase here, … Read more

One easy way to save a little power and thereby help prolong battery life in MacBook systems is to sleep the display. Unlike a full system sleep that suspends all processing activities, display sleep only turns off the relatively power-hungry display while keeping the rest of the system working, which can extend the battery life during instances where you do not need to view the display. An example of this would be if you are waiting for a large file to download.

The options that are available for doing this depend on the system, and include a combination of hot … Read more

Economy ultrabook pricing is starting to take hold at $699 and below, where the thin and light Windows notebooks offer a substantial price advantage over Apple's MacBook Air.

The 13-inch Acer Aspire S3 (model S3-391-6616) is now $648 at Walmart.

The model listed on Walmart's site includes a 1.40GHz Intel Core i3-2377M processor, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB hard drive combined with a 20GB solid-state drive, 13.3-inch HD LED-backlit display (1,366x768), two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a three-cell lithium-polymer battery rated at 5.5 hours, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition.

And, like all ultrabooks, it's thin and light at 0.68 inches and three pounds, respectively. … Read more