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Since Apple released the 10.6.2 update on November the 9th I have noticed the glass trackpad on my Unibody MacBook has become very unresponsive. I didn’t really notice it at first, but then started to wonder why links in Safari weren’t responding to  my clicks. Not only that, selecting blocks of text or using the scroll bars has become increasingly frustrating. I tried cleaning the trackpad with an alcohol solution, tried repairing permissions, and even reset the System Management Controller (SMC). The only thing I could think of that’d changed recently was me updating to 10.6.2.

After a bit of searching I couldn’t find much through Google. I then  decided on posting a thread on the Apple Support forums. After a few days, more reports started trickling in with others experiencing the same problem.

So get on it, Apple!

As the Macintosh celebrated it’s 25th birthday yesterday, I found myself wondering what it would’ve been like to have never used a Windows based PC. I didn’t get into computers properly till I was about sixteen. I’d always owned a Games Console but my parents could never afford to by a household PC. Once I’d finished High School I decided to go to College to do a Computers A-Level, that’s when my parents managed to buy me a Pentium 200MHz system to help me with my College work. I remember getting it delivered and my Dad said there was no other room in the house to keep it, except for my bedroom, result! Things went from there and within a week or two I signed up for an AOL Free Trial that got me online for two months, I never looked back. My A-level work actually suffered from the fact I had my own PC because I’d end up staying on it all night and either being late, or falling asleep in College. To cut a long story short I went from 1996 to 2004 owning various PC’s that I built myself.

What made me Switch? One answer, iPod…

3rd Gen iPod was a big influence

In 2003 after much dallying I decided to get myself an iPod. I had a friend who was into Apple in a big way and he kept telling me it was brilliant taking his entire music library on the go. I’d owned various portable CD players in the past and always thought it was annoying having to choose a CD quickly before leaving the house, why couldn’t I just hit shuffle like I did on my PC? I got myself a brand new 3rd Gen iPod that had 15GB of storage. I loved the way the four control buttons lit up red and still miss this even today (I was expecting the click wheel to light up on my iPod Video but sadly it didn’t). I managed persuade another one of my friends to get an iPod and we both then had Apple in our minds. If they could make a music player that works this well, syncs effortlessly with your computer, has a simple yet powerful interface, uses innovative control wheel to let you scroll through your music, then what were their computers like? What was their operating system like? That’s when we started paying attention, thats when we started researching on the internet, visiting the Apple website to check out their products, and most importantly, watching the Keynotes. By the time 2004 came there was still that little something stopping me from switching, but then on August 31st, I got pushed over the edge, big time!  It was Apple Expo in Paris, hosted by Phil Schiller (Big Phil!) and I wasn’t really expecting much. I remember my friend texting me “have you seen the new iMac!?”

iMac G5 20" 1.8GHz

I hadn’t, but scurried online to check it out. The love affair began here. For days after the Keynote all I did was check the specs, watch the advert over and over, and think of a way I could afford one. I sorted out a deal with another friend, he was after a new system and bought my PC for a good price. I scrimped together the rest of the money to finally order this twenty inch beauty. When it arrived I got home from work and was so excited I couldn’t even open the box. When I did I couldn’t believe how big the screen looked. I remember my Dad waxing lyrical about the screen quality and he knew nothing about computers. It was unlike any computer I’d ever owned, it was a work of art. Now was the real test, could I use it, would I like using it, and would I miss Windows? I have to admit, for the first week I did miss Windows. I suppose if you use anything for the best part of 7 years then a change will feel weird. I was lucky to have a friend who had owned Macs for years though, and he helped me along the way. If ever I couldn’t do something I’d done in Windows, I learned that on a Mac it could be done, just differently and usually better. Programs I used in Windows always seemed to have a Mac equivalent. I started playing with iLife ‘04 and realised this is what I’d been missing. Everything just worked, everything seemed integrated, even 3rd party apps all shared the same look, they all fit together, it started feeling right.

So from there my love for everything Apple began, and it still lives on to this day. I have owned many Apple products since 2003, and I still own a fair few now! I am a very nostalgic person, and just wish I got into Apple sooner. I wish I was there from 1996, I wish I was there when Steve Jobs came back. But all I can do now is feed my  thirst for the past, and eBay is a very good place to do that. iMac G3’s, iMac G4’s, maybe a Classic Mac, I don’t know what is next, but I know I’ll never stop buying Apple.

My Apple Timeline

2003 – iPod 3rd Gen 15GB (Sold)
2004 – iMac 20″ 1.8GHz (Sold)
2005 – iMac 20″ 2.1GHz with iSight camera (Sold)
2006 – iPod 5th Gen 30GB (iPod Video)
2006 – iMac G3 Graphite 600MHz
2006 – iMac 20″ 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Sold)
2007 – Apple iPhone 8GB (Sold)
2007 – iPod Nano 2GB Black (Gave to my Brother)
2008 – Mac Mini 1.83GHz with 20″ Apple Cinema Display
2008 – AppleTV 160GB
2008 – Apple iPhone 3G 8GB
2008 – Time Capsule 1TB
2008 – MacBook 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo (Sold)
2008 – Unibody MacBook  2.4GHZ with Backlit Keyboard

Since updating my MacBook I haven’t noticed any difference in normal operation, but then again I was one of the many people that didn’t have any issues in the first place.

The updates have to be installed seperatley. First you have to download the EFI update, this can be done through Software Update. Once you have followed the instructions to install this, and your MacBook has rebooted, then you can reopen Software Update and follow a similar procedure for the SMC update.

Loving the backlit keyboard

After a week of waiting I receievd my MacBook today. I went for the top end model, 2.4GHz, 2GB DDR3, Backlit Keyboard etc. When I got it out of the box I noticed the screen didn’t sit flush with the base, it stuck out about 3mm on the left which meant it was 3mm out on the right also. I thought I could put up with it at first, but then I thought for something that cost over £1000 then why should I settle, especially when Jonny Ive stated in the new MacBook video “we’ve been so fanatical about the tolerances”. So I phoned Apple and they have gladly agreed to exchange it. So another week to wait before I get my new machine….

Mac benchmarking website barefeats.com have posted test results of a new MacBook Pro successfully running stable with 6GB of RAM installed. This is achieved using a 2GB stick and 4GB stick. What is interesting is the MacBook Pro also picks up 8GB of RAM successfully when 2 x 4GB sticks are installed. Problems only arise when the software actually tries to access this RAM, the same problem does not seem to happen with the 6GB configuration. Could this just be a software issue? Maybe a firmware update could address it? Time will tell.

Apple announced the latest MacBook at their October 14th media event. As predicted the new MacBook is housed in an Aluminum enclosure and uses the new all in one NVIDIA 9400m Chipset and Graphics. Apple tell us the new GPU offers on average 5x the performance of the current Intel GMA X3100.

As I predicted Apple have kept the current white MacBook as part of their product line and have lowered the price to £719. There are then two new higher end models priced at £949 and £1149. Both these models use the new Aluminum ‘Unibody’ and sport the NVIDIA 9400m. The £1149 model even has a Backlit Keyboard, a first for the MacBook (also another one of my predictions).

New MacBooks are very appealing

One thing many people have noticed since the major leak of images from Macx.cn is the lack of a FireWire port on the MacBook casing. This seems to have gone down badly in the Apple world with many posting complaints on forums questioning Apple’s logic in ditching the interface they begun. iPods have now all moved over to USB 2.0, and there has been an increasing trend for Digital Video Cameras to also use the serial bus interface. USB 2.0 (480Mbit/s) offer speeds equivalent to FireWire 400 (400Mbit/s) at it’s peak, but benchmarks often show FireWire can maintain a slightly higher average transfer rate.

MacBook casing lacks FireWire cut-out

Chinese Website Macx.cn has posted more detailed pictures of the new MacBook and MacBook Pro case redesigns. As I have predicted in my earlier post it looks like the MacBook Pro will feature a much bigger trackpad, black keyboard and a magnetic latch.

MacBook Pro 15

MacBook 13

If it’s true and Apple do introduce an all new Aluminum MacBook, it will consolidate their notebooks into one product range of all Aluminum models. These will only be split by product specs, but then what happens with their backlit keyboards? Does that mean the new MacBooks will now sport the highly desirable Apple feature? With the introduction of the MacBook Air, Apple brought the feature to a model other than their Pro line for the very first time. If the MacBook uses the same type of keyboard as the Air, will they bring the backlit keyboard over? I certainly hope so. I can see the MacBook also inheriting the Multi-Touch Trackpad introduced by the Air.

Backlit Keyboard coming to all MacBooks?

So what about the rumors of a cheaper, more affordable Apple notebook? That would certainly go down well in the current economic crisis. Will they lower the price of the existing MacBook design and sell it for $400? Or have they got an ASUS eeePc killer that nobody has seen yet? I’d love to see the latter myself, but there has been no evidence of it’s existence.

Do Apple have an eeePC killer?

Onto the MacBook Air and I think the main upgrade will be the 120GB slim hard drive that Apple are using in the new iPod Classic. We may also see a processor boost, with the 1.8GHz model becoming the base revision, minus the 64GB SSD. Will we see the rumored NVIDIA mGPU also appearing on the Air? Or will they stick to the Intel GMA due to heat restrictions? Only time will tell.

MacBook Air internals to receive a boost?

Then the MacBook Pro, there’s nothing drastic they can really do to the Pro, other than using the new Air styling and a speed bump. It already has the Air’s gesture based trackpad, and the spec isn’t too shabby. Maybe Apple have something up their sleeves though? Could we see the touch dock? I highly doubt it. One thing they need to add though is a magnetic latch.

MacBook Pro needs a makeover

Finally, is there a chance Apple will release a totally new product? What about the long rumored ‘Tablet’ Mac? Does it exist, and will we see it? There have been no signs of it’s existence, no manufacturing hints, no mockups, nothing. I think something this big would be the type of product introduced at MacWorld in January.

So to summarise my predictions..

• MacBook – All new Alumuminum case design, NVIDIA mGPU, Multi-Touch Trackpad, Backlit Keyboard.
• MacBook Air – 120GB slimline Hard drive (up from 80GB), mild Processor boost, NVIDIA mGPU (maybe clocked down compared to MacBook). Cheaper SSD model.
• MacBook Pro – Styling brought into line with range, black keyboard etc. Speed bump including better NVIDIA dedicated GPU’s. Much bigger Multi-Touch Trackpad and finally a Magnetic lid latch.

Website planetamac.es have posted what appears to be a mockup of what they think the new Aluminum MacBooks will look like. While it remains to be seen how genuine these mockups are, you can’t help but feel the new MacBook won’t be too dissimilar to what is depicted here, i.e very much like a meatier MacBook Air.

Picture courtesy of www.planetamac.es