Hasta La Gadget!

You’ll need a screwdriver to do it, but the sealed batteries in the new MacBook Pros announced last Monday are as user replaceable as those of the MacBook before it. IFixit has already carried out its customary explorations inside the body of the new notebook, and found that, apart from the rearrangement of ports and the latch-free baseplate, things are much as before.

The new, bigger (and 60 grams heavier) battery is claimed to last seven hours. IFixit found that the new unit is a 60 Watt-hours cell, up from the 45 Watt-hours of the original, itself supposedly able to last five hours. So there will be a boost, but we expect you’ll be lucky to even get five hours from it.

The doorless base brings new problems, too. I swapped a 500GB hard drive into my 13” unibody MacBook last week and it was so quick and easy that it wasn’t even worth writing up for Gadget Lab. The hard drive is still considered user-replaceable by Apple, but “replacement does require removing 10 more screws than on the MacBook Unibody.”

IFixit also notes that the SD card sticks out about half an inch when inserted, a little messy, and that the new combined headphone/jack socket omits a digital in connection. It also means that you can’t use headphones and a mic at the same time.

It’s apparent, though, that this is still one of the easiest Apple machines to take apart. If you don’t believe me, try replacing the hard drive on a 12” PowerBook.

MacBook Pro 13” Unibody Teardown [Fixit via Cult of Mac]

Apple just announced new MacBook Pro models with the same upgraded, 7-hour battery life as the 17-inch MacBook Pro, a bump in memory, processor, and storage, as well as an SD-card slot. Most importantly, they’ll be shipping today. Yes!

Apple promises the battery will last 5 years or 1,000 recharges in the same body we’ve come to know and love, which is pretty important since it’s non-removable. Along with the battery come upgrades across the board.

The base model features a 3.06 GHz Dual Core Intel processor, 4GB of memory, a 250GB 5400rpm HDD, and an upgraded display (Apple claims it has 60% more color gamut) all at $1,699—$300 less than the current model. If you want to upgrade to a 2.66GHz proc with a 320GB hard drive, that’ll run you $1,999, while the 2.8GHz model with a 500GB hard drive will hit at $2,299. The latter two models will be packing Apple’s dual Nvidia graphics chips, the 9400M and 9600M (256MB and 512MB, respectively), while the cheapest model has merely one 9400M. All the MacBook Pros can be upgraded to 8GB of memory and a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive or a 256GB SSD.

The 15-inch Pro still won’t have an ExpressCard slot—you’ll have to bump up to the 17-inch model if you want that. On the plus side, Apple just dropped the price of the 17-inch model (which is otherwise unchanged) to $2,499, a $200 cut. The SD card should stick out a bit from the Pro’s body, but that’s absolutely a sacrifice we’re willing to make.

The 15-incher isn’t the only one updated: Check out the Air and the new 13-inch MacBook Pro for more new kit. Press release:

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Family with New Models & Innovative Built-in Battery for Up to 40 Percent Longer Battery Life

SAN FRANCISCO, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today updated the aluminum unibody MacBook® Pro line to include 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models featuring Apple’s innovative built-in battery for up to 40 percent longer battery life. Each MacBook Pro includes an LED-backlit display with greater color intensity, the innovative glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD card or ExpressCard slot, a FireWire® 800 port and state of the art NVIDIA graphics. Starting at just $1,199, the MacBook Pro line is more affordable than ever, with some models up to $300 less than the previous generation. The industry’s greenest notebook lineup, every Mac® notebook achieves EPEAT* Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090608/SF28883)

“Across the line, all of our new MacBook Pro models now include Apple’s innovative built-in battery for up to seven hours of battery life, while staying just as thin and light as before,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Starting at just $1,199, the aluminum unibody MacBook Pro is more affordable than ever and sets a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.”

The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models include Apple’s innovative built-in notebook battery for up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge without adding thickness, weight or cost. Using Adaptive Charging and advanced chemistry first introduced with the 17-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year, the built-in battery delivers up to 1,000 recharges before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity-nearly three times the lifespan of conventional batteries.** The longer battery lifespan equals fewer depleted batteries and less waste.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is a significant upgrade at a lower price than the original aluminum MacBook it replaces. With the same sleek and durable design popular with consumers, students and professionals, all 13-inch MacBook Pro models now include a seven hour built-in battery, an SD card slot, a FireWire 800 port, an illuminated keyboard and an improved LED-backlit display with 60 percent greater color gamut. Featuring the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two models: one with a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive priced at $1,199, and another with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive priced at $1,499.

The perfect balance of performance and portability, the 15-inch MacBook Pro now features a seven hour built-in battery, an SD card slot, an improved LED-backlit display with 60 percent greater color gamut and 4GB of RAM across the line at an entry price $300 less than before. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in three models: a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 250GB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics for a new entry price of $1,699; a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 320GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics for $1,999; and a 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 500GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics for $2,299.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro, which includes an eight hour built-in battery, an ExpressCard slot, a brilliant LED-backlit display, 4GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics, has been updated to include a faster 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a larger 500GB hard drive for $2,499, which is $300 less than before.

All MacBook Pro systems feature Apple’s revolutionary aluminum unibody design and for the first time can be upgraded with up to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 500GB hard drive or up to a 256GB solid state drive. The 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models can also be upgraded to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. All MacBook Pro systems include a next generation, industry-standard Mini DisplayPort to connect with the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display.

Apple today also updated the incredibly thin and light MacBook Air®, making it more powerful and more affordable. Measuring just 0.16 to 0.76-inches thin and weighing just three pounds, the MacBook Air is available in two models starting with the new entry price of $1,499 for a 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 120GB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, and a 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 128GB solid state drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics for $1,799.

Every Mac notebook achieves EPEAT Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design. Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. All MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models contain no brominated flame retardants and use internal cables and components that are PVC-free. The built-in battery design results in less waste and depleted batteries can be replaced for $129 or $179, which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner.

Every MacBook Pro comes with Apple’s innovative iLife® ’09 featuring iPhoto® for managing photos, iMovie® for making movies and GarageBand® for creating and learning to play music. Every Mac also runs Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, featuring Time Machine®, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; Spaces®, an intuitive feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; Mail with easy setup and elegant, personalized stationery; and iChat®, the most advanced video chat.

Pricing & Availability

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, 17-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are now available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Mac OS® X Snow Leopard™ will be shipping in September 2009, and any new Mac system purchased without Snow Leopard from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller between June 8, 2009 and the end of the program on December 26, 2009, is eligible for the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-To-Date upgrade package available for a product plus shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Users must request their Up-To-Date upgrade within 90 days of purchase or by December 26, 2009, or whichever comes first. For more information please visit www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate.

The 2.26 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

· 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;

· 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· 160GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight® video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in/out port, supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 58WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 60 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

The 2.53 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

· 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;

· 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in/out port, supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 58WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 250GB 5400 rpm, 320GB 5400 rpm or 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare® Protection Plan.

The 2.53 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

· 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;

· 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port;

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 73WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.66 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

· 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;

· 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 256MB GDDR3 video memory;

· 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port;

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 73WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.8 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,299 (US), includes:

· 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;

· 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3 video memory;

· 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port;

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 73WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro include a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB 5400 rpm, 320GB 7200 rpm, 500GB 5400 rpm, or 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The 2.8 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

· 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;

· 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3 video memory;

· 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· three USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

· ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB 1066 MHz DDR 3 memory, 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, anti-glare display for $50 (US), Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

If you’re passing 2401 West Main Street, Alhambra, California anytime today (above), go take a long look, as it will likely be the shortest tenure of any retail store, ever. Why? The latest tenant is called Quo Computer, and today it opens a retail store selling fake Macs.

The founder, Rashantha De Silva, is charmingly optimistic about his suicide mission. Speaking to Cnet News, he said:

It’s exciting. We are trying to stay as close to Apple as we can with our products. We are trying to mimic things as much as we can. I’m hoping that Apple sees the value in what we are doing.

Oh, ho! Da Silva is not quite as naive as he seems, and fully expects to be sued by Apple. Somehow, though, the fact that his company plans to make prettier computers than other hackintosh makers, and will offer customer service “up there with Apple’s” makes Da Silva think that things will be different this time. “[…] we have a different attitude. There are thousands of people in the ‘Hackintosh’ market, but many of them are creating bad products.”

It’s like an article in a trashy women’s magazine: “He beat his last five wives to death, but I can change him.”

So, if you’re in the market for a Mac clone which you will doubtless be coddling with driver updates just to keep it running, head over to the bricks’n’mortar store, which opens today. There will be three models on sale, the Life Q, Pro Q, and Max Q, starting at “under $900″. Da Silva will be the nervous guy constantly glancing over his shoulder.

New Mac clone maker to open retail store in Calif. [Cnet]

Mac clone maker Psystar may have finally ran up against a wall, but it looks like its tale hasn’t dissuaded upstart Quo Computer, which is now planning to open a retail store in the Los Angeles area that’ll sell some as yet unspecified Mac clones. While that’ll apparently be a relatively small operation initially, the company’s founder, Rashantha De Silva, does seems to have some fairly grand plans for it, with him telling CNET News that they are “trying to stay as close to Apple as we can with our products,” and that he hopes Apple “sees the value in what we are doing.” Of course, that’s about as likely to happen as Woz staying awake during a Palm talk, and De Silva isn’t completely unrealistic about the situation, adding that they’ll “probably” get sued. Nevertheless, the store is supposedly set to open on June 1st, and the company is apparently aiming to have pricing start at less than $900.

Filed under: Desktops

Quo Computer set to open Mac clone shop in California originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 May 2009 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Evidence continues to mount that Apple will deliver a touchscreen tablet next year, with an analyst laying out solid reasoning for this rumored device to become a reality. It appears more likely to be an oversized iPod Touch, not a tabletized MacBook.

“Between indications from our component contacts in Asia, recent patents relating to multi-touch sensitivity for more complex computing devices, comments from [chief operating officer] Tim Cook on the April 22 conference call, and Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi along with other recent chip-related hires, it is increasingly clear that Apple is investing more in its mobile-computing franchise,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a research statement issued to clients.

Apple’s next step in mobile computing will likely be the release of a touchscreen tablet featuring a 7-to-10-inch display sometime in the first half of 2010, Munster predicts.

Apple enthusiasts have been gossiping about a Mac tablet since July 2008, when the first rumor about the fabled device surfaced at MacDailyNews. Since then, a stream of clues, rumors and statements from Apple suggest this product will indeed join the Apple product family soon, as Gadget Lab has been reporting for several months.

Apple itself has steadfastly refused to confirm or deny any hint of an Apple tablet.

While in theory Apple could simply make a larger-screen iPod Touch, Munster believes creating a tablet will be more complex. He speculates the operating system will be a hybrid between the iPhone’s mobile operating system and Mac OS X. Or, Apple could optimize a version of Mac OS X for the multitouch interface.

Price range? Munster is guessing between $500 and $700, positioning this device as Apple’s response to netbooks.

At its recent quarterly earnings call, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook said the company had no plans to release a netbook, calling the device category “junky.”

“For us, it’s about doing great products,” Cook said. “And when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens and just not a consumer experience … that we would put the Mac brand on, quite frankly.”

Other indications that it’s an upsized-iPod-Touch–style tablet in the works (rather than a “junky” netbook) involve Apple’s recent hiring of several chip designers, as well as its acquisition of PA Semi to develop mobile processors.

Would a touchscreen tablet be worth putting the Mac brand on? We think so.

Apple Tablet in 2010 [Silicon Alley Insider]

See Also:

• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Apple COO Reveals Plans for Touch Tablet — Kinda
• Apple Quietly Recruits Chip Designers for In-House Tech
• Apple’s Core Could Soon Include In-House Chips
• iPhone 3.0 Event Revives Tablet Rumors
• Rumor: Mac Tablet Coming Fall 2009
• Intel Germany ‘Confirms’ Apple Tablet
• Leaked: Apple Filing Illustrates Multitouch Tablet Technology …
• Apple Rumors: Snow Leopard in June, Touch Screen Netbook This Year …

llustration of an imaginary iPhone tablet: Flickr/vernhart