pro

A number of owners of Apple's mid-2010 MacBook Pro who have upgraded to OS X 10.8.3 are noticing that systems with dual graphics cards will automatically switch to using the more powerful discrete graphics chip regularly, even when using non-graphics intensive applications like Google Chrome, Dropbox, and Growl. This does not result in crashes or other interruptions in workflow, but it does increase the drain on the systems' battery and result in a shorter working time when not connected to AC power.

The 2010 MacBook Pro has had its fair share of graphics-related issues, including black-screen output … Read more

Here's a disruptive technology trend: Google and Microsoft as makers of personal computers.

If I had tried to predict in 2010 that these two companies would make branded PCs -- using PC in the generic sense -- I can imagine the response.

"You're an idiot" (and the usual variations I get on that theme) come to mind. But more-thoughtful readers, I'm guessing, would have made the logical argument that Microsoft would piss off its partners and destroy its business model. And Google? Why in the world would Google make a laptop?

Well, it's 2013 … Read more

The 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro has plunged to $1,299 at one retailer, a whopping $400 off its original price.

The model debuted at $1,699 in October. But it didn't take long for Apple to cut the price to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers such as Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, and MacMall.

Today we have new low, courtesy of MacConnection: $1,299.

It's obvious now that the original pricing on the Retina MBP was a miscalculation by Apple. And the additional $200 discount at MacConnection may indicate that $1,499 may … Read more

To upgrade your MacBook's RAM or hard drive, or otherwise work on its interior, you'll need to remove the bottom of the case. This is fairly simple to do with the appropriate screwdriver, but when you reassemble the system, even if you do so with expert precision, you may find that a screw is loose or even missing after a while.

The screws holding the bottom case together are fairly small, and while you can tighten them significantly, slight flexing of the bottom cover and chassis (unavoidable on portable systems) may work them loose over time. Additionally, since … Read more

Just days ahead of one of the largest gatherings of video producers, Apple's making a new push for attention -- and hopefully adoption -- of its controversial video editing software.

Apple today debuted a new series of promotional plugs by some top film and content makers, all in an effort to push others to Apple's Final Cut Pro X software, notes the Los Angeles Times. Some of those include videos featuring video editor and director Julian Liurette, director Tsui Hark, and Mexican media company TV Azteca.

It's not unusual for Apple to make these types of videos, … Read more

Take a Windows 8 tablet. Add Nvidia graphics. Mix in a snap-on controller. Toss in a TV-friendly dock. Suddenly, what was a gaming PC in theory can become a console; step back, and a tablet becomes a gaming handheld.

This is the promise that the Razer Edge provides: a Surface for the gaming set, if you will. It's a novel idea that no one else has made tangible yet, and the Razer Edge stands alone in that regard.

At its heart, the Razer Edge is a 10-inch Windows 8 tablet with either a Core i5 or i7 processor, like … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer Mac-related questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week, readers wrote in with questions about Spotlight not being able to find files that are known to exist in a user's account, options for adding 16GB of RAM to older MacBook Pro systems, and options for troubleshooting and fixing a broken trackpad in a MacBook. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Spotlight not finding files MacFixIt reader Mike asks:

Here's the smartphone of your short-term future: it has a 5-inch, 1080p HD screen, an 8-core application processor, and a 13-megapixel camera that does crazy things like simultaneously record through both front and rear lenses. You can use it to change your TV channel, tap it to play songs on your car, and control it without ever touching the screen.

The smartphone of your near future takes your pulse, synchronizes to your scale, and tumbles from your hands without a scratch. Oh yeah, and did I mention that it'll last two days on a single charge?

New production … Read more

The first benchmarks of Intel's upcoming "Haswell" Fourth-Generation Core processors have leaked. But asking how fast future Windows 8 PCs will be is probably the wrong question.

The Haswell chip that Tom's Hardware got a hold of and tested showed only modest central processing unit, or CPU, performance improvements over the latest hardware.

This would seem to indicate the future of Windows PCs -- which in this case means newfangled devices like Microsoft Surface and HP's Envy x2 -- isn't about the desktop anymore.

"The mobile space is where Intel's efforts should … Read more