macbook

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Mark Twain once remarked.

The same might be said about the 13- and 15-inch non-Retina MacBook Pros, which some Apple watchers thought might be on the chopping block after Apple killed the 17-inch MacBook Pro at last year's WWDC and the MacBook Air line received an anticipated update.

For the moment, the standard MacBook Pros live on, coexisting with the lighter, slimmer MacBook Airs that are now equipped with Intel's more energy-efficient fourth-gen Core i-series "Haswell" chips and a much better set of battery life specs. … Read more

With Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starting June 10, speculation is swirling as to what might be introduced beyond significant, Jony Ive-inspired updates to the company's mobile and desktop operating systems.

According to one of more accurate analysts tracking Apple, Mingchi Kuo of KGI Securities, a slimmer MacBook Pro based on Intel's new Haswell processors and a MacBook Air with improved microphones are expected to debut at WWDC.

In a recent report, Kuo wrote:

We expect the new MacBook, featuring an upgrade to Intel's (US) Haswell processor, will be in the spotlight for Apple at the … Read more

Signs may point to a refresh of Apple's popular MacBook Air. Possibly next month.

AppleInsider said Friday that at large online retailers like MacConnection, stock has vanished for the popular 13.3-inch Air with a 1.8GHz processor and 256GB solid-state drive.

That said, Best Buy has stock, but it's the "only reseller on AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide that is currently advertising available inventory," according to the Apple-centric site.

Dwindling inventory at authorized Apple outlets is usually an indication that a product refresh is imminent.

And what, pray tell, will Apple deliver with the next … Read more

At least one Microsoft executive believes that Apple designs are good enough to cite as a yardstick.

After revealing that Windows Blue would officially be called 8.1 at the JP Morgan Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference on Tuesday, Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer Tami Reller moved on to the topic of tablets, convertibles, and detachables.

"The HP envy x2 is a classic example of a beautiful detachable. When the tablet and base are together it looks like a MacBook Air competitor," she said.

How good is the Envy x2's design? "This 11-inch ultraportable laptop is cute, … Read more

Mac users may want the ability to alter their keyboard settings to change keys, as well as other options. KeyRamp4MacBook for Mac permits a number of settings and key changes that could be useful for a small number of users.

KeyRemap4MacBook for Mac downloaded quickly, but to install it the system needed a complete restart, which was an inconvenience. Technical support was not available, but the program did not reveal any bugs during testing. The lack of tutorials would be problematic for early Mac users since the interface was very cluttered and difficult to decipher. After the computer restarted, the … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- With few other outlets, inmates review prisons on Yelp.

- SF cops going undercover to stop stolen iPhone sales.

- Smoking near Apple computers voids warranty.… Read more

Windows 8 hybrids are out in force. Should Apple join the fray or just stay away?

An Apple patent, which came to light this week, proposes a convertible laptop featuring -- in certain configurations -- a touch-capable detachable display and a base station with a keyboard. Both can wirelessly transmit power and communicate wirelessly, according to the filing.

Theoretically, this newfangled MacBook could obviate the need to haul around both an iPad and a MacBook.

At least that's what the Windows 8 crowd like Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo are proposing.

Here's the challenge as I see it (though I'… Read more