Back in March, OWC released their first SSDs that were compatible with mid-2013 and later MacBooks. Normally, this wouldn't even be worth mentioning, except for the fact that these were the only aftermarket drives that were compatible with these laptops. Unfortunately, they did come with one small issue, that annoyed those wanting to run Windows on their laptops.
One of the coolest features that the iPhone and other smartphones have gained in recent years is the ability to unlock the devices with a fingerprint rather than a passcode. A report claims that Apple is looking to make it easier to unlock your Mac computer by being able to swipe a finger on your iPhone to unlock the computer via Touch ID.
More than a year after it first launched, the MacBook Retina is still one of the most divisive of Apple's products. Now, in its 2016 refresh, it finds itself in a replay of many of those initial complaints: just one port; a processor chosen for being humble; and a variety of other compromises in the name of keeping a waif-like form factor. Has Apple's stubbornness damned its premium ultraportable in the process?
Anker has a new charger that is able to charge an entire family's gadgets all at the same time from a single outlet. The device is called the Anker Premium 5-Port 60W USB Wall Charger PowerPort+. That is a very long name and it can charge five devices at one time with four USB ports and a single USB Type-C port.
As expected, Apple unveiled last week a new batch of Retina MacBooks that is visually indistinguishable from last year's model. That is, unless you get a Rose Gold version. Of course, you do get a beefier CPU and more capable battery, but almost everythin else is similar. It turns out, that similarity goes deep down into the MacBook's repairability. iFixit does its obligatory teardown of the device, finding very few good news inside. Well, except perhaps for the fortunate disappearance of Apple's previous tri-wing screws.
As predicted yesterday, Apple is giving their line of 12" MacBooks a refresh this week. While they might not be major changes, the update is definitely a welcome one. The refresh includes bringing the latest, sixth-generation Core M processors. The new CPUs clock in at up to 1.3GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds hitting 3.1 GHz.
Apple likes to keep a tight lip on when they plan to release updates models of their popular laptops. Unless it's a major change, they will quietly update the line with little fanfare leading up to the announcement. However, thanks to one retailer, we have a pretty good idea of when the next MacBook refresh will be happening.
A recently discovered Apple patent reveals a significant possible change to the ultra-thin MacBook: replacing the physical keyboard with a touchpad similar to the existing Force Touch trackpad for mouse inputs. As usual with patents, this may not be indicative of what Apple has planned for future products, nor may this design ever see the light of day, but it's interesting to what could be possible if Apple takes its Force Touch technology to the next level.
Apple's event earlier this week wasn't exactly surprising, given how the iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro have been leaked to death. Still, the reality of those products proved to be even better than the rumors. Not everyone, however, is sold. Those people can probably start turning their attention to Apple's next batch of new devices. Chinese new site DigiTimes reports that Apple will be revealing "ultra thin" Macbooks, in 13 and 15 inch sizes, at WWDC, which may be schedule smack in the middle of June.
Sometimes you see a product announcement, and you stop and wonder how such a thing hasn't already existed. That was my response when I heard that Apple finally announced a USB-C to Lightning cable yesterday. The fact that the company has only just released this product is baffling.
Kits created by OWC for expanding storage on a litany of legacy MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks have been revealed this week. These pieces of hardware allow most any MacBook Pro or Air unit released in the past several years (back to mid-2013) to upgrade their internal storage with relative ease. OWC brings this Aura SSD to the masses not just for the newest in new - no! They've made way for generations of Apple notebooks to take part.
With increasingly more capable CPUs and GPUs, the bottlenecks of computing have lately been relocated to memory, both in RAM to some extent but especially in persistent data storage. The race is on among chip makers to produce not just the highest density storage technology but also the fastest. Intel, a name you'd more commonly associate with CPUs rather than storage devices, is also taking part in that race alongside storage maker Micron. And the first fruit of their friendship, the blazingly fast Optane SSD, might even be first seen in Apple's next MacBooks.
