Apple has updated its line of MacBook Pro notebooks with faster models. These new MacBook Pros come equipped with the latest Core 2 Duo processors from Intel, increased memory of up to 4GB, and some nifty high-speed graphics courtesy of the Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT.

The new models come encased in a one-inch thin lightweight aluminum enclosures and are available in 15- and 17-inch models. The 15-inch models now sport mercury-free LED-backlit displays. The 17-inch model, on the other hand, features an optional 1920-1200 high-resolution display.

The 15-Inch MacBook pros come in two models: a 2.2 GHz model that retails for a suggested price of US$ 1,999 and a 2.4 GHz model that retails for a suggested price of US$ 2,499. The 17-inch 2.4GHz model has a suggested price tag of US$ 2,799. All of these models are now available.

Steve Jobs has sent out an open letter to customers and shareholders that highlights Apple's plans to be more environmentally friendly. In the letter, the Apple CEO revealed that the company plans to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of mercury in their displays by switching to LED backlighting when technically and economically feasible.

"We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007," he wrote. "Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays."

According to AppleInsider, not only would switching to LED backlighting help Apple become cleaner and greener, it would also mean more efficient and less power-consuming displays. AppleInsider notes that LED technology is "more efficient at distributing lighting evenly across the entire display surface and offers an increase in color saturation." It also runs cooler and lasts longer than CCFLs.

Last month's Puff the Flammable MacBook might have been an extreme case, maybe not even related. Still, Reuters reports that Apple recently acknowledged that some of the notebook PC batteries in their MacBook/Pros "may have performance problems," but "the issues are not a safety risk," they insist.

Said issues include not charging when the computer's plugged into an outlet. Strangely enough, that had been a common complaint about laptop batteries - Apple mobile PCs and otherwise - over the past year.

So enough with the bellyaching, solutions, solutions. Apple has released Battery Update 1.2, specified for Intel laptops. It should hopefully improve battery life and "reduce swelling." Swelling batteries: that's always a bad sign. In addition, Reuters notes that the battery replacement program continues and also applies to out-of-warranty MacBook/Pros as well, if and only if:

• Battery is not recognized causing an Â?XÂ? to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
• Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
• Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
• Battery pack is visibly deformed.

For those with Intel Core Duo MacBook/Pros, the repair/replace program "extends repair coverage on the battery for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer." Presuming your hapless battery qualifies, hit the Read link for details.

Of course, if your MacBook/Pro has suffered the fate of Puff, then it's definitely too late for an Update or Replacement. Just hope the house didn't go up with the battery.

All you Apple fans waiting for the OS X Leopard will have to sit down and wait some more, but if you're itching for that new OS experience and it's causing you to lose sleep, why not try Windows Vista for now to cool your rods?

The new Microsoft Windows incarnation is compatible with Apple hardware, which means you can split your hard drive to accommodate both. For users crazy about speed and tweaking, the typical MacBook Pro hard drive with 80GB of space may not be enough, so the guys at Extreme Tech decided to try and upgrade the disk to accommodate both systems at optimum performance levels.

What they did was not like anything you'd do with the regular MacBook which requires only screwing the disk loose and popping in a new one. With the Pro, you'd have to really dig in and void your warranty. Extreme Tech took a Seagate 7200 hard drive and replaced the Mac 5200. The new hard drive runs much faster because of the substantial RPM increase. It has 160GB of space, which should be enough for just about anyone. You can check the read URL to find instructions on how to do it yourself.

The Apple community's been waiting for this. It's been rumored that an eight-core Mac Pro is in the works, now it's a rumor no more. The Apple 8-core Mac Pro is finally here.

Back when the 8-core Mac Pro was still a rumor, it was said that it was going to be released later this year, possibly November. It was released earlier than everyone expected. This newly launched Mac Pro is the world's first 3.0 GHz, 8-core Intel Xeon-based Mac Pro. We can't help but get swayed by the tagline on the Apple site: "Consider the bar officially raised."

Mac Pro 8-core boasts advanced performance on workstation graphics, and "unparalleled" expansion in many possible configurations. Simply put, at 3.0 GHz the quad-core Mac Pro runs two times faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. Expansion-wise, it 8-core Mac Pro can accommodate up to four drives and 3TB of storage, eight DIMM slots to fill up with 16 GB of RAM, two Super Drives.

That's a lot of power. We are sure the programmers and software developers are going to be happy with the functions of this one.

   
 

Remember when we told you of stuff that the Apple TV is doing that it's not supposed to do: i.e., running Apple TV on a MacBook, and getting the Xvid to work on the Apple TV? Those are only some of what you can do with the help of this extensive tutorial from the Tutorial Ninjas.

The Ninjas made it clear that doing the stuff they specify will have to require you to put apart your precious Apple TV. If you get over that quite iffy part, you will be able to do the following stuff:

• Disable the Firewall
• Enable SSH & VNC
• Playing xvid/divx encoded stuff
• Stopping Watchdog
• Running Applications(Firefox, Centerstage, etc)
• Installing Quartz

All you need is a computer (preferrably an Intel Mac), a torx 10 and a torx 8, a way to hook up a 2.5" hard drive to your computer, and a method of SSHv1 into a box. But remember: you're on your own when you start breaking apart your hardware for these mods; albeit the steps that the Ninjas provided, available on the "via" link below, can be very detailed.

Apple is known for revolutionizing our lives. The iPod alone has deeply rooted itself into cultures internationally. The more recent iPhone has also generated a lot of attention as well. Now, here comes Apple's latest product: a product-unveiling product, the iLaunch.

Now how is this revolutionary? As The Onion (*hint-hint*) reports, Steve Jobs introduced the iLaunch at a media event in San Francisco, and as the device was revealed to the audience, Jobs said:

Get ready for the future of product introduction. The iLaunch will be able to make announcements from this, or any other stage, making human participation in generating consumer awareness almost entirely unnecessary... CEOs have devoted their valuable time to strutting around on stage and breathlessly describing the features of their new products... Apple's goal within the next 12 months is to make me totally obsolete.

Powerful statements, yeah? The device, powered by Intel dual-core processors, runs Keynote-formatted presentations in high-definition through a projector, and, at the same time, displaying a rotating 3D image of the product. The iLaunch can also recite speeches via voice-recognition software built into the device. An AI is even incorporated into the system so much so that, when a glitch occurs during the presentation, it will generate humorous remarks to egg on the audience.

What's surprising: the whole presentation of Steve Jobs was produced by the iLaunch.

What isn't surprising: Microsoft just announced a similar product, the Launch-O, scheduled for 2009.

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Update: Apparently this bit of "news" has caused quite a stir at Digg (from 10 to 1000 Diggs in just a few hours). Do know that this story came from The Onion, and from that alone, most of you internet-savvy folks would know how... how shall we say it... satirical they are. So, just to make things clear, consider this as a pre-April Fool's piece. It's been fun while it lasted. To the guys up at The Onion, a warm round of applause for spread yet another great meme.

HDD-based storage or solid-state flash? According to the Apple Insider, Apple may just end up choosing the latter over the former by the end of the year.

An article on Apple Insider states that according to an "IT Hardware" report from Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, the move would pave the way for smaller form factor players, a more diverse model mix, and improvements to both battery life and durability.

"We believe that the video iPod transition from 1.8-inch hard disk drives to NAND flash memory may occur as soon as late 2007," Tortora wrote in the report. "Our checks indicate that Apple is considering canceling its next generation HDD-based iPod design, with the form factor refresh involving a move to NAND flash memory."

While flash memory can be more expensive on a $/GB basis, HDD-based storage can be quite susceptible to warping and other problems - problems that can happen more often due to the average iPod user's mobile lifestyle. Tortora also noted that the Nano's transition to flash in late 2005 "provides a guide as to the point at which the previously mentioned non-cost advantages of flash memory outweigh the cost premium."

The only remaining question that Tortora sees is whether or not 32GB contains sufficient capacity to store video content. "Apple currently offers 30GB and 80GB HDD-based models, and will have the option to increase storage capacity up to 120GB this year based on new perpendicular recording technology," he wrote. "While the higher capacities would allow for more video storage, we view battery life as the key consideration for a move to flash."

Tortora explained that replacing the hard drive with flash memory would allow for an increase of about 60 percent in battery life, extending a 30GB iPod's battery life to about 5.5 hour. An HDD-based 30GB iPod is sufficient for around 40 hours of video content, but only has about 3.5 hours of battery life.

Even though the iPhone made quite a bang at the recent MacWorld, it's still quite interesting how some other items have almost slipped quietly past everyone's attention. So, while you're all ogling at some iPhone images, let us divert your attention to the AirPort Extreme.

Shipping this February for US$ 179, the AirPort Extreme Base Station is a wireless router that provides a secure network for you and 50 other peers. It's five times faster and covers twice the range/distance of the previous 802.11g standard. The device is clocked at 802.11n wireless technology, but all the same, it's still compatible with other devices using the previous Wi-Fi standards.

Built with the same Mac philosophy as Apple's other products, the AirPort Extreme is easy enough to set up and find a place to tuck it into. In fact, this would go well with that new Apple TV that you might be planning to get.

For more info, tech specs, and/or to place your orders, click the "Read" link below.

Rumors have been circulating that Apple is about to revamp its line of Cinema Displays in a big way. One rumor claims the next-gen screens will sport HDMI. HDMI 1.3 is fast becoming an ubiquitous feature on many consumer electronic products. It is expected to dominate CES 2007 via next-gen disc players, upconverting DVD players, A/V receivers and TVs. The buzz on HDMI is that if you ain't got it, you're obsolete - so it is not so far fetched for Apple to adopt this shiny new thing. But then again that's just our take on it.

The other rumor claims Apple is upsizing its Cinema Displays. The grapevine talks say the company is getting rid of the 23-inch models and replacing them with 24-inch models. In addition, murmurs of a model larger than 30 inches have also been heard.