Worried about who has access to your Mac and its files? While there are several software solutions to this conundrum, here's a novel, potentially fool-proof hardware answer. WARNING: performing this on your MacBook will VOID THE WARRANTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS unless you have an exceptionally steady hand and a very high "geek quotient."

That said, click on any of the images to get a better look, if necessary.

STEP 1: Cut a hole in the casing on the right as shown below. A high-speed precision drill like a "Dremel," using a cutting attachment, is best for this task.

Check out the Full Article for the rest of the procedure!

When the infamous MacBook Pro was released to the masses back at the start of the year, it was housed in a very fetching aluminium case, gained somewhat from its predecessor. When the MacBook was released recently, that too supported a 'newish' case, which gained popularity thanks to its slimline appearance, and its choice of white and black. We have now learned that the new release of the PowerMac will be housed within a newly designed case.

The new case will be different enough to allow instant distinction between the PowerPC and Intel Core Duo variants. Together with the cases, there will be a few choices on which processors to adopt. The new Intel Core Duo will be available for the PowerMac with 2 chips, A.K.A. Quad-core platform. It is not known whether the PowerMac will adopt the soon-to-be released Core Duo 2 chip, codenamed Conroe. The mobile variant is not expected till Fall.

The MacBook Pro will also have a new case for its range. However rumour has it that this will not be released till the system adopts the Intel Core Duo 2 chip, codenamed Merom. We would hope that issues are fixed in the new case release including heat expulsion.

Apple has recently added two new MacBook configurations in its line of consumer notebooks. One of which is a white-colored MacBook that has an additional 512MB of RAM and comes packing with 20GB of extra hard disk space. That would amount to a total of 1GB of RAM via two 512MB SODIMM and a whopping 80GB of storage along with Apple's SuperDrive optical disc drive.

Another configuration, is a 2.0GHz black MacBook, supposedly nicknamed the "MacBook Ultimate." It basically has the same specs as its white counterpart.

The latter, has a price tag of $1599, $150 more than the former. Including these two new configurations, Apple's MacBook offerings now totals to five.

The latest version of PodSmith from MakiEnterprise has already been released for those interested in making full use of their iPods. With the PodSmith v2.0, your iPod becomes a key for security and for accessing the different synchronization features of your Mac.

This application will allow you to lock and unlock your Macintosh using your iPod. Features of PodSmith v2.0 include the following:

• Screen Lock - The screen can be locked and unlocked by simply mounting and unmounting your iPod.
• File/Folder Lock - Some folders or files can be locked just by unmounting your iPod.
• Application Lock - This will allow for disabling all applications except those you specified not to be locked.
• Mount Lock - With this function, you can be protected from data theft or leak.
• Monitoring - Mounted drives, its contents and application usage can be monitored via PodSmith.

Requirements for the PodSmith v2.0 include a Mac OS X 10.3 or later and any iPod that's Intel Mac compatible.

You can try and download the PodSmith free trial here, but you'll have to shell out cash in order to continue using the application. Check out the PodSmith site for information on pricing and purchasing.


Download: [PodSmith v2.0 Free Trial]

If you own a white MacBook you've probably chewed your fingers to bony stubs worrying about the appearance of the dreaded MacStain - the dreaded disfiguring discoloration that appears to have no cure or prevention. You can stop you nailbiting and resume your regular visits to your manicurist because the MacStain may have been blown out of proportion. This according to a post on Ungenius.

Not that the MacStain is a made-up MacBook disease, but it's not that contagious. Based on a poll, the post suggests the MacStain is not a "widespread pandemic worthy of Herculean recall" and a "sensationalist circulation grabs than legitimate, reasoned journalism."

The poll included third party MacBook vendors who said the number of customer complaints regarding the MacStain has not reached epidemic proportions.

We reported earlier about refurb MacBook Pros and iMacs that you could entertain as an option if the latest Apple babies are way, way out of your league for now - financially speaking. Now to add to your cheaper list of options are refurbished black and white MacBooks. The Steve Jobs camp is offering refurbished 13.3-inch Intel Core Duo MacBooks, each featuring a built-in iSight camera.

Apple's refurbished White 1.83GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, a 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive is available for $949, which will give you $150 worth of savings.

On the other hand, the White 2.0GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, a 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive is priced at $1,099, and it entails a $200 off.

If you're the type who believes that black is the sleekiest way to go, then maybe you may like the sound of this offer: Apple's refurbished Black 2.0GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, an 80GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive for $1,299, a $200 discount.

    

The things some people will do to get a MacBook Pro! Some will even resort to murder by water!  That's what I_Love_My_Vans did. He tried to murder his Compaq laptop in his bathtub for the insurance money. He would then use the insurance money to purchase a MacBook Pro. Proof that the Universe does not reward scams, all the insurance company's horses and their men managed to resuscitate the water-logged PC and sent it merrily back to the perp. "Now i cannot afford my Apple Mac Book Pro. Weep with me," says ILMV. The morals of this story:

1. If you're going to commit a crime, don't take photos of evidence.
2. Don't mess with Karma even for a MacBook Pro. It will come back to you and  bite you in your ass.
   

We have featured a lot of MacBook problems that are reported by consumers in various forums and other places. Problems such as the discoloration issue, the thermal grease problem, the battery glitch, yada, yada, yada. Some consumers are saying that they've experienced one or two of these problems, some are so unfortunate that nothing seems to go right for them, and some are just plain lucky because their MacBooks have not been doing a number on them.

Apparently, the MacBook Pro problems have been widely experienced by consumers that it has its own Wikipedia section. The section, entitled simply as MacBook Pro, is under the AppleDefects, and is divided into two parts - one part houses all the reported defects of the Apple creation, the other as always gives room for other sites that have been covering these problems.

This is actually a good idea, but personally, I would like to see similar Wiki pages for every hiccup or problems of a Dell, Toshiba, or an Alienware laptop. Recently, QJ had a problem with the non-delivery of an Alienware laptop. Nothing against Apple, but consumers should call their attention when something is just going wrong. Read the full list of MacBook Pro=related problems by clicking the link below.

You read that right. At least that's what CNET's Daniel Begun says. He ran a series of tests comparing the performance of Windows XP SP2 on an Intel Mac using Apple's Boot Camp Public Beta (which gives users a dual-boot system), Windows XP on Parallels Desktop for Mac (which allows users to run both OSs at the same time and seamlessly switch back and forth between them), and Mac OS X Version 10.4.6. All these were installed on a 17-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM and an ATI Radeon X1600 graphics chip.

The CNET labs ran a few of their own benchmarks on the MacBook Pro to see how the three compared in terms of how the applications ran on each. Their test comprised attempting to process images using Photoshop CS2, running Microsoft Office 2003, encoding iTunes, playing Quake 4, and just plain booting each of the systems up.

I'll spare you the gory details; suffice to say that XP-on-Parallels only beat the others in the boot time test. But as Begun says, "This also just goes to show the danger of drawing too many conclusions from this type of testing... If we spent more time tweaking Parallels, we probably could have beefed up its overall performance." Begun and the lab testers were won over by Parallels' overall stability, usability and the ease of switching between OSs it affords users - its performance shortcomings were negligible given its advantages. Sounds A-OK to me, what do you guys think?

Remember Rogier Mulder? He's the guy who found the MagSafe connector burnt on his Intel-based MacBook. Some people have dismissed his story and even offered to explain that it could have been a result of cats peeing on the connector. Well, Atomsk had a similar experience and he posted it over at Bit-Tech Forum.

He recounts, "I was using my MacBook Pro in bed earlier and I started smelling a burning smell and look down at my laptop and see that the MagSafe power cable is melting."

With this latest MagSafe connector burning incident, it's pretty clear that Mulder's burning MagSafe is not an isolated case.