In accordance with Apple's "cleaner and greener" drive, reports have surfaced that the Cupertino-based company might be including its consumer line of 13-inch MacBooks as one of the products that will be receiving the LED-backlit display treatment this year.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro was the first notebook slated to undergo the LED-backlit display treatment. The 17-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models are also being considered for the same upgrade.

According to AppleInsider, DigiTimes reports that Apple is currently studying samples of 13.3-and 15.4-inch panels from AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics. Backlight unit makers Coretronic and Kenmos are also sending samples to be incorporated in the panels. Shipments for these components are expected to officially commence in Q2 or Q3 of this year.

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.

The Apple TV is a set-top box selling for US$ 299. Dubbed as "the next-gen of home entertainment", the Apple TV lets you play any media content like music, podcasts, movies, TV shows stored in your computer onto your TV. You can get digital content from the internet and play it on your TV, instead of getting DVDs from a store. With the help of the Apple TV, you can even watch a part of your movie in the living room and finish it in your iPod.

A set-top box like the Apple TV plays your computer content on your widescreen TV. What if the tables were turned and the computer - specifically a MacBook - plays the Apple TV instead of the other way around? This sort of scenario happens in this vid we have here. Too bad we didn't get a tutorial about how to perform this; it'll be nice to do it just to see it could be done.

Check out this YouTube vid of an Apple TV running on a MacBook.

We thought we were done with this story, because it's so 2006. Down Under, an Australian MacBook owner by the name of mattyb posted on the MacTalk (AU) forums the story of his close brush with Dell death. The short version of this story is that his MacBook battery seemed to have problems and finally went up in smoke (and flames) one early morning one day ago.

Unabridged version of his story is at the Read link, but the gist is that he's been having odd battery problems the past couple of weeks. The real weird part of the story is that he bought his MacBook end of June of last year - so this thing occurred within the 12-month warranty.

Based on the evidence (not to mention the damage pattern), the battery is suspect - but that will depend on whatever Apple Australia finds if and when mattyb sends his damaged unit in for repair autopsy.

Guess we're going to have to repeat the PSA we've aired last year. Don't overcharge the battery, if that MacBook gets abnormally hot, start worrying, if at any point those batteries are swelling up to the point of bursting out of their MacBooks, really start worrying, and don't wait for the smoke to start pouring. You know how hot the MacBook can sometimes get, right?

Oh, and mattyb also suggests on checking your smoke alarm detectors. You don't want them malfunctioning when a fire starts while you're sleeping.

In this digital age, most people entrust their personal computer with personal data, including those for credit card information and account passwords among others. But when you send in your computer for repair, is it worth the risk entrusting such sensitive information?

One MacBook owner sent in his laptop to Apple, by way of CompUSA, because it won't start. He received his laptop back, with serial numbers matching, but he found out that the hard drive it now had was not his.

It sported all software, files, and information of someone else. What's more is that despite the fact that his original hard drive was an 80 GB one, the returned one was now only a 60 GB version. If this is what they meant by recycling your older hardware, they've got it the other way around.

If that wasn't aggravating enough, then listen up because there's more: he contacted CompUSA and they suggested he just wipe the hard drive and use it. What type of support is that? Yes, it's understood that one should always back up their data to avoid personal data loss (and because the techs will wipe the drive anyway), but we're talking about someone else's hard drive that doesn't have an apparent problem.

And why wipe someone else's hard drive and use it when your hard drive was far larger? He had then contacted Apple to sort things out, but the technicians have been no more helpful than CompUSA about the matter. One thing has been cleared with them, though: it was an official Apple technician who worked on his PC.

After a few more calls and e-mails, he discovered that the hard drive belongs to a woman and she happens to also have his hard drive. This he found out from an Apple representative who contacted him after his fruitless pursuit on the phone at Apple's repair division.

Pretty soon, everything just sorted out, and the details of the whole matter are now clear. Just as the MacBook owner recounted:

• A tech made an assembly mistake.
• Some questionable advice was given by a couple of low-level service advisers who clearly did not understand the importance of the problem.
• Calls were made, e-mails sent.
• Once the information made it to the proper level, Apple took appropriate and timely measures (starting on a Sunday afternoon!) to correct the situation.

Kudos to the high level intervention of Apple and applenewbie, the forum handle of the owner, for not just putting his story out there but handling the problem with patience and skill quite rare nowadays.

Shedding some light into this mysterious device Apple's been cooking up in the Mac kitchen is AppleRecon. Now they've been seriously investigating into the rumors surrounding a 12-inch Macintosh puppy that is so elusive, that it even has lots of names: MacBook Pro 12", MacBook Mini, or MacBook Duo. Whatever you can call it, however, it's been getting some renewed hype and a whole lot of claimed features. It's sure to hold Duos now, since Apple's move to the Intel side.

But AppleRecon screened the truths from the rumors, and came up with the specifications that surround the little monster.

• CPU: 2 GHz Core 2 Duo (AppleRecon doesn't think it can go any higher than 2.5 GHz)
• RAM: 1 GB standard, 3 GB fully stocked
• Storage: (confirmed Flash-assisted storage with an unreleased Intel chipset - 256 to 512 MB) 80 GB standard, 200 GB tops
• Video: ATI Radeon X1900 with 256 MB memory (we're really doubtful something this small could hold an X1900)
  
• Battery Life: 6 hours, lithium polymer technology style (we'd give it a 4-hour estimate)
  
• Optical Drive: slot-loading SuperDrive, dual layer
• GPS: Not confirmed, though AppleRecon hopes this will come with one
• Weight: Around 3.5 pounds, battery and optical drive attached
• Miscellaneous: iSight, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, Firewire 400/800, USB2.0, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, audio in/out, mini-DVI, (confirmed LED backlight display, 12-inch screen, 1280x800)...like the Mac Book extras
• Price: US$1799 for standard specifications
  
• Release date: Probably June 2007

This list could use a little more tweaking. Compared to the "MacBook Thin" specs we heard of last time, who knows what the "confirmed" specs are and what will eventually roll out (if at all). All we can really do now is wait and speculate some more...

Since Tech-centric people are really sensitive about how hot their technological box of choice can get, here's something that can help them feel a bit less insecure.

Despite the fact that this page over at the URL http://granulator.gg.utk.edu/~web/thermalcam is entitled "Fun with a thermal camera", their geeky endeavors into the actual temperatures of a MacBook, an Xbox 360, and a 38-inch CRT HDTV is presented in a very academic fashion. The short of the long story? They took several pieces of essential tech-gear, and put each under a thermal camera. They found out that the appliances can get hot, really, really hot.

Here are their images of the MacBook.

And here's the 38-inch HDTV CRT, followed by the Xbox 360.

The author of the site would like to note that he is not making any claims about the safety of the above products. He's just simply showing the images he took, and he is taking the time to report the results. Also, the author of the site claims that the above images were taken in conjunction his current PhD research, as test cases for calibration of their camera for future field work.

We now wonder what the PS3 looks like under a thermal camera. We also wonder how the Xbox 360 would look under a thermal cam if one of those spangly third-party cooling devices were attached to it.

You gotta love rumors confirmed. Mac OS Rumors started combing the grapevine and all their sources clean of whatever juice they could squeeze out, until they were able to confirm that the "MacBook Thin" (a) exists, and (b) has specs that (c) would probably make the "Thin" "the fastest, most feature-rich ultraportable laptop on the market". Probably because it's a Pro in a smaller package.

Here are the specs that Mac OS Rumors were, so far, able to confirm from American and Southeast Asian sources. Start drooling.

• "Macbook Thin" -- spec-wise, primarily a variant of the Pro family but will probably be branded as separate from the standard *or* Pro MacBook families. Shipping name is unconfirmed.
• 12-inch widescreen display, 1280x800 resolution.
• 2.16 or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors
• 1GB of DDR2-667 memory standard. Max. capacity 3GB.
• Standard "Pro" ports: USB2, Firewire 400 & 800, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital/Analog Audio minijack I/O ports.
• ExpressCard expansion slot (believed to be /34 type)
• Similar storage to "Pro": 2.5in SATA HDDs at 120GB & up, 'Combo' or 'Super' optical drive.
• ATi Radeon Mobility X1600 or nVIDIA GeForce GO 7600 graphics systems with 256MB of VRAM.
• Mini-DVI display connector with full second display capabilities
• Of course, Built-in iSight, stereo microphone, Airport Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
• Battery life is expected to be "best in class" at about 6.5 hours real-world, some reports have suggested up to 8 hours is possible.

Final speculation has the "Thin", or whatever they're going to call it, shipping within ten weeks, announced in six. What keeps this speculation iffy is the fact that the upcoming MacWorld Expo is so packed with other high-profile items - such as iTV and the iPhone - that were the "Thin" announced there, it could easily get lost in the shuffle. Not that it won't be noticed by a lot of people who'd love to get a MacBook in smaller dimensions.

If MacScoop's "reliable sources" are right, they can get smaller and thinner still. Although it seems that Cupertino's scaling the MacBooks up and larger, there seem to be plans for Apple to develop and release a smaller, thinner, form-factored MacBook sometime in early 2007.

Part of the reason why the MacBook has upscaled in screen size as well as processor power is because of its potential use as a multimedia platform - the wide screen certainly made sense for on-the-go video editing. But we think that going back to the 12-inch - and getting it slimmer - should appeal to another class of consumer, who want the power of a MacBook but can't lug around the entry-level 13-inchers. This would also hearken back to the 12-inch PowerBook, and perhaps even serve the same purposes as a regular office laptop.

Albeit with beefed-up specs, as this smaller, sexier beast should still keep its larger siblings' dual core heart (bless their dual-core heart) and optical drive. Beyond that, no other specs could be revealed by MacScoop or their reliable sources. Well, they're expecting a US$ 1,700-US$ 1,800 price range for the sexy beast so that's something to be revealed (and something that could change, too).

A lot of great things has been said about Mac products: they're innovative, great, and all that. But a great product is useless if the user doesn't live up to his end of the bargain (such as not installing a decent anti-virus or cluttering your RAM with useless apps). Anyhow, we're deviating from the topic here, someone over at MadMac did a little investigative report on the top 10 Mac memory hoggers. Here are the apps that made that list:

1. Safari - 487.79Mb
2. Photoshop - 258.71Mb
3. GarageBand - 201.59Mb
4. NeoOffice - 154.96Mb
5. Pages - 144.88Mb
6. iMovie HD - 132.48Mb
7. Keynote - 128.52Mb
8. iWeb - 110.89Mb
9. iDVD - 92.11Mb
10. iPhoto - 91.87Mb

These are averages, so others who might snoop about it might get a different result. If you noticed, most of these applications are Apple's own apps. All of them are very powerful and useful products, but then again, power does come with a price and in this case, the price you have to pay is the massive memory space it'll occupy. This doesn't make the Mac bad because if you think of it, Photoshop on Windows would probably use up a lot of memory too. Maybe Apple should give more RAM with their new line of computers.