Thin is in, but can it stand up to the heavyweights? Gizmodo ran some real world benchmarks on the MacBook Air, pitting it against the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. They ran speed tests to see how much the MacBooks differ in speed. And the winnnaaaaah iiiiiiis ... in the full article.

 

The Apple community is buzzing with the announcement of the new MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0 which, strangely enough, doesn't carry a lot of details from Apple except for the description that it fixes bugs and optimizes processes. It's recommended for 2.2/2.4Ghz models which have OS X 10.4.9 or higher installed.

The MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0 is driven by the Intel Core Duo chip which runs at 2.2/2.4Ghz tops. It packs 4GB of DDR-2 clocked at 667Mhz. The Frontside bus is at 800Mhz to round up the uber hardware chops.

That means, in a nutshell, that you can pretty much do everything you want with this baby. Whether you love 3D games, video editing or sound encoding, the MacBook Pro with Software Update 1.0 should deliver sweeter goods than ever.

If you ask most people if it is necessary to defrag your PC, they will have an immediate answer. However, if you go up to most techies and ask them if it's necessary to defrag your Mac, you'll get a plethora of answers. That puts most mac owners at an impasse: to defrag or not to defrag, that is the question.

FreeFrag on MacTalk took up the burden to answer this question that has been plaguing a lot of the Mac users who want to get more from their machine. After intensive testing, the verdict is in, and the results may surprise you. After installing iDefrag 1.6.1 on the test system (20" iMac with Core Duo 2.0Ghz, 1.5Gb RAM, 232Gb HD with 102Gb Free), multiple programs were tested for loading times via pre and post boot.

After averaging the time for both tests, it looks like the system was even faster before the defrag than after. However, the stats of the post defragmentation were really dragged down by the long start-up boot time the system went through. All the applications tested with the exception of XP did get a relatively good boost from the defragmentation. So is it worth it?

It looks like a trade-off between initial boot and program speed. If you keep your system on most of the time, then perhaps defragging you system may be a good move. But if you just power-up the system every so often to run a few programs, then defragging may slow you down.

That brings us back to the first question, to defrag or not to defrag. Well, it depends on what you're going to be doing and on your computing habits.

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.

Motherboard manufacturers in Taiwan have an aggressive increase in orders for high-capacitance multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) used in the manufacturing of CPUs allegedly for the use in an AMD-based Apple notebook. With Intel getting in on the Apple action, there's no reason why the other major CPU manufacturer in the world shouldn't get a piece of the warm Apple pie. AMD Taiwan have refused to comment on this.

Although some are saying that an AMD Apple notebook is in the works, other motherboard manufacturers have claimed that there are no AMD/Apple notebooks around, firstly due to Intel having processor superiority over AMD with its latest Core Duo 2 line-up, and that AMD has insufficient capacity to manufacture chips for Apple notebooks.

This is a nice area to look at, and with the success of Boot Camp and the integration Intel processors, and if AMD processor integration goes ahead, Apple computers may steal a lot more of the notebook market, taking even more people away from their Windows laptop loyalties.

Oh, thank goodness. Read up on Marie's MacBook Pro update if you want to know what other new and upgunned goodies Apple packed into that gleaming notebook casing, but for now, let us focus on the one update that matters: why the MacBook won't burn your lap (for the most part).

Jason O'Grady reveals in The Apple Core blogs that he left his 2.33GHz MacBook Pro four hours straight, and its temp hasn't gone higher than 122º Fahrenheit (50 on the Celsius scale), according to the CoreDuoTemp monitoring homebrew. That's 40 degrees F (4.4º C) cooler than the hottest his old 2.0GHz Core Duo MacBook Pro got, about a scorching 162º F (72.2º C)! On average, the new MacBook Pro ran at about 115º F (46.1º C).

Jason noticed that the internal fans in his MacBook would run more often than he was used to hearing from his old one. He's betting that Apple made a major adjustment to the System Management Controller (SMC) firmware that controls the notebook's power and cooling functions.

There were a couple of skeptical comments to Jason's post. One, in particular, was betting that all this constant running on the fans would cause the fans to wear out faster (Hope that still falls under the warranty). Then again, heat was a major complaint among MacBook owners, and this could be Cupertino's way of saying "we're sorry?" If any of you guys have gotten your new MacBook Pros, tell us: are they no longer among the hottest items around?

The widespread availability of Intel Corp's new desktop processors in the past several weeks is not enough to make Apple introduce new line of iMac computers. We know now why as they confirm previous rumors to sidestep Core 2 Duo and use Merom, the mobile variant of chips, for the MacBook instead.

This month will not be over before they come up with the announcement regarding the next-gen models, including a 23-inch new member of the iMac family. This upgrade will be the third Apple ha made within the last 12 months.

In a related matter, this is not the first time Core 2 Duo was ignored by Apple. The recently unveiled Mac Pro high-end desktops went with Intel's higher-performance Xeon server processor, contrary to earlier reports. Then everybody thought Core 2 Duo will then be going to the iMac line, but here we are, Merom taking the spot.

Merom is said to be capable of up to 2.33GHZ speed, offering a 40 percent increase compared to the previous Core Duo CPU.

Apple is on a mission to make a complete transition to the happy and reliable world of Intel processors, they will try to accomplish this by the end of 2006. Among the many now-Intel based Apple babies is the Apple iMac Core Dup 17-inch (which also has a cheaper, Education version). We earlier featured a review of the iMac Education variant which got favorable ratings amidst the downgrades it went through.

Now, the verdict is in for the  Apple iMac Core Duo 17-inch. As you can see, this baby is the bomb, aesthetically speaking. But now powered with Intel processors, a lot of people are expecting great things and improvements from this Apple contraptios. So with that, how did it fare in the review?

Well, according to the said review, Apple has a definite winner with this one. Faring well than other PowerPC and Intel-based Macs in business, media and general-use scenarios, the iMac Core Duo 17-inch is definitely not lagging behind in features and functions. It also mentioned that it's a good move that Apple stuck with the usual sexy design that Apple aficionados have grown to love and appreciate. It is a smooth operator too - runs quietly - with a hardware and operating system that are the most reliable around. The very plush and pretty screen is only a bonus to all that.

It is also praised for its built-in iSight, versatile all-in-one design, easy relocation for a desktop computer, and for being excellent for small workspaces (which we usually suffer from). But, every good machine has a mean bone too, nothing's all peach and roses in this world you know. But, the cons are obviously outweighed by the pros.

The not-so-good side of the iMac is its 8X SuperDrive which would be better had it been a 16X and the fact that it lagged in the iPhoto import speed test. So if you're in the market for a dependable and elegant-looking desktop computer, maybe you oughta consider the iMac Core Duo 17-inch, which has a price tag that ranges from $999-$1,300.

Although the OLPC project's $100 laptop seems so enticing at times, maybe we should just let those who really have less in life use it and we should just move on to something else.  Recently, Apple released the $899 iMac for the education market which replaces Apple's CRT computer - the eMac.

The for educational-purposes-only iMac has a 17-inch widescreen display and a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor. It is also packed with a 512MB DDR2 SDRAM, 24x Combo drive, 80GB hard drive, built-in iSight and wireless networking, microphone, and speakers.

However, the new iMac ships with the integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics chipset instead of the usual and more powerful ATI X16000 found in the consumer versions of the new iMac Core Duo. The new education-only iMac configuration is available immediately from the educational Apple store.

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.