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New MacBook Pro could arrive in April 2011 with SSD, Light Peak, no DVD
Update Put your checkbooks away, folks. Electronista has all but debunked this rumor. By crunching the numbers, they confirmed that (at today's prices at least), such a MacBook Pro could easily be priced out of the market. Read on and dream, but don't expect this machine to appear on your desk any time soon. ----- Three Guys and a Podcast are reporting that the next-generation MacBook Pro will likely arrive in April 2011 with a new design inspired by the latest slim-line MacBook Air. That means that the high-end laptops will probably dispense with spinning drives altogether and come equipped only with solid-state drives of up to 512GB capacity. If you haven't yet finished ripping all of your CDs and DVDs, you'll want to complete that task before migrating to a new MBP because the internal optical drive will probably follow the floppy into the annals of history. With the internal speed bottlenecks reduced by the flash memory drives and new Sandy Bridge CPUs, Apple will also work on speeding up the external communication interfaces. Light Peak may finally debut on the MBP, two years after it was originally announced by Intel. Whether or not Light Peak makes it to the party, we expect that USB 3.0 probably will arrive in an Apple product on these new machines. The fate of Firewire is unknown at this time, but it seems unlikely to make the cut, especially if Light Peak is included. The one exception may be if Apple keeps one of the current generation 15-inch machines in the lineup as an entry model. If the 13-inch MBP also remains in the lineup, the new interfaces, CPUs and perhaps a higher resolution display will be what set it apart from the similarly sized Air. Users are expected to be able to put this speedy new hardware to work with a new version of Final Cut Pro that should debut around the same time. Not much is known about FCP at this time except that it should be faster.
Data Robotics's Drobo S storage robot goes USB 3.0, starts at $800
Talk about maintaining a pace. Nearly a year to the day after the introduction of the original Drobo S comes this: the Drobo S. Er, the second generation Drobo S. As you could probably surmise from the title above, the only notable difference in Data Robotics' newest storage robot is the addition of USB 3.0, but the triple interface ensures that eSATA and FireWire 800 users are also taken care of. Of course, USB 2.0 backwards compatibility is inbuilt, and while no theoretical speed figures are given, we're sure it's far quicker than the (now) prior version. It'll be sold starting today directly from the company, but beginning on November 18th, it'll also be featured on HP Small Business Direct. The (empty) base model will go for $799, while $1,299 buys you a five pack of 1TB HDDs, $1,549 gets you five 1.5TB HDDs and $1,799 lands you with five 2TB HDDs. In related news, Drobo Sync is now shipping in order to provide offsite backup to DroboPro FS units, and Billy Corgan still enjoys playing with Bluetooth speaker balls while on vacation. Crazy, right?
Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 and Multimedia Keyboard review
Lenovo seems to have developed a clear two-pronged strategy: for business, it leans on the knowhow and tradition it purchased from IBM with the demure Think line, and for the consumer end, it's developed its own, oftentimes flamboyant, Idea range of computers. Prime example of the latter is the IdeaCentre A300, which features an edge-to-edge glass screen, chrome accenting aplenty, and an unhealthily thin profile. As such, it's one of the more unashamed grabs for the hearts and minds of desktop aesthetes, so we had to bring it in for a test drive and see what we could see. Lenovo also sent us one of its diminutive Multimedia Keyboard remotes to have a play around with. Follow the break for our review of both.%Gallery-95775%%Gallery-95777%
Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part two
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Last week's Switched On laid out the basics behind GoFlex, Seagate's new system of interoperable connectors and docks that leverage a sturdier-than-stock SATA connector separate external storage from the connecting interface. With USB 2.0 nearly universal, Seagate has the burden of explaining why consumers should buy into GoFlex. The system does have advantages. You can pick up a GoFlex drive assured that it will work with most computers via the bundled USB 2.0 connector cable, upgrade to eSATA or FireWire 800 for faster speed today, and then to USB 3.0 as you acquire a computer that uses that connector. Adapters start at about $20, which is what one might spend on a decent new enclosure for upgrading the old-fashioned way, and Seagate claims that separating the drive from the physical interface will enable it to sell less expensive external drives that come without any connector. Still, by the time most people spend between upgrading their PCs, they might want to simply start over with a higher-capacity drive that will be compatible with the latest and greatest connector anyway.
Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part one
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Consumer hard disk connectors have been pretty stable for the past few years. Most internal drives use SATA connectors and most external drives connect via USB; there hasn't seemed to be much frustration with this other than the speed of USB 2.0, which is showing its age and is being superseded by the backward-compatible USB 3.0. Seagate, though, is betting big that a new series of breakaway connectors will bring the old usage model of floppy drives into the 21st Century and accommodate complete media libraries, as well as include a few new twists that take into account such modern tasks as media streaming, remote access and networked entertainment.
Seagate introduces new GoFlex range: multi-port HDDs, media players, etc.
We all knew Seagate's FreeAgent line couldn't hang around forever, and tonight the storage mainstay has revealed the next logical step for the line. The GoFlex family is one of the more varied ranges out there from any hard drive maker, with the primary intent on the HDD side being to create drives (ranging from 320GB to 2TB) that are friendly with both Macs and PCs (simultaneously) while also giving users the ability to upgrade their connection or switch it out depending on what workstation they interface with. The new crew supports USB 2.0 out of the box, though upgrading to USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA can be accomplished via the new GoFlex cable system. Also launched today is the GoFlex TV HD media player, which essentially acts as a liaison between your tele and your media, regardless of whether it's stored locally, on the LAN or on the internet. Moving on, there's the GoFlex Net media sharing device, which transforms any USB mass storage device into one that's happy to pump out content via the 'net -- think Pogoplug, and you've pretty much got the idea. It looks as if the whole crew will be available for purchase starting this week, with the full list of details and prices just beyond the break. %Gallery-92290%
OWC offers DIY kits for Mac minis, laptops
Other World Computing (best known on the net as OWC) has released more than 50 storage upgrade kits for laptops and the Mac mini. The kits start at $65.99 and include everything for do-it-yourself replacements including: A new drive ranging from 250GB to 1TB. An enclosure for your old drive so you can use it as a spare external drive. A tool kit The basic OWC upgrade kit utilizes USB 2.0, while the Mercury kits (starting at $87.99 USD, pictured) are Firewire 400/800 and/or USB 2.0 capable. [Via Macsimum News]
Ask TUAW: Clocks, screen guards, MacBook hard drive replacement, NFS automount, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about replacing a MacBook hard drive, refreshing a NFS mount, getting a simple clock on screen, improving iCal's note handling, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.
Firewire's future on DVRs is up for debate
Mandated by the FCC, Firewire ports have been commonplace, and sadly mostly unused, on our HD DVRs for some time, but recent requests by Intel and TiVo to forego their inclusion have brought the situation to a head. Multichannel News reports the 1394 Trade Association is calling Intel's waiver request "too broad" and cited its wide deployment as reasons it should still be included. Beyond some driver hacks to enable transfers of DVR'd programming, it seems like Ethernet and USB are getting the lion's share of use on boxes, while emerging DLNA and MoCa tech makes moving content around even easier, is anyone actually getting a benefit from the extra port on their boxes as we go into 2010?
New unibody MacBook loses two ports
The new polycarbonate MacBook released today has gained some tantalizing new features, but in the process of redesigning the case to accept the new integrated battery, it's also lost two ports. Just like the unibody aluminum MacBooks released last year, the latest version of the plastic MacBook has no Firewire port. This also means that the last Firewire 400 port in the Mac lineup has vanished – all new Macs, save the Firewire-free new MacBook, now have Firewire 800 only. Farewell, Firewire 400, we hardly knew ye. But that's not all that's been lost: in a more puzzling omission, the MacBook has also lost its dedicated audio out port. Now one port does the job of both audio output and input. I don't imagine the loss of Firewire will go down well with many people (it certainly didn't the last time this happened), but the audio port seems like less of an issue. If you're going to do any serious audio work, you're generally going to want to use a USB peripheral anyway, and having one port do everything makes it impossible to plug your headphones into the wrong port and unintentionally blast your potentially embarrassing iTunes playlist to passersby. Not that that's ever happened to me...
Exclusive: Apple dictated Light Peak creation to Intel, could begin migration from other standards as early as 2010
Remember how Intel showed off its new, advanced optical standard -- Light Peak -- this past week on a Hackintosh? Well it turns out there's more to that story than you probably know, and it all leads back to some revealing facts about the connection... literally and figuratively. Engadget has learned -- thanks to an extremely reliable source -- that not only is Apple complicit in the development of Light Peak, but the company actually brought the concept to Intel and asked them to create it. More to the point, the new standard will play a hugely important role in upcoming products from Cupertino.
Using FireWire to help speed up the iTunes Home Sharing process
One of the new features of iTunes 9 is Home Sharing. The feature allows you to manually browse, import, and automatically add iTunes content from up to five authorized computers in your house. While Home Sharing is certainly a welcome feature, it's so slow that you may not live long enough to see all of your content transferred. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. Given the trend toward larger file sizes of digital media -- higher bit rate music and videos, in particular -- iTunes Home Sharing may take quite a bit of time for some. However, some FireWire shenanigans should shorten this time significantly. One of the neat features of FireWire is its networking capabilities. Similar to how you can connect crossover Ethernet cables to directly connect two computers, you can use FireWire to directly network (or daisy chain, if you have more than two) your computers. Doing this with iTunes Home Sharing, however, requires a bit of trickery, and here are the steps, assuming that your network config is set to Automatic: Turn on iTunes Home Sharing on two computers. Let's call them Computer 1 (which we'll call the target) and Computer 2 (which we'll call the host). Connect the two computers via FireWire. As you'll need an Internet connection to authorize your iTunes account on both computers, leave your Internet connection on for both computers. After authorizing, turn off the Internet connection (whether it's via AirPort or Ethernet) of the target computer (Computer 1). However, the Internet connection of Computer 2 should remain on. I've found that leaving on an Internet Connection on Computer 1 will result in Home Sharing using its Internet connection (either AirPort or Ethernet) to transfer the file within your LAN. Now, Computer 2 should be able to import the files from Computer 1 via iTunes Home Sharing using a FireWire transfer, which will likely save you a lot of time. Note: Using FireWire for iTunes Home Sharing is not bi-directional, so you'll need to repeat these steps if you want Computer 1 to import content from Computer 2. Although these steps are a bit of a hassle, you'll likely only need to do them once, as subsequent uses of Home Sharing will more likely be incremental in nature, for which AirPort or Ethernet should be adequate.
OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro takes longer to say than to boot
One of these days, SSDs will hit a price point that doesn't require a second mortgage to buy one. Until then, we can just gawk at things like OWC's latest, which is a portable version of Crucial's still relatively new line of affordable SSDs, built around the familiar Indilinx controller and Samsung NAND flash. Coming in sizes from 64GB ($280) to 256GB ($730), the new Pro devices can transfer data and get their power from either a Firewire or USB port. Alas, that means you'll be limited to 100MBps read rates -- as opposed to the 250MBps you could get from an eSATA connection -- but that's a small sacrifice to make if you care about losing the moving parts in your portable storage. [Via Electronista]
TUAW's review of the DroboPro, plus a discount deal for readers
Data Robotics delivered their "super-sized" version of the Drobo earlier this year. DroboPro has 8 drive bays into which you can drop 3.5" SATA drives of almost any capacity, from the old 160 GB model you've been using to hold the backup of your iTunes library to that 2 TB Western Digital Caviar drive you just purchased. Using a proprietary storage technology called BeyondRAID, Data Robotics makes it easy to use a DroboPro to give you a big box 'o storage right now, and easily expand in the future.Data Robotics recently lent me a DroboPro for a detailed review, and I was able to give it a thorough workout. Read on to find out more about the DroboPro and an excellent deal available to readers of TUAW.
A weekend with FireWire
My MacBook Pro and I had a bit of a rendezvous this past weekend. She's a 15 inch Core Duo with 2GB of RAM. Although she'll occasionally get as hot as a toaster oven (leaving red marks on my lap at times) and mooed like a cow when we first met, she's been a consistent workhorse for me. But her hard drive needed a transplant. Sick of her sluggish performance and hard drive clicking noises, I decided that it was time to fix her up. So, I replaced her 320GB hard drive with, surprise, a 320GB hard drive -- this time a Fujitsu model instead of the Toshiba it replaced. Not because I thought the Fujitsu was any better than the Toshiba it'd be replacing, but because it was the least expensive drive I could find. Although the hard drive installation went successful, it wasn't without its fair share of bumps along the road. Hopefully, the bumps I experienced could provide many some guidance on what to do as well as what not to do when upgrading your hard drive.
Fujitsu's MB88395 HD-over-Firewire controller hits the road
HD video is headed for your auto, and just like your home, you need to be able to soak up those pixels from more than one seat. To keep manufacturers from having to pull HDMI cables through the door panels and running boards, Fujitsu has the MB88395 controller (catchy name, right?) for streaming your entertainment around the cabin over a DTCP-protected 1394 network. At the heart of Fujitsu's silicon is the SmartCODEC, which can take a decompressed 1280x720 pixel video stream at 885Mbps and compress it down to 249Mbps with only a couple of milliseconds of delay. Never mind that Blu-ray only spits out a maximum data rate of 54Mbps, the analog hole comes through again -- just like in the home. Don't you just love copy protection?
TUAW Tip: Swap out your laptop's hard disk for a spiffy new SSD
If you're looking for a significant performance boost for your middle-aged laptop, replacing your aging hard disk with a solid state disk (SSD) could give your computer a new lease on life. Solid-state disks (pictured, bottom) differ from traditional hard disks (top) in that they're not constructed with platters and heads. Instead, they're more like giant thumb drives, containing memory chips designed to be written and re-written without wearing out. The upside to this is that SSDs are much, much faster to read and write to, making booting and starting applications lightning-quick. I recently installed an Intel X25-M SSD, a 160GB drive, as a replacement for a 120GB Toshiba hard disk for my 2006-vintage black MacBook. Spendy, for sure, but for the performance increase and the extra life it adds to my MacBook, well worth it. Plus, I had my state tax refund burning a hole in my pocket. The performance is phenomenal. The old disk booted in a respectable one minute, 49 seconds. The new disk booted in a blazing 31 seconds. Ridiculous. Windows also boots in less than half the time it took before. Photoshop CS3 launches in five seconds, Illustrator CS3 in nine seconds. Getting the drive was simple: It's moving the data that takes time. Read on to see how you can migrate your data like I did -- including a Boot Camp partition -- with little fuss.
Goodbye, FireWire 400
As Macworld notes, this is it for the ol' Firewire 400. With the introduction of the new Mac mini the other day and the refresh of the Mac Pro and iMac lines, the old version of Firewire is left only on the white MacBook. It's evolution at its finest, and our good friend Nilay Patel over at Engadget put together this perfect video showing just how hard it is to say goodbye to yesterday.As I said on the Talkcast a long time ago when this was first hinted at, it's not a huge loss in my eyes. This is an outdated standard, and if you've got anything sitting around that absolutely requires a FireWire 400 port (and you've already upgraded completely to a computer that doesn't have one), then it's time for an upgrade. Those happen, you know -- there's a reason they're not selling Polaroid film any more. Besides, FW800 ports can easily drive your FW400 gear with a $8 cable.Nostalgia, however, is a powerful force. So it's with a damp hankerchief and wet eyes that some of us will bid farewell to FireWire 400. Long live FireWire 800!
Sonnet FireWire dongle gives your MacBook Pro the gift of FW400
When Steve Jobs announced the new MacBook Pros, Apple received a lot of criticism for excluding a FireWire 400 port, despite the addition of FireWire 800. While most people were sitting around and griping, one company actually did something to reconcile the situation. Sonnet has created a dongle that allows you to use FireWire 400 devices in your MacBook Pro's FireWire 800 port. The Sonnet Simply Fast dongle works with standard 6-pin male FW400 cables. This dongle can be bought from the Sonnet online store, or from other retailers (i.e. Amazon) for around $14.24US. You can visit the Sonnet website for more information about the FireWire adapter. If you are looking for solutions to this FW 400/800 mystery then you might also want to check out FireWire 800 to 400 cables which are very plentiful, and might be slightly cheaper.
Engadget Podcast 119 - 11.21.2008
Back for more, eh? Well you've come to the right place -- the Engadget Podcast! Join Josh, Paul, and Nilay as they take you on a magical journey through the trials and tribulations of the BlackBerry Storm, investigate the legal situation of the Apple-cloning operation known as Psystar, dish on the latest Zune and Xbox happenings, and lament the forthcoming death of FireWire as it cedes its high-speed throne to USB 3.0. And just think, access to this treasure-trove of information is yours free of charge! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Paranoid 00:02:25 - BlackBerry Storm review 00:32:35 - Psystar's antitrust claims against Apple dismissed 00:53:59 - Microsoft revamps Zune Pass: keep ten tracks per month forever and ever 01:02:43 - Microsoft ratchets down pricing on flash-based Zunes 01:02:39 - NXE hitting 360s with red ring, freezing and sorta-sexy-avatar issues? 01:06:45 - Goodbye, FireWire 400 Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
