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Prototype MacBook Pro repair parts returned to owner, 3G antenna stays in Cook's kitchen
Wondering what happened to that prototype 3G MacBook Pro Apple had pulled off eBay? Not too long ago, the boys in Cupertino reclaimed the specimen, along with a handful of spare parts the would-be auctioneer used to get the rig back into working order. After relinquishing of the prototype to Apple security in early September, previous owner Carl Frega petitioned the firm to return the repair parts to him. Last week, Frega finally received an unmarked FedEx package containing a notebook battery, hard drive, and two sticks of RAM. Despite the repossession, CNET reports that the outfit never gave Frega proof that the machine legally belonged to Apple, although he did say that the hardware and serial number were authentic. For more on the MacBook's journey through Craigslist, small claims court and its 15 minutes of eBay fame, hit the second CNET link below.
iFixit busts Apple's Thunderbolt Display wide open, no creamy center inside
It's been more than two months since Apple unveiled its Thunderbolt Display, and the gadget sadists over at iFixit are just getting around to picking the thing apart -- quite literally. So what has this dive into the 27-incher revealed? Well, for starters, the iFixit crew found that the LG-made LCD display in this Thunderbolt monitor appears to be the same one found in Dell's UltraSharp U2711, though favoring a cursed glossy finish. That's also the same setup we saw in Cupertino's 2009 iMac. This teardown also features a slew of chips from the likes of Texas Instruments and Broadcom and a miniature subwoofer. For more under-the-hood discoveries and a healthy helping of disassembled Thunderbolt Display components take a stroll on over to the source link below.
Apple gets magnetic coupling patent for possible use in iOS devices
Apple has been granted a patent that covers magnetic coupling connectors that could be used in future iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. The patent, titled "Techniques for coupling interfaces parts using moveable magnetic elements," describes a technology similar to the MagSafe connectors Apple introduced in 2006 to its MacBook lines that allows the power cord to separate from its host device if too much pressure is applied to it too quickly, as happens when one trips over a power cord attached to a laptop. The patent application specifically shows a figure that looks like the first generation iPad with a MagSafe power connector. The patent does not, however, describe a MagSafe dock connector. Currently the 30-pin dock connector is how iOS devices receive power, but one can assume Apple could adapt the MagSafe technology to fit dock connectors, or of course, Apple could conceivably eventually eliminate the 30-pin connector and replace all iOS devices with a smaller MagSafe/Thunderbolt hybrid port that would allow for lighting-quick syncing complete with MagSafe's "anti-trip" technology. Interestingly, this is the second patent granted to Apple that refers to a MagSafe-like connector on an iPad. The first was in October 2010. [via Patently Apple]
Apple snags MagSafe patent for iOS devices (update: it's a movable magnetic coupling)
We've all tripped on power cords, sending laptops or other precious items tumbling to the ground. With the introduction of the MagSafe connector, back in 2006, Apple fixed the problem for clumsy MacBook owners, but has since left plugged-in iPad users up a creek. Cupertino was awarded a patent yesterday to integrate the magnetic (trip-safe) cord into future iOS devices like the iPad, potentially solving the dilemma for good. The Haus of Jobs also snagged patents for magnetic assembly and a "securing system," whatever that means. Update: Oops! While the patent does mention the possibility of integrating this technology into a "tablet computer" or "cell phone," what we're looking at isn't actually a MagSafe patent specifically for iOS devices -- it's a movable magnetic coupling.
3G MacBook Pro auction pulled, MagSafe antenna detailed
Remember the prototype MacBook Pro on eBay that included a SIM card slot and retractable antenna? Bids for the laptop had reached an eye-watering $70,000 before, inevitably, Apple blocked the auction. Now the seller has posted more images of the device, revealing the antenna was held in place with two magnets -- a MagSafe-like connection that would come away if it was knocked or caught. No news as to what the seller intends to do with the machine now, maybe clutch it to their chest and cry themselves to sleep having missed out on a small fortune. Past the break you can stare mournfully at another new image of the prototype - free of charge.
Apple rolls out 27-inch Thunderbolt Display with FaceTime HD camera, built-in speakers
In search of "the ultimate docking station" for your Mac notebook? Look no further than the new Thunderbolt Display, a single 27-inch model packing a 2560 x 1440 res 16:9 IPS display, one of Apple's fancy new connectors, integrated 2.1 speaker system, and even a Firewire 800 slot. There's also a built-in FaceTime HD camera and Mic, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports and MagSafe charging for your laptop, but the big difference is that single speedy DisplayPort hookup. It can daisy chain up to six high speed devices and all those connectors mean when it's time to take your laptop on the go there's a minimum of cables mooring it to your desk. It'll cost $999 to bring home in just a few days, if resolving cable clutter to your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac (required) is a good enough reason to ditch your old Cinema Display. %Gallery-128764%
TUAW's Daily Mac App: UnPlugged
The Magsafe is a fantastic innovation, but it has made it slightly easier to disconnect your Mac from the AC outlet by accident without realising it. UnPlugged is a little free utility that notifies you via Growl when the power cord is disconnected. Now it's true that if you're running a portable Mac the screen is set to dim automatically on battery power by default, plus the power icon in the menu bar is set to change between a battery symbol to one with a AC plug. But if you happen to be running your Mac solely with an external display, it could be easy to miss the warning signs that you're now running on battery power. UnPlugged runs in the background keeping out of your way till its called upon. It'll also display updates on charge status, notifying you on changes in power percentage intervals, which you can set with a slider from 1% to 50%. Just like apps like DiskAlarm, UnPlugged doesn't do anything that Mac OS X doesn't do for you already, but it does make it more obvious and could be the alert you need to keep you from running out of juice when you thought you were plugged in. If you need a simple power notifier, give UnPlugged a whirl and download it for free from the Mac App Store.
Ask TUAW: Charging MacBooks, securing passwords, color matching and more
Welcome to Ask TUAW, your favorite weekly question-and-answer column. Now, we can never have too many questions, so please, go to the comments of this post and ask away. To get fabulous answers, we need your fabulous questions. You can also email your questions directly to ask [at] tuaw.com, or ping us on Twitter. Now, off to the questions! Daniel asks: I have a original MacBook for which I am currently on my third charger. And for the third time, it's no longer working. So I need to buy a new one, but was considering buying the 85-watt adapter (with the new metal end) meant for the larger MacBook Pros. This way, I can use it as a spare charger when I eventually buy a new MacBook Pro. What I'm wondering is if I can use the 85-watt charger with my 60-watt MacBook without any adverse effects? The general idea I've gotten from forums is that it is OK, but is there any documentation from Apple on this?
Magic Box MagSafe mod kit brings the external battery back to your Mac (some assembly required)
It ain't exactly soldering guns at dawn, but it looks like HyperMac is going through a few somersaults to ensure that its products stay on the market without offending the legal team at Apple. First there was the HyperJuice auto / airline adapter, and now the Magic Box takes things to an even more invasive level. First step: cut the power cord of your Mac's MagSafe power adapter in half. Second step: feed the cable that you cut in half into the MagicBox... and you now have your very own HyperMac battery pack for those extra-long liveblogging sessions. Seems dead simple, right? And for the time being, the company is throwing in a free car charger to sweeten the deal. Available for $50 in March.
Patents aplenty: iPhone radio, fiber optic MagSafe, 3D without glasses
Apple's patent team must be cramming before the end of the year, because this past week we've seen a flood of patent applications come out of Cupertino. First up, Apple has patented a radio system in the iPhone (finally!), allowing you to listen to standard FM and AM broadcasts on the smartphone. The patent itself also includes an idea for a satellite radio connection, as well as a card to plug into Macs that would do the same thing. And there's a radio map idea as well, that would chart and let you browse nearby radio stations. Pretty cool idea -- hopefully we'll see it in the next iPhone revision. Next up is a new version of the MagSafe power adapter that could include a fiber optic channel, so that the cord not only carries a power connection, but can also transmit data to and from another unit equipped to provide both (Intel's Light Peak technology isn't mentioned in the patent, but it would probably work). You can see four pins in the current MagSafe connector, but this fiber optic node would sit right in the middle of those. Cool idea, though it seems like the actual implementation would need to be worked on a little bit further. Finally, Apple's also picked up patents for a 3D rendering system that would allow you to see live 3D in a room without glasses. This one's complicated -- it would track a user's position, and then send separate images to their right and left eyes through multiple projectors. This patent was actually filed a few years ago, so it's likely a hairbrained idea Apple had at the time, rather than anything that will eventually see the light of day. At least Apple's keeping up the creativity for us, right?
HyperMac to become HyperJuice in response to hyperactive Apple legal team
Apple legal has been abnormally busy over the last year as it engaged a who's who of cellphone makers and government agencies. They've also come down hard on Sanho Corporation's HyperMac subsidiary for using MagSafe and iPod connectors without approval. In response, HyperMac announced that it would stop selling MagSafe cables thereby rendering its HyperMac lineup useless for charging the non-removable batteries in Apple's MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro (although they can still charge USB connected devices like the iPad and iPhone). Now Daniel Chin, President of Sanho Corporation, is informing us that they'll be changing the HyperMac name to "HyperJuice" as part of its ongoing "comprehensive licensing negotiations" with Apple said to cover a "wide array of technologies and issues." He also reminded us that you only have a few hours left to snag a HyperMac with the all important MagSafe cable as sales will be suspended as of midnight tonight -- 00:00 US Pacific Time. Hey, with few alternatives, you might as well go down swinging selling.
HyperMac will stop selling MacBook charging cables on November 2 -- Apple wins, you lose
Uh oh, HyperMac just announced that it will cease the sale of MacBook charging cables and car chargers -- on November 2nd at 00:00 US Pacific Time, they'll be gone for good. While the HyperMac batteries will be sold, you won't be able to charge your MagSafe-equipped MacBook without the cable, so what's the point? This, obviously, is the direct result of the patent-infringement lawsuit Apple filed over Sanho's unlicensed use of Apple's MagSafe power connector. And while it may be a victory for Apple legal, it's an unsettling blow to consumers like Engadget editors who need the extra juice to augment the life of Apple's non-removable MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro batteries. Read the full statement after the break. Update: We've spoken with Daniel Chin, President of Sanho Corporation, who tells us that his company is, "in middle of license negotiations with Apple and ceasing the sale of the MagSafe cables was a perquisite for negotiations to go on." So there is still hope for a legal solution to this mess. Otherwise, it'll be soldering guns and X-Acto knives at dawn.
Apple considering MagSafe charger on iPad
Here's something to get your mind wondering this Monday afternoon. Patently Apple is reporting that Apple may be considering integrating the MagSafe Power Port to its portable products, like the iPad. The continuation patent, published on October 7th 2010 by the US Patent and Trademark Office, clearly depicts what looks like an iPhone / iPod touch / iPad with figure 62 revealing what appears to be a power connector. This power connector, expanded upon in greater detail in further diagrams, depicts what appears to be, according to Patently Apple, a MagSafe Power Port. And here at TUAW, we'll concur. It does look remarkably like a MagSafe Power Port. The MagSafe power adapter and port (first introduced in 2006 and then quietly updated in April of this year), are designed to connect the power cable to your MacBook / Pro / Air magnetically, allowing for a solid connection, but providing an immediate disconnection if the power cord is strongly pulled on. The idea is to stop your MacBook from flying off the table when you accidentally trip over the power cord. I can't imagine Apple introducing a lone power port for the iPad, but I can see the advantage in adding the MagSafe's magnetic qualities to, say, the 30-pin connector currently used with all iPods, iPhones and iPads. What do you think, readers? I know I've yanked my iPhone off the desk by inadvertently pulling on the 30-pin connector cable. A release mechanism like the MagSafe would certainly come in handy. Apple first filed this patent in June of this year. With this follow up continuation patent being filed in October, Patently Apple seems to suggest that Apple maybe trying to rush through the patent for an upcoming product release. But, with patents, it's hard to know whether these ideas will actually see the light of day in released products. It could just be another case of Apple securing its intellectual property.
SMC firmware update for 2007-2008 MacBooks now available
When my wife got a new 2009 MacBook to replace her dead 2007 model, one minor irritation I had with the new MacBook was that its wall charger no longer worked with my Early 2008 MacBook Pro. That's no longer an issue; today, Apple issued an SMC firmware update for 2007-2008 MacBooks and MacBook Pros which allows them to charge using the newer MagSafe adapters. MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.4 is available either through Software Update or via direct download, and is applicable to the following models: MacBook (13-inch Late 2007) MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2008) MacBook (13-inch, Early 2008) MacBook (13-inch, Late 2008) The update weighs in at a paltry 178 KB, but it does require a restart. I can confirm the update works as advertised, because my MacBook Pro is merrily whirring along while plugged into my wife's MacBook's MagSafe port. Hooray for unexpected fixes! [via Mac|Life]
iControlPad using unlicensed dock connection, forced to go Bluetooth
The folks at iControlPad can't seem to catch a break -- the design for the plug-in iPhone controller was finally finished, but the creators are now backing off of that design. Specifically, they're worried about Apple's lawsuit against Sanho, in which the battery manufacturer was sued for creating products that unofficially connected to dock connectors on iPhones and iPod touches. Because the iControlPad was originally designed to plug right into the dock connector on the iPhone (and presumably, its creators don't want to have to pay the "Made for iPhone" fee to officially license that hardware), it's got to be tweaked for Bluetooth support instead. Fortunately, Bluetooth support was always an option, as there is a chip already inside the device. But the software will apparently have to be worked on, leading to even longer delays in production. At this point, it's hard to believe the product will ever actually get out the door in a mass market state. But that doesn't mean there isn't still call for buttons -- maybe some enterprising accessory maker will pick up the gauntlet and run with it. Since the iPhone was introduced, gamers everywhere have been asking for some type of external controls for iPhone games, and maybe the iControlPad's setback will provide some drive for someone else. [via Cult of Mac]
Apple quietly updates design of MagSafe power adapter
Apple has quietly updated the design of 85-watt MagSafe power adapter used with the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros. The new connector design features an aluminum tip instead of the plastic one which is still available on the 60-watt MagSafe power adapters [Ed. note: this link is now broken, sorry for the inconvenience] used for 13-inch MacBook Pros and MacBooks. Beyond the aesthetic redesign, there doesn't appear to be any added features. The new 85-watt MagSafe now mimics the form of the 45-watt MagSafe power adapter used by the MacBook Air. The advantage the 45-watt and new 85-watt MagSafe power adapters have over the existing 60-watt version is that the design allows for a more slimline interface while connected to the MacBooks they power. Thanks to reader Max M. for the tip.
"Sockintosh" power adapter foot cozy keeps your feet warm, might light you on fire
Rachael Burns, based on her knitting abilities, will make an excellent grandma some day. She's knitted a pretty sweet foot cozy that turns your Apple power adapter into a foot warming device. Rachel says she knitted the aptly-named Sockintosh after realizing she constantly used her power adapter to keep her feet warm. Rachel is quick to point out that the Sockintosh was knitted as a joke. "Your power adapter should be kept very well ventilated for safety reasons. Don't set fire to yourself please. And don't tell me to go and die thank you." So readers, remember, don't go making your own Sockintosh because you could burn to death and don't tell Rachel to die because she's got a bright future as a grandma who knits ugly Christmas sweaters for her grandchildren who were hoping for that new iPad instead.
Apple power adapter foot cozy, by Seymour Burns (video)
Hey, we love innovation and the gumption required to execute on an idea especially when knitting is involved. And the good lorf knows that our tootsies could use some warming up during the marathon sessions we spend at the computer. But while the idea of tucking one of those toasty, Apple laptop power adapters into a "foot cozy" might sound like an ingenious solution to our problem, we're also aware that those little white bricks must be ventilated to function properly. From Apple's own support site: The power adapter may become very warm during normal use. Always put the power adapter directly into a power outlet or place it on the floor in a well-ventilated location. If you are using your MagSafe adapter in a poorly ventilated area, or if the MagSafe adapter is covered by a blanket or other form of insulation, it may turn itself off in order to prevent damage to the adapter. Here's the best part: the inventor's name is Rachael Burns... why yes, she just might. Video demonstration after the break.
The other new products that Apple released today
Surprisingly, the Mac mini, Magic Mouse, iMac, MacBook, AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule updates are not the only things Apple updated today. Several other products were updated today, which include: Apple Wireless Keyboard: This keyboard, the subject of several update rumors, did get revised today. It now only requires 2 AA batteries, down from 3 in the previous model. Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter: This adapter now has a aluminum connector, much like the one found on the 45 watt adapter for the MacBook Air; it should be more durable for use. VESA Mount Adapter Kit: This model for the 24 inch Apple LCD Cinema Display and the previous 24 inch iMac now supports the new 27 inch iMac. Also, the wired mouse-formerly-known-as-Mighty Mouse -- which is still available -- was renamed to "Apple Mouse." This is consistent with the trademark for Mighty Mouse (the computer mouse) being finally picked up by Man & Machine, instead of CBS and Apple. Are you going to enjoy the improvements in these products? Let us know in the comments below!
PowerCurl: A quirky way to wrap up your MagSafe Power Adapter
quirky is a design firm with a difference. Rather than pay a brain trust to sit around and think up product ideas, they let average Anns and Andys submit designs that are then refined and named by a community of site visitors. When designs are ready for production, quirky sets a threshold number of units to be sold to be profitable, and once that number of orders comes in, they send the design off for manufacturing. Plato said "...the true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention." In this case quirky community member Jeff Scholen was driven not only by the need to neatly wrap up the thin power cable and thick AC line going into his Apple MagSafe Power Adapter, but also keep the transformer "box" off of the floor or desk and give it a way to stay cool. In less than 24 hours, the design was finalized through input from Apple fans worldwide and the PowerCurl (US$9.99) was ready to roll. It comes in "quirky orange" only, but has two sizes to match the 60W and 85W MagSafe Power Adapters. The quirky community has also come up with a case design for the new iPod nano that not only protects that shiny finish, but acts as a stand and video handgrip as well. The Kickster (US$14.35) is awaiting your commitment to purchase before it moves into production.
