Filed under: Misc, Apple, Google

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As expected, this year's WWDC was all about the software, and certainly there was plenty to talk about on that front, what with the unveiling of of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks. We did get a little bit to whet the appetite of hardware lovers, however -- mainly a sneak peak of the cool new cylindrical Mac Pro and a refresh to Apple's popular MacBook Air line. We managed to snag a few pictures of the forthcoming tiny desktop workstation, and now we've got our hot little hands on the new ultraportable. From an aesthetic standpoint, there's not too much to write home about -- nothing, really. This is the same Air you know and, possibly, love. It's tapered thin, brushed aluminum shell, with all those standard ports (original Thunderbolt, included). And the display, while sharp, is no Retina -- you'll have to keep waiting on that front.

Odds are Apple opted not to swap in the higher-res screen in order to not sacrifice the laptop's battery life -- and certainly the company's got some bragging rights on that front, with a reported bump from five to nine hours on the 11-inch and from seven to 12 on the 13-inch. We'll be reporting back on that fact in the near future -- once we have a good half a day to try it out. That bump comes thanks to new innards -- specifically the inclusion of those new Haswell chips. Apple has also promised that the new CPU has given the systems a nice pep in their performance step, as well. We ran the Air through some benchmarks to see if it's all it's cracked up to be. Check those out after the break.

Gallery: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, mid-2013)

Filed under: Apple

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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Remember when people decried the MacBook Air as a dumb idea when it first launched? Well, given the amount of Ultrabooks that are now floating around the world, we bet they've not shared that opinion publicly too often. The most recent vintage of the unit gained USB 3.0 ports, Ivy Bridge chips and, well, not the one thing that would have made the unit unbeatable -- a retina-class display. No, instead that feature was reserved for a different line, letting rivals like the Zenbook Prime beat it in the resolution stakes. But aside from that notable (and for Apple, lucrative) omission, how have you found these machines? Tell us what you've loved, hated and, most importantly, what would you change?

Filed under: Laptops, Apple

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It just wouldn't be a major Apple launch if there wasn't a Microsoft executive calling out his old rival, would it? In a chat with AllThingsD, Windows division lead Steven Sinofsky has expressed doubts that Apple's iPad mini is really a cost-effective pick against the just-launched Windows 8. It's a $329 "recreational tablet" when there are work-ready Windows 8 laptops that cost $279, he says. He added that there are at least a few touchscreen Ultrabooks that could undercut the non-touch MacBook Air on price, and he ascribed the difference as much to "engineering" as the cost-cutting measures you'd expect.

Sinofsky was naturally just as keen to champion the advantages for work that Windows RT tablets like the Surface have when competing more directly with iPads, alluding to that Office bundle which hopefully keeps us more productive than a copy of Documents To Go. The company President would certainly disagree with Apple chief Tim Cook's view that Surface is a confused product, calling it a "PC for everyone" that just doesn't have to be used all the time. He makes valid points on the sheer value for money that you can get from both Windows PCs and tablets, although it would only be fair to mention that he didn't touch on the currently low Windows RT app selection, or if the OS was exactly what the market wanted -- we'd do well to remember that Microsoft alumni have a spotty track record when it comes to predicting Apple's destiny.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Software, Apple, Microsoft

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Via: Electronista

Source: AllThingsD

Welcome back! This week in real-life adventures with gadgetry, Sharif recommends an $80 gaming mouse and Dan pleads with you all not to buy a certain keyboard case for the iPad. As for Philip, he just purchased his first Apple product after years of buying Windows laptops and Zune players, which means he's got a little explaining to do.

Filed under: Misc, Apple

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Apple gave eco-friendly computer fans a brief jolt this July after it backed out of EPEAT certification, only to restore most devices just days later. While we can't say we're completely shocked at the follow-up, EPEAT has confirmed that at least one "ultra-thin" laptop from Apple has just cleared the verification process. The as yet unnamed system is more likely to be a Mac that had already earned the recycling-friendly rating in the past, such as the MacBook Air, rather than a sudden turnaround for the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. The look wasn't exclusively devoted to the Mac side, though -- EPEAT cleared Apple's computer as part of a wider test that also greenlit extra-thin portables from Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba. We've reached out to get a more definitive list, but the approvals should ease the minds of those worried that ever-slimmer laptops are forcing us to give up our green efforts.

Filed under: Laptops, Apple, Samsung, Lenovo

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Motorola filed its most recent ITC complaint against Apple so late into last week that the court system couldn't immediately provide more details; we're only just seeing documents now that the weekend is over. As it stands, the case involves seven patents that mostly touch on staple technologies of the modern mobile world, such as syncing messages between devices and bookmarking media playback on one device to resume on another. Does that last technique sound familiar? You might recall it being a cornerstone of the movie and podcast support that Apple has implemented since 2005. Despite reaching that far back into history, Motorola is just as eager to modernize the targeted hardware list to keep its complaints relevant -- the current iPad, the iPhone 4S and other devices are at risk of a trade ban, posing more of a threat to Apple's bottom line than the dust-covered (and near-finished) initial legal challenge from October 2010. Before coming to any conclusions, though, remember that the newer complaint isn't likely to have any speedy resolution of its own. Past ITC cases have usually taken a year and a half to complete, which could leave most or all of today's technology as another distant memory.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile

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Given their roots -- luxury machines like the original MacBook Air ($1,800) and last year's Samsung Series 9 ($1,649) -- you'd be forgiven if you initially dismissed Ultrabooks as being too extravagant for a college-bound student. Thankfully, though, prices have sunk so low that you can now find a thin, fast, ultraportable laptop for as little as $700. The only problem, perhaps, is a paradox of choice: the selection is already crowded with dozens of contenders, and there are 100-some-odd more models in the pipeline, according to Intel. Fortunately for you, dear readers, we've had the chance to handle or even review many of them, and were able to whittle down the offerings to a handful of promising contenders. Whether you're prepared to spend $750 or $1,400, we have something that'll fit the bill.

Filed under: Laptops

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Amidst all the Mountain Lion excitement from yesterday, a few members of the Apple crowd were inadvertently forgotten -- yes, we're talking about 2011 / 2012 MacBook Air and Retina MBP owners looking for some extensive Power Nap action. Luckily for most of them, however, the Cupertino behemoth's quickly acted, outing a solution that'll see the efficacious napping feature make its way onto the aforementioned generations of MacBook Airs. Unfortunately, not all is good news, as that pixel-packed MacBook Pro will have to wait it out on the sidelines a little longer, with Apple saying an SMC update is "coming soon." Sound good? You'll find the download on the company's support page, linked down below to save you more troubles.

Update: According to MacRumors, Apple's pushed out an SMC update to Retina MacBook Pros that enables the Power Nap feature on these machines.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Laptops, Software

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Apple is well-known for wanting a close spread in hardware requirements with OS X upgrades, having dropped PowerPC like a hot potato when Snow Leopard arrived just three years after the Intel switch. Whether or not you're a fan of that policy, it's certainly carrying forward with Mountain Lion. When the newly-finished OS hits the Mac App Store, it will rule out the very first wave of 64-bit Macs: certain MacBook Pros, Mac Pros and other early systems will be denied a taste of 10.8. Some sleuthing from Ars Technica suggests that it's a matter of graphics drivers rather than capriciousness on Apple's part, as the Macs excluded from the mix are using 32-bit drivers that won't play nicely with Mountain Lion's 64-bit Utopia short of a wide-scale conversion effort. It's little consolation to those who dropped a pretty penny on certain Macs just a few years ago. That said, Apple is still going the extra mile to support some systems -- if you're reading this on an original aluminum iMac, you're sitting pretty.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

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Italian regulator AGCM is clearly on a short fuse with Apple. After issuing a €900,000 fine ($1.1 million) to Apple for not properly offering the free 2-year warranty required by national law, the agency is now warning the iPhone maker that it could face a temporary exile -- and we don't mean to Elba. On top of an additional €300,000 ($377,490) potential fine, Apple now faces as much as a 30-day shutdown of all its Italian business for allegedly doing too little to tell customers they don't always need AppleCare for extended coverage. Having lost its appeal on the original fine, Apple's main buffer is a 30-day window to address the complaints before the hammer drops. We have yet to see if Apple will tweak its policies in time, but it's hard to believe the American firm will risk even the momentary closure of an important European wing.

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If you've just picked up a MacBook Pro with Retina display or a 2012-era MacBook Air, you may be jonesing for a matching external hard drive to take advantage of that much-awaited USB 3.0 support. G-Technology has you covered -- and how. Updated versions of the laptop-oriented G-Drive Mini, Mobile and Slim (you're looking at the Mobile up top) all roll in the higher peak speeds and progressively trade raw speed as well as 1TB capacities for sleekness, while the twin-drive, 1.5TB G-RAID Mini will tax that 5Gbps bandwidth without becoming too ungainly. Not taking your external storage on the road? The single-disk G-Drive now climbs to 4TB in addition to jumping on the USB 3.0 bandwagon, and the dual-drive G-RAID will serve up as much as 8TB at the newly brisk speeds. All but the G-Drive Slim support FireWire to ease those jitters over transitioning from old to new, although they won't all arrive at the same time. Most of the G-Drive and G-RAID gear will be showing up in August at prices between $110 and $810, but the two Mini-labelled drives could be a bit late to the party with a less defined summer target. You can get the full scoop after the break.

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We can sympathize -- your task-master Mac is hurting for PCIe expansion and more storage. Fortunately, Netstor has just announced several new products to boost your computer's ego and add either item via those newly christened Thunderbolt ports. The TurboBox NA211TB will lend three extra PCIe slots to any Mac that has the 10Gb/s port, while the NS780TB Desktop Storage will use it to bolt on 16 bays of disk storage. The company's rackmounted NA333TB Mac Mini Server, meanwhile, gives you 16 removable storage bays along with most RAID array options, and the aforementioned PCIe upgrade integrated to boot. Shipping dates and pricing weren't announced, but if you're looking to transform that Macbook Air into a video-editing behemoth, you may want to check all three options at the source.

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You've got to admire the ferocity with which iFixit tears into a new gadget. Sure, there might not be much new to look at inside the non-Retina-packing MacBook Pro or updated Air, but that didn't stop the site's dedicated hackers from ripping open the laptops and spreading their guts around a table. So, how does the standard Pro differ from its pixel-packed sibling? Well, in almost every way imaginable. In fact, there's not a lot separating the mid 2012 Pro from the 2011 model. Sure it's got some mildly updated internals, but it's still got the original MagSafe connector, a single Thunderbolt port and it is much easier to upgrade or repair than the spotlight-hogging version. The Air, on the other hand, does get a slight physical facelift, though it also remains largely the same as last year's model. The SSD has a tweaked connector and a new Sandforce controller, but otherwise, it seems like the biggest visible changes are some rotated labels and stickers. To see the full teardowns check out the source links.

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The last time we reviewed the MacBook Air, we didn't have a whole lot to compare it to. Sure, there was the original Samsung Series 9, but it was more expensive, at $1,649, and ran off a standard-voltage processor, often at the expense of battery life. Companies like Lenovo and Toshiba already had deep experience making ultraportables, but those notebooks generally weren't as light, or as skinny, as the Air. A year ago, too, Ultrabooks, as we now know them were little more than a concept as far as the computer-buying public was concerned.

Today, there are 110-plus Windows-based Ultrabooks on the horizon, leaving consumers with an overwhelming smorgasbord of thin, shockingly powerful laptops. Apple, for its part, has stuck with the same Air design we liked so much the first time around, though it's refreshed the lineup with speedier Ivy Bridge processors and traded those USB 2.0 ports for 3.0. Additionally, the Air can now be configured with more RAM and roomier storage. Oh, and the 13-inch version now starts at $1,200, down from $1,300. (The 11-inch version still goes for $999 and up.)

That sounds promising, making an already-excellent laptop faster and less expensive. Still, with so many comparable products on the Windows side, we have to wonder, does Apple really continue to define the category or have other companies narrowed the gap? Let's find out.

Gallery: MacBook Air review (13-inch, mid 2012)

Filed under: Laptops

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Next-generation MacBook Pros? iOS 6? The new Maps app? Sure, you watched the whole thing live, but is that really enough? Apple's tossed up the Tim Cook-led WWDC keynote, so now you can experience the magic of liveblogging the whole thing all over again. Check out the video in the source link below.

Update: Looks like it's only Safari users who get a peek at first: if you're on Chrome, Firefox or another browser, you'll have to sit tight for a little while longer.

Update 2: The keynote video now looks to be working for most, so stream away.

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When it rains, it pours -- and today is a downright thunderstorm in Cupertino. If you need some wired internet access for your Air or Next Generation MacBook Pro, Apple's got you covered. The company added a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter to its store. You can pick one of the "small and compact" add-ons up in the source link below.

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While Apple was busy unveiling a completely new MacBook Pro and a refreshed MacBook Air, it also introduced a new MagSafe 2 power connector. The new version is longer but slimmer than its counterpart, no doubt to make sure it fits in the MacBook Pro's skinnier confines, but also renders obsolete the connectors for your existing MagSafe adapter or Thunderbolt Display power connector. Not to fear if you absolutely need the connection, however: there's a new, $10 MagSafe to MagSafe 2 converter (seen above) that will keep your new laptop powered up. We're worried the adapter may crowd out wider USB devices, as you might have gathered from the above shot, but it's good to know that earlier peripherals will keep humming along.

Update: Check out our hands-on photos of the new connector versus the old!

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No, we didn't get the Retina Macbook Air many of us may have been hoping for, but the Apple ultra-portable did get a significant Ivy Bridge boost, including a pair of USB 3.0 ports. There's also an option to double the flash storage capacity with a 512GB SSD, along with adding up to 8 gigs of 1600MHz DDR3L RAM and Apple's new MagSafe 2 connector on the 13-inch Air. Base model pricing remains the same for the 11-incher, at $999 for the bare-bones configuration, while the larger Air will be available starting at $1199 -- a $100 drop over its predecessor. All of the new Airs will ship beginning today, but that doesn't mean it's upgrade time for you. Click on past the break for our side-by-side comparison and a closer look at what's new.

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As we try to get to our feet after that tidal wave of hardware announcements, Apple's moved onto Mac OS, quoting with some impressive new figures. Over 26 million copies of OS X Lion have now been sold, making it Apple's "best-selling release ever." Meanwhile, Mac users now total over 66 million -- that's three times the number in 2007.

For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub!

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Apple's skinnier, lighter MacBook option checked in for another (irregular) hardware update at this year's WWDC. Just under a year since the last time the range was renovated, the move to Ivy Bridge processors wasn't the only thing that changed. First up, those processors will reach up to 2GHz Core i7, with Turbo Boost tipping these up to 3.2GHz. The FaceTime camera is now 720p, with the display on the 11-inch model staying put at 1366 x 768 (but with Intel's HD graphics 4000 doing the pushing). The 13-incher will house a 1440 x 900 screen and both will arrive with a pair of USB 3.0 ports and capacity for up to 8GB of RAM. Storage will now extend to 512GB, while prices will start at $999 for the most basic option, up to $1099 for the speediest offering. The best part? They'll start shipping today.

Gallery: Next Generation MacBook Air

Gallery: Next generation Macbook Air press images

For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub.

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It's not the first design patent related to the MacBook Air that Apple has received, but the one it managed to obtain from the USPTO earlier this week is certainly the broadest to date. As explained by The Verge, this one is intended to cover the laptop's distinctive wedge shape, or what's indicated by the solid lines in the illustrations included with the patent. That doesn't include things like the hinge, rear or sides of the device, but it would appear to give Apple some fairly solid ground to stand on should it choose to go after other laptop manufacturers using a "substantially similar" wedge shape (regardless of any other differences). Those interested can examine the full patent at the link below.

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It wouldn't be Computex without some KIRF Apple products. And what we have today isn't quite a MacBook Air. But it's amazingly close. The N2-A, as it's known in the OEM underground, is one of the most impressive MacBook Air lookalikes we've seen -- and one of the cheapest. $74,500 will net you 500 of these lovely 13.3-inch bundles of almost-Mac goodness, which comes out to just $149 apiece. The THD (Thread Technology Co.)-made clamshell comes complete with an LED-backlit 1366 x 768 LCD, 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 1 gig of DDR3 RAM and 8 gigs of SSD storage. There's also built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi (we're a bit devastated about the lack of 802.11ac), and the option to add a 3G dongle or Ethernet adapter via the pair of USB 2.0 ports. As you may have gathered from the image, there's a full-size QWERTY keyboard and a familiar, yet incredibly mediocre trackpad, along with a 2-cell 4200 mAh battery (rated to 8 hours), an SD card slot, a not-so-MagSafe 110-240-volt AC adapter, a headphone out, mic in and an HDMI port.

In typical MacBook Air fashion, the N2-A is very thin and quite light (1.55 kilograms or 3.4 pounds) -- it's not as svelte as a top-of-the-line ICS tablet, but it's manageable for sure. While it may look perfectly fine on camera, the device's build quality certainly isn't up to Apple's standards -- but then again, it doesn't cost $1,000+. After a few busy trade show days, the trackpad was noticeably scratched up, with plenty of other blemishes around the silver case to boot, along with some warping here and there. The N2-A wasn't hideous by any stretch, even upon close inspection, but any Apple newbie would be able to recognize that this didn't come out of Cupertino, even before noticing the missing Apple logo and the added Windows key (it's there to support the nearly identical N2-C, which adds a dual-core Atom processor and Windows 7 support).

ICS felt quite snappy, though without a touchscreen you're forced to use the unimpressive trackpad, which wasn't responsive enough for regular use. (You can always sacrifice portability and use a USB mouse instead.) Overall, the N2-A is a pretty slick device -- not to mention quite a bit of fun. Don't expect to see this KIRF in any stores in the US -- you'll need to order 500 units or more directly from THD to take advantage of that $149 price tag, though we may see the Android laptop make its way to the public through third-party channels, perhaps with a retail price of about $200. For now, you can take a closer look in our meaty gallery below, or in the hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: THD N2-A KIRF MacBook Air running ICS hands-on

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In line with its Mac-exclusive focus, Twelve South's pulled back the curtain on SurfacePad, a genuine leather wrist rest protector just for MacBook Airs. The leather strip aims to keep the notebook's casing unscathed by watches or jewelry and the undersides of hands comfortable. Need some added cushion and panache for your slice of computing aluminum? You can snag a SurfacePad in Jet Black or Pop Red for $29.99.

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