Apple May Begin Using Carbon Fiber Components to Reduce Weight on MacBook Air
12 November 2008 08:45 EST
Chris Barylick
Though Apple enthusiastically claimed ownership of the world's thinnest notebook last year upon the MacBook Air's introduction, there were other notebooks that were lighter. This may change and according to AppleInsider, Apple is reportedly investigating using materials enhanced with carbon fibers to replace some parts on a future MacBook Air.
Carbon fiber is an extremely lightweight material comprised of very thin fibers about 0.005–0.010 millimeters in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The atoms bond together in microscopic crystals that are aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber and can thus be used to form exceptionally strong composites without requiring more material.
The high strength-to-weight ratio of carbon fiber has made it a popular choice for the aerospace, sporting, and racing industries. More recently, however, its application has spilled into the computing industry, with vendors such as Sony and HP's Voodoo PC brand all using it to construct lightweight notebook enclosures.
Per the article, the current guess is that Apple could shave 0.22 pounds off the overall weight of the Air were a carbon fiber material to be used for the bottom cover of the notebook. This amount could make the notebook almost 10% lighter, a number which a marketing campaign could embrace to help boost sales.
Stay tuned for more details about this as it becomes available and let us know what you think over in the comments of forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Users Reporting Loss of Sound on MacBook Air Notebooks
20 October 2008 12:35 EST
Chris Barylick
If this has happened to you, you probably remember it.
According to the mighty MacFixIt, multiple users have reported an issue with the MacBook Air notebook in which the units suddenly becomes unable to output sound. When this issue manifests, the sound icon in the menubar may disappear, and no output devices may be listed in the Sound pane of System Preferences.
The issue was described as follows by user "oudemia" on the Apple Discussions board:
"After a day of repeated error messages after opening up a sleeping laptop (as soon as I would open it a "you must restart your computer" message would be on screen in English, French, German, and Japanese), the sound icon disappeared from the upper right corner, the prohibitory symbol would appear on screen if I tried to toggle the volume, and no audio output devices appear in the system. Zapping the PRAM worked once, but never since. "
Though there doesn't seem to be a guaranteed fix, the issue can be resolved in some cases by clearing audio cache files with a utility like OnyX.
Other fixes to resolve this issue can include resetting the PRAM/NVRAM as follows:
In other cases, resetting PRAM/NVRAM can resolve the issue. In order to reset PRAM/NVRAM, shut down your Mac, then start it back up while immediately holding the following keys: Command, Option, P and R. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the third time.
The article also advises contacting Apple support should these fixes fail.
If you've seen this issue on your end, heard about it or have discovered a fix of your own, please let us know in the comments or forums.
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Late 2008 MacBook Air Units to Ship in "Early November"
17 October 2008 08:59 EST
Chris Barylick
Customers waiting for their late 2008 MacBook Air units may have to wait a bit longer as the Apple Store has sent notifications that the new units would not be immediately available.
According to AppleInsider, a reader saw his custom-configured 1.86 GHz model with a 128 GB solid state drive and Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter pushed back to a November 5th ship date. According to Apple, the product should arrive within five days thereafter. Meanwhile, some German Apple Store customers have received ship quotes for October 30th.
Stay tuned for more on this as it becomes available and if you've seen any delays on your end, please let us know in the comments or forums.
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MacBook Air Firmware Update May Lead to Overheating, System Freezes
09 September 2008 08:30 EST
Chris Barylick
While firmware updates are usually critical and worth installing, some generate more problems than they solve.
According to AppleInsider, a number of MacBook Air owners have found that a recently released hardware patch (known simply as the "MacBook Air Update"), which was designed to solve a problem in which the notebook would force a processor core to shut down entirely to avoid overheating has led to the notebook continuing to overheat. In some cases, the system will become bogged down and become unable to deal with a given application's demand, particularly an OS component known as kernel_task.
The error appears to occur regardless of whether any peripherals are attached which might create additional tasks for the system.
Others have also posted in the Apple forums that their systems are simply slowing down in different ways: instead of switching off a single core, a handful report their systems keeping both cores active under most temperatures but lowering the clock speed, producing much the same result.
Click the jump for the full story...
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Apple Releases MacBook Air Software Update 1.0
25 August 2008 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
Late Friday, Apple released the MacBook Air Software Update 1.0 package, a firmware update for the MacBook Air notebook series.
The update, a 368 kilobyte download, addresses issues with the notebook's video playback and processor core idling.
Additional comments in the update release notes warn against using third-party processor speed control tools for the notebook.
The update is also available through Mac OS X's built-in Software Update feature and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run.
If you've tried the update and noticed any changes on your MacBook Air, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Intel Road Map Hints at 160 GB MacBook Air
20 August 2008 10:41 EST
Chris Barylick
During Intel's Tuesday presentation at this year's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the company outlined its road map for an upcoming line of solid-state drives that will used flash-based solid-state memory to store data and replace conventional hard drives in some computers.
According the Macworld UK, Intel's High-Performance SATA Solid-State Drive product line will feature storage devices aimed at mobile and desktop clients as well as enterprise server, storage and workstation applications. The first products in the new lated are scheduled to be available by mid-September.
"This is a good move for Intel, and it's good for customers that Intel is making the move," said Dan Olds, principal analyst for the Gabriel Consulting Group. "It will speed development of solid-state drive (SSD) technology and drop the cost. Smaller PC manufacturers will be able to buy pre-integrated SSD drives that will seamlessly slide right into current laptop and desktop designs, which means no additional redesign or development cost."
During the presentation, representatives mentioned two upcoming Flash-based drives, the X18-M and the X-25M, which are expected to be available in 80 and 160 gigabyte capacities. The 80GB drive is currently sampling with production slated within the next 30 days, according to Intel. The 160GB drive is expected to ship in the fourth quarter with production in the first quarter of 2009. The drives themselves are based on Intel's multi-level cell flash memory, save up to 30 minutes in battery life and are designed to improve the input/output bottleneck to the CPU.
No specific word has been given as to whether these drives will find their way into the MacBook Air, though it's an interesting thought, especially with Apple and Intel working more closely than ever these days.
Let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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QuickerTek Now Offering Solar Adapter for MacBook Air
17 June 2008 08:30 EST
Chris Barylick
On Tuesday, accessory maker QuickerTek announced the release of Apple Juicz, a solar panel adapter for Apple's MacBook Air noteook.
The unit is available in the following three models which range from US$500 to US$1,000 in price and arrive with an Element carry bag:
19 watt model: recharges the Air in 14 hours, unfolds to 30.5 x 30 inches (USD$500)
29 watt model: recharges the Air in 8 hours, unfolds to 41.5 x 30.5 inches (USD$600)
58 watt model: recharges the Air in 5 hours, unfolds to 60 x 42 inches (USD$1,000)
According to MacMerc, all models require an upgraded MagSafe power adapter to operate correctly. Users can send along their Apple MagSafe power adapter to have it modified for US$25 or purchase QuickerTek's adapter for US$100.
If you've used a solar adapter for your notebook before and found a particular favorite, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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German MacBook Air Users Claim Laptop is Too Sharp, Cuts Through Bread and Human Flesh
28 May 2008 08:31 EST
Chris Barylick
As thin, light and spiffy as the MacBook Air may be, some Apple forum members think it's gone too far. According to Engadget, a German user on the Apple forum who identified him or herself as "Bajuware", the MacBook Air was sharp enough to slice open his arm.
The story seems to go as follows: The user was lying on his couch when he seems to have accidentally run his elbow across the bottom edge of the MacBook Air. Another user commented that his MacBook Air is sharp enough to slice through bread.
And since a picture's worth a thousand words...
If you've seen anything similar on your end with a MacBook Air, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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MacBook Air Users Reporting Issues with Backlit Keyboards
23 May 2008 08:34 EST
Chris Barylick
Per the guys at MacFixIt, a number of users have reported an issue wherein the MacBook Air's ambient light sensor seems to be either broken or functioning in reverse. The end result is a keyboard that brightens in light conditions and darkens or turns off in dark conditions. In other cases, the light sensor will refuse to work at all or will only work for either the keyboard or display brightness, but not both together.
One user offered the following testimonial:
"My keyboard's "self-illuminating" system is apparently working on the "reverse" manner....When the light (in my room, dark room) goes off, the screen dims and keyboard backlight goes off. When i turn on the light, the screens brightens up as well as the keyboard..."
The problem appears to be focused primarily on users who've migrated their Mac OS X accounts from another computer or users who've put their MacBook Air units to sleep and then awoken the laptop in another lighting condition.
In some cases, users have found the problem to be associated with a corrupted .GlobalPreferences.plist file in the user's account. Some users have found that copying the file from another account and then modifying the ownership of the copied file resolved the issue. This has to be done from another account besides the afflicted account, because the .GlobalPreferences.plist file cannot (or should not) be edited from the active account (it's an invisible file, which Mac OS X is attempting to protect from user modification). Here are the steps he took, using the "root" account:
Click the jump for the full story...
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MacBook Air Units Overheating, Cooling Tips Offered
01 May 2008 08:30 EST
Chris Barylick
Although one of the coolest running laptops Apple has shipped to date, a number of users are reporting that their MacBook Air notebooks are overheating under some circumstances, creating situations that leads to freezes in the operating system.
According to the guys at MacFixIt, the following reports have been sighted on Apple's discussion boards:
"I have a stock Macbook Air 1.6ghz with the hard drive and I'm on my second machine. Both have done the same thing leading me to believe there is a serious defect in the Macbook Air. What happens is that after about a half hour of using the machine and running it with some apps like Parallels, video, whatever, it will get really hot. Especially in the upper left region of the computer. It feels hot to the point that you can't really hold on to it as it's too uncomfortable.
as well as:
"iStat claims the case temperature is: 108 degrees fahrenheit. This is prior to it getting really slow and crashing, since I can't really get to iStat when that happens anyway. The whole process of the Macbook Air getting to this point seems to correlate with using the disk and pushing the CPU. What always seems to be true is that the upper left region of the base of the computer is really hot."
Other symptoms of MacBook Air overheating apparently include erratic trackpad behavior with the cursor jumping around the screen.
The article mentions a variety of fixes and changes in laptop use routine to help avoid the problem such as the following:
-Avoid soft, pillowy surfaces If you are experiencing similar issues, try placing your MacBook Air on a hard, cool surface like a desk. Overheating and associated freezes are more likely to occur if the system is being used on a pillow, blanket, or some other soft, insulating surface.-Apply the SMC update Make sure you have applied the MacBook Air SMC Update 1.0.
-Look into a cooling pad product as a short-term solution to the problem.
-Though warranty-violating, you might want to look into having the amount of thermal grease inside the MacBook Air reduced. This can lead to overheating, but is a tedious, dangerous procedure to undertake if not completely confident in your abilities to do so.
If problems persist, don't hesitate to take your MacBook Air in for service.
If you've seen these problems on your end or found a good workaround or solution to your MacBook Air's overheating, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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MacBook Air Hacked, Internal EVDO Added
29 April 2008 04:46 EST
Chris Barylick
The same MacBook Air owner who revealed the existence of the notebook's internal USB connections has managed to install a USB727 Verizon Aircard into the unit, as discussed and illustrated here.
For this hack, Jordan Bunnell disassembled both the MacBook Air and the USB EVDO modem, the soldered the modem onto one of the Air's internal USB connections. The hack also required the removal of both the internal AirPort and Bluetooth card in order to get the space and make use of the Airport antennas. He has also begun a forum thread over on insanelymac.com to discuss the process and allow users to add their feedback.
Brave by anyone's standards and if you've pulled off something similar on your own, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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MacBook Air Compared Against 2.6 MacBook Pro, Benchmarks Posted
21 April 2008 09:51 EST
Chris Barylick
Although both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are drool-worthy devices, the question remains as to which device performs what tasks better. The guys at the mighty Barefeats answered this question, pitting a 1.83 GHz MacBook Air against a 2.6 GHz MacBook Pro.
The full results can be found here, albeit the article doesn't mention whether the MacBook Air was equipped with the standard ATA drive or the optional Flash-based hard drive, a factor which can greatly affect speed and performance.
Oddly enough, the MacBook Air stands out pretty well against its beefy rival. For the full details, click the link and if you've found a good means of boosting performance on your MacBook Air or Pro, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Apple Releases MacBook Air Bluetooth Firmware Update 1.0
11 April 2008 08:40 EST
Chris Barylick
It hasn't been shipped with any specific details and we're sort of guinea pigs on this one, but Apple has released its Bluetooth Firmware 1.0 update for the MacBook Air notebook.
The update, a 1.2 megabyte download, was released sans specific mentions as to what it improved upon or changed.
Once downloaded, the updater application will be installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder where it will need to be run manually.
The update requires Mac OS X 10.5.1 or later to install and run and like most Apple updates, the patch can be found through Mac OS X's Software Update feature.
If you've installed this update and noticed anything different, please let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Apple Releases MacBook Air EFI Firmware 1.0 Update
09 April 2008 08:30 EST
Chris Barylick
Amid the slew of Apple updates to be found today, the Mothership has also released its MacBook Air EFI Firmware 1.0 update. The upgrade, a 2.3 megabyte download, fixes several issues to help improve the stability of its ultra-light MacBook Air notebook.
In order to complete the update process, users must first download the software, then locate the file (/Applications/Utilities/MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update.app) and run it from there. After completion, you Mac's Boot ROM version will now be MBA11.00BB.B03.
Like similar updates, the update can be found via Mac OS X's Software Update feature.
Users will need Mac OS X 10.5 or later and an Intel-based Mac to install and run the update.
If you've tried the update on your MacBook Air and noticed any major changes, please let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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MacBook Air May Support Additional USB Connections Via Hack
21 March 2008 01:50 EST
Chris Barylick
If you can get this to work, it smacks of the awesome. The guys at The Unofficial Apple Weblog, who received a tip from reader Rowan Pope, have pointed out his blog entry (the server seems to be down at the moment) in which the MacBook Air owner seems to have discovered that the laptop can support up to seven USB connections.
The air, once opened, apparently features extra live USB port connections built into the computer. John Maushammer apparently downloaded documentation for the ICH-8 chip, which offers five low-speed and two high-speed USB controllers.
During his experiment, Maushammer opened his MacBook Air and measured the voltage at each pin. He then used a hacked memory key with a modded USB extension cable equipped with an extra pin. After connecting the memory key to one of the pins, his MacBook Air system log reported a USB error. After additional tests and adjustments, the laptop recognized the external drive.
All in all, Maushammer found three working USB connections as well as an unused SATA controller.
Incredibly cool stuff and if you've opened your MacBook Air and noticed some other cool bits, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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TSA Approves MacBook Air Laptop for Air Travel
13 March 2008 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
After Michael Nygard's Internet blow-up regarding a TSA agent being unfamiliar with his new MacBook Air and delaying him from making a flight, the TSA has written a blog entry explaining its side of the case and stating that MacBook Air laptops are now allowed on board.
The entry cites that the new, rarely seen and ultra-thin laptop lacking a conventional hard drive in some cases (Nygard had the solid state hard drive model) was something TSA agents had yet to see. The blog also stated that TSA agents are in fact trained to look for anomalies, which the MacBook Air seemed to represent.
In this case, the agent was doing his job just as he was trained. What you, the traveler, make of that training is the next question.
If you have two cents to throw in on this issue, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Apple Releases MacBook Air SMC Update 1.0
11 March 2008 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
Late Monday, Apple released SMC Update 1.0 for its popular MacBook Air notebook. The update, a 551 kilobyte download, fine tunes the speed and operation of the Air's internal fan and allows for more even cooling.
Once installed, the updater application is placing in the /Applications/Utilities folder where it can be run later.
If you've tried the update and had either a positive or negative experience with it, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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TSA Employee Unaware of MacBook Air, Causes Traveler to Miss Flight
10 March 2008 10:00 EST
Chris Barylick
I have a theory about the TSA: these are the same people who would have been pumping gas 15 years ago.
According to Engadget, a Transportation Security Administration employee apparently held blogger Michael Nygard's MacBook Air after removing it from the scanner, pulled it aside and began to ask the owner questions about the unit.
The TSA employee, flabbergasted by the "lack of a drive" and the complete absence of "ports on the back", was then aided by co-workers who swarmed to investigate. The MacBook Air's owner missed the flight, which took off on schedule, but was eventually allowed to pass through security after the colleagues explained to the first TSA employee what the MacBook Air was.
Let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Apple Selling Out of MacBook Air Units
04 March 2008 09:00 EST
Chris Barylick
The MacBook Air is as niche a product as Apple ever released, so this begs the question "why is Apple selling out of available units?"
According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Apple is selling out of units and has posted a tracking page to allow users to see if a MacBook Air is available in their area. The web page allows people to see if units are available at a given location, but doesn't list how many are available. If you see that one is available, get there quickly, as they're still being sold on a first come, first serve basis.
The last time anything like this happened was when the iPhone was released.
If there's anything you like or dislike about the MacBook Air and want to share with the class, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Apple Includes Instructional Video in Trackpad Settings for MacBook Air
28 February 2008 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
The guys at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have discovered the following instructional video which Apple seems to have rolled in with its MacBook Air laptops.
The video serves as a guide to how to use the laptop's multi-touch trackpad and can be found in the System Preferences under the Trackpad tab:
Kind of a neat find and this can probably be expected for future Macs equipped with multi-touch trackpad interfaces.
If anyone's seen something similar to this, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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Some MacBook Air Users Citing Long Battery Charge Times
12 February 2008 09:00 EST
Chris Barylick
Getting back to the MacBook Air, a number of users have complained that the laptop takes an inordinately long time to charge after a full battery drain. In some cases, times have run up to eight hours while in other cases, when the battery has been at 50% capacity, only an hour's charge time has been needed.
According to MacFixIt, one fix may be to activate the MacBook Air or wake it from a sleep state. Other users have discovered that their laptops charge faster when turned off and a trigger associated with turning the system on or off may reinvigorate the charge function.
One post, via the Apple discussion board, was able to provide additional details:
"We ordered a few MBA's (1.8 with SSD) so I grabbed another one to confirm this; not sure what is going on but both show the same symptoms [...] I let both systems run down 100% (so that they went to force-sleep, then off completely - the way you usually condition the battery)."Hours later, I plug both in - and get this - after 6 1/2 hours or charging, both are at 61% and 64% respectively! [...] once back at the desktop the charging stabilizes. [...] So the conclusion, at least for the 2 systems I tried: This might be some software bug, or something with the charging circuitry. They either charge very differently depending if OFF or SLEEP; or there is an issue if charged all the way from 0%. In any case, it certainly would have taken 10 hours or more on both - yet once I turned both on charging stabilized within minutes."
If you've seen this problem on your own MacBook Air or found a good solution for it, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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MacBook Air Take-Apart Video Posted
05 February 2008 04:16 EST
Chris Barylick
Apple may have a few choice words to say about its users taking the MacBook Air apart, but this doesn't change the fact that people will be determined to do so.
When the guys at TechRestore had theirs arrive, their lead technician, Chet, began to promptly take the unit apart and posted a stop-motion video of the process on their blog (disclaimer: TechRestore is a PowerPage sponsor):
As always, let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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MacBook Air External USB SuperDrive Confirmed to Only Work with MacBook Air Laptop
05 February 2008 08:04 EST
Chris Barylick
Over on the MacBook Air side of things, life is a bit strange with the new laptop. According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, the external USB Superdrive that ships as a companion piece to the Air doesn't work with any other Macs.
For his experiment, writer Chris Ullrich attached the device into both a 24" iMac as well as a 15" MacBook Pro, both computers failing to mount and use the drive.
Maybe this will change with the release of Apple's Mac OS X 10.5.2 update or a piece of shareware that will allow this to occur, but if you had designs on mounting the external Superdrive with another Mac, those dreams might have to be put on hold for a while.
If you've gotten your hands on a MacBook Air and have any thoughts about it whatsoever, let us know over in the comments or forums.
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Category: MacBook Air
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