Keyboard Firmware Update Still Missing for PowerBooks, Non-Leopard Notebooks
21 February 2008 08:38 EST
Chris Barylick
Although the MacBook/Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 release seems to have proven successful, the guys at MacFixIt have reported that a large number of users on PowerBook or non-Leopard machines are still experiencing the "missing first letter" problem. In these cases, the computer seems to ignore the first keystroke when waking up from going idle.
Apple's recently-released update only applies to Intel-based MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops running Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later.
If you've seen this problem on your end or have heard about a forthcoming update for the older hardware, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Category: PowerBook
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TechRestore Offering Glossy Screen Upgrade for PowerBooks
20 September 2006 10:02 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
TechRestore, Inc. (a PowerPage sponsor) has begun offering an overnight glossy screen upgrade for PowerBook G4 Systems.
PowerBook G4 owners that are scheduling an overnight screen replacement now have the option of selecting from the standard matte finish LCD screen or upgrading to a glossy display. TechRestore's Overnight LCD Screen Replacement service provides a fast and hassle-free repair method for Macintosh laptop owners that experience a screen failure due to mechanical issues or accidental damage. The LCD screen repair program has a 24-hour turnaround time and flat-rate pricing that includes parts and installation at prices starting at just $449 for PowerBooks and $349 for iBooks.
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PlayboyBook
08 September 2006 08:46 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
These days you can't turn on a TV, open a magazine or walk down the street without spotting an Apple product or at least an ad for one, and now it seems Apple's expanding popularity has even landed the company on the cover of October's Playboy (Zinio link, semi-safe for work). In the quest to leave their photoshopped mark on everything that adorns the magazine, Playboy (or Apple?) felt the need (or jumped at the chance) to add a personalized touch to what looks like a 12-inch PowerBook, and swapped out the Apple logo for Playboy's
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW): A Mac on the cover of Playboy
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Is there Something to this 1.5GHz PowerBook Drive Death Story?
03 May 2006 08:45 EST
PowerPage Contributor
I was reading Mark Standen's story from yesterday entitled 1.5GHz PowerBook Drives Dropping Like Flies and if it hadn't just happened to me also (yes, seriously) I would have looked at the piece as a story of a couple of coincidental drive failures.
It was the morning of April 19th when my PowerBook locked up and, upon restarting, I got the endless spinning startup Apple. I managed to reset the PMU and get my 1.5GHz Aluminum PowerBook to boot. I was ill equipped to back up at the time and used what I had at hand: Apple's Backup. Not ideal but it did preserve all my data to an external FireWire drive.
I really didn't think the drive was failing. I thought the handle just needed a jiggle but, on the morning of April 20th, the drive officially packed it in. I went to my local authorized Apple Service location and arranged for a drive replacement. By the weekend, the job was done and I went about negotiating with Apple Backup for the release of my preserved data.
I finally got up and running again and made a resolution to be more diligent with my backups and purchased Synchronize Pro X. Backed up every evening like clockwork.... well, for a while anyway. Wait, I'll explain.
The following weekend I recorded an episode of the Spoilers podcast and guested on The Wizards of Technology podcast using the PowerBook and Skype in both cases. Mere hours after wrapping up on Wizards of Tech, a Software Update alerted me to my PowerBook's need to restart.
...that was the last I saw of my desktop. It is now in for its second hard drive replacement in under a month. Thankfully I have full confidence that, once a new drive is installed, SyncPro will bring me back to full productivity in no time.
Contributed by: Rick "RickMacMerc" Yaeger
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1.5GHz PowerBook Drives Dropping Like Flies
01 May 2006 12:50 EST
PowerPage Contributor
June two years ago and my friend and I bought two 1.5 AL PowerBooks on the same receipt. Lovely machines, albeit somewhat hot to the touch.
Fast forward to three weeks ago and my hard drive starts exhibiting signs of a terminal illness; not booting, death rattles, all the normal "you're about to lose all your data" type stuff.
Gulp.
Read More...
Contributed by: Mark Standen
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R.I.P. PowerBook G4 15-inch
23 February 2006 02:38 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
If you go to the Apple Store, only the 12-inch and 17-inch PowerBook G4 models are for sale. The venerable 15-inch has be End-Of-Lifed (EOL'd). If you need to have EV-DO card capability you may want to find one quickly. (Thanks Jack)
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Apple Acknowledges PowerBook RAM Problems
31 January 2006 11:35 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
On 29 December 2005 I posted a story on how Mac OS X software updates are disabling the lower RAM slot on some PowerBook G4 models (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz). There are many comments from people that have experienced the problem and Apple is finally addressing it.
Apple has started a PowerBook G4 Memory Slot Repair Extension Program and has posted a detailed FAQ about it.
PowerBook G4s manufactured between January 2005 and April 2005 (serial numbers W8503xxxxxx through W8518xxxxxx) are covered and Apple will replace the RAM slot and extend the warranty on the repairs for two years.
The PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.67/1.5GHz) Memory Slot Repair Extension Program is a worldwide program covering repair or replacement of the memory slot in PowerBook G4 models manufactured between January 2005 and April 2005 (2005-01 through 2005-04) that are experiencing specific component failures. If your PowerBook G4 has a serial number within the eligible range and is experiencing any of the symptoms listed below, it may be eligible for repair, free of charge. Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will determine eligibility under the program. Repairs will be covered by Apple for up to two years from the original date of purchase even if your computer is out of warranty.
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MacBook Pro Additions and Subtractions
12 January 2006 12:01 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
The MacBook Pro has some new and cool additions, but unfortunately there seem to be more subtractions. Here's a quick list...
Read More...
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OS X Updates Damaging PowerBooks Lower RAM Slot (Updated)
29 December 2005 02:52 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Engadget has an interesting article on Mac OS X updates disabling or even permanently damaging the lower RAM slot in PowerBooks. It goes like this: after you update to Mac OS 10.3.9, 10.4.0, and 10.4.1 the PowerBooks' lower RAM slot spontaneously goes bad.
The current operating assumption is that the update actually makes the firmware controller or possibly the chipset get all wonky, which, in turn, may disable the lower memory slot (permanently).
It's a pretty serious claim and the lawyers are already working themselves into a lather over it.
I haven't experienced any such problem with my PowerBook G4 1.5GHz and I have two 1GB SO-DIMMs installed, but I'd be interested in hearing from people who have. Sound off in the comments if your lower RAM slot has gone bonky after an OS update.
UPDATE (2006-0131):
Apple has addressed the RAM slot issue with the PowerBook G4 Memory Slot Repair Extension Program.
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New PowerBooks Contracted to Quanta and Asustek
29 December 2005 01:06 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
According to EMSnow Apple's new Intel-based PowerBooks will be manufactured by Quanta and Asustek.
Apple computer will adopt Intel processor next year. According to the understanding, the ODM order of new Apple notebook has been obtained by Quanta and Asustek.It will help increasing the total production of first quarter next year for both companies. However, Quanta and Asustek both make no comments on this. Apple computer stated it would exhibit its desktop and notebook with Intel processor at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, USA from 9th to 13th January next year.
...
Quanta and Asustek are the main ODM notebook partners of Apple. Quanta is responsible to high level model, Power Book and Asustek is in charge of entry level model, i-Book. This working module for Intel ODM will maintain for next year. Asustek will work on the consumer type of products and Quanta will be in charge of high-level model M1.
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Horizontal White Lines on new 15-Inch High Res PowerBook
30 November 2005 09:44 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Engadget points to a report that some of the new higher resolution PowerBooks are having display issues. Specifically a "weird horizontal line issue." The problem only seems to manifest itself on new 15-inch models and the 17s appear to be immune, so far. Check out the comments at Engadget for more...
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Flash-based PowerBooks?
23 November 2005 04:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Barring the obvious pricing issues, wouldn't it be cool if Apple did away with hard drives in the upcoming Intel PowerBook in favor of flash memory? It would allow them to further minimize the footprint (possibly fulfilling my dream of a PowerBook nano) and even offer the first instant-on machines.
The Motley Fool has a story on Apple's aggressive sourcing of flash memory and the potential for a new instant-on or near instant-on machine. The article also discusses Intel's "Robson" technology that integrates NAND flash into computers. Although flash memory chips aren't likely to replace the HDD any time soon, adding it promises to provide longer battery life.
The other barrier to replacing hard drives with flash is price. Flash memory is much more expensive that hard drive mechanisms, but then again Apple recently prepaid $1.25B to secure flash chips through 2010, which probably got them a substantial discount. Maybe they have all that flash memory allocated to something other than iPods?
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More on PowerBook Safe Sleep
15 November 2005 10:20 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
TUAW has an excellent article on the new Safe Sleep feature found in the October 2005 PowerBooks
With the latest iteration of PowerBooks Apple just released, a new feature called Safe Sleep was introduced that Fabienne covered a couple weeks ago. In case you missed it, the short of the long of this handy new feature is that it works like the Hibernate feature of Windows: you can save a snapshot of what you're working on to your hard drive and completely power down the notebook - meaning you can swap out batteries and power back up to your desktop as you left it in about 10 seconds, or simply store the notebook without draining any power, like the regular Sleep feature does.
Click through to the TUAW article to find out about how to enable Safe Sleep on any PowerBook. Click into this article for more on Safe Sleep...
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New PowerBooks Getting Closer?
10 October 2005 08:20 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
An anonymous PowerPage reader writes "I have a friend in the UK who is trying to buy a PowerBook 15-inch. The Apple people are telling him they can't get any because new models are arriving for some UK Apple show later this month."
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The Apple Core: PowerBook nano to the rescue
06 October 2005 12:41 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I'm a little afraid that Apple may be putting all their eggs in the iPod basket. It seems that new iPods come out every six to nine months while the venerable PowerBook lineup hasn't been refreshed since January and its form factor hasn't changed since 2003. It almost seems like Apple re-org'd all their engineers into the iPod group. Read more...
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7200RPM Hard Drives for Your PowerBook, or any Notebook for that Matter
22 September 2005 11:22 EST
TechRestore (a PowerPage sponsor) is offering an overnight hard drive upgrade service with speedy 7200RPM drives:
60GB 7200RPM @ $269.00
80GB 7200RPM @ $319.00
100GB 7200RPM @ $449.00
Is the industry moving to phase out all smaller hard drive sizes? Jump to the rest...
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Category: Any Laptop Computer/PowerBook
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Wacom debuts two new pen tablets priced at $99 and $199.
13 September 2005 11:17 EST
For "mobile creatives" the added features make these a must have when bouncing from client to client or just chilling out at the local coffee spot.
The new tablets come in two different sizes; 6x8 and a 4x5. And like it's bigger siblings, the Intuos and Cintiq models, the Graphire series tablets finally get two programmable "Express Keys" and a scroll wheel right on the tablet itself. The stylus has the usual 512 levels of pressure sensitivity and two side buttons that are programmable. Also included is a cordless mouse.
While pointing out Wacom's new releases not to be overlooked are their other cool creative tools; the 6D Art Pen, and the Graphire 6x8 Bluetooth model.
As an additional note to all owners of Wacom tablets, Wacom has a "Privileges" section on their site so it's good to check here from time to time and see what specials they are running... "Registered owners of current Wacom tablets are eligible to take advantage of special offers made possible through the combined efforts of Wacom and its partners." Jump to the webpage
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REVIEW: Waterfield Vertigo and Cargo PowerBook Cases
08 April 2005 12:56 EST
Okay, full disclosure: I'm a huge fan of any product designed by WaterField Designs. Their sleeve cases are to die for. But what I really want is a nice laptop bag. Something that won't hurt my back, and will look slim and clean. About a year ago I picked up WaterField's VertiGo bag. Read More...
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REVIEW: Waterfield Vertigo and Cargo PowerBook Cases
08 April 2005 12:56 EST
Okay, full disclosure: I'm a huge fan of any product designed by WaterField Designs. Their sleeve cases are to die for. But what I really want is a nice laptop bag. Something that won't hurt my back, and will look slim and clean. About a year ago I picked up WaterField's VertiGo bag. Read More...
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Category: Luggage/PowerBook
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Capacity Meter
09 January 2005 08:56 EST
I recently ran into problems with one of the batteries in my 400MHz TiBook. The machine dropped into sleep mode without warning with about 40% remaining charge showing in the menu bar while running on its original 3600 mAh battery, so I downloaded Capacity Meter. This nifty utility reports not only the state of charge, but the working capacity of the battery.
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Capacity Meter
09 January 2005 08:56 EST
I recently ran into problems with one of the batteries in my 400MHz TiBook. The machine dropped into sleep mode without warning with about 40% remaining charge showing in the menu bar while running on its original 3600 mAh battery, so I downloaded Capacity Meter. This nifty utility reports not only the state of charge, but the working capacity of the battery.
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Apple: Fix Your Hinges!
07 January 2005 05:07 EST
Apple: Fix Your Hinges!
My five-month-old PowerBook G4 15-inch 1.5GHz is a total piece of crap. The hinges are creaking worse than that old door sound effect from Hallowe'en and I am getting a little tired of it. Each time I open or close my PowerBook the right hinge releases an awful "snap" sound and I am certain that either it or the screen is broken. Each time I open and close my PowerBook I am reminded of the innumerable hinge problems that Apple has with almost every model.
In fact, hinge problems are so rampant with PowerBooks that an entire cottage industry has cropped up to fix it. Apple should bundle a tube of AIGlide from RadTech.us with every PowerBook that they sell.
My current PowerBook hinge situation is at the point of being embarrassing when I'm in a meeting or if someone else asks to use my PowerBook. "Ewwww, What's That?" they ask when they open my PowerBook... I tell them that it's a design flaw that manifests itself in most PowerBooks over time and that mine is less than six months old. They're even more shocked when I tell them that I baby my PowerBooks and always have them in several layers of protection, etc.
Note to Apple: Please fix the hinges in the upcoming PowerBook G5 or WE WON'T BUY THEM. I won't be buying the first generation PBG5 until I find out the deal with the hinges and recommend that you do the same. And since Apple doesn't give review hardware to Web journalists they can continue to cosy up to WSJ, BusinessWeek and rumor-mongerer Forbes and hope that they'll give it their stamp of approval.
If the PowerBook G5 turns out to be a US$3000 power-hungry, furnace with hinges that suck, Do us all a favor Apple and keep it in the labs. We won't get fooled again.
How are your hinges? Any issues with the quality of Apple's PowerBooks these days?
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Apple: Fix Your Hinges!
07 January 2005 05:07 EST
Apple: Fix Your Hinges!
My five-month-old PowerBook G4 15-inch 1.5GHz is a total piece of crap. The hinges are creaking worse than that old door sound effect from Hallowe'en and I am getting a little tired of it. Each time I open or close my PowerBook the right hinge releases an awful "snap" sound and I am certain that either it or the screen is broken. Each time I open and close my PowerBook I am reminded of the innumerable hinge problems that Apple has with almost every model.
In fact, hinge problems are so rampant with PowerBooks that an entire cottage industry has cropped up to fix it. Apple should bundle a tube of AIGlide from RadTech.us with every PowerBook that they sell.
My current PowerBook hinge situation is at the point of being embarrassing when I'm in a meeting or if someone else asks to use my PowerBook. "Ewwww, What's That?" they ask when they open my PowerBook... I tell them that it's a design flaw that manifests itself in most PowerBooks over time and that mine is less than six months old. They're even more shocked when I tell them that I baby my PowerBooks and always have them in several layers of protection, etc.
Note to Apple: Please fix the hinges in the upcoming PowerBook G5 or WE WON'T BUY THEM. I won't be buying the first generation PBG5 until I find out the deal with the hinges and recommend that you do the same. And since Apple doesn't give review hardware to Web journalists they can continue to cosy up to WSJ, BusinessWeek and rumor-mongerer Forbes and hope that they'll give it their stamp of approval.
If the PowerBook G5 turns out to be a US$3000 power-hungry, furnace with hinges that suck, Do us all a favor Apple and keep it in the labs. We won't get fooled again.
How are your hinges? Any issues with the quality of Apple's PowerBooks these days?
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What's on your PowerBook?
08 September 2004 07:08 EST
Remember those old "What's on your PowerBook" print ads? The Mothership has posted four of the original print ads on their site featuring Father Don Doll, Todd Rundgren, France Lear, Tama Janowitz, Martina Navratilova, Art Monk, Greg Catchum and Michael O'Brien. What a blast from the past. So, What's on your PowerBook?
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What's on your PowerBook?
08 September 2004 07:08 EST
Remember those old "What's on your PowerBook" print ads? The Mothership has posted four of the original print ads on their site featuring Father Don Doll, Todd Rundgren, France Lear, Tama Janowitz, Martina Navratilova, Art Monk, Greg Catchum and Michael O'Brien. What a blast from the past. So, What's on your PowerBook?
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Millions of Pixels
28 June 2004 03:03 EST
Mac users on the desktop can revel in the glow of several million pixels pulsating before their very eyes in the new 30" Cinema display.
All of the new displays look sharp, and have the welcome addition of using DVI and including a VESA mount for wall-hangings or putting these displays on large swivel arms , taking them off desktops and hanging them like the pieces of art they are.
The 30" display runs at a native resolution of 2560x1600, and requires the use of a previously mentioned special video card (The GeForce 6800) from nVidia.
The 20" and 23" displays are also fantastic and don't require the use of special video cards, allowing us PowerBook users to use them via the DVI ports.
More technical specifications are available from Apple's website.
Open your wallets, and dig deep though. My 21" Cinema Display isn't looking too outdated just yet:
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Millions of Pixels
28 June 2004 03:03 EST
Mac users on the desktop can revel in the glow of several million pixels pulsating before their very eyes in the new 30" Cinema display.
All of the new displays look sharp, and have the welcome addition of using DVI and including a VESA mount for wall-hangings or putting these displays on large swivel arms , taking them off desktops and hanging them like the pieces of art they are.
The 30" display runs at a native resolution of 2560x1600, and requires the use of a previously mentioned special video card (The GeForce 6800) from nVidia.
The 20" and 23" displays are also fantastic and don't require the use of special video cards, allowing us PowerBook users to use them via the DVI ports.
More technical specifications are available from Apple's website.
Open your wallets, and dig deep though. My 21" Cinema Display isn't looking too outdated just yet:
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Key Components Ready for PowerBook G5
24 February 2004 09:08 EST
By Larry Angell - All of the key components for Apple to produce a PowerBook G5 appear to be ready, and Mac users should expect to see the new laptop no later than this summer, Peter Glaskowsky, analyst with Instat/MDR and editor of the Microprocessor Report, told MacMinute...
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