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iFixIt Magic Trackpad Teardown
Review: Apple Magic Trackpad
Apple Magic Trackpad: The Beginning of the End for Mac OS X?
FORTUNE: Is Google Over?
Barack Obama's MacBook Pro
MyService Offers 750GB MacBook Hard Drive Upgrade
GadgetTrak 3 Released - Making it Easier to Track Stolen Laptops
Macworld Tests 21.5- and 27-inch Core i3 iMacs/3.2GHz
Apple: The New Religion?
The Cult of Apple: When Even a Battery Charger is Big News
Tech Worker Testifies Of 'Blue Screen Of Death' On Oil Rig's Computer
eSATA On An iMac? Maybe (But Not Likely)
The Top 13 Best Extensions For Safari 5
Quanta To Benefit From New iMac Launch
Mac Data Recovery Made Easier by the Newly Upgraded Disk Doctors Mac Recovery Software
iFixIt Magic Trackpad Teardown
iFixIt's Miro says:
We've noticed an interesting trend after having dismantled so many Apple products: "thin and pretty" does not translate well to "user serviceable." The Magic Trackpad is no exception to this trend, having few parts that can be replaced without potentially destroying the whole device.
We didn't find any magical unicorns inside, but we did uncover a plethora of components inside the Trackpad's (*)very(*) thin profile. Even though repairing the components might be infeasible, we're still impressed by everything Apple's engineers managed to stuff into the Trackpad.
The teardown:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Magic-Trackpad-Teardown/3395/1
Vimeo video slideshow of the teardown:
http://www.vimeo.com/13724155
Teardown highlights:
(*) This is one of the few Apple products where the battery is user serviceable.
(*) The battery screw has square threads! While square threads have the highest mechanical efficiency of all lead screws, their difficulty of manufacturing makes them prohibitive for most applications. Kudos, Apple, for sweating the details.
(*) After a good amount of quasi-non-destructive prying, the inner spacer can be removed from the trackpad. This spacer prevents the highly unlikely event of squeezing the lower panel against the logic board hard enough to damage it.
(*) The ribbon cables are ridiculously thin and are stuck to the underside of the touch pad. If you plan on servicing your Trackpad, proceed with caution.
(*) After using a heat gun to warm up the adhesive, the touch pad can be carefully pried off the aluminum chassis. This step is not for the faint of heart. A copious amount of heat, guitar picks, and plastic opening tools were required to make the touch pad budge.
(*) The Magic Trackpad has a unique way of triggering the mouse button. As you press down on the top surface of the pad, the two rubber feet near its front edge push on a plate attached to the chassis. The plate squeezes the electronic mouse button switch, producing the characteristic "click."
(*) At the heart of the Magic Trackpad's logic board lies a Broadcom BCM2042 for Bluetooth connectivity - the same chip used by the Magic Mouse.
(*) We also found a Broadcom BCM5974 touch screen controller chip that provides multi-touch functionality. This is the same chip you'll find in the iPhone, iPod Touch, and MacBook Air.
Magical images:
Final layout:
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/POMkttCQOMmJS3es.huge
Disconnecting the touch pad ribbon cable:
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/cam2WEnbm1JI6xuC.huge
Removing the touch pad:
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/djlUAxiPD6KnpJtO.huge
Hinged plate (in orange) and mouse button switch (in red):
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/q3sjSFLxFBNBXvpn.huge
Desoldering the logic board:
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/IoNZGkITXVX2F3aM.huge
Cheers,
Miro
iFixit
Review: Apple Magic Trackpad
Macworld's Dan Frakes reports that the new Apple Magic Trackpad is not as precise as a mouse or trackball, nor is it ideal for large screens or multiple displays, points that will not be news to laptop users who work with touchpads a lot.
However, Frakes suggests that if you're a Mac laptop user who has become comfortable with multi-touch trackpad gestures, the Magic Trackpad will have some serious appeal.
For the full review visit here:
http://bit.ly/dD2Hkt
Apple Magic Trackpad: The Beginning of the End for Mac OS X?
Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz says:
The $69 Apple Magic Trackpad is nothing new. The Wacom Bamboo Touch has offered the same multi-touch functionality for almost a year. Its true relevance is in what it heralds: The end of Mac OS X as we know it.....
The Apple Magic Trackpad is nice. It's not magical, and it won't convince laptop users looking for a desktop trackpad. But it will work as a mouse replacement for desktop users who are looking for a more comfortable alternative with multitouch support....
Apple's Magic Trackpad is not really that good, why would does it mean the beginning of the end of Mac OS X as we know it? Because this is Steve and Co. way of telling us that the future is multitouch, and the mouse is death....
For the full review and commentary visit here:
http://bit.ly/aG9jKj
FORTUNE: Is Google Over?
This week's cover of FORTUNE features a story by Michael V. Copeland and Seth Weintraub who report on how Google s best day's may be behind them with online search slowing and new competition looming.
Copeland and Weintraub note that note that "almost 12 years after it was launched by precocious Stanford grad students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google and its founders are grappling with a very grownup set of problems. Google's core business, online search, is slowing..... But more crucially, the web has changed significantly since Google became a verb. There is (at long last) fresh competition from Microsoft's Bing, and also a new wave of sites and services that offer alternatives for consumers time and attention and the advertisers that follow them."
The Googlers certainly know this, but in classic Innovator's Dilemma fashion, the company seems unsure about how to move beyond the core search business that has brought it such massive success.
Copeland and Weintraub cite Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, observing that "Google is not the hot company anymore. Their stock has been mostly flat for five or six years now. How can you claim to be a leader with equity performance like that? That's starting to look like Microsoft or Yahoo. They have to get into some other place, and quickly."
For the full report visit here:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/07/29/google-the-search-party-is-over/
You can access a video discussion with Michael V. Copeland and FORTUNE.com editor Dan Roth at FORTUNE Brainstorm Tech here:
http://bit.ly/cat2s8
Barack Obama's MacBook Pro
Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt notes that while the President of the U.S. may carry a BlackBerry on his belt, he does his demos on a Mac. Actually during his appearance on The View yesterday, Barack Obama lamented that the fun he used to have with his BlackBerry is over because associates infer that anything they send him could end up in the Presidential Record, and no longer forward any "juicy stuff."
Anyway, Elmer-DeWitt recalls that when Obama first took office, it was reported that his campaign staff, accustomed to working on laptop Macs, were dismayed to find the Bush White House equipped with desktops running outdated versions of Microsoft Windows, and notes that in his public remarksObama tends to play the technophobe, using Apple products as a prop, such as with his recent statement that "With iPods and iPads, and Xboxes and PlayStations - none of which I know how to work - information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation."
For the full report visit here:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/07/29/barack-obamas-macbook-pro/
MyService Offers 750GB MacBook Hard Drive Upgrade
[Press Release]
Santa Clara, California, based MyService has announced a new 750GB hard drive upgrade for the MacBook and MacBook Pro. These new 9.5mm Scorpio Blue drives by Western Digital are the largest mobile drives available for the MacBook. These new standard height drives (9.5mm) work in all MacBooks and MacBook Pros. MyService has these drives in stock and the complete upgrade service is $299. The price includes the new 750GB drive, round trip shipping, professional installation and data transfer.
Your old hard drive is returned to you and can be used for backups. Since MyService is an Apple Authorized Service Provider, the 750GB upgrade will not void your Apple warranty.
MyService makes the service process sound fast and easy. No phone trees, no runaround, just awesome service. MyService sends a custom laptop shipping container to you. Once it arrives, simply pack your laptop and send it back using the prepaid UPS shipping label. All shipping is insured and can be tracked online. You may drop your laptop at any one of the 4,200 UPS Store locations within the United States.
Once your laptop is back at MyService, a certified technician installs the new drive and transfers the data over from your old drive. If your old hard drive is failing, a new operating system is installed. All drives feature a 3 year manufacturer warranty.
After the service is completed, your laptop is cleaned, tested and sent back to you, along with your old drive. All services are completed within 24 hours of arrival. MyService accepts purchase orders from education facilities. For more information visit the MyService website or call 877-622-3473.
MyService:
http://www.myservice.com
750GB Western Digital Drive:
http://bit.ly/czYzEN
Purchase:
http://www.myservice.com/cart_controller.php?m=add&productID=2013
Hard Drive Upgrades:
http://www.myservice.com/harddrives.html
GadgetTrak 3 Released - Making it Easier to Track Stolen Laptops
[Press Release]
Portland based ActiveTrak Inc., a specialist in advanced tracking and data protection software for consumer and business devices, has made available GadgetTrak 3 for laptops, the latest version of its acclaimed GadgetTrak software. Powered by ActiveTrak's industry-leading anti-theft technology, GadgetTrak 3 introduces new functionality that allows people to track multiple computing devices at the same time - including laptops, netbooks and desktop computers - through a centralized Web control panel that can be viewed from any Internet accessible device.
"Today's families typically have multiple computers in their home, many of them mobile devices such as laptops and netbooks that leave the home and are vulnerable to loss and theft," says ActiveTrak CEO Ken Westin. "ActiveTrak specifically designed our newest software platform with households with multiple devices and small- to medium-sized businesses in mind. By being able track all laptops, netbooks and desktop computers simply, in one location, people are better able to keep tabs on all their computers, regardless of what kind of computers they are.
The FBI estimates 10-percent of all laptops purchased in the United States will be stolen within the first year of ownership with only three-percent recovered. However, GadgetTrak has a successful recovery rate of over 95 percent.
Key features of GadgetTrak 3 include:
(*) Advanced Positioning
oBy using onboard Wi-Fi radios found in virtually all computers together with advanced Wi-Fi positioning technology, GadgetTrak pinpoints stolen laptops within 10 meters.
(*) Location Notification
oWhen tracking occurs, a subscriber will get an email with detailed information about a device's location. This information can also be found on a web control panel at http://www.trak.me.
(*) Webcam Support
oUsing a laptop webcam, GadgetTrak can remotely snap a photo of a thief, providing crucial evidence that police can use to get a laptop back.
GadgetTrak 3 provides the most advanced data protection and theft recovery solution for laptops, taking back control of stolen devices from the thief. The GadgetTrak software supports Windows (XP, Vista and 7) and Mac OS X Leopard and higher (10.5 and 10.6), greatly increasing the chances of recovery for nearly every laptop, netbook and desktop computer sold in the last few years.
With GadgetTrak 3 people can protect their computers and their valuable and private data for $34.95 (USD) per device per year. More information can be found at GadgetTrak online.
GadgetTrak 3:
http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/laptop
Macworld Tests 21.5- and 27-inch Core i3 iMacs/3.2GHz
Macworld's James Galbraith reports:
With Apple's recent update of the iMac line, all new models now feature discrete graphic subsytems and Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors. The two systems in this report are a step up from the $1199 21.5-inch 3.06GHz Core i3 iMac we tested on Wednesday. These two new systems use 3.2GHz Core i3 processors and have 1TB hard drives (up from 500GB on the new entry-level iMac) and the same 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM standard in all of the new iMacs. The 21.5-inch version is $1499, while the 27-inch version is $1699.
For the full review visit here:
http://www.macworld.com/article/153042/2010/07/icorei3_imacs_tests.html
Apple: The New Religion?
The Huffington Post's Skye Jethani says:
This week crowds of worshipers outside Apple Stores around the globe will finally be able to lay their hands on the latest object of their devotion: the iPhone 4....
The frenzy created every time Apple releases a new product highlights a growing but under-reported phenomenon: the power of consumer brands to supplant traditional religions in peoples' lives....
Without question one of the most potent brands in America today is Apple, and new research has shown that Apple has achieved the same impact on the human brain as religion....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/skye-jethani/apple-the-new-religion_b_624332.html
The Cult of Apple: When Even a Battery Charger is Big News
Wired's Charlie Sorrel says:
Over the last few days, one of Apple's new products has been all over the internet. Nothing new there, right? But which one do I mean? The new iMac? The 12-core Mac Pro? The cool new Magic Trackpad? Nope. I'm talking about the Apple Battery Charger...
For the full commentary visit here:
http://bit.ly/c9HP6w
Tech Worker Testifies Of 'Blue Screen Of Death' On Oil Rig's Computer
Computerworld's Gregg Keizer reports:
A computer that monitored drilling operations on the Deepwater Horizon had been freezing with a "blue screen of death" prior to the explosion that sank the oil rig last April, the chief electronics technician aboard testified Friday at a federal hearing.
"Blue screen of death," or BSOD, is a term most often used to describe the display shown by Microsoft Windows after a serious crash that has incapacitated a PC....
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/9Mx1OA
eSATA On An iMac? Maybe (But Not Likely)
OWC b logger Chris S. says:
Ever since our Tuesday night post regarding the third SATA port on the Mid-2010 27" iMacs, there has been a resounding chorus of we want eSATA on an iMac! coming at us from all directions.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the project, a kit for such a thing is not very likely to surface.
What if, though, we offered a turnkey service for adding this interface to your new iMac? Much like our Mac mini upgrade service or iPod battery replacement service, you d send us your iMac, we d perform the intricate upgrade, then send your iMac back with a custom high speed eSATA port. Would that sort of thing appeal to you? If so, how much would you be willing to pay for such a service?
What's the most you'd be willing to pay to have an eSATA port installed on your 2010 iMac?
$50-$75
$75-$100
$100-$125
More than $125
Respond to the survey at:
http://blog.macsales.com/6364-esata-on-an-imac-maybe
OWC "Maxram" Certified Memory Upgrades For New Mid 2010 Apple IMacs Offer More Configurations Over Factory Build Options
[Press Release]
Other World Computing (OWC - http://www.macsales.com ), has announced the immediate availability of high performance OWC PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz Memory Upgrade Kits up to 16GB that provide memory configurations not offered as factory build options for the new Mid 2010 iMac models introduced by Apple earlier this week. All OWC Memory Upgrades come with quality assurance from a Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty and Money Back Guarantee.
OWC Memory Upgrades Offer More RAM Configuration Options:
16GB DDR3 1333MHz Memory Kit (4 x 4GB) for all 2010 iMac 21.5" and 27" - $549.99
- 45% savings vs. factory 27" option. Not offered as a factory option for 21.5" iMac.
12GB RAM Configuration for ALL Mid 2010 iMacs - $279.99
- Not offered as a factory option. Add an OWC 8GB Memory Kit (2 x 4GB matched memory modules) to factory installed base 4GB RAM for a total of 12GB RAM. Compared to $400 factory 8GB (2 x 4GB) option, OWC 8GB upgrade kit delivers 50% more RAM for 30% lower cost.
Quality Proven Memory That Costs Less
Mid 2010 iMac owners seeking to expand memory configuration up to 16GB will find it costs as much as $1,000 via the factory, compared to the OWC iMac memory upgrade kits ranging from $117.99 to $549.99. For more information on the full line of memory upgrades for Apple iMac, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/iMac
Additional Savings Through OWC Rebate Program
In addition to the savings offered by OWC Upgrades, Mid 2010 iMac users also retain their original factory memory modules that can either be set aside for future use or be sent to OWC for a cash back trade-in of up to $50 per Apple factory 2 x 2GB memory module pair. For more information on OWC s rebate program, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/trade-in-rebate
The full OWC Memory line, as well as a compatibility guide which directs customers to the correct upgrades for each specific Apple model, can be found online at:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/
The Top 13 Best Extensions For Safari 5
Mac360's Ron McElfresh says:
Apple claims to be the innovating technology company. Sometimes our Mac maker takes awhile to join the party. For example, it took almost 25 years for Apple to deliver a two-button mouse to Mac users.
What about browser extensions? Firefox had them years ago. Google s newbie Chrome browser had them. Finally, extensions for Safari get the blessings from Cupertino. Here's the Top 13 Best Safari Extensions.
You can check it out at:
http://bit.ly/aGLtsR
Quanta To Benefit From New iMac Launch
DIGITIMES Yen-Shyang Hwang and Joseph Tsai report:
As Apple has announced the launch of its new iMac all-in-one PC, Quanta Computer, the manufacturer of the device, is expected to see strong sales coming from the machine, according to sources form notebook players.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100729PD203.html
Mac Data Recovery Made Easier by the Newly Upgraded Disk Doctors Mac Recovery Software
[Press Release]
Disk Doctor Labs has released an upgrade for Disk Doctors Mac Data Recovery Software, which provides many new features and enhancements including compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on 64-bit Mac.
Disk Doctors Mac Data Recovery Software includes some major updates that provide considerable improvements in recovering critical data from HFS+ and HFSX file systems.
The upgrade comes with multi dimensional drive scanning that combines recovery of lost folders, broken folder entries, and individual file type search. The overall usability of the application has been enriched by the try & buy activation process. This enables the users to save time as they can activate the demo version immediately after purchasing the software.
"This important update of Disk Doctors Mac Data Recovery software is a result of continuous design change that our technical team has been engaged in, based on the valuable feedbacks received from our customers. It is the second upgrade in this year and as a leading data recovery solution provider, we feel very confident that they we are keeping up with the requirements of our customers and ever changing tech trends" says Omer Faiyaz, CEO, Software Business, Disk Doctor Labs, Inc.
Designed and programmed as native Mac OS X 10.4.11 and above, Mac File Recovery completes the goal of providing a secure, reliable, powerful, yet extremely easy to use data recovery utility for Apple Mac OS X.
Users can download the updated Disk Doctors Mac Data Recovery software trial from:
http://www.diskdoctors.net/download.html#mac
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