If you’ve been aching to put your Mac’s Thunderbolt port, and your savings, to good use, LaCie has just released its 2big Thunderbolt series external drives. You can get the 2big drives at 4TB and 6TB capacities right now for $650 and $800 respectively, though an 8TB drive is also on the way. The drives take advantage of Thunderbolt’s throughput for up to 327MB/s transfer speeds. You can also choose between RAID 0 for performance or RAID 1 for data redundancy and security.
The drives feature hot-swappable disks and dual Thunderbolt ports so you can daisy chain multiple drives together. Daisy chaining multiple drives increases the amount of storage available and pushes the overall performance to more than 670MB/s.
continue reading
Acer has just unveiled the Aspire S5, which it claims to be the world’s thinnest ultrabook, measuring just 15mm (0.6 inches) at its thickest point. The Aspire S5 is made of magnesium-aluminium alloy, its packing a 13.3-inch display and weighs less than 1.35 kg (less than 3 lbs).
The laptop has all the latest connectivity, including a 20Gps capable Thunderbolt port — meaning that its running on Intel’s Ivy Bridge microarchitecture — HDMI and USB 3.0. An SSD drive will keep things running quick and smooth, while Acer’s Green Instant On promises resume from standby in 1.5 seconds.
continue reading
We’ve been hearing rumors about a 15-inch MacBook Air (or a new thin 15-inch MacBook Pro) for a while now. Digitimes, whose reports have been a hit-or-miss affair, claims supply-chain sources indicate that a new 15-inch model will be joining the MacBook Air line as early as the first quarter next year. The new larger-screened Air, will be joined by refreshed 11.6 and 13.3-inch models.
Although Apple had only refreshed the MacBook Air (MBA) line this summer, donning it with fast Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt ports — you might want to read our full review of the mid-2011 MBAs — the accelerated development cycle would help Apple stop competing Windows ultrabook adoption.
continue reading
This is a review of the mid-2011 Sandy Bridge MacBook Air (MBA). I’ve been using the 11-inch model, but most of what I will say also applies to the 13-inch version — a comparison of the two is at the bottom of this review. The review will concentrate on the hardware, rather than the software, aspects of the laptop. After all, loading Windows on the MBA is straightforward and we ours loaded with both operating systems — of course you can also load your favorite Linux distro as well. We’re certainly not discounting that the new MBA comes pre-loaded with the new Mac OS X Lion, but, that is a totally independent review in its own. Enough, however, with the introduction and lets move on to our experience with the new MBA.
We like to front-load our reviews, so, lets just say that there is very little that I don’t like with the new MacBook Air. What I mean is that there are only pleasant surprises, such as the performance, with most nags from last years’ model already worked out. But the MBA is certainly not the only laptop to offer performance in a small package, especially now that Intel is pushing the concept of the ‘ultrabook’.
A wise man once said that god is in the details, and that’s where the MBA wins over other offerings, in the details. We don’t have any preference with regards to manufacturer or operating system. But as said, it’s the little things that count. Apple has, over time, accumulated a list of extra features and little nuances that make its notebook products stand out. The MagSafe connector with a truly portable power brick, the oversized clickable multi-touch glass trackpad, a strong unibody construction that leaves zero room for flex, an excellent backlit island keyboard. The MBA is a culmination of all of these. It’s also the culmination of true portability and finally power.
The MBA is a svelte performer, never boggling down even with a dozen of browser windows, Mail, Photoshop and Spotify running all at the same time.
That’s not to say there are no faults, but it would have been unfair to mention these first; we found the poor vertical viewing angles somewhat restrictive, particularly for the form factor, while, the lack of ports could be a deal-breaker for some. Battery life is also on the lower side, not to say it’s bad or anything, but could be disappointing to some road warriors wanting a whole day charge. But please, read on while we delve deeper on Apple’s latest ultra-mobile notebook.
continue reading
If you own a mid-2011 MacBook Air you might want to hit the update button. Apple has just released an EFI firmware update which solves a couple of issues mainly dealing with Thunderbolt compatibility. The other issue deals with Lion Recovery from an internet connection.
The fixes should:
- Enhance the stability of Lion Recovery from an Internet connection.
- Resolve issues with Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility.
- Resolve issues with Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode performance.
To update, connect your mid-2011 MBA to a power source, click on the Apple logo in the top left corner and then “Software Update…”, then follow the dialogue boxes.
continue reading
If you’ve been waiting on a new Apple Thunderbolt display then we have good news. The new 27-inch LED Cinema Display, that was announced back in July, is finally shipping to Apple Stores and resellers this week, according to MacRumors. At the same time, Electronista reported that, online pre-orders could be shipping in mid-September. The $999 display is the first to feature Thunderbolt I/O technology offering two 10-Gbps channels in both directions.
The 27-inch Thunderbolt Cinema Display has wide 178-degree viewing angles thanks to its IPS technology and edge-to-edge all glass front. It features a 2,560×1,440 resolution (16:9), LED backlighting, a FaceTime HD camera, 2.1 speakers, three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and of course a Thunderbolt port.
Thunderbolt technology allows daisy-chaining of up to five additional devices, such as hard drives and peripherals as well as up to two displays. So that, you can have two displays running from one computer; just not the new MacBook Air.
continue reading
There is a certain satisfaction in calling out first, that Seagate must be feeling right now. Seagate just announced the world’s first 4TB external hard drive, which has been added to their growing GoFlex Desk line. The standard unit comes with USB 3.0 support (USB 2.0 backwards compatible) and is available now for $250, while a Mac version will be coming out soon with Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 connectivity. But, as with all GoFlex drives, the base can be swapped for different connectivity options; like something more interesting perhaps, let’s say Thunderbolt?
Seagate also managed a design refresh, giving the drive a more “industrial” look. The unit weights 2.38 lbs and measures 6.22 x 4.88 x 1.73-inches and has enough space for 2,000 HD movies, or you know, those “documentaries” you like watching late at night. Full press release after the break.
continue reading
What you see above are the innards — that is the motherboard — of the latest 2011 MacBook Air, dissected and displayed with love and care from the folks at iFixit.
A careful examination of the Thunderbolt controller chip at the top right has revealed that this is a different chip compared to the one used in other Thunderbolt-equipped Macs we’ve seen so far. This chip, codenamed Eagle Ridge, is capable of handling two bi-directional 10Gbps Thunderbolt channels and one DisplayPort output. This means you can connect only one display, that is, no daisy-chaining of displays here.
continue reading
Although we can’t say we’re too surprised, together with the release of Mac OS X Lion, Apple has released an updated line of MacBook Air ultraportable laptops.
Both the 11- and 13-inch models have been updated with latest generation 2011 Intel Core i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge processors, Thunderbolt ports, while the MacBook Airs will once again sport back-lit keyboards.
Apple has also officially axed the basic white MacBook, which, lets face it, would have now had limited appeal as both MacBook Airs will now be running on speedy processors.
The basic 11-inch model, selling for $999, now features a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 64GB solid state drive (SSD). For an extra $200 you can double both the RAM and disk space to 4GB and 128GB respectively while there is also a $150 option to bump the processor to an 1.8GHz Core i7.
The $1,299 base 13-inch model runs a 1.7GHz dual-core i5 with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage. Doubling the SSD to 256GB will cost you $300 more, while the 1.8GHz Core i7 option adds $100.
The 11-inch model weighs 2.38 pounds with a disclosed 5 hours battery life, while the 13-inch weighs 2.96 pounds providing up to 7 hours of battery life.
All models come with OS X Lion, of course, and you can order them online immediately — at least for now shipping is within 24 hours, so hurry up! Pictures and press release after the break.
continue reading
Intel’s speedy Sandy Bridge platform and Thunderbolt interface have already made their way into Apple’s MacBook Pro line-up in February this year.
Now, Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes is reporting that Apple supply chain sources will begin shipments of new 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air models, in late May, featuring updated Sandy Bridge processors while sporting Thunderbolt ports. The same sources are claiming that the launch of the new Airs will be in June or July.
continue reading
