Apple MacBook Pro 2009 (2.66GHz, 17-inch) Review

Posted on September 7th, 2009 in Macbook | Comments

If you are a fan of Apple’s laptops for a while, or in the possession of an Apple Mac before, you may well remember the back of the announcement of the new design 13 and 15-inch in October ‘08. The apparent absence, however, the issue of 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Later, a few months, announced in January 2009, Apple, which now appear in typical Apple MacBook Pro 2009 (2,66 GHz, 17-inch) and laptop. These include a small trackpad button  unibody  aluminum chassis and the screen with LED backlight edge to edge glass. This makes it ideal for fans of Apple delighted that they want improvements in the model 2009 in a desktop replacement.

Starting from $ 2,799 for a 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro that is not the cheapest laptop, but still a favorite model for photographers and media representatives. The improved suspension, trackpad and an integrated graphics chipset nVidia is certainly welcome additions to improve Mac Book Pro.

One thing is Apple’s laptops do not doubt the quality of simple designs, but high. The 17-inch MacBook Pro is similar to the 13 and 15-inch models because they come from a solid block of aluminum is a thin and light laptop that is still a solid framework.

The trackpad is the same as that found in smaller models, but provide a button on the mouse separately, allowing a much wider area. You will notice that the entire trackpad as a mouse button is clickable, but also works when you type (such as a laptop), if the option is enabled in the settings.

After the trackpad, you can find some useful features. Slide four fingers on the pad and all applications will hide. Sliding four fingers left and right will move applications … very useful to facilitate the transition and the concealment of applications. If you find it useful to describe the function of the right mouse button on a mouse, then the probability of a corner of the touchpad to use the law for the right mouse button as a very useful tool.

Appliances widescreen 17-inch screen is more than enough to work on photo and video-assisted production of 1920 in x1, 200 screen. The colors are bright and deep, but you can see the rays of light catch the screen very well. Apple has a matte coating to prevent the display option as an asset of $ 50 to reflect this.

We have always been a fan of the keyboard for notebook computers by Apple, because it’s flat major developed and remote areas. Pro-and high-end 13-inch MacBook come standard with backlit keys, which seems a very nice feature.

While the MacBook Pro is the port FireWire, which has won over many fans would consider the possibility of a Blu-ray and CF or SD card slot would not hurt. It seems a shame not to get the most from the bustle of the big screen with the top model of optical discs.

Apple sells a variety of external dongles you with any video output is available, because this lap-top comes with a Mini DisplayPort as a mini-DVI or VGA. For an extra $ 750 you have an option for a 256GB-drive solid state to achieve, but more with the most customers, the 7200 rpm 320GB hard drive separately ($ 50) in the standard 320 GB 5400 rpm is not of your taste.

Standard 2,66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo works very well to the reference tests, but only slightly faster than the CPU 2,6 GHz, the 15-inch model. A 2.93GHz chip is available as an upgrade, but will return $ 300 fee. Benchmarking with similar processors for mobile PCs based on Windows measured lead very well, but the fact that many applications such as iTunes and Photoshop run faster on Mac OS X, you can get better results if comparisons with computers and laptop computers.

The design of the Apple MacBook Pro, but is great fun, some people complain about the battery is sealed. This means that it is possible to replace the battery when on long trips or for several hours. But the battery is in this notebook for more than 4 hours after consumption, often twice, which can reach most other desktop replacement laptops.

Although it has many good qualities for notebook computers by Apple, the 90 days of free telephone support is quite short. In other words, get AppleCare warranty almost a necessity, but will take $ 349. We love their laptops to Apple LaptopSearcher.com however, and the MacBook Pro 17-inch 2009-model Apple is a model that looks great, good will, and will be on our list to replace desktops best laptop computer.

Apple and U.K. man get heated over iPod fire claim

Posted on August 8th, 2009 in iPod | Comments

Are iPods exploding all over the place? According to the Times Online, an iPod touch belonging to 11 year-old Ellie Stanborough of Liverpool, England, started hissing and emitting vapor before an explosion sent it flying ten feet into the air. When Ellie’s father, Ken, contacted Apple to ask for a refund, the company agreed, though reputedly on the condition that the Stanboroughs agreed to not talk about the incident.

That didn’t sit well with Ken Stanborough, who declined to sign the agreement and subsequently talked to the Times:

“They’re putting a life sentence on myself, my daughter and Ellie’s mum, not to say anything to anyone. If we inadvertently did say anything, no matter what, they would take litigation against us. I thought that was absolutely appalling.”

Apple, meanwhile, disputes the claim, telling British news service Sky News that the letter in question was a standard settlement agreement. It also said that Stanborough refused to send the iPod back to Apple for investigation.

This isn’t the first time that an iPod has supposedly met with a fiery fate; like many electronic devices, the iPod uses a lithium-ion battery, a technology which can present a risk of fire, especially if the battery is damaged. In 2006, a number of laptop vendors, including Dell and Hitachi, recalled batteries manufactured by electronics giant Sony, which were known to be susceptible to overheating. Apple itself has issued battery recalls several times in the past, most notably in 1995 with the infamous PowerBook 5300 series, but also in more recent years.

In 2008, the government of Japan asked Apple to investigate a sparking iPod nano; Apple attributed the problem to faulty batteries. A recent investigation by Seattle news station KIRO revealed 800 pages of information on iPod fire mishaps documented by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, though it only listed 15 distinct incidents. In March of this year, an Ohio woman filed suit against Apple claiming that her son’s iPod touch exploded in his pants.

Of course, part of the reason that the iPod is so prominent in this kind of case is its overwhelming popularity: the device is almost eight years old, and Apple’s sold more than 150 million iPods in the last two years alone. Even a single batch of flawed batteries could have huge repercussions. In addition, the trend towards miniaturization of devices means that electronics manufacturers and battery makers are trying to pack more and more power into smaller spaces.

Any electronic device is imperfect and subject to problems; that doesn’t mean Apple doesn’t need to hold its suppliers to high manufacturing standards. But it isn’t surprising that Apple wants to keep a lid on the negative PR that can come out of a situation like this—no manufacturer would be thrilled to say its products catch on fire, even if it’s a one-in-a-million occurrence. It’s also likely that the company investigates such claims to try and figure out the root cause of the problem and, if necessary, issue recalls. It’s most certainly not a good situation, but the other alternative leads to panic and accusations, which are usually counterproductive.

Long-term, the solution may be to move away from lithium-ion batteries as power sources. That’s an expensive proposition and one that requires a large investment into research and development, especially since it’s been the predominant battery technology for consumer electronics devices for over a decade. Apple’s certainly put a lot of work into battery technology for its most recent line of laptops, and while it understandably doesn’t say anything about reduced fire or explosion risk, one would hope that’s part of the package.