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MacBook Air - page 24

How to hack the new MacBook’s power chime onto the MacBook Air and Pro

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Original MagSafe connector
Here's how to hack the new MacBook's power chime onto the Air and Pro. Photo: Cult of Mac
Photo: Apple

You know how the iPhone and iPad plays a little chime when you plug it in? The new MacBook also does that. But sadly, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro remain completely silent when they connect to juice — which can make it hard to tell when you’ve accidentally knocked the MagSafe loose.

If you’ve got a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, though, it’s easy to hack in the new MacBook’s power-charging sound. Here’s how.

New 12-inch MacBook as powerful as 2011 MacBook Air

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Macbook 1
The new MacBook probably isn't for most people. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

The 12-inch MacBook with Retina display is sexy to behold, but its specs may leave more to be desired.

Thanks to some new benchmarks, we have a clearer picture of what to expect from the new MacBook’s processor. And it’s basically as powerful as a 2011 MacBook Air.

Apple is being modest about the 2015 MacBook Air’s graphics

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The new MacBook Air has more graphics power than it appears at first. Photo: Apple
The new MacBook Air has more graphics power than it appears at first. Photo: Apple

When Apple announced the new 2015 MacBook Air a couple weeks ago, there was at least a couple of disappointments.

First of all, for those of us who love the current form factor, power, keyboard, ports, and trackpad of the MacBook Air, there was no Retina Display in the 2015 model of the ultraportable.

In fact, the new MacBook Air’s Intel HD Graphics 6000 chip allegedly didn’t support Retina, with the maximum resolution it could pump out to an external monitor 2560 x 1600: a few million pixels below the 4K resolution necessary to make an argument for a desktop monitor being Retina.

It turns out, though, that Apple has undersold the graphic performance ability of the new MacBook Air.

How an Android user created a hit Apple viral video

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The
The "Apple Engineer Talks" viral video by Armando Ferreira clocked more than 3 million views in a few days. Photo: YouTube

The viral video hit “Apple Engineer Talks,” which mocks the new MacBook, is a scream. I nearly died laughing — along with millions of other people.

The clever parody was crafted by somebody who clearly has a deep knowledge of Apple, so I was surprised to discover its creator is actually an Android user.

Here’s how he did it, and why he didn’t make any money off his wildly successful Apple viral video.

What to expect from Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ Watch event

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Apple is taking over the Yerba Buena Center in San Fransisco. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple is taking over the Yerba Buena Center in San Fransisco. Photo:Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s March 9 “Spring Forward” event is just around the corner, and its tagline can only mean one thing: Apple Watch news galore.

Scheduled for the day after daylight saving time kicks in, we expect Apple to shower us with details about the upcoming wearable, including pricing and availability. Select Apple Watch apps from App Store developers will likely be shown off as well to whet our appetites for what’s to come.

While there’s a chance some new Mac hardware could share the stage Monday, we expect the event to focus mostly on all the unanswered questions surrounding the Apple Watch.

What are those questions? Glad you asked:

12-inch MacBook Air may arrive in time for WWDC

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MacbookAIr
The 12-inch MacBook Air may finally find its way into your hands this June. Photo: Apple

Apple could launch its eagerly anticipated 12-inch MacBook Air around the time of the Worldwide Developers Conference this June.

Claiming to have spoken with unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal writes that Apple will release its first refresh of the MacBook Air since April 2014 “in large quantities” during the second quarter of 2015, although no definite date has been nailed down. Suppliers are reportedly already manufacturing the notebook, and are building up supplies ready for shipping.

Next-gen MacBook Air specs leak in alleged screenshots

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The new MacBook Air has more graphics power than it appears at first. Photo: Apple
Apple might surprise us with new MacBooks. Photo: Apple

Screenshots of what appears to be the spec sheet of a next-generation 13-inch MacBook Air were allegedly posted on the Chinese forum site Feng.com today, claiming to reveal new info about Apple’s new notebook lineup.

The MacBook Air hasn’t received an update since April 2014, but according to the screenshots, a hardware update could be imminent. The pictures suggest that the update won’t include a Retina display, but new processors and upgraded RAM are supposedly on the way.

Take a peek at the screenshots below:

Apple could surprise us with 12-inch MacBook Air next week

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The new MacBook Air has more graphics power than it appears at first. Photo: Apple
Apple might surprise us with new MacBooks. Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch is expected to be the main attraction at next week’s “Spring Forward” event, but according to a new report, the long-rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook Air could make a surprise appearance at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

The sketchy rumor comes from the Michael Report, which claims its sources inside Apple say the company’s long-awaited update to the MacBook Air will be announced March 9.

Touch ID might be coming soon to MacBooks, Magic Mice and trackpads

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Touch ID
Touch ID is ready for an upgrade. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Touch ID has completely changed security on the iPhone, and now Apple’s fingerprint-scanning technology could soon be coming to the Mac.

Apple is planning to bring Touch ID to the upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air, according to sources at Taiwanese Apple blog Apple.Club.tw. In the past, the site successfully leaked the iPad Air 2 logic board, the Touch ID sensor and the iPhone 6 Lightning port, so it has a track record for accuracy. The site claims Apple has big plans for Touch ID in 2015 and wants to put it in everything from MacBook Pros to Magic Mice.

Don’t expect the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air this month

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You may have a little longer to wait if you want a Retina MacBook Air. Photo: Martin Hajek
You may have a little longer to wait if you want a Retina MacBook Air. Photo: Martin Hajek

Like you, we’re excited about Apple’s next MacBook Air, a device that is rumored to be a an ultra-sexy 12-incher with only a single port and a beautiful Retina Display.

Now we’re hearing that Apple is planning on updating the MacBook Air later this month. But don’t get too excited. This is not the MacBook Air you’re waiting for.

Apple Watch event in March could debut iOS 8.2, Retina MacBook Air

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Photo: Apple
Will we have to wait for March for the iOS 8.2 update? Photo: Apple

Apple has been working on iOS 8.2 for a while now. Just yesterday, they released iOS 8.2 beta 5 to developers, introducing new changes to WatchKit, the new API for Apple Watch developers.

Given how many betas of iOS 8.2 have come out so far, you might expect that its public release is right around the corner. But a new report suggests we have a long way to go, and the release of iOS 8.2 will be accompanied by an official Apple event — as well as the new MacBook Air.

How to save money on Mac repairs with your credit card’s extended warranty

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Use your credit card to solve your Apple problems. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Buy your Mac with a credit card and you could save big money on repairs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo:

Have you ever had an Apple product bite the dust only a few months after its warranty or AppleCare expired? Out-of-warranty repair costs can easily soar into the hundreds of dollars for Apple products, but if you purchased your Mac using a credit card that offers extended-warranty protection, you might be able to get that money back.

Many credit cards offer purchase-protection and extended warranties, which are usually included as a free benefit for qualifying purchases made using the card. I recently had a MacBook Air die. It was over three years old, so it was no longer covered by Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty or AppleCare. Fortunately, I purchased it using an American Express credit card and, therefore, AMEX’s extended-warranty program gave me extra coverage.

Read on to learn how Apple repaired my broken MacBook Air and AMEX reimbursed the cost — saving me nearly $300.

Sexy new renders show the iPad Pro and 12-inch MacBook Air side-by-side

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Photo: Martin Hajek
Photo: Martin Hajek

The Apple Watch might be Cupertino’s most hotly anticipated product, but for my money, the two releases I’m most excited about this year are the 12-inch MacBook Air and the 12-inch iPad Pro. Outside of a few leaked images, though, we still have not seen either of these rumored devices in the flash.

Conceptual designer Martin Hajek is no stranger to turning rumors of upcoming Apple products into blisteringly sexy 3-D renders, and now he’s done it again with a series of renders showing the iPad Pro and 12-inch MacBook Air going head to head. Call it the battle of the 12-inchers, if you will!

Crystal Baller: iPad Pro gets a stylus and other insane Apple rumors

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The Rumor: Apple Watch will only get 19 hours of battery life.

The Verdict: This sounds about right to us. Some people are already complaining about Mark Gurman’s report that Apple Watch’s battery won’t last all-day. With as many features as Apple’s cramming into its first timepiece, we’re not shocked the battery is puny. Tim Cook already said you’ll have to charge it every day. It’s only a first generation device. If it lasts a full 19 hours we’ll be pleased.


Want a job? Quanta needs 30K people to build new 12-inch MacBook Airs

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Photo: Apple
The 12-inch Retina MacBook Air is coming in early 2015. Photo: Apple

Are you ready for the thinner, radically-redesigned, 12-inch MacBook Air?

Apple certainly hopes so, because it’s reportedly piling on the pressure on to get Quanta Computer, its Taiwan-based manufacturer, to ramp up volume production of the notebook. The MacBook Air is set to be unveiled by Apple in the first quarter of this year, and to meet that kind of schedule Quanta is recruiting more workers for its production line.

And it’s not just a few workers it’s looking for, either!

Get photography tips from an Instagram pro on this week’s episode of The CultCast

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Photo courtesy of @Withhearts, the prince of Instagram
Photo courtesy of @Withhearts, the prince of Instagram

This week: As promised! With over 430,000 Instagram followers, photographer Cory Staudacher, aka @withhearts, joins us to talk mobile photography, his favorite photo apps and gear, and his tips for capturing beautiful images with your favorite iDevice. Plus, someone tries to burn down the Mrs. Doubtfire house—time for a drive-by fruiting; prepare thy wrists, the  Watch may cometh in March; and details on a radically new Macbook Air.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Squarespace 7 is live, and it’s their biggest update in years. Now building a beautiful website is faster and easier than ever. Learn more at Squarespace.com/seven and use code “CultCast” at checkout for 10% off any order.

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Full show notes ahead!

How baking your MacBook Pro could solve persistent heat issues

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If you've cooked it this much, it may be beyond help. Photo: Wikipedia/Secumem CC
If you've cooked your notebook this much, it may be beyond help. Photo: Wikipedia/Secumem CC

Reading that someone decided to put their MacBook Pro in the oven and then set about drilling holes in it sounds like one of those inane YouTube videos showing someone destroying a perfectly good computer for no reason whatsoever.

For iFixit employee “Sterling,” however, it was not a way to destroy his MacBook at all, but rather a means by which to extend the life of a dying machine.

“Unconventional electronics repair tools they may be, but that’s how I saved my MacBook Pro with a drill and an oven,” Sterling writes.

Here’s how he did it.

Xiaomi’s reputed MacBook Air ripoff turns out to be a hoax

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Xiaomi plans to ripoff the MacBook Air next.
Don't worry: Xiaomi isn't being this brazen with its Apple-inspired designs. Yet. Photo: Gizmochina

The Apple blogosphere was ablaze yesterday with reports that the ripoff artists at Xiaomi had come up with the Chinese company’s most brazen copycat product yet. A supposedly leaked image showed a MacBook Air lookalike that was virtually indistinguishable from Cupertino’s offering with the exception of a Xiaomi logo.

Well, the picture is a fake, according to a Xiaomi representative.

While it’s great to hear that Apple’s intellectual property is upheld in this instance, however, it’s still less than ideal for Xiaomi for one very simple reason: just how believable the rumor was.

HP’s new ultralight laptop is yet another MacBook Air doppelgänger

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HP's new ultra-light laptop definitely isn't a MacBook. Photo: HP
HP's new ultra-light laptop definitely isn't a MacBook. Photo: HP

HP just announced its newest business laptops today – the HP EliteBook Folio 1020 – and even though the company is touting them as the thinnest and lightest ‘business-class’ notebooks ever made, they certainly look a hell of lot like the MacBook Air.

This isn’t the first time HP’s design team ripped off Apple’s work, but the copycats have fine-tuned the design of their previous MacBook Air rip-off, the 1040, by removing the unsightly ventilation fan on the side, so it looks even more Apple-esque.

Here’s another look:

Smart gifts for the college students on your list

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Mini Jambox pumps out the jams. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
From music to MacBooks, these gifts will resonate with students. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

You might think college students are tricky to shop for, but in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. Since they’re constantly swamped with homework and simultaneously managing a busy social life, all they want is stuff that makes their lives easier and more fun.

If you’re stressing about what to get the student in your life this holiday season, never fear. We’ve collected some great gift ideas, handpicked by college students for college students:

Microsoft’s latest ad goes hard on the MacBook Air

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Microsoft has been taking so many shots at Apple as of late that you could be forgiven for thinking we’ve slipped back through a wormhole to 1996. This tendency doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, either, if you go on Microsoft’s latest ad.

Called “Let’s dance,” the ad compares Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro convertible laptop to Apple’s MacBook Air, showing them side-by-side and comparing them on size and features. And, wouldn’t you know it, Microsoft’s preferred option comes out on top.

Sorry, there won’t be a Retina MacBook Air this Thursday

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Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Last week we reported on how new, slimmer 12-inch Retina MacBook Airs have supposedly entered production, set to arrive in iPhone-inspired silver, gold and space gray color options.

With that being the case, some people have been asking whether we’re going to see the MacBook refresh at this Thursday’s Apple event.

Ready your wallets and catch our Oct. 16th iPad and Mac predictions on The CultCast

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This week on The CultCast: Just when you thought it was safe to close your wallet, Apple goes and announces yet another hardware event. Yessir, Oct. 16 is just days away, and if you’re eyeballin’ a new Mac or iPad, don’t miss our event-day predictions. Plus—-ever wonder what it’s like to have a brand new iPhone 6 Plus stolen right out of your hands? Well we can tell you firsthand, and we want your help to catch the crooks.

Chuckle your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.

Our thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode! Learn virtually any application at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at lynda.com.

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Click on for the show notes.