MacBook Air - page 26

Bigger is always better, right? That’s been Samsung’s philosophy when it comes to smartphone screens, but the latest bits of gossip from the rumor mill suggest Apple might be looking to embrace that matra with its iPad displays.

A new report claims that Apple is preparing to build a 12.9-inch iPad for release in 2014, which may sound somewhat outlandish, except we’ve heard similar claims from the WSJ and other analysts.

According to Korea Times’ sources, Apple has already asked its top suppliers to start making the 12.9-inch touchscreens screens that will be included in its 2014 iPad lineup that is  expected to improve picture quality as consumers move away from PCs and towards tablets as their main computing device:

Tesla Motors announced this afternoon that it has managed to snatch up Doug Field who has been serving as Apple’s Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering for the past five years. Field is joining the Tesla as its new Vice President of Vehicle Programs and will be responsible for developing new electric vehicles for the company.

Before joining Apple in 2008 to help make the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac, Field worked at Segway for nine years, but he actually started off his engineering career at Ford Motor Company. Elon Musk released the following statement regarding the company’s newest addition:

Apple packed a lot into one hour and 20 minutes today, with announcements about OS X Mavericks, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, Mac Pro, and the stars of the show: iPad Air and Retina iPad mini. We think that this is about an hour and 18 minutes too long to watch, though, so we’ve condensed it to around 90 seconds.

Here is the Apple iPad Air and iPad mini keynote, right from Yerba Buena, in just 90 seconds:

Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage today at San Francisco’s Moscone Center to kick off the special keynote event that we’ve dubbed here as the iPad Event.

Cook began his presentation with some numbers, including the nine million new iPhone 5s and 5c models that were sold over the first weekend of availability. Cook called it the biggest iPhone launch, ever, and showed a video to underline his point.

Apple has recalled 64GB and 128GB flash storage drives that were used in the previous generation MacBook Air. The systems were sold during June 2012 and June 2013, and those affected qualify for a free flash storage drive replacement at their local Apple retail store, or authorized service provider.

Apple just released a new firmware update for mid-2012 MacBook Air owners. The release notes say that Apple recently discovered that a small percentage of flash storage drives in these models may have an issue that could cause data loss.

The update, available here, tests your drive and should, if there’s a problem, install new firmware to prevent the issue from happening to you.

If your drive can’t be updated, Apple will replace it free of charge. That’s big news.

NPD DisplaySearch is one of the more reputable sources of supply-chain chatter there is, and they are currently making some bold predictions when it comes to Apple’s future iOS device line-up, from the iPhone 6, Retina MacBook Air, Apple HDTV and iWatch. Not only do they say that Apple is intending on announcing a retina iPad mini later this month (fingers crossed), but they say a larger iPhone is a certainty. In fact, they think every Apple display will improve across the board.

Apple just released two firmware updates to address some rare battery issues with the Macbook Pro and Macbook Air lines Tuesday. The firmware can be downloaded directly from Apple’s support website.

The firmware for both models fixes some rare issues with the battery, one of which will shut your Macbook Air down after 1000 charges.

This is absolutely adorable. Mike McCue, the co-founder of Flipboard, bought his 14-year old son a new MacBook Air for his birthday. The kid wasted no time in setting it up, creating a new Apple ID and entering his birthday when prompted. Then this happened: his MacBook Air gave the junior McCue a birthday cupcake, complete with candle, to wish him a Happy Birthday. It really is the little details that Apple gets right, isn’t it?

Via: Finer Things

There are several offers at Cult of Mac Deals that may have flown under the radar lately. As we leave the weekend behind and gear up for a new week, we’re going to shine a spotlight on two offers that you may not have had a chance to discover during a busy start to September.

My 13-inch MacBook Air is a fantastic portable computer – fast, light, crazy battery life and with a “bigger” screen than my old 13-inch aluminum MacBook[1]. But as a desktop computer it sucks: only two USB ports, no Ethernet, and a tiny amount of storage.

Which is exactly why the Landing Zone exists. It’s a dock that stays on your desk, hooked up to all your peripherals, and which grabs onto your MacBook like a facehugger grabs onto, uh, a face.

I’ve been using one for a while now, and it’s almost entirely excellent.

I’ve got a MacBook Air, an iPad, and an iPhone. There are certain apps – some that are made by Apple and some that aren’t that are only at their best when they sync across all three platforms. Here are some examples – and these are apps I use every single day:

• Day One
• OmniFocus
• Evernote
• Byword
• 1Password

But not all apps function like the above ones. Some won’t sync across all platforms (especially those outside of the Apple ecosystem) and keeping tabs on which ones sync what can become cumbersome.

That’s where SyncMate comes in – an app that Cult of Mac Deals currently has available for just $15.99.

This time, on another fabulous episode of The CultCast: we imagine a Ballmer-less Microsoft; the 5S gets a smokin’ fast chip and a mysterious camera upgrade; the best ways to sell your old iPhone; why you should definitely wait to buy another Mac or iPad; plus special guest and Wired Editor Joe Brown uses toilets… from the future.

Have a few laughs and get caught up on all the finest Apple stories in the land. 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 pure enjoyment commence!

It’s been a while since a mouse had me licking my MacBook’s screen with gadget lust, but a few seconds after first looking at Logitech’s new Bluetooth-powered Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630 and my rMBP’s glossy panel was covered with a thick coat of saliva. (Seriously, doesn’t anyone else lick their screen? Am I the only one?*)

I’m a podcaster.

And I’m not just a podcaster that sits at home and records on my MacBook Air with my Blue Spark Digital microphone. I’m a podcaster that likes to record on the go. That means I need to have something that allows me to record top-notch sound in a portable package.

So when I team up my iPhone with the iRig iMic, I’m able to do what I do…and do it well.

For the past two years it’s seemed that the Mac was invulnerable to the sudden drop in PC sales that have plagued other OEMs, but things aren’t looking too rosy for the Mac anymore either.

A new study from NPD Group found that Mac sales were flat year-over-year during July, and if things keep going at this rate, Apple’s domestic Mac sales will be down 5% year over year for the September quarter.

If you’ve already got Parallels Desktop for Mac – version 6 or 7 – then The Parallels Upgrade Mini Bundle from Cult of Mac Deals is going to get you that much-needed upgrade – along with an app that will clean up your Mac in the process.

The Cartella Linen is Pad & Quill’s bookbindery case for the MacBook Air. I’ve been using the 13-inch version for a few weeks now and it’s great, if a little big. If you’re looking for a handsome, tough case that you can leave on all the time, which you can use on your lap and which you can carry under your arm down the street, then this is it.

Let’s take a closer look.

Pegatron may be gearing up to take on future iMac orders from Apple after “some related upstream supply chain players” revealed that they have sent iMac components to Pegatron for assembly. Quanta is currently tasked with assembling Apple’s popular all-in-one, and it’s unclear whether the two will now work side-by-side or whether Pegatron will take over.

August is upon us, and that means it’s time once again for a number of U.S. states to hold their annual sales tax holidays. If you’re in the market for a new Mac and reside in one of these states then consider the following tips – especially if you’re thinking about buying a new MacBook Air.

Apple’s next-generation Retina MacBook Pros, which will be equipped with Intel’s latest Haswell processor, may not arrive until October, according to a new report from China Times. The machines were expected to make their debut in September, but due to yield issues affecting its high-resolution Retina display, Apple has had to delay the launch.

Have you ever wondered what 1,107 MacBook Airs would look like? I sure hope not. I mean, hopefully you have more pressing things on your mind, like how to solve world hunger or where to get a burrito for lunch. But if you do fantasize about stacks-on-stacks-on-stacks of Apple products, then check out this massive order of MacBook Airs.

The entire pile includes 1,107 MacBook Airs. If the company just bought the baseline 11-inch $999.99 model then you’re looking at $1,106,988.93 worth of Apple hardware.

Have you ever seen a bigger stack of Apple products? Tell us your fish-tale in the comments.

Source: Reddit

Cult of Mac Deals has been dishing out deals and giveaways for a long time now, and this time around we’re going to up the ante a little bit. That’s because e’re giving each and every one of our Cult of Mac readers the chance to take home a brand new Mac!

You read that right. Cult of Mac Deals is giving away an all-new 13″ MacBook Air – valued at over $1000 – for free!

Want to save a bit of cash on the latest Macbook Air? Now might be the time, as Apple has allowed Best Buy to discount the popular Macbook by up to $64. Other retailers, like Amazon and B&H Photo, quickly followed suit, offering their own discounts on the laptops or AppleCare.

The MacBook Air is a hell of a machine, a computer that created an entirely new class in the PC market. No wonder it’s absolutely dominating sales, with 56% of all ultrabooks sold being — surprise! — MacBook Airs.