LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – There was a lot of nonsense being spouted at Intel’s presser today here in Las Vegas, but what isn’t nonsense is their next-generation Core chip technology, which could make a 20% lighter and thinner MacBook Air with 13-hour battery life a reality by the end of the year, or a Retina MacBook Pro with nine hours battery life. Wow.
Happy Thanksgiving! This year to observe the holiday we asked each of our writers to tell us a bit about the things they are most thankful for in 2012: specifically, the Apple product, app, service, third-party accessory and person they most relied upon and were grateful for this year. All through the rest of the day, we’ll be posting these thanksgiving observances. Here’s Cult of Mac Reviews Editor Giles Turnbull’s list of the things he’s most thankful for this year. You can find the rest of our Thanksgiving Smorgasbord entries here.
Apple has released a software update that’s recommended for all MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros released in June 2012 — including the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. In addition to graphics performance and reliability enhancements, the update promises to improve compatibility with some USB devices.
The MagSafe 2 power plug is so intent on escaping from its socket that it doesn’t seem a great idea to hook it up to a portable battery, but if you need the extra power, you need the extra power. And right now pretty much the only way to get it is to grab one of QuickerTek’s MacBook Air batteries.
Google just announced their newest Chromebook. It runs Google’s Chrome OS. It has an 11.6-inch screen with 1366 x 768 resolution, 6 hours of battery life, a 100 GB flash storage drive and it only costs $249. It’s beautiful. It looks just like the 11-inch MacBook Air. And of course, it’s made by Samsung.
Image: Matt Buchanan
You know how Apple is always calling its products “magical?” Well, it turns out that it may be right. Harry Potter author J.K Rowling not only uses a MacBook Air to write, but says that it has changed her life.
On the eve of its big iPhone 5 event, Apple has seeded a new version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 to registered developers in the Mac Dev Center. This marks the fourth beta update of 10.8.2 to be released in less than a month, indicating that a public release is imminent.
Unlike the last couple minor version of the 10.8.2 beta, today’s 12C50 update packs several new additions and improvements. Namely, Facebook integration has been fully baked into OS X itself, meaning that everyone should have access to Facebook in Mountain Lion when 10.8.2 drops.
If you’re looking for a blazing fast ultraportable laptop, the MacBook Air is the best value for the money… and that value just got a little bit better, as Apple has finally started adding refurbished models of the 2012 MacBook Air to the online Apple Store, offering savings of up to 16%.
When your dad’s a radiologist you probably get to see all kinds of neat crap get x-rayed, because hey, why not take an x-ray of those apples and carrots before you put them in a blend? Maybe the radiation will make you into a super mutant. You’re the boss of the magical x-ray machine and can do whatever you want.
That’s kind of what happened to one Redditor. They ordered a new MacBook Air, but when it arrived their dad didn’t tell him it arrived. Instead he took it to his lab, x-rayed it, and gave his son the x-ray to tell him that his new Mac was finally here. Ain’t that sweet?
Source: Reddit
In these days of smartphones and small, mirrorless cameras, the venerable camera bag can all too often be looked upon as a vestigial sack designed for a more cumbersome age, in which the only way to take truly great pictures was to carry around a skull-sized SLR and myriad lenses, flashes and fongs. The truth is, though, that for photographers amateur and pro alike, there are some kinds of shots you can only get with an SLR, and if you want to get them, you need to have a lot of gear at hand… and toting it around is not only uncomfortable, but more often than not, pretty unfashionable.
But that’s not the way it has to be, as Ona has proven with their latest camera bag, the Brixton. This isn’t just a functional camera bag, or a great laptop bag (although it’s both): it’s a bag to set pretty much anyone slavering.