Mac laptop news and reviews, including MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air

Apple may be exempt from China's Web filter mandate

Owen Fletcher — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:11:00 -0700

Apple's computers and other that do not use Windows appear to be exempt from China's mandate to package new computers with Web filtering software.

Bluelounge CableDrop

Dan Frakes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:52:00 -0700

Tired of losing your unconnected cables behind your desk, or trying to keep track of which cable goes where? Bluelounge's CableDrops may be the solution.

Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac?

Roman Loyola — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:32:00 -0700

Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac? Roman Loyola does a little bit of testing, and finds the answer may be yes.

All about laptops

Christopher Breen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:58:00 -0700

Macworld editorial director Jason Snell and senior editor Dan Frakes join Christopher Breen to talk laptops—Apple-branded MacBooks as well as anything-but-Apple HackBooks.

Macally intros wireless accessories and eco laptop stands

Dan Frakes — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:58:00 -0700

Macally has announced a line of new Mac accessories that include Bluetooth and RF wireless input devices as well as "eco-conscious" bamboo notebook stands.

Maine expands MacBook program to high schools

Peter Cohen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:22:00 -0700

The state of Maine is expanding its successful laptop program from middle schoolers to high schoolers.

Apple releases MacBook Air firmware update

Jason Snell — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:20:00 -0700

On Monday Apple released an SMC firmware update for MacBook Air models.

‘Quicky Jr. II’ USB antenna triples laptop range

Peter Cohen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:10:00 -0700

The Quicky Jr. II is a new USB device that purportedly triples the wireless networking range of a Mac laptop.

Another day, another HackBook

Dan Frakes — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:35:00 -0700

Dan Frakes is the latest Macworld editor to try out a netbook running OS X. While his experience has been good, it's also made him even more convinced that Apple will never go the netbook route.

Change color of BBEdit and TextWrangler 'invisibles' characters

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:35:00 -0700

Learn how to change the color of the special characters that BBEdit and TextWrangler use to display invisible characters, such as tabs and line breaks.

Create an SD card startup disk for the new MacBook Pros

Roman Loyola — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:08:00 -0700

In this video, senior editor Roman Loyola will show you how to create an SD card startup disk for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros.

Review: MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

Jason Snell — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:31:00 -0700

If light weight and small size are you top considerations, the MacBook Air is the laptop for you. The new models aren’t much faster than their predecessors—in fact, the high-end system is slower than the previous model—but they’re cheaper.

Review: MacBook Pros (13-inch, Mid 2009)

James Galbraith — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0700

With its lower price, the return of FireWire (woo-hoo!), longer battery life, better looking display and a new built-in SD Card slot that you can boot from, the newest member of the MacBook Pro makes an impressive debut.

Apple releases MacBook Pro, iMac firmware updates

Dan Moren — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:17:00 -0700

Apple on Monday released EFI firmware updates for both the mid-2009 MacBook Pros and the early 2009 iMacs.

Apple finds silver lining in verdict on green claims

Agam Shah — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:56:00 -0700

Apple on Friday said an advertising watchdog's ruling against its ads confirmed the company meets high environmental standards.

Review: MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)

Dan Frakes — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:01:00 -0700

The latest 17-inch MacBook Pro is by all measures a minor hardware upgrade over its predecessor, offering only slightly faster processor options and a bump in hard-drive capacity. The more significant change is the value you get for your money.

Intel's chip renaming strategy meets resistance

Agam Shah — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:01:00 -0700

Intel's strategy to rename its chips has seen some opposition from chip enthusiasts, who find the new naming convention even more confusing.

Review: MacBook Pros (15-inch, Mid 2009)

Jackie Dove — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0700

This update to the 15-inch MacBook Pro delivers better value and even more specification options to the laptop, though the upgrades to this new model are more nuanced than flashy.

EU, US push computers, printers to be greener

Paul Meller — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:55:00 -0700

PCs and printers in the EU and US will have to become more energy-efficient to gain Energy Star approval, following an EU/US agreement signed Wednesday.

New MacBook Pro speed tests

James Galbraith — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:47:00 -0700

Macworld Lab tested all six of the new MacBook Pros, and the result show modest gains over the previous models.

Mac News Briefs: WinTel update speeds up virtualization performance

Macworld Staff — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:06:00 -0700

Version 3.0 of OpenOSX's WinTel delivers virtualization features that speed up the performance of hosted operating systems on Intel Macs.

SD stands for...startup drive?

Dan Frakes — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:05:00 -0700

According to Apple, you can boot the latest MacBook Pro models from an SD card. Now that's pretty cool.

MacBook Pro SD slot not just for digital camera cards

Aulia Masna — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:52:00 -0700

Apple's newest MacBook Pros feature built-in readers for Secure Digital flash cards. But it turns out they can do more than just help you offload your camera files.

Opinion: Reassessing the 'Apple Tax'

Michael Scalisi — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:41:00 -0700

PC World's Michael Scalisi is rethinking the so-called Apple tax after Monday's changes to the Mac laptop lineup.

The case of the missing ExpressCard slot

Peter Cohen — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:03:00 -0700

The changes to Apple’s laptop line means the elimination of the ExpressCard/34 expansion slot, at least on the 15-inch models. And Peter Cohen thinks that will leave some mobile Mac users in the lurch.

The MacBook turns Pro

Dan Frakes — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:48:00 -0700

On Monday, Apple overhauled its entire laptop line. Dan Frakes thinks the result is great for Mac laptop buyers, who can now pay for performance rather than having to trade features for lower price.

WWDC keynote in review

Roman Loyola — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:27:00 -0700

The star of the Monday's WWDC keynote may very well have been the brand-new iPhone 3G S—boasting higher speeds and added features such as voice control, video capture and a compass. But several other products had their moment in the spotlight as well.

WWDC Roundtable

Philip Michaels — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:49:00 -0700

There was something for everyone at Monday's Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, and we cover all the highlights in this special edition of the Macworld Podcast.

Summary: iPhone 3GS, MacBook updates, Snow Leopard highlight WWDC

Robert Strohmeyer — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:35:00 -0700

From laptop updates to Snow Leopard to iPhone news, Monday's keynote at the Worldwide Developer Conference had plenty of Apple product announcements to go around. Here's a summary of what Apple unveiled.

Apple updates, adds to MacBook line

Peter Cohen — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:27:00 -0700

Apple overhauled its MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air lines at WWDC with a slew of new models, and here are the details.

WWDC: Final Apple predictions

Ian Paul — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:27:00 -0700

PC World offers a final round-up of WWDC predictions in advance of Monday morning's keynote.

Review: 13-inch MacBook/2.13GHz (white)

James Galbraith — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:20:00 -0700

If price plays a greater role in a shopper's buying decisions during tough economic times, Apple's recent updates to its entry-level laptop, the $999 white MacBook, should help push some cost-conscious consumers over the laptop-buying fence.

Apple hits top spot in UK, European education sectors

Nick Spence — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:27:00 -0700

Gartner Research says that Apple is the top computer maker in the Western European education market for the first quarter of 2009, with a 26.4 percent market share.

Lab test: $999 MacBook outpaces pricier models

James Galbraith — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:35:00 -0700

The revamped white MacBook Apple released last week not only outperforms the entry-level machine it replaces; it also beats the 2GHz unibody MacBook in Macworld Lab's latest tests.

Opinion: Apple has squandered the gift that was Vista

Michael Scalisi — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:45:00 -0700

PC World's Michael Scalisi thinks Apple missed an opportunity to win over converts put off by Microsoft Vista.

Apple extends coverage for MacBook Pro Nvidia repairs

Dan Moren — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:47:00 -0700

Apple has extended the coverage of repairs for MacBook Pros sporting faulty Nvidia graphics processors from two years to three years.

MacBook Pro firmware update adjusts fan behavior

Jonathan Seff — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:54:00 -0700

An SMC firmware update for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models adjusts fan behavior when running under high workloads.

Apple kicks off annual Back to School promotion

Dan Moren — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:53:00 -0700

Apple's Back to School promotion is once again in full swing, with qualifying buyers eligible for a free iPod along with purchase of a Mac.

Apple quietly bumps white MacBook specs

Dan Moren — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:49:00 -0700

On Wednesday, Apple quietly gave a slight speed bump to the $999 white polycarbonate MacBook, improving the processor, RAM, and hard drive of the configuration.

Make the most of the Genius Bar

Ted Landau — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:12:00 -0700

Prepare in advance for a trip to Apple's Genius Bar and you’ll likely go home smiling -- with a Mac that’s working again.

Shrinking your mobile gear

Dan Frakes — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:50:00 -0700

In the spirit of recent Mobile Mac articles on reducing the weight of your portable setup, we take a look at a number of small-and-light gadgets that aim to help you slim down your laptop bag.

Undercover software used to locate MacBook in Norway

Cyrus Farivar — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:02:00 -0700

Three months after his MacBook was stolen, a 23 year-old Norwegian man recovered the laptop with the help of the police and Orbicule's Undercover software.

EU fines Intel €1.06 billion in antitrust case

Paul Meller — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:12:00 -0700

EU levies record fine against Intel in antitrust case

Three new Get a Mac ads respond to MS

Scott McNulty — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:05:00 -0700

Apple unveiled three new Get a Mac ads that respond to the latest round of advertising from Microsoft.

Apple, Dell, HP laptop owners sue Nvidia over faulty graphics

Gregg Keizer — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:59:00 -0700

Owners of Apple, Dell and Hewlett-Packard laptops have combined lawsuits against Nvidia in an effort to force the graphics chip maker to replace allegedly...

Tekserve updates free Mac FAQ book

Peter Cohen — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:49:00 -0700

Tekserve has published the ninth edition of its Mac FAQ Book, a 58-page guide to solving common problems with Macs.

Apple breaks into UK Top 5 PC makers

Lexton Snol — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:35:00 -0700

Mac sales grew by 6.6 percent in the UK during the first quarter, allowing Apple to break into the top five of UK market share for the first time, according to Gartner.

Climbing Mount Everest with a MacBook Pro and iPod

Jim Dalrymple — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:58:00 -0700

A group of climbers will make their way to the peak of Mount Everest on Friday carrying a MacBook Pro and a few iPods.

Safe Sleep and the 'White Screen of Death'

Derik DeLong — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:02:00 -0700

When your MacBook wakes and all it shows is a white screen, it may not always be a failed hard drive.

Apple sued over alleged MagSafe fire hazard

David Dahlquist — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:37:00 -0700

A recent lawsuit filing claims that Apple's MagSafe Adaptors have been negligently designed and manufactured, and can lead to shocks and fire hazards.