Despite our constant exposure to tech gear, we’re always amazed at the advances in storage. We still fondly remember floppy disks of the 3.5- and 5.25-inch varieties–yes, the ones that held a single megabyte or so at best. These days, we all expect to have hundreds of gigabytes of storage in our machines, but that doesn’t mean external drives aren’t a must-have. G-Technology’s G Drive brings high-speed, high-capacity storage to your desktop, and it’s clad in a slick design that will look right at home with the rest of your equipment. The G Drive mimics Apple’s “cheese grater” styling of the Mac Pro, and, in fact, it’s designed to perch atop a Pro. Inside the aluminum case, the G Drive sports a 7200RPM mechanism for super-speedy data access. The front of the drive features a white LED that indicates if the drive is powered up, and it brightens when the drive is being accessed. It’s a small touch, but we appreciated it when we needed to quickly check the drive’s status. G Drive is available in three capacities, from 500GB to 2TB, so even the biggest data pack rats can find a place to stash their stuff (for now). The drive features an Oxford 934 chipset, comes formatted as Mac OS Extended, and can be used straight from the box as a Time Machine volume

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G-Technology G Drive

Filed under: Apple Corporate , Hardware , Apple , MacBook Apple has begun replacing failed hard drives in MacBooks purchased between 2006 and 2007. The program will run until August 15th, 2010. Here are the details: The following models are covered: The 13-inch MacBook, 13-inch, Late 2006 model and the 13-inch, Mid 2007 MacBook (black and white). You must be able to prove that you’ve got a dead hard drive. Customers who paid for a HDD replacement on one of the above models may qualify to be reimbursed the repair costs. You can bring affected machines to an Apple Store or an Authorized Service Provider . Note that the reimbursement must be handled through Apple Technical Support ; you can’t receive reimbursement from an Apple Store or Authorized Service Provider. This program comes after Apple’s admission that “… a very small percentage of hard drives that were used in MacBook systems, sold between approximately May 2006 and December 2007, may fail under certain conditions.” If your MacBook’s hard drive is working, you can’t request a new one. It must be dead to qualify. [VIa Gizmodo ] Apple offering free hard drive replacements for certain MacBooks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Apple offering free hard drive replacements for certain MacBooks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Apple offering free hard drive replacements for certain MacBooks

In a move reminiscent of the warranty extension Apple offered to MacBook Pro owners affected by NVIDIA-gate , the Mac maker announced this week that it would offer a similar consideration to some MacBook owners whose hard drives are crashing. Eligible models (black and white MacBooks sold between May 2006 and December 2007) affected by the problem will be repaired at no cost. On the support page created to describe the problem and the resulting warranty extension, Apple doesn’t mention which brand of hard drives are affected by name, which could mean that the problem doesn’t lie with the hard drives themselves, but with some other system components. Another indication that this is indeed the case is that all capacities of hard drive are also affected. If you’re wondering whether or not you have an affected unit (Apple says only a “small percentage” of users will experience problems), it’s very easy to identify. Your MacBook will just stop working altogether, and any attempts to boot it will result in a screen that displays a folder icon with a question mark over top of it, as in the image below. As someone who’s seen this screen many times while fixing up old PowerBooks, I can tell you it isn’t a heartening experience. Apple describes what you should do if you’re greeted with such a screen: Please take your MacBook to the Apple representative most convenient for you: Apple Authorized Service Provider – Find one here . Apple Retail Store – Set up an appointment with a Genius . If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider confirms that your hard drive is affected, Apple will replace it with a new hard drive. You will need to have the original OS installation discs that were shipped with your product in order to re-install your operating system, other applications, and any backed up data. If you need assistance finding the best service option in your area, you may contact Apple Technical Support for more information. It sounds like any data you may have stored on the drive will be irrevocably lost if this does happen to you, so if you have one of the affected models and you haven’t yet implemented any kind of backup system, you should probably consider doing so

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Apple Admits MacBook Hard Drives Defective, Offers Free Repair Program

Section: Apple News , Apple Online and Retail Store , Macintosh / Apple Hardware , Laptops , MacBook A hard drive failure is one of the most painful problems than can affect your computer. Sadly, Apple has identified that a “very small” percentage of MacBooks sold between May 2006 and the end of 2007 are exhibiting higher than normal hard drive failure rates. If you have one of these MacBooks, drop everything and backup your data. The identifying symptom of this problem, hard drive failure, is booting to a flashing question mark instead of OS X. Affected models are said to be 13” white MacBooks with processor speeds of 1.83GHz, 2GHz, or 2.16GHz and hard drive capacities of 60GB, 80GB, 120GB or 160GB. If you see the dreaded flashing question mark, call up Apple or bring the machine to an Apple Store. If Apple confirms that your hard drive failure is affected by this specific issue, they’ll replace it for free.  Also, if you’ve already experienced this event with the machine specs listed, Apple may reimburse you. More details can be found on Apple’s support page including who to call. What they can’t replace is your data. If you have one of these MacBooks and haven’t had any problems, you should drop what you’re doing and backup your data.  If that means burning your documents to a DVD, so be it

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Apple launches MacBook repair extension program for hard drive issues

Section: iPod + iTunes , iTunes , Features , How-To Let’s face it—an iTunes library can get very big, very quickly. You don’t want to clog up your system, but deleting things would be a waste of your money. The best choice, therefore, is to save your library on an external drive. No, not for storage, for active use. Let’s look at how you can put your whole iTunes library on an external drive and still use it. These comes in two steps. Step One: Organize your iTunes music folders automatically. From the iTunes menu, choose Preferences. In the resulting window, click the Advanced button. Select the “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” checkbox

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How to run your iTunes library off an external hard drive

Every day is like Christmas when you own an iPhone or iPod touch; they’re the coolest handheld computers on the block. But you can bring even more joy to your favorite iPhone user with one of these rad gifts. With a new headset, an external battery, a slick-looking dock, a fly speaker, and a new case, your giftee will have everything they ever wanted — OK, except never-fail 3G reception from AT&T. Now that would be a holiday miracle. Dexim P-Flip Foldable Power Dock We’re used to an iPhone dock being something that sits on your desk and keeps your iPhone charged and connected to your Mac for syncing. Dexim’s P-Flip Foldable Power Dock does that, but it also has a built-in rechargeable 2000mAh backup battery, so you can take the whole dock with you — it folds up nicely, too — and use it either way. It’s even got an on/off switch in case you only want to use the dock and not draw power from the backup battery at the moment. Another nice touch: It can prop your iPhone up in portrait or landscape mode. Retails for $54.95.   Maximo iP-HS5 Maximo’s latest set of iPhone-friendly earbuds have a lot of fancy features that make them a great gift. The inline mic lets you make clear calls, and the cable also has a button to answer/hang up and switch tracks. The 9mm neodymium drivers deliver respectable sound, and the fabric-covered cables don’t tangle as easily as plastic-coated ones. Maximo even includes a soft, zippered carrying case, 4 sizes of eartips, 2.5mm plug adapters, and a 2-foot extension cable. Retails for $79.99.

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10 Perfect Gifts for iPhone Users

Apple sometimes provides updates to its products stealthily, in the dead of night, if said updates don’t merit a dedicated press event. That happened yesterday to both the Mac Pro desktop computer and the Xserve rack-mountable server. Both are minor updates, but will be of great interest to those looking to buy either type of machine. The Mac Pro got a new option in the processor customization department, a 3.33GHz quad-core Intel Xeon processor for an additional $1,200. As of yet, there’s no option to double up the 3.33GHz version of the quad-core to create a more powerful 8-core machine on the more expensive configuration of the Mac Pro. You can also now outfit your Mac Pro with 2TB hard drives, instead of the 1TB option at which capacity previously maxed out. That means the official total capacity of the Mac Pro, as configured in the Apple Store, is now 8TB, which is nothing to sneeze at. Each 2TB drive will set you back $550.

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Apple Delivers Minor Updates Mac Pro and Xserve

In my day job, helping people with computers, I see many failed hard drives. If the computer is under warranty, I’ll always try to get the system manufacturer to replace the drive rather than order a new one for the customer. Recently, two clients came in, one right after another, and it really illustrated the differences between Apple and everyone else when it comes to hardware support. “ Lauren ” bought a sub-$1000 PC, but didn’t consider the support costs and time involved. If she had, she might have second thoughts about her decision to buy a PC. The Dell Experience Client #1 comes in because Windows won’t boot. The minute she turns on the PC, I know the problem. It’s that horrible high-pitched clicking noise that is worse than nails on a chalkboard to any technician. It’s obvious the drive has failed and the solution is to replace it. I booted off a test CD and verified the hard drive failure. Fortunately the computer is under warranty. No big deal, Dell should replace the hard drive. I call Dell

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A Tale of Two Hard Drives: Apple’s Secret Weapon?

The 27-inch iMac hasn’t been out long, and users are already reporting performance problems with the new model. There are two Apple Discussion Board threads [ one , two ] of users reporting problems with laggy Flash-video playback, a bug that causes the hard drive to spin down, corrupted build of Snow Leopard, and possible bad permissions problems.  Apple has yet to validate any of these claims, but if you own a 27-inch iMac and are you’re experiencing with any of these issues, it might be worth a call to AppleCare .   Via Engadget  

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Users Experiencing 27-inch iMac Problems

No matter how big the hard drives in our Macs get, there’s still never enough storage. And while flash drives are handy, there are plenty of occasions when we need way more space for data–whether it’s carting around an entire issue’s worth of InDesign files or transferring our collection of ’90s alt-rock MP3s from home to our office machine. Iomega’s eGo line offers specific versions for Mac users. Besides coming preformatted, Iomega offers backup options in the form of software for Mozy online backup, Retrospect Express, and Iomega’s QuikProtect For Mac. Retrospect and QuikProtect both required installation of Rosetta on our Snow Leopard–equipped test Macs, however, and we eventually gave up when the QuikProtect installer failed after multiple installation attempts. Go ahead, drop it on the ground. Where speed is concerned, we were happy with eGo’s performance. The triple interface makes the drive a bit larger than other portables (3.5 inches by 5.5 inches), but it’s a small price to pay for flexible connectivity. And at a little more than half an inch thick, the eGo is still quite portable. FireWire 800 and 400 cables are included, as well as a double-headed USB cable, which will work even with Macs that don’t supply enough current through a single port to power the drive. It’s a nice touch–and a necessary one, since the eGo lacks a port for an AC adapter. The back of the drive features an LED activity indicator, but everyone who saw it complained that the light was excessively bright. After a few hours of being distracted by it, we covered the LED with tape and were much happier. Speedwise, the eGo performed well for a 5,400 rpm drive. Via FireWire 800, we achieved read and write speeds of 73.1 MB/s and 51.1 MB/s, with USB speeds coming in at 16 MB/s and 14.2 MB/s

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Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive, Mac Edition