An Australian tech website has started running ads featuring Mac Pros and MacBook Pros whose entry-level prices are noticeably higher than those in the current Mac lineup. So what, right? The ads are probably incorrectly labeled, or something. But the word on the street (well, the word on Engadget , anyway) is that these might predict the much-anticipated Mac refreshes that we’ve been waiting for. From Engadget: Apple’s Australian online store lists the most affordable versions of the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Pro at A$1599, A$1999 and A$3599, respectively, but the ads show significantly higher “starting at” prices of A$1899, A$2399, and A$4499. Following the ads to Apple’s Australian online store reveals the same Mac models at the same old prices, so either these ads are terribly wrong or they’re been released a little early… It has been over a year since Apple released a major update to its high-end Mac Pro computer. I know very well because I bought one last April at an astronomically high price, and as such, guard it with my life. (No one else is allowed near it. No one!) If history has taught me anything, it is that I am not allowed to have the best and brightest kit for long. Therefore, an update is imminent. As for the MacBook Pro, we can probably expect to see Apple upgrade it with Intel’s powerful i7 Chipset

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Australian Website Hints at New Macs, Higher Prices

(Image courtesy of Engadget) From today’s “Take this with a grain of salt” files: An Australian tech journal has some new Apple ads up which appear to show the usual Mac Pros, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs — but with higher than usual pricing. So what’s going on? According to Engadget , the confusion stems from Apple ads on Australian tech publication PC Authority which display “some rather peculiar price tags for its flagship mobile and desktop computers.” Clicking the online ad takes the viewer to the usual Australian Apple website — but with lower prices. Specifically, Apple Australia’s online store lists the MacBook Pro starting at A$1,599, the MacBook Air at A$1,999 and the Mac Pro at A$3,599, while the “official-looking” ad incorrectly lists the prices as A$1,899, A$2,399 and A$4,499 respectively. The question is, has Apple lost its mind? Is this an unfortunate sign of things to come, or just a slip? There’s no real way to know at this point, although rumors have been swirling that Apple’s laptops will gain Intel Core i7 processors soon, while the Mac Pro has been rumored to gain the Core i7-980X. But it would be out of character for Apple to raise the prices so much for new models, especially at a time when they have so much money in the bank and they’ve been slowly creeping prices downward to continue the good fight against Windows. We figure we’ll find out soon enough…

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Australian Ads Foretell Higher Mac Pricing?

It’s a little after 6 a.m. Eastern on Friday, March 12 as I write this post. Some two hours from now, the Apple Store will officially take orders for all iPad models, apparently with the ability to specify pickup at a local store. The store is currently down, though it wasn’t the last time I checked about an hour ago. (Trust me, I’m not awake in anticipation of buying an iPad; my work has me on an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule.) Like I have with most watershed Apple products of the last decade or more, I’ll order an iPad on the day they become available. For me, this has included, but is probably not limited to, the original iMac, iBook, Airport (gray UFO!) and 5GB clickwheel iPod, and more recently the MacBook Pro, Time Capsule, MacBook Air, and of course, gen 1, 2, and 3 iPhones. Yes, yes, I’m a fanboy, but this is also part of what I do for a living. You know by now that there are six models of the iPad, three with Wi-Fi only, three with Wi-Fi and 3G data access with the same 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage capacities in each model. For the sake of discussion, I’ll call them the iPad Wi-Fi and the iPad 3G, even though the 3G model also has Wi-Fi. The iPad Wi-Fi will ship on April 3, with the 3G model due some 1-2 months later. The iPad 3G carries a $130 premium over the iPad Wi-Fi across the lineup to account for costs related to the 3G access, such as a modem and antenna. Other than providing an additional type of Internet access, there don’t appear to be any differences between the iPad Wi-fi and the iPad 3G. I’ll be ordering the top-of-the-line 64GB iPad 3G, the most expensive of the six models, but the one with the most storage capacity and both ways to connect. Why get the most expensive model when a cheaper one could suffice? Here are my key reasons: Storage Capacity: I’m really looking forward to iWork on the iPad, and these files will eat up precious space on the device

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Which iPad I’m Ordering and Why

I first used Fluid , the site-specific browser creation tool for Mac OS X, a long time ago. But I didn’t find it compelling enough to integrate it into my daily life, in part because virtually all of my digital life still lived on the desktop. As I personally moved more and more to the cloud, it became key. I tend to use Fluid apps for things that I want to have open and at the ready all day. These are things I consider to be more like apps than websites, so having a separate window makes sense, if for no other reason than I can easily command-tab among applications by selecting the appropriate high-resolution logo. With Safari , Chrome and Firefox , I’m in and out of a lot of websites throughout the work day, but most are content sites, or web applications that I use once per week or less. Here are a few of the key ways I’m using Fluid today. Google Calendar I long ago tired of problems with invitations in iCal. There were just too many frustrating examples of invitations not coming through properly or at all, and I invested the maximum amount of time I was willing to solve it. Last year, I also tired of Mail.app’s performance when dealing with many accounts and large numbers of messages. I was using Google Apps for several accounts with IMAP enabled, and using Mail.app as my client.

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Revisiting Fluid

Section: Macintosh / Apple Hardware , Laptops , MacBook Air , MacBook , MacBook Pro , Peripherals , Cases / Bags , Features , Contests and Giveaways A few months ago, the fine people at Saddleback Leather provided us with a medium laptop case for review. Now they’re extending that generosity to you by allowing us to give it away to one of our readers. This is 100% waterproof full grain boot leather with a high density Neoprene padding, and is valued at $265. It’s lightly used, but as is the case with all quality leather products, we like to refer to it as being “broken in.” If you read my review (all pieces covered in the review are included in the giveaway) but didn’t get your order in for the Saddleback Leather laptop case, this may be your last chance. Saddleback Leather has discontinued their laptop case line, directing portable computer users towards their line of thin briefcases , instead. Good thing we’ve made winning this one easy to do. To enter, just follow these three easy steps: Read the Saddleback Leather Laptop Case Contest Rules . Make sure you’re registered with Appletell and logged in. Leave us a comment below on this page , not on the contest rules page. Doesn’t matter what you say, just tell us hello if you want to. That’s all there is to it. Entries will be accepted from March 8th through March 21st. The winner will be randomly selected from all qualified entries, and will be notified by March 28th.

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Appletell giveaway: Saddleback Leather laptop case

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iDevice Accessories , Macintosh / Apple Hardware , Laptops , Peripherals , Reviews Provides: Extended battery life Developer: HyperMac Minimum Requirements: MacBook or iDevice needing enhanced battery life Price: $199.95 Availability: Now What’s worse than seeing your MacBook’s battery dip below 10%? Seeing it hit zero? Okay, fair enough. But if this happens to you often, you need a solution. HyperMac has an entire line of batteries just for this purpose. And yes, they come with MagSafe connections. But even if you just have an iPhone or iPad, the HyperMac MBP-060 has you more than covered. Actually, if you need an external battery for a MacBook with MagSafe connector, HyperMac is still your only choice. The MagSafe connector, that magnetic thing that charges your MacBook, is proprietary to Apple (read, they won’t sell the connection by itself to anyone for any purpose).  Basically, HyperMac is the only company willing to buy Apple MacBook power adapters and hack off the ends simply for the cable. Is it a waste? Maybe, but it’s not HyperMac’s fault, it’s Apple’s for not licensing the connection. Anyway, back to the review. They have numerous options, but the best option with both price and portability in mind is the smallest external battery aimed at notebooks, the MBP-060.  It’s ideal for when you need extra power on the go for a single day.  For most users, that’s enough.  And it’s not limited to just your MacBook.  You can also use it to power any of your USB gadgets, which makes it a perfect accessory for the iPad.  While Apple claims 10+ hours of battery life, in practice, that may be different.  And even if it is correct, there are times when you just don’t have access to a power outlet for an extended period of time.  This battery will keep you going. Now a quick word of warning; while this battery can, and will charge a 15.4 or 17 inch MacBook Pro, it doesn’t do so efficiently.  These models draw more watts than this model of battery is most efficient at providing.  They say the this may reduce the charging abilities of this battery for these models of MacBook Pros to 70%.  That’s still pretty useful, though, and not an issue for any MacBook with a smaller screen.  It’s also not a concern of the iPad.  Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program. This battery is a bit different from the larger capacity batteries offered by HyperMac.  Its design is a bit more sleek, and since it’s targeted towards MacBook Air users, it has the MacBook Air connector as the default option.  Mind you, the Air MagSafe connector will work just fine with other MacBooks, even larger Pros.  And honestly, it looks nicer

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Appletell reviews HyperMac External Battery for Apple MacBook MBP-060

Apple’s line of notebooks are great computers, no doubt, but you’ve got to admit: they’re slick, streamlined designs come at the price of a paucity of ports. The MacBook and MacBook Pro only have two USB 2.0 ports, where as the MacBook Air only has one. Given how many gadgets charge and sync through USB,

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duaLink Sync Splitter Cable docks two iPhones from one USB port

Section: Macintosh / Apple Hardware , Desktop Macs , iMac , Mac mini , Mac Pro , Laptops , MacBook Air , MacBook , MacBook Pro , Discontinued Products , eMac , iBook , PowerBook , PowerMac Perhaps one of the best known sounds in the geek universe is the startup gong that we Mac users hear almost every time we start up our machines. While it in and of itself is just one of the many noises our computers make on a daily basis, it has made quite a name for itself, and is surprisingly calming. After all, Wall-E also used this sound in the Disney movie when he was done charging. In the video below, you will find an extremely fascinating interview held with the creator of this sound who was an Apple engineer responsible for pretty much any possibility of noise coming out of our Macs. The man, Jim Reekes, proves to be a pretty interesting character, and reveals some great stories behind how and why he created the sound that he did. Perhaps the most surprising part to me was how much time he put into making one sound that became so popular among the Apple crowd. Clearly his work paid off and he has now made one of the most recognizable sounds around. While it doesn’t appear like something all that great, I’d certainly love to be able to say that I created the startup gong – it’d be a wonderful conversation start, that’s for sure. Via

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Story behind Apple startup sound revealed in interview with its creator

Writing in the Huffington Post, Larry Magid raises the point that PC netbooks are hot sellers for very good reasons — namely that these small laptops, which typically cost between $300 and $400, can do most things a large portion of users want to do with a laptop computer, and do them much more cheaply, as well as being handily smaller and lighter than traditional laptops. Small Laptop Price Premium Dynamic Turned On Its Head I agree, and along with Magid note the irony of a changing dynamic where, reversing erstwhile conventional wisdom that computer consumers would be obliged to pay extra for the required engineering of miniaturization, with smaller laptops often costing more than larger siblings of the same brand (think PowerBook Duo vs. PowerBook or MacBook Air and MacBook), netbooks have turned the cost/weight equation on its head. Mainstream netbooks, particularly ones equipped with the latest Intel Atom N270 processors running at 1.60 GHz, with a GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive, are perfectly adequate for most common tasks people use computers for such as Web surfing and e-mail, and even for watching web video. At least for non-touch typists, their usually undersized keyboards are also considered tolerable. Downward Pressure On All Laptop Pricing Then there’s the netbook phenomenon’s collateral effect of exerting strong downward pressure on standard sized notebook computer prices, to which even Apple has not been immune, as exemplified by the 13″ MacBook Pro being cheaper than its aluminum unibody MacBook predecessor, and the debut of a lower entry level 15″ MacBook Pro stripped of its ExpressCard Slot and discrete graphics processor/VRAM. A prima facie topical example is Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Edge , which has a 13-inch display, a typically excellent Lenovo full-size keyboard, an AMD Athlon dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB 5400 RPM hard drive, three USB ports, runs Windows 7, offers five-hour real world battery runtime, and is priced starting at an easy-on-the-wallet $599. Move up to a 1.3GHz Core Duo Intel processor and 4GB of memory and you’re still at $799. That’s of course only $200 less than Apple’s entry-level MacBook, which at $999 has a much more powerful 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor and Nvidia 9600M integrated graphics, but only 2GB of RAM, a measly two USB ports, and a 250GB hard drive. To get the same 4GB of memory and 320GB of storage specs as the $799 Lenovo or even a $399 Dell Inspiron 15, you’re up to $1,149, while a comparable spec MacBook Pro will set you back a whopping (by comparison) $1,399 — a thousand dollars greater than your typical netbook.

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Apple Still Needs a Sub-$700 Conventional Notebook

It may be called “iPhone OS,” but that doesn’t mean that Apple plans to stop with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad — a new report suggests more devices with the questionably named operating system may be yet to come. Computerworld is reporting on a new Apple job posting last week for an “Engineering Manager (Platform Bring-Up),” which appears to be aimed at reworking the iPhone OS and putting it on new platforms yet to come. “The Core Platform team within Apple’s Core OS organization is looking for a talented and inspired manager to lead a team focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms,” the job posting reads. “The team is responsible for low level platform architecture, firmware, core drivers and bring-up of new hardware platforms. The team consists of talented engineers with experience in hardware, firmware, IOKit drivers, security and platform architecture.” So what might we expect from such a move? TiPb.com suggests that the Apple TV is a likely candidate for iPhone OS, particularly if the hardware has a complete overhaul using Apple’s own processors. It’s common knowledge that the device, which even Apple CEO Steve Jobs has acknowledged is a “hobby,” has yet to gain much traction in the living room. Computerworld also theorizes that the MacBook Air is another candidate for conversion to iPhone OS. Since its main use is for light word processing or spreadsheet number-crunching, e-mail and web browsing, the MacBook Air might be a perfect companion for iPhone OS for people who want an iPad but still enjoy the traditional laptop-with-keyboard frame. And in just a few short years, you might just find iPhone OS extended to other low-hanging fruit in the Apple canon, such as the Mac mini or even the MacBook. Our vote for iPhone OS is to extend the software onto televisions themselves

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Future iPhone OS Devices Suggested in Apple Job Posting