02/13, 7:45am
Pegatron maybe pressed to choose Apple vs ASUS
A tentative rumor has had Pegatron allegedly forced to choose between manufacturing ASUS' Zenbooks and Apple's iOS devices. Taiwan's Commercial Times had heard that Apple was supposedly unhappy with the similarity to the MacBook Air and didn't want one of its own contractors to be making what was perceived to be a clone. If it happened, production wouldn't stop until at least March and would be outsourced to a nearby contractor like Compal or Wistron.
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02/10, 5:05pm
Option in bulk buys only
Apple is now selling a special scaled-back 13-inch MacBook Air to schools, a report says. The model is said to have the same internal specifications as the standard 11-inch Air, including a 1.6GHz Core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of flash storage, and Intel graphics. The new option is limited to schools buying in bulk, though, at a price of $999 per system, or $4,995 for a group of five. A regular 13-inch Air would normally cost $1,299.
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02/10, 2:05pm
MacBook Pro expected to slim across the line
On and off rumors of a major MacBook Pro redesign were supported on Friday with leaks supporting a complete overhaul. The AppleInsider hints had Apple's high-end notebooks being overhauled over the course of 2012 to more closely resemble the MacBook Air, dropping optical drives and slimming down. Rumors of a 15-inch Air were more likely references to Apple repeating what it did with the unibody MacBook Pro, where the 15-inch model led the redesign and other sizes followed later.
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02/08, 11:20am
HP Envy 14 Spectre tackles Apple
HP on Wednesday began selling its most direct competitor to the MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre. The pseudo-ultrabook starts at a relatively steep $1,400 with a 14-inch, 1366x768 display, a 1.6GHz low-voltage Core i5, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive. Options can take it to a 1.8GHz Core i7 and a 256GB SSD.
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02/07, 10:05pm
Previous generations of MacBook Air, MBP, iMac
[Update: MacBook Pro eligibility corrected] Apple late today issued further EFI firmware updates to allow previous-generation MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMacs to access Lion Internet Recovery, a technology that lets users re-download and reinstall Lion when the hard drive containing the recovery partition has completely failed and no other backup medium is available. The models updated today include the MacBook Air (late 2010), the mid-2010 aluminum iMacs and the mid 2010 MacBook Pros.
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02/07, 5:55am
Apple intern details Apple's experiments with ARM
A paper written by a former Apple intern, and now Core OS engineer, has detailed Apple’s attempts at getting a full version of Mac OS X to boot on an ARM processor, reports iMore. Initially subject to an embargo, but just recently published, the paper was written as part of a Bachelor degree thesis in 2010 by Tristan Schapp. It details the technical aspects and challenges associated with getting Darwin, which underpins OS X, to work effectively on the ARM architecture.
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02/03, 1:35pm
Info stems from meeting with Apple execs
Apple is likely uninterested in building a MacBook Air with an ARM-based processor, says Citigroup's Richard Gardner. The analyst met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer at the company's Cupertino campus on Thursday, when among other things Cook repeated a view that iOS expansion will eventually result in tablets outselling conventional PCs. "We have wondered whether Apple might offer an ARM-based version of the MacBook Air at some point; we walked away from this meeting with the impression that Apple feels iPad satisfies -- or will soon satisfy -- the needs of those who might have been interested in such a product," writes Gardner in a new memo.
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01/28, 7:25pm
We review Logitech's very tiny travel mouse
The world of mice could often be described charitably as stagnant: it's an endless sea of ergonomic shapes that assume you're sitting at a desk and have lots of room in your bag. Logitech's Cube is about as different as you can get, with a small, brick-like design that relies on touch and orientation to make it an ultraportable mouse and presenter. We'll gauge in our Logitech Cube review whether it's a welcome break or a novelty.
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01/27, 10:45pm
First look at Kickstarter project
Several successful Kickstarter projects are currently on hand at the Macworld iWorld expo for potential customers to try out, including LandingZone's docking station for the MacBook Air. Electronista initially wrote about the device before it had gathered enough funding to pass through the Kickstarter program, so we were excited to get a chance to see it in person.
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01/27, 5:25pm
Reduced MacBooks, iMacs and more
Today at Apple's online store save on refurbished items like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air which offers a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and 64GB flash storage, now only $699 after a $200 price cut. Or save $300 on the 11.6-inch MacBook Air with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and 128GB flash storage, now $799.
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01/27, 3:40pm
OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express gets 480GB version
Other World Computing has answered one of the more common calls among MacBook Air owners and has put out a 480GB version of its Mercury Aura Pro Express. The new solid-state drive doubles the storage of its SATA3-based, 6Gbps model line. As with other SSDs, more capacity doesn't mean a sacrifice in speed, and it can deliver as much as 500MB per second in peak transfer speeds.
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01/26, 3:00pm
Dell hopes XPS 13 picked first based on design
Dell is trying an unusual strategy to try and steer ultrabook buyers towards the XPS 13 on Thursday. Nicknamed the Ultrabook Challenge, the demo campaign Thursday amounts to a blind taste test for the thin-and-light notebooks. Starting in San Francisco first, those at the corner of Chestnut and Scott, and later at Fisherman's Wharf, are being asked to pick an ultrabook based on "look and feel" with all the branding covered up, ostensibly to avoid bias.
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01/26, 8:40am
WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo gives pro speed
Western Digital gave a more formal debut to its first Thunderbolt-equipped drive at Macworld|iWorld on Thursday. The My Book Thunderbolt Duo uses the fast 10Gbps port to feed two 3.5-inch hard drives at speeds that would be impractical for FireWire 800. On a 6TB Thunderbolt Duo, peak transfer speeds can hit over 250MBps (2Gbps), making the only bottleneck the drives themselves.
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01/24, 1:00pm
Juniper says ultrabooks to grow fast but trail
A new Juniper Research prediction made the claim that ultrabooks would rapidly close in on, but not overtake, the lead established by tablets. The long-term guess has the MacBook Air-inspired notebook category growing three times faster than tablets between now and 2016. Its small start, however, would see shipments of 178 million where tablets' early lead would put them at 253 million.
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01/20, 2:20pm
Refurbished Macs at low prices
At Apple's online store today there is a wide selection of refurbished Macs for $1000 or less. At the low end of the pricing scale is the refurb. Mac mini with a 2.3GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, now only $519. For a little more, $699, is the refurb. Mac mini with a 2.5GHz Intel Dual-Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.
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01/20, 12:15pm
Intel picks new COO, PC group leads
Intel on Friday shook up its executive structure at both technical and formal levels. To reward Dadi Perlmutter's responsibility for the chip architecture group, he would be promoted to the spot of chief product officer to take up responsibilities given by newly full-time executive chairman Andy Bryant. He would still head up architecture, but would take on a wider responsibility.
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01/18, 10:45pm
Acer sees ultrabooks dictating its lineup
Acer chairman JT Wang mentioned late Wednesday that as much as a third of of his company's entire notebook line may be ultrabooks. With Digitimes listening, Wang expected systems like the Aspire S5 and Timeline Ultra to account for 25 to 35 percent of all Acer's notebooks in 2012. The recently unveiled systems would be a foundation of the line and ship in spring, but more models were coming in the summer, the chairman said.
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01/17, 4:25pm
Low prices on refurbished Apple stuff.
Today at Apple's online store save on refurbished MacBooks, iPads and more. A $300 price cut can be found on the refurb. 11.6-inch MacBook Air with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and 128GB of flash storage, it's now $799. For $929, after a $170 discount, is the refurb. 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.3GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive.
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01/17, 11:40am
Deals on MacBook Airs, headphones, and more
Today's deals from DealNN included price breaks on MacBook Airs, headphones, and more. Macmall.com has recently lowered the cost of the 13.3-inch, 2.1GHz MacBook Air, complete with 4GB of RAM and 256GB of Flash storage, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and free upgrade to the Lion operating system. Currently featured at DealNN, this Macbook Air is now priced at $1,098.99 after mail-in rebate and offers savings of up to $700.
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01/13, 11:20pm
We try Samsung Chrome OS, 5 Ultra, 9 series at CES
Samsung had one of its most sweeping notebook updates yet at CES this week and introduced multiple major updates to its notebook line. We had the opportunity to try them all at CES and came away with mixed reactions. Read on for early impressions, including whether or not the Series 9 will give Apple heat in the ultrabook category.
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01/13, 6:00pm
Dell XPS 13 tested on the show floor
We've at last had a first-hand look at the upcoming Dell XPS 13 on the CES show floor. The ultrabook on an initial glance bears more than a passing resemblance to the MacBook Air, down to the side port layouts and the single-piece, multi-touch trackpad; there's no question of who inspired the design. It remains something of its own beast, however, and the combination of aluminum (mostly on the lid) as well as a tightly constructed body give it a much more premium feel than we're used to from Dell.
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01/11, 3:55am
We test the HP Envy 14 Spectre at CES
We had an opportunity to try the HP Envy 14 Spectre this evening. The ultrabook is HP's most advanced and bears an uncanny similarity to a cross between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro through its attention to design. Is it a replacement for a Mac, though, or a try at riding Apple's coattails? Read on for our take.
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01/09, 1:50pm
ASUS, other notebook makers suffer HDD shortages
Apple shipped about 1.2 million MacBook Airs during the December quarter, claims Digitimes. The company is said to have been the only vendor to maintain notebook shipments between the third and fourth quarters, and Air shipments in fact increased. Other companies like ASUS and Lenovo reportedly suffered as a result of flooding in Thailand, which shut down many hard drive manufacturers in addition to taking a human toll.
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01/08, 6:10pm
Acer Aspire S5 gets our early test
We've had the opportunity to try Acer's Aspire S5, and we've come back pleasantly surprised so far. The magnesium and metal chassis, which is matte, feels good to the touch, is thin and light, and isn't cutting corners like some others. More importantly, the keyboard and trackpad are genuinely nice to use; it doesn't have the full suite of multi-touch gestures, but it's generally responsive, supports two-finger scrolling, and isn't too hard to properly right-click with the invisible buttons.
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01/06, 4:50pm
Analyst says Apple uses flash to its profit edge
An investor note from Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi has estimated that Apple bought 23 percent of all flash memory made in fall 2011. Going by the estimated storage for each product category and the shipment volumes, he believed that Apple had bought over 1.4 billion gigabytes' worth of NAND flash for storage in the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Air. In pure parts costs, it may have spent $392 million, he said in Fortune's copy of the note.
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01/04, 11:35pm
LG intros Z330 and Z430, notebooks, AIO in Vegas
LG formally threw its hat into the ultrabook ring beyond Korea on Wednesday night with two new models joined both by regular notebooks and an all-in-one. In a sense of pride, LG calls the 13-inch Z330 (already in Korea) and 14-inch Z430 "Super Ultrabooks" for their passing the minimum requirements Intel set in the category first defined by the MacBook Air. The Z330 is consistently 0.58 inches thick and 2.67 pounds, well under the limits, while the category-breaking Z430 is still 0.78 inches thick and a heavier but still close 3.3 pounds despite the larger screen.
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01/02, 7:45pm
HP Spectre may be ultrabook Envy
HP has teased that it might have more at CES than it has told the media in a teaser slipped out Monday. Called just the Spectre in the video (below) seeded to Engadget and multiple other sites, and believed to be part of the Envy line, it looks to be an extremely thin notebook with a flat lid. Very little else is shown other than patterns that infer the very thin design.
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12/28, 12:55pm
Apple power cutoff technology blamed
Toshiba's Canvio-series USB 3.0 hard drives are failing to connect properly with the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, according to PhoneNews. The site says it tested five Canvio drives with a new 2011 Air; none of them mounted, and in most cases, the drives are said to have failed to even spin up. The issue appears to be Mac-centric, since it was otherwise reproduced only on a Sony VAIO notebook and a current-generation MacBook Pro.
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12/28, 8:05am
Intel Ivy Bridge line tentatively dated, priced
PC builder slips on Wednesday may have locked down release timing for Intel's Ivy Bridge roster. About 25 processors should be available on or near April 8, Digitimes said, 17 of which would be for desktops. The desktops would range from the Core i5-3450 through to the Core i7-3770 and would have a narrow initial price spread of between $184 to $332.
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12/27, 2:45pm
Reduced prices on refurbished MBAs
Today at Apple's online store save on refurbished MacBook Air models like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and 128GB flash storage, now $799 after a $300 price cut. Or for $849 is the refurb. 13.3-inch MacBook Air with a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive. Also priced at $849 is the refurb. 11.6-inch MacBook Air with 2GB of RAM and 64GB flash storage.
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12/26, 11:25pm
Thunderbolt said ready to go for April
Intel's Thunderbolt for Windows PCs could arrive in April, purported insiders stated Monday night. Apple is reportedly helping Intel adopt the standard the two co-created, Digitimes heard. PC builders ASUS and Sony, as well as mainboard builders ASRock and Gigabyte, are expected to be part of the first wave.
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12/21, 8:05am
Acer 15in ultrabook may be cheap
Acer's category-breaking 15-inch 'ultrabook' could be far cheaper than the norm for the category if rumors from Taiwan's part suppliers are accurate. Made by Pegatron, the possibly fiberglass-based design was estimated by Digitimes' source to cost $699, or well under the $999 benchmark. It would reportedly come after "satisfactory" sales of 11- and 13-inch systems.
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12/20, 10:40pm
ASUS hints it stays unafraid of Apple lawsuits
ASUS isn't worried about being sued over patents, company chairman Jonney Shih stated at an awards ceremony Tuesday. Picking up the Pan Wen Yuan Prize with Digitimes in attendance, he said ASUS had "many" 3G patents and wasn't worried about being sued. Although not stated, he was likely referencing HTC's loss to Apple after an ITC complaint, which will likely lead to a favorable ruling if HTC doesn't settle ahead of other ITC verdicts and matching civil lawsuits.
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12/16, 3:15pm
Refurbished Macs under $1000
Today's deals from Apple's online store include a wide selection of refurbished Macs for $1000 or less. At the bottom of the pricing scale is the refurb. Mac mini with a 2.5GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, it was $799, now $699. For $749 is the refurb. Mac mini with Snow Leopard server, a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM and dual 500GB hard drives, now. A $300 price break is available on the refurb. 11.6-inch MacBook Air with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 128GB of flash storage, now $799.
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12/15, 7:45pm
Dell drops Mini line after short history
Dell has formally but quietly backed out of the netbook category. A search for netbooks like the Mini 10 gives users a warning that the Mini line is "no longer available." In return, buyers are told to pick the much larger Inspiron 14R.
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12/15, 6:00pm
Combines storage, hub, DVD burner
Accessory maker Apricorn is now offering a Mac Edition of the Aegis NetDock, originally designed to add functionality to netbooks. The device, about the size of a standard external hard drive enclosure, combines an (optional) 1TB drive, a four-port USB 2 hub, and a dual-layer DVD burner. The design allows for the hard drive component to be swapped out if users desire larger capacities, and the drive is compatible with Time Machine.
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12/15, 12:05am
Acer chair insists Wintel will return to glory
Frequently outspoken Acer chairman JT Wang in statements Wednesday once again insisted that Apple would go away in the near future. Although he saw Apple as a key component, he predicted with Digitimes that Apple as a primary source of growth would weaken in the next two years and that Wintel, the combination of Windows and Intel, would once again be growing the fastest. He anticipated ultrabooks dropping to $699 in 2012 and assumed there would be "surging growth" in Windows PCs at that stage.
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12/13, 7:55pm
Current topics from the forums.
Today in the MacNN forums one Fresh-Faced recruit turned to the forums for some MacBook Air buying advice, click here to join in. One Senior User has been having some possible graphics card issues and is asking other forum goers for their advice in this thread.
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12/12, 4:30pm
Q1 sales thought to be unexpectedly high
MacBook Air shipments could hit 1.6 million units per quarter during the next 12 months, argues JP Morgan's Mark Moskowitz. The analyst notes that shipments in the last quarter reached about 923,000, 44 percent higher than the quarter before that, and above the 17 percent for Macs as rule. Sales in the current quarter are only believed to be accelerating.
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12/12, 10:15am
Intel revises down for Windows PC builders
Intel on Monday showed the full extent of hard drive shortages by lowering its outlook for the fall. It now expects to make $1 billion less in revenue than before, at $13.7 billion, as companies are unable to ship PCs without the drives they need. The holiday season would still see sales up versus the summer, Intel said, but it expected problems up to the spring.
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12/12, 8:55am
Notebook shipments may drop 15pc in early 2012
Unofficial claims from notebook contractors pointed to there being a steeper than usual drop-off in notebook shipments for the usual post-holiday drop. They expected a 10 to 15 percent slump, owed in part to companies watching hard drive shortages stemming from Thai flooding. There had already been a five-point sequential drop in the fall where shipments had grown 15 percent at the same point a year ago.
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12/09, 7:50am
Acer and ASUS said simplifying in Apple-like model
Original design manufacturer (ODM) contractors reportedly claimed Friday that Acer and ASUS would take a partial cue from Apple and simplify their product lines for 2012. The two would aim to trim costs and improve profit by having fewer but clearer models, Digitimes said. As an example, ASUS had over 10 Eee PC netbooks now, but it would have a "maximum" of five models in 2012 with clear high-end, middle, and low-end versions.
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12/07, 10:55pm
Acer chief to avoid PC race to the bottom
Acer in a discussion surrounding the company's global internal meeting confirmed a broader switch away from its traditional budget base towards ultrabooks. CEO JT Wang told Dow Jones that the ultra-thin PCs, which owe their existence to the MacBook Air, would be the "key growth driver" in 2012. The Taiwan firm said it would stop participating in what's often referred to as the race to the bottom, or an obsession with price and sheer market share among Windows PC makers that leads to sacrifices in build quality and sustainable profit.
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12/07, 6:45pm
Other models of MBA also available
The year-ago ultrathin 11.6-inch MacBook Air model, using a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo chip, has turned up on Apple's refurbished section at $699, a new low price point for the model. Other MacBook Airs are also on sale, including an identical model with 128GB of storage rather than 64GB for $100 more. The $699 model includes 2GB of RAM, 64GB of flash drive storage and NVidia GeForce 320M graphics.
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12/07, 1:50pm
AT&T numbers point to better-than-expected numbers
Apple is doing well in terms of iPhones and Macs, but not as well as expected with iPads, a pair of new analyst memos suggest. UBS' Maynard Um notes that at the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference, AT&T announced that it had sold 6 million smartphones in the first two months of the current quarter, putting it on track to beat an earlier single-quarter record of 6.1 million. The analyst comments that that his current prediction of 28 million iPhones for the quarter is probably too conservative, as it assumes 6 million from AT&T, and AT&T is likely to sell at least 9 million smartphones by the end of the quarter. Factoring in the effect of launching the iPhone 4S in the period, Um suggests that AT&T may sell an extra 1.2 million iPhones for a total of 7.2 million.
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12/06, 6:00pm
Chinese MacBook Air copy found to perform poorly
The Chinese-made copy of the MacBook Air introduced back in October has just been reviewed by MIC Gadget. The $500 notebook obviously falls short of the original, which starts at $1,000. The body is not as thin, it outweighs the Apple product, and the body is plastic with a coat of matte finish.
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12/06, 1:55pm
Intel Ivy Bridge to focus on efficiency over clock
Following a desktop slip, details of Intel's notebook versions of its Ivy Bridge processor lineup have leaked as well. The lineup seen by VR-Zone will simplify into just U-series ultra-low voltage chips that use 17W and full-power M-series chips that use 35W, 45W, or 55W depending on the model. All 25W chips have disappeared now that PC builders can dial down the peak power themselves.
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12/06, 1:45pm
Low prices on refurbished Macs
Apple's online store today has cut prices on a wide range of refurbished Macs, such as the refurb. 2.5GHz Mac mini with dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive, now $699 after a $100 discount. For $150 more is the refurb. 2.66GHz Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server, which offers the same 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive as the first Mac mini and can be purchased for only $749.
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12/05, 9:20am
LG Z330 takes MacBook Air, Pro cues
Already known for ultraportables, LG took a more direct shot at the ultrabook category Monday with a new addition to the Xnote line. The Z330 carries a 13-inch screen and a tapered, silver and black design reminiscent of a cross between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. LG claims the system is lighter, at under 2.7 pounds, and slightly thinner, at 0.6 inches.
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12/02, 12:15pm
Deals on MacBook Airs, Blu-ray players, and more
Today's deals from DealNN include discounted MacBook Airs, Blu-ray players, and more. Onsale.com is now featuring the 2.13GHz MacBook Air as part of its blowout sale, which includes 4GB of RAM, 256GB of Flash storage, a 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics card. Currently featured at DealNN, this model has now dropped $650 off its original list price and can be purchased for only $1,149.00.
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