Macbookpro Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

MacBook Pro, AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule firmware updated

by Chris Rawson (Nov 10th, 2011)

Apple has released three new firmware updates all at once. MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.5 "resolves an issue where a MacBook Pro being used with a power adapter may unexpectedly shut down under heavy workload if the battery charge level is near empty." It's not entirely clear which models ...

Twelve South PlugBug: Hands-on review

by Steven Sande (Nov 10th, 2011)

I'm not sure if there's something in the water that's making manufacturers come out with a lot of new power accessories for Apple devices these days, but it seems like a lot of new products like the XtremeMac Slim 10W USB Wall Charger and others are being announced. None of the announcements ...

Apple launches MagSafe adapter replacement program

by Chris Rawson (Nov 8th, 2011)

Apple's MagSafe adapter solved the number one source of catastrophic laptop damage; pets, children, and oblivious adults often tripped over the old-style power adapters and brought the entire device crashing to the floor. But the MagSafe adapter came with problems of its own. Fraying cables ...

Apple issues firmware updates, Thunderbolt software update, more

by Dave Caolo (Oct 27th, 2011)

Apple has issued a number of updates this week, in addition to iPhoto 9.2.1. Here's what's newly available. Thunderbolt Software Update 1.1 is for those using Lion on a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac. Apple says it "provides support for the Apple Thunderbolt Display and bug fixes for Thunderbolt ...

Daily Update for October 24, 2011

by Steven Sande (Oct 24th, 2011)

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player ...

MacBook Pro video update released, resolves video freezing

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Oct 24th, 2011)

Apple has released MacBook Pro Video Update 1.0, which resolves an issue where 15-inch MacBook Pros (Mid-2010 model) were intermittently freezing or stopped displaying video. The 70.97 MB update is now available via Software Update or through Apple's support site. ...

Apple updates MacBook Pro with larger hard drives, slightly faster processors

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 24th, 2011)

Apple silently updated its MacBook Pro line of notebooks with slightly faster processors and larger hard drives. The update bumps up the processors by a small .1 to .2 GHz (not 1 to 2 GHz, sorry!) and increases hard drive capacity by 180 to 250 GB. The GPUs in the MacBook Pro 15" and 17" lines ...

Put a whiteboard on your laptop with DrawTop

by Mike Schramm (Oct 19th, 2011)

I love this idea. The DrawTop is a sticker that goes on top of your laptop and basically turns it into a whiteboard surface. The one, ahem, drawback that I can see is you might pretty easily wipe off any designs you happen to have on it just by sliding your laptop into the usual protective case ...

Apple issues update to fix flickering with 24" Cinema Display and Thunderbolt (Updated)

by Steven Sande (Sep 29th, 2011)

Update: It appears that Apple has removed the firmware download from their support site. As pointed out by David in the comments below, this update was likely not intended for public release just yet, as it was posted to the discussion thread by a customer who is apparently working with ...

Grove announces Bamboo Backs for MacBooks

by Kelly Guimont (Sep 27th, 2011)

Grove , a company based in Portland, Oregon, has announced they are expanding their line of bamboo-based goodies for your Apple product. They already have a variety of iPhone and iPad cases, so it was really just a question of time before they found a way to coordinate your iThings with your ...

Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive: Small, solid and secure

by Steven Sande (Sep 24th, 2011)

I have a pile of small USB-powered hard drives that I use to back up various devices. All of them are inexpensive, have somewhat limited storage, and are encased in plastic. The latter feature always makes me apprehensive about traveling with the drives, as they just don't seem to be sturdy ...

Apple releases MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 (Update: Mac mini updated too)

by Chris Rawson (Sep 14th, 2011)

Apple has released MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 for 2011-model MacBook Pros. The update addresses the same Thunderbolt and OS X Lion Internet Recovery issues as the EFI Firmware Update issued two days ago for 2011-model MacBook Airs. The 4.17 MB firmware update is available at Apple's ...

Daily Mac App: gfxCardStatus

by Samuel Gibbs (Sep 12th, 2011)

Some newer MacBook Pros have been packing dual graphics cards for a while now, with the ability to dynamically switch between them -- integrated for battery life and discrete for performance. It's often tricky to know which card is currently in use as the switch between the two is seamless. ...

Apple struggles to meet 13-inch MacBook Air demand, resellers raise prices

by Michael Grothaus (Aug 23rd, 2011)

Apple is reportedly struggling to meet consumer demand for the 13-inch MacBook Air, leading some resellers to add hefty premiums to the larger of Apple's ultra-thin notebooks. According to AppleInsider, Apple underestimated the demand for its 13-inch Air model, giving favor to manufacturing the ...

Intensive surgery on an old MacBook Pro yields huge performance gains (Updated)

by Chris Rawson (Aug 19th, 2011)

Installing OS X Lion on a 3 1/2-year old MacBook Pro made it clearer than ever just how slow my old machine had become. Beachballs left and right, UI lag, incredibly long reboot times, dismal application load times... as someone accustomed to the "instant on" feel of an iPad or iPhone, I was ...