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13inch or 15inch MacBook Pro? Here’s Our Advice

August 5, 2011 in Mac, Main Blog, Slideshow

You might be in that situation where you are spending hours and hours on deciding whether or not the purchase the 13inch model, or the 15inch model. Since we have been getting a lot of questions regarding the MacBook Pro, we decided to give you our thoughts and advice.

If your primary reason for buying a MacBook Pro is NOT video editing or gaming, you don’t need to consider the 15inch model. This is simply because the 13inch has enough power for the rest of the tasks. However, if you are looking into doing REGULAR video editing or gaming, then go for the 15inch model. In fact, if you are a hardcore gamer, go for the higher-end 15inch model simply because the graphics processor will be given 1GB of dedicated memory.

If you are thinking of purchasing a Mac, and your primary tasks you intend to do are web surfing, email, iPhoto, editing documents in Pages – then we advise you to stick with the lower-end 13inch MacBook Pro. This is simply because you are not a demanding consumer, and the baseline model will keep you more than happy. However, if you are one of those people who does video editing and gaming sometimes, but not so often, then the higher-end 13inch model should keep you happy.

If you get to the point where you realize that you are just a very light user (not using intensive applications), then we would also suggest you to check out the MacBook Air. This is simply because the MacBook Air’s flash drive really does make a difference in speed. Whether its web surfing, photo editing, documents and so on, it is just so much faster. Even opening apps can be 2+ times faster!

However, the downfall with the MacBook Air is storage capacity. Starting from only 64GB up to 256GB of storage, that might not be enough for your media. So, if you have a lot of media, and you are still a light user, then we would advise you to go for the baseline 13inch MacBook Pro, and perhaps upgrade the sloppy 5400rpm hard drive to a 7200rpm drive for faster speeds.

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in Japan, and grew up in Hong Kong. He is very passionate towards technology and he became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers.

 

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Fake Apple Stores With Real Products & Real Apple Stores With Fake Products

July 30, 2011 in Main Blog, Uncategorized

Last week wasn’t so much about Apple rumors or news, but it was about the rising attention of the fake Apple Stores found in Kunming, China. An American blogger was the first to notice and publish this news on the web, and gained millions of access within a day. In her blog, she embedded a few images in which she took, that made us recognize what we know as an Apple Store. With the large Apple logo at the entrance, the wooden desks, the winding staircases, the products and even the staff – wearing blue t-shirts with a name tag around their neck. Although we say this is a “fake” Apple Store, the products they sell are “real” Apple products. The problem was that the store itself was not an Apple Store, nor an authorized reseller. If you check out Apple’s list of stores, they only have three Apple Stores in the whole of China, none of which were located in Kunming. Apparently, three of these fake Apple Stores have been found within ten minutes of walk through the streets of Kunming. Two of which were closed after the news breaker through a media last week. Below are some images of the fake stores:

Here is one such media covering this news:

We’ve talked about fake Apple Stores with real Apple products. Now lets talk about the opposite. Real Apple Stores with fake products. This, again, is a story that popped up in China. We all know that China is pretty much a giant in terms of knockoff products, many of them replicating Apple products. One such example is this MacBook Air (shown below) that is being served at a real Apple Store. Whilst Apple isn’t to happy with the fake stores selling real products, they are happy to serve fake products in a real store!

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, wheretechnology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused onApple Inc. and Google Inc.

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iPhone 5 Cases Appear Ahead of September Launch

July 30, 2011 in iPhone, Main Blog, Uncategorized

One after the other, day after day, we have seen rumors regarding the iPhone 5  floating around the worldwide web. Whilst not all of them can be trusted, we’ve found images of a potential iPhone 5 case. Whilst these images are sourced from 9to5Mac.com, it is claimed that these images originally came from sources that also leaked the iPod nano cases, as well as the iPad 2 cases. So in terms of reliability, it is fairly strong. These images below show that the new iPhone is thinner than the current iPhone 4, with a curved back, but it’s also wider and taller due to the larger screen. We can also tell that the mute switch has jumped from the left side to the right side of the phone. Images are below:

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, wheretechnology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused onApple Inc. and Google Inc.

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First Look at the Apple Thunderbolt Displays [Video]

July 24, 2011 in Mac, Main Blog, Uncategorized

Alongside the refreshes of the MacBook Air and the Mac Minis, we have also seen an update to their displays. What used to be known as the Apple LED Cinema Displays are now called the Thunderbolt Displays. and there is a good reason for this change. The Thunderbolt Displays are probably the first Thunderbolt equipped accessory that Apple has produced, and they are called Thunderbolt Displays simply because they use a Thunderbolt connecter, instead of a combination of a Mini DisplayPort and a USB, to plug into the Thunderbolt ports on one of the new Macs introduced this year, starting from the new MacBook Pros, iMacs and now the MacBook Airs and Mac Minis. With this, you can transfer data of up to 10Gb/s across the display. You might be asking why? Well, the answer is, you can connect other Thunderbolt equipped devices to your Thunderbolt Display and daisy chain them to your Mac. So you don’t have to plug in a lot of connecters right into your Mac, cleaning up a lot of mess from your desk.

The really cool thing about the new displays are that there is also another FireWire 800 port, as well as a gigabit ethernet port, in addition to the 3 USB 2.0 ports and the Thunderbolt port. What this means is that if you have a Mac that doesn’t have FireWire 800 or gigabit ethernet ports, such as a MacBook Air, you can still use your FireWire 800 hard drives and ethernet cables right with your MacBook Air, thanks to the data transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s. With a MacBook Pro, you can even purchase two Thunderbolt displays and daisy chain them, allowing you to connect 2 displays into your Mac.

Here is a video on our thoughts and opinions regarding the new Thunderbolt Displays:

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused onApple Inc. and Google Inc.

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An in-depth look at the Mac Mini Refresh [Video]

July 22, 2011 in Mac, Main Blog, Uncategorized

Alongside the MacBook Airs, the Mac Minis have also received an update. In our opinion, this update is a big step that Apple has made, compared to how the MacBook Air update was over the previous model. This is not only because of the upgrade from Intel Core 2 Duo to Sandy Bridge Core i5/i7 CPU, or the upgrade to Thunderbolt technology, but also the exclusion of a SuperDrive. Because Apple have left out the SuperDrive, how we can’t watch DVDs or import CDs, or even install applications from disks. Well according to Apple, that’s not a problem because now you have the iTunes Store for media, and the Mac App Store for all your apps. What we noticed is that because Apple has discontinued the white MacBooks, now the most affordable notebook is the MacBook Air, and that doesn’t have a SuperDrive. And, the most affordable Mac desktop is the Mac Mini, and it doesn’t have a SuperDrive. However, the pro-lines of Macs, such as the MacBook Pro and the iMac does sport SuperDrives. Meaning that Apple really is trying to push the basic consumers away from these CDs and DVDs that we don’t need anymore. Apple may decide to kill of the SuperDrive from the MacBook Pros and the iMacs, but that didn’t happen this year, and who knows, that might not happen for another 2 years or so. Now let’s take a look at the new features.

New Features:

As we expected, the new Intel Sandy Bridge Core i Series of CPUs have arrived in the new Mac Minis. Clock speeds range from dual-core 2.3GHz Core i5, configurable up to 2.7GHz Core i7. Apple claims a speed increase of up to 2x faster than the previous model which had the Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4GHz.

 

 

The new Mac Minis also sport the powerful AMD Radeon HD 6630 graphics, which allow performances up to 2x faster. Although we do believe that this is a nice addition, we have to warn everyone that this GPU is not included in the baseline Mac Mini model, as it is only included in the high-end model. The baseline model only sports the Intel HD 3000 graphics. Therefore we would really like you to watch out when purchasing a new Mac Mini. Our advice is to go for the high-end model. This is simply due to this GPU. The AMD graphics are superior over the Intel graphics and will show a noticeable difference in performance speeds.

 

In replacement of the Mini DisplayPort, we now have a Thunderbolt port, that Apple is pushing, which have data transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s. This is a nice addition, and the great thing is that even though Apple is pushing this Thunderbolt technology, and that this technology pretty much is capable of replacing every other I/O, you still get a HDMI port, FireWire 800 port, 4 USB 2.0 ports gigabit ethernet port and an SD card slot.

 

The interesting part of the Mac Mini is how configurable it is. The high-end Mac Mini can sport up to 8GB RAM, and you can also replace the stock 500GB 5400rpm hard drive with a 750GB 7200rpm disk. However, it doesn’t stop there. The new Mac Minis now support the ability to configure SSDs of a capacity of 256GB, and it can also support dual-drives of a combination of a 750GB 7200rpm hard drive plus a 256GB SSD. Although this is a pricey option, it will definitely make your Mac Mini very speedy. There is also a Mac Mini Server, and this server includes the Lion Server pre-installed. Hardware specs include a quad-core Sandy Bridge 2.0GHz Core i7 CPU, which is the same as the baseline 15inch MacBook Pro. Storage starts from dual 750GB 7200rpm hard drives, and that can be configurable with all the options that the high-end Mac Mini can, and also an addition of a dual SSD drive with 256GB on each drive.

Overall, we think that the new Mac Minis are a great buy, especially with all the new hardware that has been included. However, we do like you to consider about the SuperDrive before your purchase, as you might actually need this for your CDs and DVDs, if you still use them. However, now we do have the iTunes Store and the Mac App Store, so there is less of a need of the SuperDrive, but it still feels odd for the SuperDrive to be taken out from a desktop machine. Other than that, we need you to be aware that the baseline Mac Mini does NOT include the AMD HD graphics, because it is only present in the high-end models, and the baseline models will only have the Intel HD 3000 graphics.

We have also made a video on our thoughts and opinions regarding the Mac Mini refresh:

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused onApple Inc. and Google Inc.

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Features We Definitely Want By iOS 6 [Videos]

July 11, 2011 in iPad, iPhone, Main Blog, Uncategorized

Missing Features from iOS 5:

There have been a lot of improvements and new features added into iOS 5, at least in the betas. Notifications being the biggest, followed by Twitter integration, Newsstand, iMessage, Safari/Mail/Game Center improvements and some new Camera features. However. there have been some things that we did not see during the WWDC event. A few of these things have been mentioned in our iOS 5 Wishlist video below, and many others are some other things that came up in mind. In the video above, I give you my thoughts on what I would like Apple to include at least by iOS 6.

These features include:

- Better Multi-tasking implementation, user interface.

- Homescreen or Dashboard style Widgets.

- Facebook integration right into the OS – sharing photos, YouTube links, Safari articles.

- FaceTime group chat.

- 3D Vector Google Maps.

- Replying to comments in YouTube app.

- Game Center improvements – sync game data across all iOS devices wirelessly.

 

iOS 5 Wishlist Part One:

iOS 5 Wishlist Part Two:

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused on Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

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Unboxing & Review: SwitchEasy NUDE Case for the iPad 2 [Video]

July 3, 2011 in Accessories, iPad, Main Blog, Product, Tablets, Uncategorized

SwitchEasy has been known to produce quality accessories for Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad. Probably one of the most popular cases made by SwitchEasy, are the Capsule Rebel case, Odyssey case and the NUDE case for the iPhone 4. In this article, we will review the NUDE case for the iPad 2.

For $29.99 (US), you will get the NUDE case itself, 1 screen protector, 2 stands (black & white), a squeegee and a few covers for the headphone jack and the 30-pin dock connecter (2 each).

The case we have the NUDE case in blue. The NUDE case also comes in clear, black, red, pink and yellow. My first impression of the case was that it is a very, very thin case. The NUDE case for the iPhone 4 (review coming up soon) is also an extremely thin case, defining its “NUDE” brand to be thin without adding any bulk. This NUDE case has a very glossy surface, and unlike many other cases, the case is also coated with UV coating, which means that the backside of the case is scratch-proof. In my own tests from normal usage, I have not managed to get any scratches on the backside of the case, meaning that the UV coating was actually effective.

One down-side of the NUDE case is that the dimensions of the case is not actually perfect for the iPad 2. Fitting the iPad 2 in the case was no hassle, however once it was inside the case, I noticed that the iPad was able to move around whilst it was in the case. This means that the case itself was slightly larger (only by approximately 2mm) in both vertical and horizontal measurements. This might not seem like a big deal, but it was definitely noticeable and it did bother me whilst using the iPad. Other than that, all the cutouts were perfect, all the buttons were accesible, and the speaker quality does not degrade whilst the case is on.

Now moving on to the peripherals. As I have mentioned before, we also get a screen protector in the box. This screen protector is good in a way that it is very tough, and does not deform easily, like cheaper protectors do. However, I actually prefer the iPad without the screen protector as the iPad has an oleophobic coating, whereas the screen protector does not have any coating. Meaning that after using the iPad, you will notice a lot of fingerprints and grease on your screen. Whereas this is kept minimal when the screen protector is absent.

Other peripherals include the stand. SwitchEasy includes 2 stands, one in black and the other in white. In my first try, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to actually setup the stand, however after initial setup, things went alright. The stand is capable of holding your iPad in both portrait and landscape mode without any trouble. And overall, I really liked the stand as it is also capable of holding the iPad, whilst the iPad is in other 3rd-party cases. The box also includes 2 30-pin dock connector covers, and 2 headphone jack covers. SwitchEasy might have included these to prevent dust building up inside the iPad, however, in normal usage, I did not find any practical use of these.

Overall, I can recommend the NUDE case people who only want a simple hardshell case to protect the back of the iPad. This case will not work alongside the Smart Cover, by Apple, as it covers all the edges of the iPad. The case does not add any bulk or weight to the iPad. However, like I said before, the dimensions did bother me whilst I was reviewing the case.

Pros:

- Glossy back does not scratch because of the UV coating.

- Comes in some nice colors.

- All ports and buttons are easily accessible.

- Screen protector included in the box

Cons:

- The dimensions of the case is not a perfect fit for the iPad 2.

plomonet rating: 6/10

Link to SwitchEasy’s NUDE case website:

http://www.switcheasy.com/products/NUDE_iPad2/NUDE_iPad2.php

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused on Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

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Apple Quietly Updates their Time Capsule and Airport Extreme [Video]

June 23, 2011 in Mac, Main Blog, Uncategorized

Alongside the Final Cut Pro X update, Apple has also updated two hardware products. First one, the Time Capsule. Time Capsule is an AirPort Base Station with a built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and hard drive. This device works in conjunction with Apple’s Time Machine software, to allow users to automatically, and wirelessly, backup all the data on their Macs. The Time Capsule used to come in two models – a 1TB and 2TB storage model. Now, Apple has updated these with 2TB and 3TB models. The 2TB model starts at $299 and 3TB at $499.

The interesting point is that Apple did not announce this product, nor have a press release. All they did was quietly update their website. Now, the new Time Capsules might not be a great choice for you. Especially the 3TB model. This is because it costs $499 for the 3TB model. Meaning that you would have to pay an extra $200 for an extra TB. However, if you look at third party hard drives, the average difference between 2TB and 3TB hard drives are around $40. This would mean that Apple is including their always-expensive Apple tax in the 3TB model. If you also look at third party products, such as hard drives from Seagate, the 3TB models are actually around $150 cheaper than the Time Capsule.

Because of this, we strongly recommend you to either buy the 2TB Time Capsule (or a refurbished model, if available), and buy another third party hard drive and connect it via USB to the Time Capsule. By this, you are essentially increasing the available storage for backups. You can buy the 2TB model, and also buy another 3TB hard drive, and have a total of 5TB, whilst saving hundreds of dollars.

Another product – the AirPort Extreme Base Station has also been updated. However, in this case, the product itself does not have any new features. The only difference between the new and the old models, are the model number that is printed on the bottom casing. We have no idea why Apple decided has updated this quietly and also without any new features, however there have been many rumors saying that the new Time Capsules and AirPort Extremes will be powered by an optimized version of iOS, just like the 2nd generation Apple TVs, for potential wireless backups of iOS devices.

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused on Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

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Final Cut Pro X is Out. Download Available through the Mac App Store [Video]

June 21, 2011 in Mac, Main Blog, Uncategorized

Today, Apple has announced that their entirely new, most advanced, video editing app for professionals – Final Cut Pro X, and is now available for download through the Mac App Store for $299 (App Store Link).  Motion 5 ($49 Download link) and Compressor 4 ($49 Download Link) were also updated today.

My video talking about Final Cut Pro X, as well as other product releases such as the new Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme Base Station:

Below is the entire press release by Apple:

Apple Revolutionizes Video Editing With Final Cut Pro X

CUPERTINO, California—June 21, 2011—Apple® today announced Final Cut Pro® X, a revolutionary new version of the world’s most popular Pro video editing software which completely reinvents video editing with a Magnetic Timeline that lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; Content Auto-Analysis that categorizes your content upon import by shot type, media and people; and background rendering that allows you to work without interruption. Built on a modern 64-bit architecture, Final Cut Pro X is available from the Mac® App Store™ for $299.99.

“Final Cut Pro X is the biggest advance in Pro video editing since the original Final Cut Pro,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We have shown it to many of the world’s best Pro editors, and their jaws have dropped.”

“I’m blown away by what Apple has done with Final Cut Pro,” said Angus Wall, Academy Award-winning film editor. “Final Cut Pro X is incredibly modern and fast, but most importantly it lets you focus on telling your story in the most creative way, while it actively manages all of the technical details.”

At the heart of Final Cut Pro X is the Magnetic Timeline, a trackless approach to editing your footage that lets you add and arrange clips wherever you want them, while other clips instantly slide out of the way. You can use Clip Connections to link primary story clips to other elements like titles and sound effects, so they stay in perfect sync when you move them. You can even combine related story elements into a Compound Clip that can be edited as a single clip. The groundbreaking new Auditions feature lets you swap between a collection of clips to instantly compare alternate takes.

Content Auto-Analysis scans your media on import and tags your content with useful information. Final Cut Pro X then uses that information to dynamically organize your clips into Smart Collections, so you can easily find the clips you want by close up, medium and wide shots as well as media type and the number of people in the shot. You can also tag parts of clips with Range-based keywords to add custom search criteria to your media.

Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Final Cut Pro X is a 64-bit app that takes full advantage of the latest Mac hardware and software so you never have to wait for the next edit, even if you’re working with 4K video. Final Cut Pro X uses multi-threaded processing and the GPU on your graphics card for blazing fast background rendering and superb real-time playback performance. Additionally, a ColorSync-managed color pipeline ensures color consistency from import to output.

Final Cut Pro X also includes powerful tools for audio editing and color correction, and is complemented by two companion apps, Motion 5 for professional motion graphics and Compressor 4 for advanced media encoding, available from the Mac App Store for $49.99 each.

Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Pro X is available today for $299.99 from the Mac App Store. Motion 5 and Compressor 4 are available today for $49.99 each from the Mac App Store. Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Pro X can be found at www.apple.com/finalcutpro.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused on Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

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Buy a Mac Now, Get a Free Copy of Lion.

June 16, 2011 in Mac, Main Blog, Uncategorized

Want to get a Mac now, but also don’t want to pay for Lion? Don’t worry, Apple has announced that if you have bought a Mac since June 6th, you are immediately eligible in receiving a copy of Mac OS X Lion as a free download from the Mac App Store. This is an Up-To-Date program where users are given 30 days from the purchase of their Mac in requesting a free upgrade to Lion.

Apple has also released a press release:

“The Mac OS X Lion Up-To-Date upgrade is available at no additional charge via the Mac App Store to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, 2011. Users must request their Up-To-Date upgrade within 30 days of purchase of their Mac computer. Customers who purchase a qualifying Mac between June 6, 2011 and the date when Lion is available in the Mac App Store will have 30 days from Lion’s official release date to make a request.”

About the Author: Kenta Arai is a tech enthusiast who was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. His passion towards technology began to develop as he grew up in Hong Kong, where technology had its solid place in the mass market. Arai became one of the most enthusiastic technophile student in his high-school, and was also well-known for consulting many of his school-mates when purchasing new computers. His expertise in the tech industry is focused on Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

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