MacBook

Lenovo breaks Apple’s MacBook in half in “hidden” camera prank vid

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 25, 2014

You may recall that Lenovo recently teamed up with Microsoft on a television commercial which dissed the MacBook Air because the ultra-thin Apple notebook is not a convertible machine like Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro. Now the computer maker is back at it with a new video Tuesday.

Crafted in co-operation with UCB Comedy's funniest prank shoppers and presented as a hidden camera prank, the clip depicts a guy pitching Lenovo's new Yoga 3 convertible to mall shoppers.

How?

By breaking MacBooks in half to demonstrate how the Yoga 3 combines two devices into one, a traditional laptop and a tablet.

Details of Telltale’s upcoming game based on HBO’s Game of Thrones series leak

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 14, 2014

Before revealing the first story details and premier trailer of “Tales from the Borderlands”, its upcoming adventure game based on on Gearbox and 2K’s Borderlands 2, Telltale yesterday offered a glimpse into an upcoming “Game of Thrones” game based on HBO’s award-winning fantasy drama television series, itself adapted from of “A Song of Ice and Fire”, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels.

Filing as another episodic adventure game, the game follows the storyline of House Forrester detailed in the book “A Dance with Dragons,” the fifth book of the series, with an interesting twist: players will be permitted to assume the role of any of the five members of House Forrester in various locations around Westeros and Essos.

Needless to say, your actions affect the rest of House Forrester. “Multiply the actions of one character by five, and you’re truly playing the Game of Thrones … where you win, or you die,” notes the blurb.

New Microsoft ad pits Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro convertible to MacBook Air

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Microsoft's Windows channel on YouTube yesterday released a new commercial painting Lenovo's Yoga Pro 3 convertible laptop as a better portable computer overall than Apple's ultra-thin MacBook Air.

Titled 'Let's Dance', the 30-second commercial is critical of the Apple machine's lack of a touchscreen while praising multi-mode flexibility of the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, concluding that once you add the touchscreen to the mix, “it’s game over” because the Yoga 3 Pro proves there’s “more than one way to do what you want”.

Rumor: Apple switching to laser-cut logo with “shine at the edges” across all 2015 products

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2014

In spite of both The Wall Street Journal and Re/code’s reliable John Paczkowski cautioning against a Retina refresh for Apple's MacBook Air at tomorrow's event, the hit-and-miss DigiTimes on Wednesday quoted Taiwanese suppliers as saying that small-volume shipments have already begun.

More interesting than that, sources asserted that the Cupertino firm is planning a major switch to using laser cutting and some advanced embedded technologies to make the Apple logo on products “3D-like and shine at the edges”.

This is allegedly a large-scale effort as all Apple products reportedly are going to feature the new logo in 2015, ”starting with the next-generation iMac”. As a reminder, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks the next iMac with a 5K Retina screen will be unveiled at tomorrow's event, among other goodies.

Apple not going to unveil Retina MacBook Air this Thursday, reliable report claims

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 10, 2017

Monday, Re/code's well-informed John Paczkowski poured cold water on rumors calling for a Retina MacBook Air introduction at Apple's upcoming media event this Thursday. The Cupertino company is not going to unveil a new MacBook Air model with a twelve-inch Retina display at the event, Paczkowski has learned from plugged-in sources.

“Sources familiar with Apple’s plans tell me that the company’s latest reimagining of the ultralight laptop won’t be shown off at its Thursday event,” he said. As Paczkowski previously reported, the forthcoming press conference — which Apple teased under the 'It's been way too long' tagline — should be about new iPads, OS X Yosemite and “a new hi-res iMac”.

WSJ: 12.9-inch iPad delayed to 2015, Retina MacBook Air entering production in December

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2014

Due to strong demand for the iPhone 6 Plus, which continues to exhibit a 3-4 week delay on the Online Apple Store, Taiwanese suppliers have reportedly pushed back plans to produce a rumored larger iPad with a 12.9-inch screen to 2015, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal Thursday.

The so-called iPad Pro was originally scheduled to enter mass production in December, the financial newspaper added. Moreover, mass production of a new MacBook Air model with “a higher resolution” screen should commence in December, as per WSJ's sources.

DigiTimes: 12″ Retina MacBook Air in limited production now

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2014

Apple's rumored MacBook Air with a twelve-inch Retina screen has allegedly entered limited production, according to sources with Apple's supply chain Wednesday morning who spoke to DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication.

Apple has reportedly commissioned contract manufacturer Quanta Computer to start building the ultra-thin notebook in small volumes in October, with output expected to increase gradually beginning November.

Apple is holding a media event next Thursday so a Retina MacBook Air could be on tap along with new iPads, a (possibly) refreshed Apple TV hardware and what not.

Rumor claims ultra-slim 12″ Retina MacBook Air coming in 2015 in Silver, Space Gray and Gold

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 9, 2017

File this one under the 'We Shall See' drawer: Apple's long-rumored MacBook Air with a 12-inch Retina display is reportedly launching next year in Space Gray and Gold, in addition to the usual aluminum silver look, A Tech Website said Friday citing sources “familiar with Apple’s plans”.

This is the first time someone has mentioned iPhone-inspired colors with respect to Apple's ultra-thin notebook. We're not sure what to make of this report because in my personal view, a gold MacBook Air sounds preposterous, to say the least.

Poll: would you buy a notebook, a tablet, a phone and a watch?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

We're living in a multi-device world. Taking into account the never-ending stream of both existing form factors and new-category products, small wonder that the line is blurring.

I'm of course referring to ultra-thin notebooks, smartphones, tablets and wearables that perform functions of smartwatches, fitness trackers, health bands and what not.

But do we really need all this hardware in our lives? And even more to the point, can anyone in today's multi-screen world safely do without owning all types of mobile gear?

That's the question I'd like to pose in today's poll. Assuming you have enough spare cash lying around somewhere, would buying a notebook, a tablet, a smartphone and a watch benefit your mobile computing, do you think?

Microsoft targets MacBook Air with three new Surface ads

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 11, 2014

Software giant Microsoft has begun airing three television commercials for its Surface Pro 3 tablet series. And rather than ridicule Apple's iPad, the 30-second spots take aim at the ultra-thin MacBook Air.

Microsoft from the onset positioned Surface Pro 3, which features a keyboard cover and Windows/Office software, as a replacement for both tablets and notebooks and these new ads drive the point home.

Check them out after the break and meet us in comments...

iPads and MacBooks can’t be bought with China’s public money over espionage concerns

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 6, 2014

First Russian, and now China. Just as news hit us a week ago that the Russian government is demanding access to the source code for Apple software to ensure it isn't enabling U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on the 145 million country, Bloomberg Wednesday reported that the Chinese government has taken Apple's iPad tablets and MacBook notebooks off the procurement list.

As a result, no government agency in China is allowed to buy Apple products with public money.

While government purchases are not a major sales driver for Apple, it's worth remembering that China is home to 1.33 billion people and filing as Apple's third-biggest market by revenue...

‘Modbook Pro X’ turns your 15-inch Retina MacBook into a powerful tablet

Cody Lee ∙ July 30, 2014

Folks longing for a more powerful Apple tablet may want to checkout the new Pro X project from long-time MacBook-modifier Modbook. The company has taken to Kickstarter to market its latest creation—a 15.4" quad-core tablet with Retina display that runs Mac OS X.

The Modbook Pro X will be available in a number of configurations, based on the new Retina MacBook Pros Apple unveiled just this week. Packages can include a processor as fast as Intel's 2.8GHz Haswell chip, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 2 terabytes of flash storage...