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Author Archive

New Power2U Video Helps Answer Questions

Friday, March 9th, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

It’s pretty safe to say that, since its introduction, Newer Technology’s Power2U USB/AC Wall Outlet has been insanely popular. Tens of thousands of Power2Us have been sold, and only a very small percentage of people have had questions during the installation process.

Fortunately, though, most of the questions boil down to a few cases which can be easily remedied. While the FAQ tab on the appropriate product page(s) should suffice, these topics are actually easier to understand when presented visually. After all, they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth 30,000 words per second, and that’s just what we’ve done. We hope by illustrating answers to common questions that you’ll be able understand the solutions more easily.

You can find the video in our Tech Center if you want, but we’ve also embedded it after the break… Article Continues…

Same iPad Name, “New” iPad Problems

Thursday, March 8th, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

Yesterday’s iPad launch gave us a lot of new features; Retina Displays, HD cameras, voice dictation, and bevy of other tweaks and improvements. However, there was one other change that nobody on stage really called a lot of attention to: the name.

Similar to its iPhone brethren, when the iPad moved to its first major update, a numeral was added to the end of the name to distinguish it from the original. We had the iPad and the iPad 2. Logically, most expected this latest update to be named the iPad 3.

Au contraire, mon frère. Article Continues…

Apple Store Down – iPad 3 expected.

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

This morning, the online Apple Store has been taken down temporarily stating “We are busy updating the store for you and will be back shortly.” This action usually indicates a new product being released or updated.

This time around, it’s pretty much expected that we’ll see an update to the iPad – iPad 3, if you’re counting. The questions are mostly centered around the tech specs of the new model. What kind of processor – A5 or will we see an A6 pop up? Rumors abound that we’ll be seeing an HD display on this model, and there’s even talk that this model will feature some sort of haptic feedback to allow you to “feel” what’s on the display to some extent.

We’ll have the details for you here on the OWC Blog as soon as we confirm what the actual changes are. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Store s back up, and new hardware & software has been announced.

The Other World – Episode 44

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

Category: The Other World

Quick Tip: Save Battery by Spinning Down Hard Drive Sooner

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

It seems to be a never-ending battle – trying to get the most out of your laptop battery. It always seems like you run out of battery power at the worst possible moment. And as amazingly convenient as the OWC Data Doubler makes adding a second drive to your MacBook Pro, that just means you now have two drives sucking down power, rather than just one.

Of course, the easiest thing to do would be to replace any platter-based hard drives with an OWC Solid State Drive. Fewer moving parts means less power draw. They also mean less heat, which means the fans run a little less, which also reduces energy consumption.

However, for storing all your data, platter-based drives still have the best cost-per-gigabyte ratio. That’s why many people have chosen to install one of each in their MacBook Pros with a Data Doubler; which solves the storage/performance problem, but doesn’t do much for your battery. Article Continues…

Category: Tech Tips

Apple Previews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: The iOS-ification Continues

Friday, February 17th, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

Yesterday, Apple released a preview of the upcoming iteration of OS X, code-named Mountain Lion. It was real tempting to slip a “cougar” joke in here somewhere (they’re the same animal), but in the interest of giving a more serious look at the OS, it’s probably best if we forego it.

As it’s still early in the process (at least from the end-user side of things) the only things really talked about are new features, most ported over from iOS. Rather than re-hash them all here, you can see them for yourself at Apple’s Web site.

In all, though, it continues the trend for blurring the lines between the mobile and the desktop environments. However, while Lion’s iOS-inpired additions went from the sublime (Lion’s Mail app and full-screen apps – provided you only have one screen) to the ridiculous (does anybody actually use Launchpad to open apps?) and everywhere in between (Mission Control replacing Spaces, “natural” scrolling and gestures”) these additions seem to be focused on the “app” side of things.

Thoughts on What’s Been Announced Article Continues…

OWC Radio #64 – Pennies For Your Thoughts

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 | Author: OWC Michael, OWC Mike H., OWC Grant, and OWC Chris S.

The usual suspects are cashing in their opinions on a wide-variety of topics this month. From the massive coin that Apple has amassed to the single penny that NASA is sending to Mars and everything in between. Bet your bottom dollar, you’re sure to enjoy this one…and you can take that to the bank.

OWC Radio is a monthly, forum-based podcast focused on the events and happenings in the Mac community. This month’s hosts are: OWC Grant, OWC Chris S., and OWC Mike H. Article Continues…

Category: OWC Radio

Apple Big in Business News

Friday, January 27th, 2012 | Author: OWC Chris S.

If you happen to follow the stock market (or even if you don’t) you may have heard that Apple posted record-level quarterly financial results on Tuesday. Analysts have pointed to a combination of the release of the wildly popular iPhone 4S and the holiday season as the source of the extra performance. However, this is just the cherry on top of the sundae. Apple’s growth has been meteoric these last few years, largely on the back of the iPhone and the iPad.

But most of the numbers you see really don’t mean much to your everyday person. A market cap of $416 billion? Okay, that’s a lot. But how much is it?

The Wall Street Journal had a great infographic the other day breaking it down. Here are couple of highlights. Article Continues…

Category: Apple News