Archive for » October, 2011 «
Unboxing the 15-inch October 2011 MacBook Pro
Monday, October 24th, 2011 | Author: OWC Michael
Category: Fresh from Apple, New @ OWC
Speed-Bumped MacBook Pros Released
Monday, October 24th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.
Apple released some updated MacBook Pros today. There’s not much new about them, except that they’re sporting some faster processors. The 13” model now has the option of a dual-core 2.8GHz Core i7 or a 2.4GHz Core i5 dualie. The 15” model has stock options of quad-core i7 processors in 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz, with a 2.5GHz option available as a custom configuration. The 17” model now comes stock with the aforementioned 2.4GHz i7 quad-core processor, but also has a 2.5GHz option available.
Other than the processor boost, a faster graphics card on the 15” and 17” models, and a small bump in stock hard drive size on the 13” to a minimum of 500GB, the specs on these MacBook Pros are effectively the same as the models that came out earlier this year.
That means that all the upgrades, compatibility, and installation videos for the Early 2011 MacBook Pros should be equally as valid for the Late 2011 models.
As for the other issues that have popped up around the 2011 Macbook Pros, we’ll be checking those when the new ‘Books come in tomorrow, and will post our findings as we get them.
Category: Fresh from Apple
OWC Radio #60 With Special Guest Chris Foresman From Ars Technica
Special Guest Chris Foresman accompanies our team today to discuss the passing of Steve Jobs, the release of the iPhone 4s and iOS 5, and the future of Apple as a company.
OWC Radio is a monthly, forum-based podcast focused on the events and happenings in the Mac community. This week’s hosts are: OWC Grant, OWC Chris S., and OWC Mike H.
Article Continues…
Category: OWC Radio
Want a Free 240GB 6G SSD?
Monday, October 17th, 2011 | Author: OWC NewsFeed
Well… it’s not exactly free. You see, there’s a minor catch to it; you have to win.
OWC and Real World Labs are offering a giveaway where one lucky winner gets a high-speed 240GB OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 6G SSD.
Entering the contest is pretty simple.
- Join/Like the official Other World Computing Facebook page.
- Join/Like the official Real World Labs Facebook page .
- Comment under the “Real World Labs and Other World Computing Joint Contest” post on the RWL FaceBook Page.
Then, you sit back and wait.
The contest is open to EVERYONE, regardless of where you live, it will run up to the 15th of November and the winning person is required to post a picture of the product once he/she receives it (for validation purposes, of course).
No Tricks, All Treats at OWC’s October Garage Sale
Monday, October 17th, 2011 | Author: OWC NewsFeed
It’s October, and while the neighborhood garage sales have pretty much all wound down, you can still grab a great deal here at OWC.
So while you’re covering the trees in cobwebs and purchasing sacks of “fun size” candy bars, why not pick up a little treat for your Mac, too? Whether you’re looking for more memory, a larger hard drive, or even a spare MacBook, you may just find what you’re looking for.
Let’s take a look at what kinds of deals we’ve managed to scare up this month:
- Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo 2008 & Later starting at $419.99
- Memory – RAM for Mac (or PC) 1GB from $6, 2GB $8.98, 4GB $20.00,
- Apple Genuine MacBook/MBPro MagSafe Adapters now from $19.99
- Batteries for Apple PowerBooks/iBooks/MacBooks – as low as $35.00
- Nearly 35 different Drive Enclosures Single, Dual, 4-Bay from $9.75
- Solid State Drives (SSD) up to 480GB from $99.00;
- 3.5″ Hard Drives up to 3.0TB starting from $36; 1TB from $49
- 2.5″ Notebook Hard Drives starting from from $36.50 and up to 1.0TB
- …and much more!
Act quickly – items are “first come, first served” and of varying limited quantities. Quantities are limited to that which is on hand and items automatically count down and ‘disappear’ as sold out. Sorry… no rain checks.
Category: Special OWC Deals
Sometimes, “Recommendations” Are Actually “Requirements”
Friday, October 14th, 2011 | Author: OWC Grant
About a month ago, we talked about how MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 “secretly” resolved problems that 2011 MacBook Pros were having with 6.0Gb/s SATA performance.
Since we posted about the fix, we’ve been hearing from customers that some firmware updates are not fully completing… even though it appears that it is. These failed updates offered no indication that the update didn’t complete.
So a bit of sleuthing on our behalf turned up the culprit. When installing the update using Software Update, the installer informs you that it is recommended that you plug in your MacBook Pro to working power source while installing. This makes sense – the one time you don’t want your battery to go out is when running a firmware update.
However, if you download the update via its Apple KnowledgeBase page, though, the description there states that you must have your MacBook Pro connected to the power connector for installation.
From all the reports we’ve seen, it would appear that the KnowledgeBase instructions are the more accurate or at least more specific. Connecting the power supply while updating your firmware isn’t a recommendation; it’s a requirement.
Taking that requirement mindset even further is that when installing any firmware update on any Mac notebook, make sure you have it connected to its wall outlet power adapter before you start the update. Then, after running the updater, check the Hardware Overview screen in System Profiler and see if the the correct new Boot ROM or SMC version number for the update you’re running is present. If you still have the old version, then you will need to run the update again.
Naturally, this connect to power requirement is already solved for desktop machine users. But if you can think of a way to update a desktop machine like an iMac, Mac Pro, or mini without being connected to power, we’d like to hear about it!
Category: Tech Tips
NewerTech Introduces Premium-Quality USB 2.0 Charging, Syncing, and Extension Cables for iPods, iPhones, and iPads
Friday, October 14th, 2011 | Author: OWC NewsFeed
Newer Technology, Inc. announced today the availability of its new premium-quality 30-Pin Dock Connector to USB 2.0 cables in four sizes: 3″, 12″, 36″, and 72″. The fully Apple®-certified cables utilize the power and convenience of USB 2.0 for charging and syncing an iPod, iPhone, and iPad via a standard 30-pin Dock Connector. Also new and offering up to triple the length of any USB to Dock cable is the Newer Technology USB Extension Cable which features an on/off switch to provide charging without syncing functionality. Article Continues…
Category: New @ OWC, Press Releases
Upgrade Your 06-08 Mac Pro’s Internal Bays to SATA 3.0
Friday, October 14th, 2011 | Author: OWC Chris S.
Most of the time, your average Mac has a longer useful life than its PC counterpart. Unfortunately, the fast evolution of technology means that, after a while, that older Mac may seem a little slow and may not be able to take full advantage of current tech.
Such is the case for earlier Mac Pros. As they currently sit, they only move data at SATA 2.0 speeds, roughly three gigabits per second. If you wish to put the drives in to a RAID array, you are limited to either a mirrored RAID 1, losing half your capacity, or a RAID 0, which is faster, but increases the risk of data loss. On top of that, those RAID levels are all software-based, which can reduce overall performance.
Fortunately, if you happen to have a 2006-2008 Mac Pro, you can improve the performance in those bays, with only one small thing to lookout for. Article Continues…
Category: Product Spotlight, Tech Tips
