Solid State Drives June 29, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Hardware.add a comment
I discovered an article on AnandTech that describes how solid state drives work. The article goes into the nitty gritty of the electronics involved which is probably more than most people want to know. However, the details are good because it provides a foundation for understanding this relatively new technology.
I can’t say I now understand all the physics of silicon, but the important thing to know is that a block of data in an Multi-Layer Cell (MLC) SSD can only be written 10,000 times before it wears out.
Single-Layer Cell (SLC) SSDs use a simpler technology which allows faster access and longer life span (about 100,000 erase/program cycles per block before wearing out). The downside is that they can only store half the data of an MLC SSD.
SSDs do not have any moving parts and have lightning fast access speeds. This makes them ideal for laptop storage. SSDs use a little less power than mechanical drives which gives a slight boost to a laptop’s battery life.
To show off their solid state drives, Samsung installed 24 SSDs in a RAID array. The results are fairly impressive:
Intel SSDs are still the favorite according to AnandTech’s March 2009 article. I liked Intel’s sales pitch, but I am holding off on a purchase because a 160GB drive currently goes for about $600 (half the cost of a new MacBook Pro).
Windows 7 Pre-Order June 27, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Software, Windows.add a comment
Microsoft announced a special discount for pre-ordering Windows 7. Between June 26 and July 11, 2009, the Home Premium upgrade can be ordered for less than $50 (in the US — the offer varies in other countries).
This is a 58% savings over the $120 retail price. Microsoft’s site says this “promotional pricing is a limited time offer, while supplies last”. I can’t think of a reason why they should run out (especially since it can be downloaded). However, if you plan on upgrading, it’s probably a good idea to order now. The offer is available on-line from many retailers.
The Windows 7 Professional Upgrade can be pre-ordered for $100. It offers additional features for networked environments including remote desktop, automatic backup, domain join and XP compatibility mode.
New machines being purchased with Vista should be able to upgrade to Windows 7 for a nominal charge or free. The offer varies between manufacturers, so be sure to ask before purchasing a Windows Vista machine in the next few months.
The release candidate for Windows 7 was available for download from Microsoft — product keys are still available until October 21st, if you already have the download. The Windows 7 preview allows users to try out the new operating system. It can be downloaded until August and can be used until Spring 2010.
Why I Chose the 13″ MacBook Pro June 22, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Hardware, MacBook.add a comment
I just ordered the mid-2009 13″ MacBook Pro. Even though I do not have it my hands yet, I thought I would share why I chose it over other laptops.
First of all, I love the aluminum unibody design. The fit and finish is unlike anything I have seen before — the whole unit has a solid feel. Laptops get a lot of wear and tear while being carted around and Apple’s rigid construction feels like it can take a lot of punishment. The silver matte finish with black keys looks nice as well.
I must say I like the MacBook Pro’s large, glass trackpad that also operates as a mouse button. At first, I was skeptical about the lack of separate buttons, but the trackpad gives a nice response when pressed and I had no trouble clicking just when I wanted it. Right clicks are accomplished by pressing with two fingers instead of one. Fingers glide easily over the glass surface and the operating system allows multi-touch gestures to expose and switch between applications. I have feeling I am going enjoy using the finger swipes over pressing Alt-Tab all the time.
All the MacBook Pros now have a built-in battery that provides long life between charges (up to 7 hours on the 13″ model). The downside is that the batteries cannot simply be swapped out when they reach their end-of-life. Apple says their smart charging method allows up to 1000 recharges and batteries should last for up to 5 years. Since this is a new technology, I am not sure we really know if the batteries will live up to Apple’s claims, but let’s hope they do — I am all in favor of longer battery life. However, the inability to swap in a fresh battery could be a big issue for people that take long intercontinental plane trips.
All the MacBook Pros have LED backlit displays that provide a larger color gamut. This is a big improvement over the MacBook and is a major plus for art and photography applications. A lot of people complain the glossy display makes the MacBook Pros hard to use outdoors. That may be, but I like the sharpness of the glossy screen and mostly use laptops under indoor lighting. Since I wear eyeglasses, I may be used to ignoring stray reflections, but I can see how this might annoy some users.
Other improvements over the previous unibody MacBook are the inclusion of a FireWire 800 port and support for up to 8GB of RAM. Currently, the cost of a full 8GB of memory is prohibitively expensive, but 4GB is quite reasonable. Eventually memory prices should drop and the MacBook Pro can be inexpensively upgraded to its full potential. The support for more RAM is a welcome feature as we enter the age of 64-bit operating systems.
All MacBook Pros now include the keyboard which automatically lights up as the room light dims. This can be demonstrated by covering the built-in iSight camera with a thumb. I am not sure if this is an essential feature (especially for touch typists), but I think it will be useful for picking out the correct function keys after dark.
MacBook Pro is a reasonable value for the money, but there is no question cheaper laptops are available. Like Lauren, you can purchase a Windows laptop for less money. I leave it to others to argue the merits of one operating system over the other. However, if I was going to purchase a Windows laptop or netbook at this point, I would definitely wait for the release of Windows 7 since everyone will want the new version when it comes out in late October. Apple is also coming out with a new version of their operating system, Snow Leopard, which purchasers of the new MacBook Pros can upgrade this fall for $9.95.
What don’t I like? The 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pros do not have an ExpressCard slot which limits their expandability. Apple is probably right that most users will be satisfied with the SD slot, but there are probably a lot of pro photographers that would prefer to insert their compact flash card.
Apple initially had an issue with a lowered SATA bus speed. However, Apple addressed this with a firmware update today. It has only been a week since this issue was reported and Apple’s rapid response actually builds my confidenence in their support team.
The NVIDIA 9400M graphics chip should be adequate for anyone that in not into heavy gaming or 3D rendering. 3D graphic designers might want to consider one of the higher end MacBook Pros that have a separate graphics processor. Hard core gamers should probably invest in a PC.
Finally, when are we going to see the inclusion of a Blu-ray drive? I guess there are loads of licensing issues that still need to be worked out, but a writable Blu-ray drive is still on my wish list.
The 13″ model is perfect for someone like me that likes a light laptop that’s easy to carry around. The MacBook Air is even more portable, but it has less battery life and is not as expandable (plus it is convenient having a built-in DVD drive). If I want to do work on a larger screen, it is easy enough to plug the laptop into standalone display and then the MacBook Pro becomes a desktop machine.
The 13″ MacBook Pro is ideal for a software developer on the move. Xcode, the OS X software environment can be downloaded from Apple for free. Because the Macs are Intel-based, they can still be used to run Windows, either through Apple’s Boot Camp or virtual machine applications such as Parallels or Fusion. I can tell you, I would have loved to have a MacBook Pro when I had to march 20 minutes to campus for computer science classes.
Apple SATA Down June 15, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Hardware, MacBook.add a comment
There are concerns this week that the SATA bus speed on the new MacBook Pro 13″ and 15″ models have been downgraded to 1.5Gbs. Strangely, the MacBook Pro 17″, the MacBook Air and the even the white MacBook still run at 3.0Gbs. No one seems to know why this change was made as the MacBook Pro chipset has not changed since the last revision and it should be capable of handling the higher rate. So far, Apple has not commented on this issue.
The consensus seems to be that the lowered SATA speed should only affect users planning to install a high-speed Solid State Drive (SSD), since no hard drives are capable of saturating the SATA bus even at 1.5Gbs. AnandTech suggests that except when transferring large files, even the high-speed SSDs should not show much degradation.
Personally, I can see upgrading to an SSD next year after prices drop. I understand why people spending $600 on fast drives today are upset to learn their new MacBook Pro is artificially limiting their speed. It’s not clear why this was done and I hope Apple addresses this issue in the near future.
Update»
On June 22, Apple released an EFI firmware update that fixes the slow SATA issue. It has been just a little over a week since new MacBook Pro users discovered the problem and Apple was quick to respond with a fix. This issue has raised my awareness of problems with SSDs and I have started to investigate the pros and cons of this relatively new technology.
New MacBook Pros at WWDC 2009 June 8, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Hardware, MacBook.add a comment
I am excited about the new MacBook Pros announced during WWDC, Apple’s World-Wide Developer Conference. I was waiting for this year’s keynote before ordering a MacBook. I like the solid aluminum “unibody” — it looks nice and feels durable. I was hoping that Apple might announce the pending release of Snow Leopard, the next version of the OS X operating system — I wanted to avoid spending an extra $129 to upgrade in a few months.
Well, not only did Apple announce Snow Leopard will be available late September, but Leopard users can upgrade for just $29 (or $10 if you buy your Mac after June 8th). That’s a good deal and most Mac users should upgrade their systems. But only if your Mac has an Intel processor — the old PowerPC systems will no longer be supported.
There weren’t many rumors about new MacBooks, but Apple upgraded their MacBook Pro line and reduced prices. The 13″ aluminum MacBook is now categorized as a “Pro”. It gets the LED-backlit screen, an SD slot and a FireWire 800 port — all desirable features that were missing on the previous model. All MacBook Pros now get the illuminated keyboard which is probably not essential, but sounds like it could be handy. There is still no express card slot, but Apple is probably right that most users will not need one. All of the new MacBook Pros now have the non-replaceable batteries. These are reported to offer great battery life and should not need replacement for years.
While I would love a large, 17″ screen, I don’t want to spend the money and I like the portability of the small 13″. Apple also upgraded and lowered the price on the MacBook Air, but I do not want to give up the DVD and extra ports. I am sure I will be ordering a new MacBook in the next few weeks.
