Mac Hardware and Software |OT| - All things Macintosh

sigh, my stupid trackpad is acting up again - but it didn't even get wet this time.

just randomly clicking on things and the cursor jumping everywhere. the $30 ebay replacement i bought didn't work. i opened it up and put it in, and then my mac wouldn't boot :( grey screen.

had to put the broken one back in. woe is me.

now i need to wait til i have some money so i can buy the $80 replacement from ifixit
 
I doubt anyone can help me, but it's worth a shot I guess...

About two/three weeks ago I received my Macbook Pro (13-inch, i5 model). A few days ago I started noticing that my left speaker is 'cracking' (I don't know a better word to describe it). I hear it when there are high tones (like the sound is overdriven), it does not matter if I turn the volume down (the cracking is less hard as well, but it's still there).

I compared my Macbook's sound to a friend with a similar model and he certainly doesn't have the "cracking" sound. I tried external speakers which are fine.

It's not a huge problem but it's certainly annoying and I know myself that I will be annoyed in a longer period of time.

So I guess my left speaker is fucked? I really don't want to send it to repair... I also need it for school :/.

Anyone an idea?
 
Dreaver said:
I doubt anyone can help me, but it's worth a shot I guess...

About two/three weeks ago I received my Macbook Pro (13-inch, i5 model). A few days ago I started noticing that my left speaker is 'cracking' (I don't know a better word to describe it). I hear it when there are high tones (like the sound is overdriven), it does not matter if I turn the volume down (the cracking is less hard as well, but it's still there).

I compared my Macbook's sound to a friend with a similar model and he certainly doesn't have the "cracking" sound. I tried external speakers which are fine.

It's not a huge problem but it's certainly annoying and I know myself that I will be annoyed in a longer period of time.

So I guess my left speaker is fucked? I really don't want to send it to repair... I also need it for school :/.

Anyone an idea?
Click to expand...

It sounds like a bad speaker. I would take it to the Apple Store and show them the issue. Sometimes the genius in the back room can fix a minor issue in a matter of days rather than sending it to Apple and having to wait weeks for a replacement.
 
As a fan of the Mac mini, I'm curious what any of you who are interested in it would like to see down the road. What would you add, subtract, and what would you price it at?
 
Autumn Wind said:
As a fan of the Mac mini, I'm curious what any of you who are interested in it would like to see down the road. What would you add, subtract, and what would you price it at?
Click to expand...

A beefier GPU would be nice to have, but beyond that I wouldn't add much. Of course throw in your own SSD after purchase and crank the ram to the max, but you don't buy those upgrades from Apple if you can help it.
 
Autumn Wind said:
As a fan of the Mac mini, I'm curious what any of you who are interested in it would like to see down the road. What would you add, subtract, and what would you price it at?
Click to expand...

I don't expect to see anything more than a spec bump up to ivy bridge and possibly 4gb baseline ram. it'll be interesting to see if apple does anything to counter the intel NUC, which is releasing later this year and supposed to be 4"x4", vs. the mini's 7"x7"
 
I want to install Windows on a Bootcamp partition but I want to purchase a legal license for it. It'd just be for games so I want to spend as little as possible. I don't even need a disc as I can't even use it. I would rather download it. But I want to purchase a license. What is the cheapest I can get a license for? And which version should I use? Would Home Premium be good enough for Steam?

Where's the best place to get a license cheap and officially?
 
rhfb said:
A beefier GPU would be nice to have, but beyond that I wouldn't add much. Of course throw in your own SSD after purchase and crank the ram to the max, but you don't buy those upgrades from Apple if you can help it.
Click to expand...

I agree. Plus with the mid-range model, having so little video memory on a discrete graphics card doesn't help. I am happy with my mini with a Samsung 470 and 8 GB of RAM (considering 16 GB even though I don't need it).

dwebo said:
I don't expect to see anything more than a spec bump up to ivy bridge and possibly 4gb baseline ram. it'll be interesting to see if apple does anything to counter the intel NUC, which is releasing later this year and supposed to be 4"x4", vs. the mini's 7"x7"
Click to expand...

I don't expect much either though on AppleInsider, I have been having a discussion with another user about what exactly he wants in an entry level machine or rather a headless desktop similar to it. I'm looking for specific specifications because I'm kind of a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to that kind of thing as of late.
 
Anyone know if the latest iMac models are known for having image retention issues? There's two spots (where my browser/IM windows reside) on the upper-left hand part of the screen where I always get faint lines appearing.

They go away after the screen is powered off (i.e. sleep), but they'll come back again after a few hours. I'm on the default (as far as I can remember) brightness which is two steps before maximum brightness.
 
LCfiner said:
low priority. low revenue compared to iphone, ipad and mac laptops.

not yet RIP.

but the Mac Pro... maybe one last update and that's it
Click to expand...
To very loosely paraphrase the late Steve Jobs, that is what makes a company go to shit. When they are more focused on profits than great products.

The iPhone and iPad are obviously their main money makers, but it would be a shame if a company that profitable stopped focusing on making great desktops too.

Hopefully this is just needless worrying and Apple continues to put a lot of effort into OS X and future Mac hardware (speaking of the computers).
 
For those seeing lag/stuttering on your MBPr, have you tried going into the energy settings and turning off Automatic Graphic Switching? This will force the computer to use the Nvidia all the time instead of switching between the integrated and the Nvidia. The integrated card can't handle this resolution. This is a compromise between performance and battery life & heat.
 
Soooo... Looking to get a classic MBP 2012.

Question. Can I add a third party SSD into this thing when I'm ready? Or is that a decision I have to make at the time of purchase?
 
Represent. said:
Soooo... Looking to get a classic MBP 2012.

Question. Can I add a third party SSD into this thing when I'm ready? Or is that a decision I have to make at the time of purchase?
Click to expand...

when you're ready. Remove the optical drive and put a SSD in.


Anyone who thinks the iMac line will disappear is certainly wrong. iPods are up for a small refresh with the iPhone 5. The nano is changing design again. Classic will stay classic, as the name implies. The Mac Pro market is slowly shrinking because they're not a huge necessity. But Tim himself said they care about their Pro lineup in an email.
 
Represent. said:
Soooo... Looking to get a classic MBP 2012.

Question. Can I add a third party SSD into this thing when I'm ready? Or is that a decision I have to make at the time of purchase?
Click to expand...
I just did this to my 2011. Replaced the HDD with a Samsung 830 128GB SSD, then moved the 750 GB HDD to replace the DVD drive. Cost about 130$ total.
 
Squire Felix said:
when you're ready. Remove the optical drive and put a SSD in.
Click to expand...

sc0la said:
I just did this to my 2011. Replaced the HDD with a Samsung 830 128GB SSD, then moved the 750 GB HDD to replace the DVD drive. Cost about 130$ total.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

So Buying the laptop with the initial 500GB, then swap the Superdrive for an SSD of my choice, got it..

Did you do this yourself? Or is there a store that does this (I doubt it, doesnt this void the warranty?)
 
Represent. said:
Thanks.

So Buying the laptop with the initial 500GB, then swap the Superdrive for an SSD of my choice, got it..

Did you do this yourself? Or is there a store that does this (I doubt it, doesnt this void the warranty?)
Click to expand...
I did it myself, I used ifixit guides, it was straightforward but I am generally comfortable with upgrading and repairing electronics.

Some people will tell you it will void the warranty, but I don't think that is the case. BUT be prepared to return your hardware to factory state if you need to take it in for warranty. So keep your HDD and or ODD around to put back in if needed. You do not break any warranty seals while performing the upgrade.
 
Well tha past 24 hours have been awful. Spilled soda on my pro and it wouldn't turn on today so I naturally feared the worst. Took it to the apple store and learned how to turn it on by shorting the motherboard. Turns out just the keyboard and power button were fried. A USB keyboard will work for the time being till I have the money to get it fixed. Thank god for my old iPod touch for right now.
 
That sucks, Xeke. I know the pain of spilling liquid on a keyboard too well. Destroyed quite a few stand-alone ones and an old PowerBook that way. Well, the keyboard at least. The computer still worked so I was able to use it with an ADB keyboard back then.
 
The Real Abed said:
That sucks, Xeke. I know the pain of spilling liquid on a keyboard too well. Destroyed quite a few stand-alone ones and an old PowerBook that way. Well, the keyboard at least. The computer still worked so I was able to use it with an ADB keyboard back then.
Click to expand...

Yeah it sucks but I'm glad the major components are fine and I'm only looking at about $300 to get it totally fixed. It also shows me that this iPod touch was one of the best purchases I have made. It's a life saver right now.
 
Represent. said:
Soooo... Looking to get a classic MBP 2012.

Question. Can I add a third party SSD into this thing when I'm ready? Or is that a decision I have to make at the time of purchase?
Click to expand...
Easy to add a 3rd party SSD but arent there benefits to getting the Apple one preinstalled? Like TRIM and other things?
 
My Mac troubles keep occurring...

Last night I tried playing half life 2 but it kept freezing every couple of seconds. I plug in my external hard drive to back it up and go to bed...I wake up in the morning and my computer is unresponsive.

I do a hard shut down and whenever I boot it up it just goes to the grey apple logo with the progress bar in the bottom...and then it shuts down.

I thought it was the hard drive but I switched it out with an older one and it does the same thing...
 
Is there anything I can do to make flash playback smoother? I can output a 720p MKV file to my TV just fine from my MacBook Pro (mid-2009) with no hiccuping whatsoever, but since I've reinstalled/upgraded to Mountain Lion, flash fullscreen on my TV is super slow and laggy :(

It wasn't this way before... any tips?

edit: hmm, potentially firefox-centric. i installed chrome again, and tried the same flash video full screen (which makes my macbook screen go blank which i hate) and it seems fine
 
Xeke said:
Yeah it sucks but I'm glad the major components are fine and I'm only looking at about $300 to get it totally fixed. It also shows me that this iPod touch was one of the best purchases I have made. It's a life saver right now.
Click to expand...

An iPad would have been an even better purchase.
 
The Real Abed said:
I want to install Windows on a Bootcamp partition but I want to purchase a legal license for it. It'd just be for games so I want to spend as little as possible. I don't even need a disc as I can't even use it. I would rather download it. But I want to purchase a license. What is the cheapest I can get a license for? And which version should I use? Would Home Premium be good enough for Steam?

Where's the best place to get a license cheap and officially?
Click to expand...
Anyone have an answer? Is there anywhere to get just a Windows 7 product key? I won't have a DVD drive so a disc would be useless. So can I just buy a legal serial number and not bother with physical packaging?

Also, I was just at NewEgg and TigerDirect and noticed that under the checklist, I'd need Professional (An extra $40) just for XP compatibility. Does this mean I literally won't be able to run a lot of things? I will be using this for Steam, and I would assume a lot of games might only work with XP, so would this mean I won't be able to use them unless I pay for Professional?

I honestly haven't been fluent on the Windows side in a while. So there's a lot of things now I don't really understand. (Like why the hell Microsoft needs to have all these different versions of Windows. I am so used to Apple and their "one version is all you need for EVERYTHING" mantra.)

My MacBook Air is arriving on Monday and I want to purchase a key within a month.

If no one knows, is there an official all-encompassing Windows thread I can post this in?
 
The Real Abed said:
Anyone have an answer? Is there anywhere to get just a Windows 7 product key? I won't have a DVD drive so a disc would be useless. So can I just buy a legal serial number and not bother with physical packaging?

Also, I was just at NewEgg and TigerDirect and noticed that under the checklist, I'd need Professional (An extra $40) just for XP compatibility. Does this mean I literally won't be able to run a lot of things? I will be using this for Steam, and I would assume a lot of games might only work with XP, so would this mean I won't be able to use them unless I pay for Professional?

I honestly haven't been fluent on the Windows side in a while. So there's a lot of things now I don't really understand. (Like why the hell Microsoft needs to have all these different versions of Windows. I am so used to Apple and their "one version is all you need for EVERYTHING" mantra.)

My MacBook Air is arriving on Monday and I want to purchase a key within a month.

If no one knows, is there an official all-encompassing Windows thread I can post this in?
Click to expand...
There are several ways to get a Windows key. The good thing is that they every key works for every language and architecture version (32 and 64 bit) of Windows 7. Say you buy a 32 bit French language version of Windows 7; you can take that key and use it with a 64 bit US version. Of course both have to be of the same flavor, meaning Home Premium, Professional and so on. I've only tried this myself with Professional versions of Windows 7, but I'm fairly certain it's also true for Home Premium.

As for which version you need, Home Premium should be enough. XP compatibility is not needed if you want to use Steam primarily. It's only useful for older software. I suppose it could be useful for older games, though there are other ways around that (like GOG versions). Then again, there are some good offers for Professional versions, so that may actually be cheaper.

I found this eBay auction for the Professional version of Windows 7. There are also another German shop that sells a 32 bit version for € 35, if you're interested. If you'd prefer a US seller I can't help you, though :)
 
bionic77 said:
To very loosely paraphrase the late Steve Jobs, that is what makes a company go to shit. When they are more focused on profits than great products.

The iPhone and iPad are obviously their main money makers, but it would be a shame if a company that profitable stopped focusing on making great desktops too.

Hopefully this is just needless worrying and Apple continues to put a lot of effort into OS X and future Mac hardware (speaking of the computers).
Click to expand...
That's an unfair appropriation of that quote. From certain perspectives, it can be seen that any desktop is not a great product because it is the past. They've been trending down for a long time.

Apple could also keep making great iPods just for the sake of making great products, but that product's time is winding down, so they don't bother too much with them.
 
Greyface said:
The camera on my Macbook is disabled. It seems to happen everytime the computer goes to sleep. How can I fix this?
Click to expand...

Argh... It happens each time the computer goes into a deep sleep. After wake up I see a notice from hardwaregrowler saying 'usb disconnected' and the camera stops working. The camera is still recognized in System profile though yet the apps (facetime, photobooth etc) can't use it. It works again after a reboot. I went from week long uptimes to rebooting every morning and sometimes two or three times a day. It's very annoying :( Any ideas on how to fix this?
 
So when waking up my Mac 15minutes ago, the screen again showed only a distorted image. It's a rMBP running a clean ML. This has already happened twice, but before the clean install. I had the same issue years ago with my old MBP, the problem had been a defective GPU.

It looked similar to this: http://www.lookout.ro/1.JPG
The difference was that the lines weren't straight diagonal but wavy like this. The only thing on the screen apart from this pattern was my cursor, which was not frozen. No reaction to closing the lid, trying to enter my password, changing brightness etc.

Anyone got the same?
 
Ambitious said:
So when waking up my Mac 15minutes ago, the screen again showed only a distorted image. It's a rMBP running a clean ML. This has already happened twice, but before the clean install. I had the same issue years ago with my old MBP, the problem had been a defective GPU.

It looked similar to this: http://www.lookout.ro/1.JPG
The difference was that the lines weren't straight diagonal but wavy like this. The only thing on the screen apart from this pattern was my cursor, which was not frozen. No reaction to closing the lid, trying to enter my password, changing brightness etc.

Anyone got the same?
Click to expand...

yes (but only a few times) for a brief second then the regular login screen comes up. The cursor started working after a few seconds
 
Ambitious said:
Also on the rMPB or a different Mac?
My cursor was working well, but there was nothing I could do but a hard reboot.
Click to expand...

rMBP. I only saw a brief flash though and I didn't need to reboot to login (well I had to reboot later anyway for the camera) so maybe it's a different problem.

do you have the camera issue on your rMBP by any chance?
 
Greyface said:
rMBP. I only saw a brief flash though and I didn't need to reboot to login (well I had to reboot later anyway for the camera) so maybe it's a different problem.

do you have the camera issue on your rMBP by any chance?
Click to expand...

Haven't heard about that one, what is it about?
 
This has been an issue for me since Lion actually, but is there a way to have three-finger swipe down in Firefox go to the bottom of the page? It did this previous to Lion before the introduced all the new stuff with the quicklaunch screen or whatever it's called.
 
awilliams213 said:
It sounds like a bad speaker. I would take it to the Apple Store and show them the issue. Sometimes the genius in the back room can fix a minor issue in a matter of days rather than sending it to Apple and having to wait weeks for a replacement.
Click to expand...

There is only one Apple Store in our country, I guess I will go there when I am close. Thanks.
 
And now I've got ghosting issues as well, though it's not too bad. I probably wouldn't even have noticed it if I had a brighter wallpaper. I don't see any details of the windows, the screen is just slightly brighter where they were. It seems to disappear after 10-20 minutes. Oh dear, what next.
 
bionic77 said:
To very loosely paraphrase the late Steve Jobs, that is what makes a company go to shit. When they are more focused on profits than great products.

The iPhone and iPad are obviously their main money makers, but it would be a shame if a company that profitable stopped focusing on making great desktops too.

Hopefully this is just needless worrying and Apple continues to put a lot of effort into OS X and future Mac hardware (speaking of the computers).
Click to expand...

That wouldn't be at all what Steve Jobs would do. Jobs hated holding on to the past, and believed in Apple having a very streamlined small product offering to give each focus.

Jobs was a firm believer in dumping products and technology that was on the way out the door, which desktop computers clearly fall into. They are a fading product line without much of a long term future. Jobs ushered in the post-PC era remember, he was on the one to lead the charge of mobile OS's like iOS being the future. If anyone would have no sympathy towards shrinking down the Mac hardware aspect of their product line it would be Steve Jobs.

OSX isn't going anywhere (especially since notebooks are a very healthy market still), but it will never be the focus of Apple again. And that was something that was due to Steve Jobs. He is the father of the phrase "Post-PC" for a reason.
 
I'm still looking for a case for my macbook pro retina that is being delivered. I was looking at the colcasac sleeves as well as the incase terra campus backpacks or the regular incase campus backpack.

I was thinking about possibly getting both the sleeve and the backpack and using them together.
 
Trojita said:
I'm still looking for a case for my macbook pro retina that is being delivered. I was looking at the colcasac sleeves as well as the incase terra campus backpacks or the regular incase campus backpack.

I was thinking about possibly getting both the sleeve and the backpack and using them together.
Click to expand...

If you're looking for a backpack, OGIO has some amazing laptop bags. Their RSS system that's built into some bags is basically like an extra suspended sleeve inside a pocket of the backpack to protect the laptop from any sort of damage.

I bought the Squadron RSS II from them as my college backpack when I got my Retina MacBook Pro, and love it.
 
Trojita said:
I'm still looking for a case for my macbook pro retina that is being delivered. I was looking at the colcasac sleeves as well as the incase terra campus backpacks or the regular incase campus backpack.

I was thinking about possibly getting both the sleeve and the backpack and using them together.
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand why people buy cases for their laptops. Buy a bag for transport with sufficient protection. Covering up so sexy machines in thick plastic is so depressing.
 
I know this thread is for hardware, but I have a really quick software question for you Mac users. My MBP was starting to age so I picked up a new iMac. I want to put my MBP away for awhile and just use the iMac. I have an iPhone and I want to throw songs on it from the iMac without losing the library I put on it from the MBP.

What's a good program that will allow me to put music on my iPhone instead of iTunes?

Is Senuti any good?
 
Majine said:
I don't quite understand why people buy cases for their laptops. Buy a bag for transport with sufficient protection. Covering up so sexy machines in thick plastic is so depressing.
Click to expand...

I meant case as a catchall term for sleeves and bags.
 
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