Category Archives: Computers and Software

Apple’s New MacBook Pro

Posted on October 24, 2008 | Leave a comment

No doubt that by now most people would have seen that Apple have launched new MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros.

The spec sheet is remarkable reading, and for me the new graphics offered across the range and the faster bus speed and RAM mean that these machines will be amazing. To top this off, with the MacBook Pro the top CPU runs at 2.8Ghz!
For me the only question mark is on the glossy screen and how well it will perform and calibrate. I have a MacBook Air and at first had a mental block against the glossy screen, but admittedly got used to it and it calibrate well. I have yet to see any of the new machines but am hopeful to have a hands on soon. Until then I shall reserve judgement on the screen.
Meanwhile, Apple Insider has a very good and in-depth look at the MacBook Pro, including a few videos.

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Is This The New MacBook Pro?

Posted on October 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

Well, its only a matter of hours until the rumoured announcement by Apple, but apparently, here is a picture of the new Apple MacBook Pro. Engadget also has the same photographs from a source who has been reliable in the past.

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New Apple MacBooks….soon??

Posted on October 11, 2008 | Leave a comment

I’m not a big one for publishing rumours; they are often wrong and can be misleading.

However, there are so many rumours about this from the web, and the product is in need of a change, that I think its perhaps a given.
Rumour has it that this Tuesday, October 14, Apple will be announcing its new range of MacBooks, and possibly MacBook Pros. So if you were about to purchase one of these, hold off for a few days.
The rumour mill suggests that the new MacBooks will now be in Aluminium (cut from a single block of the metal using water jets) and more importantly may have a separate Nvidia graphics chip.
Lastly, the price bracket seems lower at the lower end; $800! Naturally this won’t suit as a working machine for a busy photographer, but may be just the thing as a light travel laptop.
As mentioned already, all of these are rumours; all I would suggest is wait until October 14 passes before buying an Apple laptop.

UPDATE: Apparently, according to various web sites, this is the new MacBook cover design.
Finally, here’s a page of the latest rumours….believed to be true!

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256Gb SSD Drive Begins Shipping

Posted on September 27, 2008 | Leave a comment

Times are a changing; Toshiba has now begun shipping its 256Gb SSD (Solid State Drive – basically a hard disk with no moving parts) joining Samsung in offering this new high capacity in a laptop form factor.

I’m a big fan of SSD for speed (and in some cases battery life) gain; My Apple MacBook Air has a 64Gb SSD and apart from its small capacity, I love the speed of this little laptop. Programs open and close so much quicker and copying data is speedier too. The biggest gain for a photographer on location is the fact that this technology makes your laptop a lot more rugged and resistant to sudden jars whilst the hard drive is in use.
With 256Gb now on offer, the capacity is no longer an issue and as the SSD technology is used more, the prices will (and already have) come down.


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Micro Projectors

Posted on September 25, 2008 | Leave a comment

Popular Mechanics have got their hands on a pre-production model of Dell’s M109S DLP Micro Projector. So, why’s this of any importance to us photographer types?! Just imagine having your projector with you when you pop in for your next meeting with a picture editor and show them your project or portfolio bigger than the biggest bunch of prints you can carry, and many times bigger than a 17″ laptop screen! All of this in a projector that fits into the palm of your hand and costs US $499.00. Pretty useful I’d say!

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Red Bull Air Race Slideshow

Posted on August 30, 2008 | Leave a comment

Its taken almost four days to finish, but at least now its done!

Since covering the air race, I’d wanted to make a slideshow from it. I needed to have full control of all aspects; timing, transitions and audio.
My workflow for this project was:
1-Image editing and processing was done using Apple Aperture.
2-Audio was cut and mixed using Apple Soundtrack Pro.
3-Slideshow and final audio editing was in Apple Final Cut Pro.
Its by far the most complex multimedia project I’ve done. Hopefully you’ll all think it was time well spent!

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Posted in Computers and Software, Photography