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Apple implemented the “mini DisplayPort” on the new MacBook & MacBook Pro, presenting this port as an “Industry standard” and an improvement (on MacBook) being able to handle a 30″ LCD display in full native resolution (2560×1600).

• mini DisplayPort is physically uncompatible with DisplayPort
• mini DisplayPort is a proprietary port licensed by Apple to whom it want (or not!)
• mini DisplayPort adapters for VGA, DVI or HDMI are expensier than DVI adapters
• mini DisplayPort adapter for 30″ LCD isn’t there, a quarter after the MacBook & MacBook Pro that implement it!
• proprietary of brand new unibody MacBook Pro are unable to use a 30″ LCD contrary to aluminium MacBook Pro and even my old PowerBook G4 from 2005!
• proprietary of brand new unibody MacBook & MacBook Pro spend more to connecte their Apple laptop to their displays
• proprietary of brand new unibody MacBook & MacBook Pro have to spend money to connect to a DVI display (such as the Apple’s 20″ LCD)

Apple lied when it announce that the “mini DisplayPort” is a standard, it’s just a proprietary ill-conceived port, that just couldn’t handle the Apple’s (or Dell) 30″ LCD, and in any other case make MacBook & MacBook Pro owner’s spend more and more money!

Stop using this “mini DisplayPort”, Apple, and come back to DVI-D!

General, Laptop, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 30" LCD, lie, mini DisplayPort

Ven, the graphical designer that work with me on the company website, has problems with it’s new MacBook Pro Unibody.

some MacBook Pro seems to be insomniacs

Typically the MacBook Pro go to sleep when lid is closed, and then wake up minutes later, overheating while closed (fans doesn’t seems to start!), and surface where really hot when he discover that.

We found many witnesses of some related problems on the Web, with new MacBook or MacBook Pro refusing to go awake from sleeping mode, rebooting when awaking, awaking themselves and overheaten, making battery dies in hours (while theorically in sleep mode), and so on.

After the trackpad problems, the GeForce 9600M GT videocard black-screen of death, the third-party RAM problems, now there’s sleep/awaking problems!

These new MacBook & MacBook Pro seems really badly conceived from scratch.

MacBook, MacBook Pro bug, MacBook, MacBook Pro, overheating, problem, sleep

nVidia communicates the supported memory limits on the GeForce 9400M chipset that fuels the new MacBook and MacBook Pro : 8GB maximum, 2×4GB DDR3 sticks.

Apple specifications is 4GB (2×2GB DDR3 sticks), but since Leopard runs in 64bits mode on MacBook & MacBook Pro it is still possible that 8GB may be recognized, we will have to check it

MacBook, MacBook Pro, Tricks Apple, DDR3, Geforce 9400M, MacBook, MacBook Pro, memory limit

Apple claims, in the MacBook and MacBook Pro specifications, that the maximum supported memory is 4GB.

On the past Apple claimed that first MacBook Core2 Duo are limited to 2GB albeit they support 4GB, recognizing 3.1GB. Same story for Core2 Duo MacMini.
And on other model such as the Core2 Duo iMac, the EFI BIOS limit memory use to 2GB albeit the chipset support 3GB or more.

The nVidia chipset that includes GeForce 9400M on both MacBook and MacBook Pro support 2 DDR3 ram-modules. These module have a capacity that range  from 1GB to 8GB individually (4X the DDR2 SoDIMM ram-module capacity).

Theorically, we could put up to 16GB (2 modules of 8GB each) into the new MacBook and MacBook Pro, nVidia doesn’t state any limit other than the number of modules, and the CPU in the compatibility list supports all more than 4GB (at least 64GB) RAM.

So my asking is: did Apple limits its new laptop to 4GB by the EFI firmware, exactly as the old iMac GMA950 “Education”, or is it possible to have 8GB or even 16GB RAM on these new MacBook and MacBook Pro?

I wonder specifications where just false, as usually, and 8GB may give a huge boost to a MacBook Pro using VM (Parallels, VMware Fusion or even open-source VirtualBox), on video edition, photo library management…

MacBook, MacBook Pro, Tricks DDR3, EFI, memory

On my desk I have a set-up where my previous MacBook and my actual MacBook Pro are used closed, displaying on external 24in LCD with an alu keyboard and gamer mouse connected to my USB hub.

To start, I have to open my MacBook Pro, start it, then at any point, close the lid to put it to sleep, and wake-it up by pressing enter on the keyboard. It enables me to have a clean desk, or nearly

But sometime my MacBook Pro doesn’t wake-up when I press enter or click on my mouse, wether they are connected to my USB HUB or directly on any laptop USB port. It annoyed me until I found a workaround that seems to work any time: I plug an USB key or any USB device on the USB hub or on the available USB port of the MacBook, and then it wake-up instantly!

PS: If you put an USB key, you just have to insert it, and when hearing the Superdrive sound, remove it, it wont even mount.

MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Tricks closed lid, fix, how-to, trick, tutorial, wake-up