Used Apple Macintosh Shopping Guide

Meet the Filmmakers: Tomas Alfredson and Gary Oldman Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:15:18 +0000

Join director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and actor Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, Harry Potter) at the Apple Store Regent Street on Monday 19 September in a discussion about their new film. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the long-awaited feature film version of John le Carré’s classic bestselling novel about a deadly international spy game set in the Cold War of the mid-20th Century. Continue reading →

Now Open: Apple Retail Store, Braehead

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:13:24 +0000

The UK’s 33rd Apple Retail Store, located at Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow, is now open for business. Come along and bring your curiosity – it’s the best place to learn all about the Mac and iPod, check out an iPad, and see all the amazing things an iPhone can do. Continue reading →

Grand Opening: Apple Retail Store, Braehead

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:13:24 +0000

The 33rd Apple Retail Store in the United Kingdom, located at Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow, will be open for business on Saturday, 17th September, 2011. Join us at 9am for the Grand Opening, where the first 1000 people through the doors will receive a free Apple t-shirt. Continue reading →

Now Open: Apple Retail Store, Stratford City

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

The UK’s 32nd Apple Retail Store, located at Westfield Stratford City in London, is now open for business. Come along and bring your curiosity – it’s the best place to learn all about the Mac and iPod, check out an iPad, and see all the amazing things an iPhone can do. And if you find something you like, take it home that day. Continue reading →

Grand Opening: Apple Retail Store, Stratford City

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:02:20 +0000

The 32nd Apple Retail Store in the United Kingdom, located at Westfield Stratford City in London, will be open for business on Tuesday, 13th September, 2011. Continue reading →

Original Apple iPod 5 gigabyte (2G/Touch Wheel)

admin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:08:08 +0000

The original Apple iPod (Scroll Wheel) broke new ground in the portable MP3 player market by combining a small hard drive, a unique “Scroll Wheel” controller for easy one handed operation, a simple, easy-to-use operating system designed for mobile devices (based on Pixo OS 2.1), and slick Mac software — iTunes (based on SoundJam) — that made it easy to manage one’s music collection between the Mac and the iPod. Though a little chunky and having a slow (by modern standards) and noisy Hard Drive, the unit performed pretty much flawlessly. The downside at this stage was the lack of access to the battery, which when it finally stopped holding a charge could not be replaced very easily.

The original iPod features a 5 GB hard drive (10 GB option available after March 21, 2002) capable of holding 1000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format (or 2000 on the 10 GB drive), a high output amplifier (60-mW), a FireWire port, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack in an ultrasleek “iBook white” and stainless steel case with a 2-inch white backlit LCD display. Battery life is an estimated 10 hours.

Introduction Date:

October 23, 2001*

Discontinued Date:

April 28, 2003*

Details:

The “Introduction Date” refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The “Discontinued Date” refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended.*A 10 GB “Scroll Wheel” (M8709LL/A) model was introduced March 21, 2002 and discontinued July 17, 2002. Apple continued to sell the original 5 GB “Scroll Wheel” model as part of the “2G/Touch Wheel” series, but assigned M8513LL/B (for the Mac compatible model) and M8697LL/A (for the new Windows compatible model).

Processor Type:

PP5002

Processor Speed:

90 MHz (x2)

Details:

The iPod (Original/Scroll Wheel) uses a PortalPlayer PP5002 “system on a chip” with dual embedded 90 MHz ARM 7TDMI processors.

Onboard RAM:

32 MB

Storage Capacity:

5 GB, 10 GB

Details:

32 MB of SDRAM provides over 20 minutes of skip protection.Both configurations use a Toshiba 4200 RPM ATA-5 (Firewire, IEEE-1394a) hard drive.

Song Capacity:

1000, 2000*

Photo Capacity:

None

Details:

Apple reported that the 5 GB model could hold “up to” 1000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format and the 10 GB model “up to” 2000 songs. It is worth noting that this file format is larger than the one used to report estimated “song capacity” on later iPod models.

USB Support:

None

Firewire Support:

Sync & Charge

Details:

The original iPod models are capable of charging and syncing using the onboard standard Firewire “400″ port.

Connectivity:

Firewire

Ports:

FW, Headphone*

Details:

Apple reports that the original iPod provides a “Firewire (IEEE 1394a) port and a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack”.

Case Type:

Handheld

Form Factor:

iPod (Original)

Details:

N/A

Housing Color:

White

Controller:

“Scroll Wheel”

Details:

Available in a two-tone housing with an “iBook white” front and a chromed stainless steel back.

Built-in Display:

2″ Monochrome

Display Resolution:

160×128

Details:

The original iPod has a “2-inch (diagonal) LCD with white LED backlight, 160×128 resolution, [and a] 0.24-mm dot pitch.”

Battery Type:

Lithium Polymer

Battery Life (Music):

10 Hours

Details:

Apple reports that the original iPod provides “up to” 10 hours of music playback using an integrated 1200 mAh Lithium Polymer battery.

Battery Life (Photos):

N/A

Battery Life (Video):

N/A

Details:

No support for photos or video.

Full-Charge Time:

3 Hours

Apple Order No:

M8513LL/A*

Details:

Apple reports that the original iPod models charge completely in “3 hours” and also will “fast charge” in 1 hour to 80% capacity.*This order number is for the original 5 GB Mac compatible configuration. The 10 GB model introduced March 21, 2002 was assigned M8709LL/A, and the 5 GB (Scroll Wheel) model retained when the 10 GB and 20 GB “2G/Touch Wheel” models were introduced were assigned M8513LL/B (Mac) and M8697LL/A (Windows).

Apple Subfamily:

iPod (Original)

Apple Model No:

M8541 (EMC 1910)

Details:

Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model.

Dimensions:

4.02 x 2.43 x 0.78

Avg. Weight:

6.5 oz.

Details:

In inches – height by width by depth.

Mac Support:

MacOS 9.2.1 & X 10.1

Windows Support:

None*

Audio Support:

Apple reports that the original iPod supports “MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR), WAV, [and] AIFF”. Apple later added support for Audible (on the Mac compatible models).

Photo Support:

None

Video Support:

None

Incl. Accessories:

The original iPod shipped with “iPod earbud-style headphones, Apple Firewire Cable, [and the] Apple iPod Power Adapter.”

Pram Battery Failure Symptoms in an Apple Mac

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:55:22 +0000

Symptoms: Apple Mac Pram battery failure

The first symptom of this problem is frequently when your desktop Mac does not want to start. This can be a sign that the SoftPower circuit is not getting enough power from the battery to start the Mac (the battery also handles ADB control and the SoftPower circuit). But this is often not recognized as a battery problem.

The classic symptom is when a Mac starts up in Black and White (the Monitors control panel is set to Black & White), with the date set in 1956.

If this happens and you are on an early model you will probably also be in 24 bit addressing mode.

Don’t Get Fooled By Similar Symptoms!

Sometimes people will see a similar symptom and think they have battery problems, for instance when the Mac boots up with a Black and White startup screen but then reverts to color. When this happens – delete your Finder preferences and restart, your Finder preferences are probably corrupt.

If your Mac shuts down unexpectedly – the PRAM can get corrupted and this can cause the Mac to fail to start up, just like it has a bad battery. If this has happened, you may have to start up and zap the PRAM on start-up. Just restart and hold down these keys: Option-Command-P-R. And yes, the Command key is the one with a “pretzel” on it. The better way to zap the PRAM is with TechTool (see the link below) but if your Mac won’t start up you should restart and zap PRAM, then go back and use TechTool later.

Another cause for the failure to start up is a bad card – if your Mac refuses to start, remove any accelerator, etc cards and try to start up. The card may have failed.

Apple Mac Pram Battery Locations

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:52:43 +0000

The Classic Mac

The early versions of the all-in-one Mac (for instance the Plus) use a 4.5 volt alkaline battery that I am told is easy to access and change. There is a panel in the back that you pop open.

The SE and similar form factor computers that I have seen all use the 3.6 volt Lithium battery, and you have to disassemble the computer to get to the battery. Not only is it more difficult to get to the battery but you are also going into the monitor as well. You run the risk of getting a nasty shock when you work near the monitor; for that reason it is better to take these to a repair shop.

IIsi

The subordinate page has photos of the insides of a 2si – showing the battery location and what the battery looks like. Click here to go to the page showing the 2si.

2cx/ci

Between my page and a terrific page out there maintained by “shobaffum” that this page now links to, for the ci information (and it also applies to the cx and even the Q700) there is a lot of information about these available. With this source, replacing batteries should be very easy. Their batteries are not soldered to the logic board.

II, IIx, IIfx

These appear to be odd critters, with two batteries.

All-In-One Macs (MacTV, LC520, LC 550, and many other 68k and PPC Performas)

The All In One is a great example of how to design computers for easy maintenance and the subordinate page has several photos showing their batteries and how to access the components.

LC Series/Quadra 605

The LC, LC II, LC III, and LC475/Quadra 605 (and related Performas) are all excellent examples of the “slab” version of the Mac – the case has a much lower profile than a 2cx or a Quadra 630. It is real simple to get the logic board out – and easy to clock chip them (well, for the LC III and the Quadra 605 anyway).

With a dead battery, these often fail to start up at all – you may hear the hard drive spin for a moment, but the screen remains black.

Quadra/Performa 630 Series

This series (called the 630 or the 635 or the 636 or 637) has the 4.5V alkaline battery instead of the 3.6V lithium. It is held on the logic board with velcro.

For the 630-form factor owners out there, see the Cautionary Tale page for an alert about some similar symptoms that indicate a more serious problem.

Centris/Quadra 650

The battery on this model is on the front, right corner of the logic board (if you are facing the front of the computer like you were going to use it), just under a bracket that holds the floppy drive. If you have an internal CD drive – the battery is just under it.

Centris/Quadra 660AV Series

it uses a 3.6 volt lithium..

This model of the Mac accelerates quite well – from 25 MHz to easily 33 Mhz, and does not require any logic board soldering.

Quadra 700

The Quadra 700 is a ci turned into a tower, and you have to remove several components to get to the battery. But after removing a single screw, these components all snap in and out, and the battery is our old pal the 3.6 volt lithium. There are some good photos of this model on the subordinate page; the Mac belonged to my niece, Teresa.

Quadra 950

The Quadra 950 tower is very easy to maintain – the battery is the 3.6 volt lithium and it will be visible on the front edge of the logic board. The front panels also come off very easily – take off the bottom one first. See the photos for directions.

PowerMac 6100 Series

The PowerMac 6100 (the example used is a 6115CD) looks like a version of the low profile Mac. The battery is easy to get to – although it is under a couple of wire bundles.

PowerMac 6214CD

My brother has a PowerMac 6214, and it is very easy to work on. The User’s Guide even shows you how to get the logic board out! The 4.5 v alkaline battery is very recognizable – but the velcro definitely holds on to it. This Mac’s logic board design cripples it’s performance, but it is still a good, basic, Mac.

PowerMac 7100 Series

The PowerMac 7100 has a battery that is accessible from the side of the Mac. It uses the 3.6 volt lithium battery rather than the 4.5 volt alkaline.

Click here to go to the page with the photo of a PowerMac 7100.

PowerMac 7200 Series

The PowerMac 7200 is as easily maintained as almost any Mac.

PowerMac 8100 Series

The 8100 has the lithium battery.

UMAX SuperMac C500

The UMAX C500 is NOT easily maintained.

UMAX SuperMac S900L

The UMAX S900L is also not as easy to maintain as an Apple-designed Mac.

PowerMac G3 Desktop

The G3 desktop has a case that is very similar to the 7200 that was described above. Just use those directions in PowerMac page to access the battery.

Powermac, G3, iMac G3 and G4 Pram Batteries

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:47:50 +0000

Apple Powermac range 6100,7100,8100, 7200-7600, 9200-9600, 8200-8600, 6200-6500, 5200-5500, iMac G3, Powermac G3, Powermac G4

If you are going to change your battery, I suggest you use something like TechTool to save your PRAM settings – when you pull the battery out, the PRAM is all set to zero. This includes the “secret” parts of the PRAM that store the number of hours it has been on, the date it was finished, etc.

How do you replace these 3.6 volt batteries?

First make sure you are well grounded.

Next take the cover off of the Mac. (For many Macs – this is NOT trivial. For some models such as the LC it is very simple and no instructions are really necessary.)

Next make sure you are still well grounded.

Next touch the power supply with both hands to bleed off any residual static electricity.

Look at the battery cage – pry it out and up from one end and it should come off. You can also squeeze it in the middle and that will frequently widen the ends enough that they don’t grip the bottom of the cradle.

Put the cage off to the side.

Note which way the battery is facing. There is an impression on the bottom of the battery holder that shows which way the battery should be oriented. You can see it when you get the battery out.

Pull the old battery out.

Put the new battery in FACING THE SAME WAY THE OLD ONE WAS!

Replace the battery cage.

Put the Mac cover back on (or however you got access to the logic board).

Plug it in, turn in on.

Reset the Monitors control panel to color, double click speed, etc.

Reset the date and time, and check that you are in 32 bit addressing.

Safely dispose of the old battery.

tucano second skin for Apple Powerbook 17 inch

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:20:03 +0000

Neoprene folder case for Apple Powerbook 17″ Tucano began in Milan, Italy in 1985 producing computer bags for OEM customers. Due to their commitment to continuous research, design and quality control, Tucano quickly became the market leader in Italy. Tucano products can be found at computer and office supplies retailers large and small. As in the past, Tucano aims to become more widely known as a brand that is synonymous with experience, functionality and quality. Today, Tucano is moving forward on the road of Italian design and creativity by expanding into new marketplaces.

The Tucano Second Skin fits Snugly around the powerbook 17 inch

Its quick to put the powerbook in and you simply zip it up around the notebook. They’re made from pretty tough Neoprene, which adds shock protection to the powerbook and protects it from scratches as well. However, it’s no replacement for a decent laptop bag.