DailyTech - Apple Releases Fix for iMac Freeze Issue, Updates MacBooks

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Hardware Apple Releases Fix for iMac Freeze Issue, Updates MacBooks
Brandon Hill (Blog) - November 2, 2007 12:03 PM

40 comment(s) - last by Quiescent.. on Nov 5 at 7:35 AM

(Source: Apple)

Apple provides a fix for its iMac and updates its MacBook notebooks

DailyTech reported in early October that some iMac users were experiencing freezing problems with their machines. The root cause of the freezes was traced back to the drivers used for the ATI Radeon HD graphics cards included with the iMacs.

"A small number of iMac users have made us aware that a recent software update issued by Apple can sometimes cause their iMacs to freeze, requiring them to restart their iMac," said an Apple spokesman in October.

"We are tracking down the root cause of this bug, and will issue a software update which corrects it as soon as we can -- most likely later this month."

Apple didn't reach their October estimate for releasing the update, but it's doubtful that many will complain that the update is available a few days into the month of November. The update is listed as "recommended" and is for 20" and 24" iMacs with 2GHz, 2.4GHz and 2.8GHz processors.

Apple has two separate updates available for download: iMac Software Update 1.2 for Tiger and iMac Software Update 1.3 for Leopard.

In other news, Apple has quietly updated its MacBook notebooks to Intel's Santa Rosa platform. Apple’s MacBook lineup was last updated in mid-May with new Core 2 Duo processors.

With the latest round of updates, $1,099 will get you a 13.3" MacBook with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, an 80GB HDD and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. $1,299 will upgrade you to a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor 120GB HDD and dual-layer DVD burner.

Both of the above models are available only in white.

The top of the line $1,499 MacBook comes in black and only adds a 160GB HDD to the mix. All MacBooks include the Intel GMA X3100 integrated GPU, so expect to see some significant gains in graphics performance.

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Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 12:57:47 PM , Rating: 5

$200 difference between the middle one and the top end and all you get is a black color and 40 extra gigs? That's worth $50 tops. Apple must love selling that one.

$1500 on the Windows side will get you a pretty stout laptop with dedicated graphics and a much larger screen than 13.3".

RE: Ripoff

By cochy on 11/2/07, Rating: -1

RE: Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 1:30:36 PM , Rating: 2

The $1300 model comes with the 2.2GHz processor too.

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RE: Ripoff

By cochy on 11/2/2007 1:46:58 PM , Rating: 1

Thats what I was saying:

2000Mhz --> 2200 Mhz = 200Mhz

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RE: Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 1:58:14 PM , Rating: 2

Ok you're not getting what I'm saying. Between the middle end model and the highest end model, the only thing you're getting for $200 more is a black laptop instead of white and 40GB more in hard drive space. Both models have the 2.2GHz processor.

This concept really isn't too difficult to understand.

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RE: Ripoff

By cochy on 11/2/07, Rating: 0

RE: Ripoff

By MDE on 11/2/2007 1:12:09 PM , Rating: 3

But, but... it's prettier!

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RE: Ripoff

By michal1980 on 11/2/07, Rating: -1

RE: Ripoff

By daftrok on 11/2/2007 1:38:49 PM , Rating: 5

Besides the Xserve and Mac Pro the Apple computers are RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. I don't feel like writing all the specs so I'll just list the price and you can see for yourself on their site the finer details:

The Mac Mini:
$599,$799

Granted its compact, but if anything needs an upgrade, its the Mac Minis. And include the keyboard the mouse! The cheaper model doesn't even get you a DVD burner and under 100 GB HDD. This is simply unacceptable at this price.

Macbook:
$1099,$1299,$1499

Not only is the starting price high, but the upgraded models are more of a ripoff. 200 dollars more for 200MHz, 40GB and DVD burn is terrible. And 200 dollars on top of that gives you blackness and 40GB.

Macbook Pro 15":
$1999,$2499

Granted these are more for professionals, two grand for a 15" laptop needs stronger specifications than what it has now. I say this because Apple's competition (Dell and HP) blow away ALL of the Apple computers (except for Xserve and Mac Pro, XRAID gets owned big time). And for a whopping 500 dollars more, you get a 200 MHz bump in speed, 40GB, and 128MB boost in the video card. Off all the rip offs, this is the worst I've seen on Apple computers.

Macbook 17":
$2799
Come ON! At least give it 1920x1200 in the beginning rather than making it a 100 dollar upgrade. Give it some more storage, a lil more RAM, SOMETHING. The ONLY difference between the high end 15" and this one is 2" more space, slightly higher resolution, and...THATS IT.

iMac:
$1199,$1499,$1799,$2299

Granted it is the most compact All in One PC out there and not as overpriced as others, I just don't see the big deal with All in Ones. Compared to a regular desktop the extra wires you have are: monitor to wall, monitor to computer, webcam to computer, speaker to wall, speaker to computer. Just 5 wires...and they're all behind the computer anyways...so...WHO CARES! On top of that, there are monitors with built in speakers and whenever you have to video IM, you just pull out the webcam and plug it to a USB port. So in essence you only have two extra wires. That and the only thing you can upgrade on the iMac is the RAM. Not the HDD. Not the video card. Not the wireless. Not the processor.

So I agree they are becoming more affordable, but it is still overpriced. If they just had one model for each type of computer and let the CONSUMER CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANT UPGRADED for a more reasonable price and open their OS to PCs they can be number 3 in the world and not just number 3 in the US.

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RE: Ripoff

By SavagePotato on 11/3/2007 3:01:47 PM , Rating: 2

Don't forget what that extra price gets you. You can Ichat with Bruce Willis about whether his movies suck or not.

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RE: Ripoff

By daftrok on 11/3/2007 3:24:26 PM , Rating: 2

Thats another thing! Why isn't iChat compatible with MSN or Yahoo or AIM? Wouldn't that make sense?

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RE: Ripoff

By Scott66 on 11/3/2007 8:19:08 PM , Rating: 2

you can use AIM accounts and jabber as well

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RE: Ripoff

By daftrok on 11/3/2007 9:36:34 PM , Rating: 2

Oh iChat is compatible with AIM? I never knew that

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RE: Ripoff

By somerset on 11/2/2007 1:47:12 PM , Rating: 2

"But as the moved to intel "hardware their prices have became more maintsream."

more mainstream, yes... but still overpriced. they used to be double the cost of an equal PC, now they are only 25 percent higher. - worse if you hunt fr a bargain, they are out there and there are dozens of mainstream manufacturers t choose from with many different options and pricepoints to cover anyones needs and budget.

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RE: Ripoff

By Bluestealth on 11/2/2007 1:14:40 PM , Rating: 2

You might have noticed but... smaller screens(ie 12.1"-13.3") are more expensive, no matter what manufacturer. For me 14.1" is almost too big, but it was a heck of a lot cheaper than a smaller laptop.

I will give you that having to buy the "top" of the line to get a color choice is a bit ridiculous. I mean who does Apple think they are, Ford?

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RE: Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 1:37:26 PM , Rating: 2

True. I dunno I guess I'm just not willing to pay more for less just to make it smaller. I walked around for 3 years with a 10 pound laptop so weight really doesn't phase me. Sure light laptops are nice, but I want functionality more than small size. I've got a 12" G4 iBook that I got for $150 but its only duties are as a DVD player on planes or maybe surfing the web on the couch. And the latter is only because my other laptop is kinda broke.

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RE: Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 2:06:36 PM , Rating: 2

My other point is that for $1500, 13.3" is the biggest screen you can get with a Mac. Since as an above guy's post points out, their 15" Macbook Pro starts at $2000.

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RE: Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 2:07:56 PM , Rating: 2

Whoops. Meant to put this below Ivan's post.

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RE: Ripoff

By IvanAndreevich on 11/2/2007 1:40:14 PM , Rating: 2

A much larger screen? ROFL I guess you don't really know what laptops are all about. If I but a 17" laptop, who is going to carry it for me - you? :p And besides, have you ever tried unfolding that sh!t in a bus plane or a car? Large laptops are crap for mobility.

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RE: Ripoff

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 2:03:31 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
If I but a 17" laptop, who is going to carry it for me - you?

God was kind enough to grant me these appendages called arms that are capable of carrying more than 7 pounds so yes. Don't be surprised if you don't see me again though after you hand it to me.

And yes I've used a 15" laptop on a plane. Was fine. 2" wider doesn't make much of a difference(at least not in this application).

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RE: Ripoff

By SirLucius on 11/2/2007 2:21:19 PM , Rating: 2

2" makes like no difference at all. My brother and I, both over 6' tall, used our 17" laptops while sitting next to each other in economy plus and it was no problem. The only discomfort was from being packed into a plane like sardines for a 12+ hour flight to Hong Kong.

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RE: Ripoff

By Bluestealth on 11/2/2007 5:23:14 PM , Rating: 2

I have no problem carrying around a big heavy laptop... the problem being is that I will just carry it around and never use it. Which was the problem with my last laptop. Sure I had it with me, but did I ever take it out and use it... maybe twice.

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RE: Ripoff

By Ryanman on 11/3/2007 4:31:12 PM , Rating: 1

wait, what? Apple is overcharging for hardware? I coulda sworn that I'd never seen that before.

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RE: Ripoff

By Quiescent on 11/5/2007 7:35:08 AM , Rating: 2

What's even more funny is that, unless you're using Vista, any freezing problem that might occur with a PC is rare conflictions between two or more third party programs, or the person decided to buy a POS piece of hardware (Like this one guy I knew who got this no-name brand of a video card and had experienced tons of problems with it) and it's not doing so well. Never has it been that it was the OS's fault that freezing occurs. It's always been a hardware issue.

As I've said a million times before. You can definitely get something way better than a mac or a macbook. Dell offers very nice laptops. I suppose the same problem might occur with macbooks as they happen to laptops: Buying them from the store, they usually suck. However, my dad owns a little business and needs a small computer for it now. Because small costs more, the computer he will get only costs $800. This gets him a 2.0Ghz Allendale dual core intel processor, 4 GBs of RAM, 250GBs of harddrive space, a video card with 256mb of VRAM (Because photoshop is going to be used quite often), a 11.8" x 7.9" x 7.3" case with motherboard and powersupply, a DVD burner, and a 17 inch LCD monitor. It will house XP 64bit. How does that sound to you, hmm? Pretty cheap for going small. It'll run pretty smooth with Photoshop, which is what we need since we are going to constantly use it and need it to be fast about things. Now, the dimensions of the case is quite fine, any smaller and you're asking for heat issues.

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LEDs!

By daftrok on 11/2/2007 1:15:32 PM , Rating: 2

I thought what with the amazing revenue Apple's been receiving they would start to push LED technology on their laptops. Sony already has 13.3" LED backlit notebooks (AND carbon fiber to protect those super skinny screens because LEDs take much less space than CFLs). Thats another thing: The Macbooks are the ONLY computer that Apple has thats made out of plastic. The iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro and Macbook Pro are all made out of aluminum. Maybe next year they'll step it up a notch (and get rid of that 200 dollar ripoff for 40+ GB and black matte finish).

RE: LEDs!

By Hare on 11/2/2007 1:19:36 PM , Rating: 2

Macbook Pro's have had LED displays for ages. I think they were among the first devices on the market with LED displays.

quote:

The new MacBook Pro is available in 15-inch models with a mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display and a 17-inch model with an optional 1920-by-1200-pixel display.

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

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RE: LEDs!

By daftrok on 11/2/2007 1:41:42 PM , Rating: 2

Oh my mistake, I meant pushing LEDs on ALL their laptops (especially the 17" those get HOT).

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RE: LEDs!

By daftrok on 11/2/2007 1:47:04 PM , Rating: 3

Apple went LED a few months ago whereas Sony went LED in late 2006:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/rumored-ledback...

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Maybe its a good thing they lock people in..

By darkpaw on 11/2/2007 2:20:56 PM , Rating: 3

Apple only supports, what 4 video cards and they still couldn't get it right?

Love how people bang on Microsoft when they miss a driver for some obscure hardware, but Apple can't even get the drivers right for their limited base.

RE: Maybe its a good thing they lock people in..

By Chadder007 on 11/2/2007 4:55:24 PM , Rating: 2

You mean...AMD/ATI couldn't get it right. They do write the drivers after all.

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RE: Maybe its a good thing they lock people in..

By Bluestealth on 11/2/2007 5:24:38 PM , Rating: 2

I am sure at some point Apple does their own QA... no?

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RE: Maybe its a good thing they lock people in..

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 5:30:23 PM , Rating: 2

He has a point. Apple runs on an extremely closed platform. And they're renowned for their software testing and making sure things work the first time. You'd think they'd catch an issue like that.

It wouldn't surprise me if Apple had a hand in driver development for the GPUs its systems use.

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Sorry, but.....

By flurazepam on 11/2/2007 12:45:23 PM , Rating: 1

Yawn!

RE: Sorry, but.....

By cochy on 11/2/2007 12:54:03 PM , Rating: 2

Let's see some news relating to unlocking Leopard to PCs.

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Damn it!

By ysunwoo on 11/2/2007 1:26:21 PM , Rating: 3

What happened to the economies to scale! Look I see lemmings wearing t-shirts with a bitten black apple and they're chanting mac,mac,mac,mac,mac,mac,mac,mac,mac.

Macbook Pro updates as well

By freshmint on 11/2/2007 1:20:48 PM , Rating: 2

Macbook pro has a few more upgrade options as well. Options to increase to 2.6ghz and a larger hard drive at 5400rpm.

And in a somewhat unusual move

By crystal clear on 11/2/2007 1:55:32 PM , Rating: 2

Something interesting

And in a somewhat unusual move, the company also stressed to would-be buyers that the Mac OS X installation DVD included with each new MacBook is "designed for use on this computer only." It was not clear whether that announcement was a possible antipiracy move or was somehow related to the fact that Apple's new Leopard operating system was just released six days ago.

"The Mac OS X 10.5 installation disk that shipped with your MacBook (13-inch Late 2007) is designed for use on this computer only and not intended for any other computer," the document states. The Leopard installation DVD included with the new MacBooks cannot be used on any other Macs, Apple added. The reverse is also now true: "Other Mac OS X 10.5 installation disks will not work on the MacBook (13-inch Late 2007)," the support note concludes.

Apple did not respond to queries about whether this was a policy for all future hardware releases or upgrades, or whether it was part of an antipiracy program

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?com...

LOL @ Apple

By chick0n on 11/2/07, Rating: -1

RE: LOL @ Apple

By FITCamaro on 11/2/2007 1:33:38 PM , Rating: 3

You talk like a cartoon on Robot Chicken.

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RE: LOL @ Apple

By Bluestealth on 11/2/2007 5:27:00 PM , Rating: 2

I am still getting some lovely bug where if I leave my Vista laptop sitting doing nothing it will return some error about Vista recovering from a serious error :P I am sure its a problem with AMD's video driver but its pretty damn annoying :) I have yet to have it crash when I am actually "doing" something though. Which is extremely impressive, since its when it should be crashing.

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"I'm an Internet expert too. It's all right to wire the industrial zone only, but there are many problems if other regions of the North are wired." -- North Korean Supreme Commander Kim Jong-il