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The Road Warrior Mailbag - January 2, 2007

I Like The New Layout Of The Site
MacBook Pro and expansion cards
PowerBook LCD Lamp And Display Replacement Revisited
Looking Back At Looking Back At The Year Ahead (Eight Years Ago!)

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I Like The New Layout Of The Site

From Fred:

I like the new layout of the site, and I always read everything you write with zeal. You are a mainstay to the online Mac community and I could not have imagined cutting my teeth without your shared knowledge.

Currently on a Mac Mini 1.33 GHz; my 21st Mac to date!

Keep up the good work!

Fred

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Hi Fred;

I'm humbled.

Thanks for reading!

Charles

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MacBook Pro and expansion cards

From Ted

Hi Charles:

I have a dumb question about my MacBook Pro.... how do you use a memory stick with it? And what is an ExpressCard? None of the sites I have visited answer these basic questions....

thanks,

Ted

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Hi Ted;

If by memory stick you are referring to the portable flash memory storage devices made by Sony or Sandisk, they should connect to your Mac via a Memory Stick-capable reader module (typically a small box that connects via USB). They are frequently used for storing or transferring images or video to a computer from a camera.

ExpressCard is PCMCIA's new hardware standard for ExpressCard supports two form factors, ExpressCard/34 (34 mm wide) and ExpressCard/54 (54 mm wide, in an L-shape) — the connector is the same width (34 mm) on both. Standard cards are 75 mm long (10.6 mm shorter than CardBus) and 5 mm thick computer expansion cards replacing the older CardBus PC cards. They are used for adding hardware capabilities such as memory, wired and wireless communications cards and security devices by simply inserting these modules into the system.

There are two sizes of ExpressCard module. One is 34mm wide (ExpressCard/34) and the other is 54mm (ExpressCard/54). Both modules are 75mm long and 5mm high. Your MacBook Pro supports ExpressCard 34 modules.

You can find out more here:
http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/qa.jsp
and here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressCard

Hope this answers your question. If not, let me know.

Charles

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Re: cards

From Ted

Thanks Charles.

The reason I asked is a colleague (who uses PCs) has a memory stick .... he plugs it into his laptop, downloads a file to the stick, races across the room, plugs it into the back of the tower of a desktop PC and downloads the file to that machine ... so I started wondering if I could do this also. It is the most common way of transferring WP files at universities now --- everyone seems to have a memory stick they use to take work home on.... I thought perhaps the Express Card was the same thing, as I know I have an express card slot. So, if i wish to use a memory stick I will have to purchase an adaptor....

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Hi Ted;

Ah, now I understand better. It may be a matter of semantics. What your friends call a "memory stick" sounds to me like what I would call a USB flash drive ot micro drive or jump drive. My daughter uses one with her iBook to transfer files to other computers. They will plug into your USB port (Mac or PC) and require no adapter. They are also cheap, starting at about Can$30 for a 512 MB unit at The Source.

Example:

"The Lexar JumpDrive Secure II is a USB 2.0 Flash Drive with advanced password and encryption software giving you peace of mind that your data is safe. Only half the size of the original model, JumpDrive Secure II sports a sleek industrial design that does not obstruct neighboring USB ports. It comes preloaded with advanced security software that lets you protect your data securily, quickly and easily. Creating a secure area using both password protection and 256-bit AES encryption is a snap–simply drag files to athe secure area and the drive encrypts your files for you. Secure II software is cross-platform so you can secure data and access it on PCs and Macs."

You can check it out at here.

Charles

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PowerBook LCD Lamp And Display Replacement Revisited

From Jamal

Referencing this column.

Okay, so I did it. I don't recommend it to other people though. Changing the CCFL is a tedious job. I am ready to buy a new laptop, so I figured I did not have much to lose. I used ScadBoy's tutorial to get the LCD panel out and this article to get the CCFL out.

I had bought a spare CCFL, in case I break one. Guess what? I broke them both (three if you count the original one). The mistake I was making was not cutting the wires at the end of the CCFL short - as in 1-2 mm long. That meant struggling with rubber caps - poof! The CCFL is very fragile and must only be held by the tips, and not anywhere in the length of it.

Once I reordered from DigiKey, everything went okay. It is hard to believe, but it actually works. I will end up buying a new laptop anyway, but an upgraded Pismo is still decent machine.

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Hi Jamal;

Thanks for the hands-on report. I'm probably in for this job, since I'm not ready to give up on my Pismo anytime soon. Your empirical observations will be helpful.

You must have been beside yourself when that second (third) tube broke! Glad it worked out in the end.

Charles

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Looking Back At Looking Back At The Year Ahead (Eight Years Ago!)

Here's another column from antiquity - The Road Warrior Archive - first published here almost exactly eight years ago, on December 30, 1998. I devoted quite a bit of it to speculation about the forthcoming "P1" or iBook consumer portable then forthcoming from Apple. Plus ça change, plus ça meme chose. This year we're speculating again about a possible new Apple subnotebook. If course I (and pretty much everyone else) was off base at the cusp of 1998/'99 in expecting the iBook to be a subnotebook, when in fact, it turned out to be humongous - bigger and heavier than the contemporaneous "full-sized" Lombard PowerBook.

Shows that the rumor buzz this year about a subcompact MacBook Pro, perhaps with flash RAM memory, or even a tablet Mac could be just as wide of the mark. Anyway, here's what I was thinking at new Year 1999.

CM

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Looking Back At The Year Ahead

The Road Warrior By Charles W. Moore
Originally published December 30, 1998

News out of Apple about its PowerBook plans for 1999 has been thin and sketchy as 1998 draws to a close. We know that a consumer portable (AKA "P1" or iBook) that is expected to carry on the iMac translucent-colored case theme will arrive, probably sometime in the spring. Then, perhaps in August -- maybe earlier, a new generation of professional level PowerBooks ("Lombard," "101") will be introduced. Things may or may not be made somewhat clearer at MacWorld Expo SF next week, but in the meantime all we have to go on are rumors and unconfirmed speculation. As I write this, ZDTV is reporting that Steve Jobs will unveil the P1 at MWSF. Stranger things have happened, and Mr. Jobs can be full of surprises, but I'm skeptical.

In the meantime, the most likely near term development will be a speedbump upgrade of the current G3 Series ("Wallstreet/PDQ") 'Books, probably to 333 and 366 Mhz, possibly to 400 Mhz. This may involve cool-running copper processors if Motorola can get the supply pipeline going.

So with the road ahead looking a bit foggy, some retrospective vision might help clarify future likelihoods.

PowerBook models, since the 500 series, have tended to have production lifespans of 12 to 18 months. The 500s and 1400s lasted longest, and it's probably not coincidental that they share a reputation for being very solid, dependable machines. The original, stopgap G3 in a 3400 case was produced for only about 6 months, and the 5300 and 3400 about a year respectively.

Thus, history would indicate that the G3 Series, being the solid performer and roaring success that it is, should remain in production for at least a year and probably longer, which means that the speculative August introduction date for Lombard/101 sounds about right.

There is of course a yawning gap in the subnotebook end of the Macintosh model range, and the P1/iBook can't arrive too soon, and a replacement for the Duo/2400 must be regarded as a top level priority for Apple.

Several people have suggested to me that they will hold off purchasing a PowerBook until the P1/iBook makes its debut. This may or may not be a wise strategy, depending upon whether one needs a very small portable or not. To wit: the new little 'un is not really going to be in any sort of direct competition with the G3 Series and later Lombard.

Apple's new consumer portable is virtually certain to be a very cool machine, and if smallness is a big priority for you, you're right to wait for it. Apple simply has nothing new to offer subnotebook users right now, although there are a few refurb/leftover 2400s around.

However, if you need a professional level PowerBook that can take the place of a desktop machine, I'm 95 percent certain that the P1/iBook is not going to be a really satisfactory alternative to the G3 Series.

There is speculation that Apple may offer the P1/iBook with a 300 Mhz processor, a +/- 12 inch TFT display, 32 Megs of RAM, 10/100base T Ethernet, a 4 Gig HD, 24x CD-ROM, one or two MB of Level 2 cache, up to 100 Mhz bus speed, a 56k modem and/or wireless communication capability, all in a form factor approximately 1" narrower, 3/4" shorter and 1/3 thinner than the already tiny PowerBook 2400, for $999.

Folks, this price just isn't going to happen. A 300 Mhz processor is a distinct likelihood, but if they go TFT display and a big HD, the price is more likely to be in the $1399 to $1799 range. As for wireless, there seems to be too much smoke for there not to be fire under those rumors somewhere, but a wireless modem is going to drive costs up further, and there is also the potential health issue associated with wireless communications to consider. Remember all the allegations about habitual cellular phone users getting certain types of cancers at a higher than normal rate. This has never been conclusively proved or disproved, but my personal view is that I would not want to sit next to any wireless communications device day-in and day-out until a lot more research is done on the medium to long term health effects. Therefore, I would not buy or use a computer with a wireless modem for regular use, which means I would not buy one at all. I expect that there are plenty of other people who feel the same way, and the last thing Apple needs is a bunch of product liability suits from cancer victims a few years down the road -- particularly in a model targeted strongly at kids.

Seen in this light, it is to be hoped that Apple will make the wireless modem, if indeed there is to be a wireless modem, an optional extra, although that would not fit in neatly with the iMac philosophy.

From what we know of Lombard, it's going to be a honey -- with a deep translucent blue case slightly thinner and significantly shorter than the Wallstreet/PDQ form factor. Lombard will also weigh less than the portly G3 Series 'Books. It will definitely have high end G3 -- probably copper -- processors, and possibly the G4 chip. Lombard will probably have no SCSI, ADB, or Serial ports, and in their stead will offer iMac-style USB connectivity. There are rumors that Lombard will be the first PowerBook with FireWire support, but that may not happen, at least at first.

Should you wait for Lombard? If you have a need for speed right away, you can't go wrong by buying a G3 Series 'Book now. They are simply lovely machines, versatile and expandable, a pleasure to use, and will remain so for years.

Another issue: Personally, I'm not up for replacing my SCSI/ADB/Serial peripherals en masse at the same time as I buy a new computer, and I wish that Apple would consider phasing in the connectivity revolution on Professional level machines. Most PowerBook buyers are not first-time Mac owners, and are likely to have a substantial investment in SCSI/ADB/Serial peripherals -- a different dynamic than obtains with a large proportion of iMac buyers. My suggestion to Apple would be to retain a SCSI bus and port on the first generation of USB compatible PowerBooks, which would make the changeover less wallet-flattening. If, as is likely, Mr. Jobs ignores my sage advice, opting for a G3 series, and sitting out Lombard in wait of the next generation PowerBooks will only postpone the peripheral replacement crunch, but it will also allow you to amortize the cost of your current SCSI/ADB/Serial peripherals over a longer period.

I'm still unconvinced that dumping SCSI is one of Apple's better ideas. Today I had occasion to connect my PowerBook 5300 to my old Mac Plus running System 7.0 in SCSI Disk mode to transfer some files, and it just blows me away how slickly it all works. A new 300 Mhz G3 would connect to the Plus just as nicely, not that transferring files to 12 year old Macs is a big priority for most PowerBook users, but it does demonstrate the versatility of the SCSI protocol, which is still pretty fast (faster than USB) by today's standards.

The G3 Series will almost certainly be the last PowerBook with what we have come to regard as a "standard" set of PowerBook ports, and that will be an important purchasing factor to many users. I also think that the G3 Series will live on long past its production life, much as the 500 series has done, as one of the best-loved PowerBook models ever.

Which brings me back to my personal search for a replacement for the 5300, which my daughter wants to take over ASAP. Using that demo G3 I wrote about last week for a few days pretty much had me hooked, and I was almost settled on ordering a G3 233 with 12.1" TFT display and 512k of L2 cache, which I can get from my local Apple dealer for Can$3,099 (approx. US$1910), which represents a pretty good value. Then I visited SmallDog Electronics' website last night and found a batch of refurbished PowerBook 3400c/200s for US$1349. I really like the 3400, and that is a very attractive price to a skinflint like me.

The difference, once applicable freight and our confiscatory Canadian taxes are factored in respectively, comes in at about Can$1200 more for the new G3 than the refurb. 3400 -- a machine that was selling just over a year ago (Dec. '97 MacWorld) for US$4500. (Can$7,300!) Kinda sobering, isn't it?

The $1200 question is whether there is that amount more usable value in the G3 233 as compared with the 3400c/200?

The G3 is of course new, with a full warranty. It has a G3 processor, is nearly twice as fast as the 3400, and will support OS X in about a year's time. It has a wonderful keyboard, faster internal bus, great looks, a 56k modem, and a 20x CD-ROM drive.

The 3400c is cheaper but refurbished with only 90 days warranty, includes a floppy drive -- which the G3 does not at the quoted price, has a comparatively pedestrian keyboard but a nicer trackpad button (IMHO), better but still not great speakers, a 6x CD-ROM drive, and a 33.6 modem. Apple is not guaranteeing OS X support for pre-G3 systems, but the 3400 will run the BeOS, which I've long wanted to check out and which will not run on a G3.

Both machines have 12.1" TFT displays, 2 Gig HDs, and both will require at least a 32 MB RAM upgrade to make them usable for my purposes, so it is a wash in those departments.

In a year, the 3400c will be worth about US$900 and the G3 $1300, so there isn't much in it depreciation-wise either.

However, on the balance, I think the G3 justifies the extra expenditure for someone who can afford the extra $1200 bucks. In a year's time it will still be a reasonably contemporary machine, while the 3400, nice as it is, will be getting pretty long in the tooth.

Hmmm, I think I've talked (written?) myself back into buying that G3. I'll sleep on it a couple more nights, and let you know how it turns out!

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*** cmoore@macopinion.com

Provisionally, you can access The Road Warrior Archive to Jan. 16, 2006 by clicking here.

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CM