Gawker: valleywag, macbook

Apple's new green scandal

Owen Thomas — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST

After coming under attack by pro-environment groups, Apple has tried hard to burnish its green image. But its latest laptops could ruin its reputation among the carbon-conscious. Apple has touted the innovation of its new "unibody" laser-manufacturing process, which carves the MacBook's body out of a block of aluminum. "The process uses a huge amount of energy to machine each case and then to recycle the material removed," an expert on computer supply chains tells Valleywag. "It's a much less efficient and there's a huge amount of waste than any other process to make the housings." The charge could be electrifying, if proven true.

Apple has devoted an entire page to the MacBook's environmental merits. The company has taken considerable steps to lower the amount of energy used by the MacBook's display, hard drive, and processor. But Apple is vague about the energy consumed by making the MacBook's laser-carved unibody, and recycling the wasted aluminum. The Container Recycling Institute estimates that 3 percent of the world's electricity goes towards manufacturing aluminum — and China, where most of Apple's manufacturing is done, gets most of its electricity from dirty coal plants.

Apple France on MacBook launch: "Perfectly idiotic"

Owen Thomas — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Vive la résistance! We don't know if Apple France intentionally tweaked their American overlords, or just screwed up. But for a while, Apple's French website described the newly launched MacBooks as "parfaitement con," for which a very polite translation is "perfectly idiotic." The page now reads "parfaitement conçu," or "perfectly conceived." If you thought Apple was all about obsessive attention to detail, be aware that product promise only applies to English-language material.

Clearly, your new MacBook needs a new display

Paul Boutin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:41:44 EDT

More live photos from Gizmodo at Apple's event in Cupertino: An awesome $899 24-inch Cinema Display. Productivity studies show that you need one to watch Californicated.

New MacBooks carved by sharks with laser beams in their heads

Paul Boutin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:20:42 EDT

Steve Jobs just unveiled an upgraded line of laptops. Besides the fact they really are carved with lasers, here's Apple's one-slide summary that you'll be reading on CNET in a few minutes. Gizmodo is posting many more photos in realtime.

MacBook spy photo offers humanity hope

Paul Boutin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:40:00 EDT

A photo posted to a Chinese forum site (and thence to MacRumors) shows what appears to be a MacBook case made entirely in one piece. Open thread: How does this actually make it better for me? Will it reverse global warming, or at least get me aboard Google's escape rocket? And why can't I stop staring at it? I need to stop reading Arthur C. Clarke at lunch.

New Macbooks dump plastic for eco-friendly aluminum

Paul Boutin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:20:00 EDT

AppleInsider's network of loose-lipped leakers claim they've seen the new MacBooks about to go into production. Gone are the plastic casings that nagged Greenpeace — and scratched way too easily. Like the new iPods and the MacBook Air shown here (I'm skeptical about this alleged spy shot of the new Macbooks), the new notebooks are reportedly slim and round-edged, with downsized adapter ports replacing the largest standard jacks on the side. I've already ordered our aluminum Xmas tree, honey. (Photo by AP/Jeff Chiu)

Former PC World chief: Macs no more expensive than PCs

Paul Boutin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:40:00 EDT

"A MacBook is in the same ballpark as a roughly similar Dell or HP, and less than a Sony." That's the conclusion of Technologizer editor Harry McCracken, after running the numbers several different ways on competing notebooks. The MacBook didn't win most hardware categories, but it came out well-rounded, with superior warranty service and media software. McCracken, until recently the editor in chief of PC World, was infamous among local tech journalists for toting Apple laptops to work.

Apple sued again over display "color issue"

Jordan Golson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Many blogs are writing up a recent lawsuit against Apple as if it's a big deal. Too bad it isn't, because it's more entertaining than any April Fools' joke we've seen today. The lawsuit alleges that Apple falsely marketed its 20-inch iMac as being capable of displaying "millions of colors" when it can only display "hundreds of thousands" of colors. The difference is imperceptible to the human eye. Apple recently settled a similar lawsuit over its MacBook notebooks. That lawsuit went away out of court after the plaintiffs found it "difficult" to locate clients who purchased computers solely on the "millions of colors" claim. We're waiting for a clever lawyer to start asking Apple customers if they bought computers under the belief the machines would help them get laid.

Iowa city gives porn-delivery devices to 380 students

Jordan Golson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:40:36 EDT

Central City, Iowa, is giving MacBooks to all students in 5th through 12th grades. Now, we're all for giving laptops to students — maybe some of them will read Valleywag — but let's be realistic. "The laptops will be strictly for school subjects, and will come equipped with filters and blockers." Yeah, right. It will be mere days before some enterprising student gets caught reading one of Melissa's informative posts on high-class escorts. Why not just let them get sex ed via YouPorn? That seems easier. (Photo by AP/Michael C. York)

Apple Sells "Refreshed" Laptop Filled With Porn To 11 Year Old Girl

Ben Popken — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:24:44 EST

UPDATES: • Finder Of Apple Porn On His Daughter's Laptop Interviewed
• Internet Sneers At Apple/ Porn/ Laptop/ Child Post

An Apple customer was shocked, shocked, when he bought a Macbook from the London Apple Store for his 11-year old daughter, and the desktop was full of pornographic JPGs.

His friend, a Consumerist tipster in good standing, told us all about it over IM, inside... — BEN POPKEN

"Mommy, why do the keys stick?" — MEGHANN MARCO

RKH: me mate just bought a "refreshed" Macbook from the Apple Store here in London, turned it on once he got home and found porn on the desktop
fakeout: how refreshing!
RKH: apple sells "refreshed" machines at a 15% discount
fakeout: It's supposed to be clean of everything I assume, including porn
fakeout: What kind of porn was it?
RKH: didn't say
fakeout: how much porn?
RKH: just said there was a "desktop full of JPGs"
fakeout: How does he feel about it?
RKH: he's pretty shocked, he bought it for his 11-year old daughtre
RKH: daughter
fakeout: Is he going to complain?
RKH: he filed a complaint with the OfCom ombudsman
RKH: and he's going to call his MP tomorrow
fakeout: MP?
RKH: member of Parliament
fakeout: Not going to talk to Apple?
RKH: OFCOM will handle that part
RKH: a government agency tends to have more power than individual consumers
fakeout: That's cool they will go to bat for him
RKH: they go to bat for anyone who complains about a company
fakeout: We should get one of those over here
RKH: Carphone Warehouse got a L5mil fine for overcharging VAT on purchases a few years ago.
fakeout: it would be great to get a photo of the desktop with the jpgs on it
RKH: he reformatted the drive and reinstalled OS X from his Tiger CD