On October 14, 2009, Apple Inc. announced at Cupertino conference, in Santa Clara County, California, the release of a new MacBook product, the aluminium unibody model. This had as a principal feature a totally new chipset made by Nvidia, a multinational company specialized in the graphics units development and chipsets for personal computers and mobile devices.

This chipset added a system bus topology with 1066 MHz, a new DD3 memory system that brought the ability of transferring data at a twice rate speed. Also this model have an integrated GeForce 9400M graphic card that it is up to 5 times faster than the initial chipsets of MacBooks. It have also a Mini Display Port, as a replace of the old mini-DVD port, and a backlight display LED.

The touch pad it is made of glass and acts exactly like a mouse button, translating the motions and the positions of fingers faster and more accurate. Following the ecological idea, they removed the toxins like mercury  from its composition.

Apple Inc. updated this line of MacBooks on June 8, 2009, as MacBook Pro and FireWire was reestablished in a FireWire 800 port form.

Chasing its design line we will find that the Aluminium MacBook it is modeled after MacBook Pro, which was, itself, a copy of MacBook Air. This model it is a little bit more slim line than its predecessors  and have some sharpened edges. The keyboard of some higher type of models have a back light which helps the user to have a better contact with his MacBook in dark conditions.

Gizmodo, a technological blog who is making constantly reviews on electronics, concluded that the Aluminium MacBook is their favorite,  but also said that, at that time, the display was lower than those from MacBook Pro or MacBook Air models, because of its more diminished viewing angle, its washy colors and the more subdued back light. Likewise Engadget, a multilingual blog, and AppleInsider, a rumor site about Apple products, concluded that these are extraordinary good choices but dragging attention to the lower display's quality in comparing with the Pro and Air MacBook models. Also, Peter Cohen said that the missing of FireWire port it is a real inconvenience for some of the users, but, for most of us, it shouldn't be counted as a deficient.

On the technical part, we can see that the Aluminium Unibody MacBook have a 2.0 GHz  Dual Core made by Intel, two slots for memory reaching 2 GB which can be expandable up to 4 GB, a graphic card with 256 MB memory shared with the main one, which can be available up to 512 MB in Windows, using Boot Camp. Its Hard Drive have 5400 rotation per minute and a capacity of 160 gigabytes or 250 . If you want more space you can ask for an optional feature which will include a 320, 256 or 128 gigabytes serial ATA drive as a solid-state, a long-term storage hardware that does not have moving parts, typically faster and quieter than a traditional hard drive. The internal slot can maximum write  at a speed of 10x for rewritable CDs, 8x for DVDs and 24x for normal CDs. It can read at an 8x speed for DVDs and at 24x for Cds. The used operating system it is the Mac OS X, 10.5.5 version, also known as Mac OS X Leopard. Its weight it is not that big and can reach 2 kg. The dimension attributes are small and make this notebook perfect for every person and desktop or space. It have only 24.1 x 325 x 227 millimeters.

The user serviceability it is easier and let them to fix and upgrade the model without any inconvenient, unlike its elder precursors. As an example, when you will need to access an interior part you will need to remove only the polycarbonate outer case. For the replace of the hard drive or the memory cards you will need to remove only its battery, following the instruction books that Apple provides with this device.

Some earlier models of this product experienced some random close downs but, after some period of time , MacBook resolved this problem through the replacement of the processor conductor and some firmware upgrades.

Apple provides also, for the Aluminium MacBook model some optional features, including the use of a hard drive that can go up to 7200 rotations per minute.

Released by Apple Inc., as a portable media player, in 2005, iPod Nano was designed with an implemented camera marketed by the same company. Since the first generation, iPod Nano it is using a flash memory, like the Shuffle iPod, but it is having a display with a 2.2 inch diagonal and a wheel that can be clicked, like the Classic iPod. Now, after 4 years since it was announced first time, it is at the 5^th generation, which have the ability to  video recording, regarding to a microphone implemented for voice memo, a more larger screen and a pedometer.

The first generation had a small size, measuring 1.6 in width, 3,5 in length and 2,27 thick, weighting only 42 grams.  The screen was measuring only 38 mm and could display up to 65, 536 colors.

After only 9 months before the announced launch date they start to develop and design this product. The iPod Nano was first launched in two colors, the classical black and the bright white, with two size available: 2gigabytes which could store up to 500 songs and the 4 gigabytes size. At the start of 2006, Apple updated this line with a model that had only 1 gigabyte capacity.

The iPod Nano used integrated circuits instead of the usual chips  that are smaller and cheaper. Now, at the 5^th generation, iPod Nano it is using a Portal Player PP5021C chip, which have a dual processor ARM 7TDMI. Yet, the people responded positive to this device and  Apple Inc. sold in only 17 days over one million units. Many have seen the release of iPod Nano, with the purpose to replace the iPod Mini, as a risky move, but they argued that it was pretty necessary because the competitors were starting to catch up their model in terms of features and design. They were right and the introducing on the market of iPod Nano was a real success. There were some incidents reported al over the world so they decided to investigate and upgrade that model.

Second generation was released on 12 September, in the year 2006. This type of iPod Nano had an aluminum case and a scratch resisting display. Also it was available in multiple colors: silver, black, green, pink and blue, characteristics borrowed from the earlier Mini iPod. Also, it dispose of a  battery upgrade, a more brighter screen and more flash memory capacity.  It had and a new search type and supported gapless playback of audio format. On the end of 2006, Apple released the Red iPod Nano with a 4 gigabytes capacity of storage and started a donation campaign. Two weeks later they introduced and an 8 GB model of the same product.

Third generation was updated on 2007, in September and featured a 320 x 240 display and a shorter and heavier design, available in new colors. Also, it had and a new interface named Cover Flow and could video playback. It was available in 5 colors: silver, green, turquoise, black and the already old Product Red. It has an aluminum front and a steel black plate, as a combination of old models with a new and attractive design. The iPod Nano from the 3^rd generation had, like the iPod Shuffle, a minimalistic power switch, at the bottom. It was pretty special because it had the smallest line pitch of any Apple Inc. product, counting on a 51 mm screen exactly the same pixels as a 64 mm screen.

To improve the Cover Flow software, in October 6, 2007, Apple updated the firmware via iTunes, both for iPod Nano and for iPod Classic.

The fourth generation was released at the Let's Rock Event, a brand of Apple Inc. ,at the start of September 2008. It looks with the 1^st and 2^nd generation but it still have the 2 inch display model, as the 3^rd generation. It is, also, smaller than the previous generations measuring only 38.7 mm wide and 90,7 tall, at an weight of 36,8 grams. It had a glass screen and the same aluminum case, but a little more curved. The battery was made to last 24 hours if you are listening only music and four hours of video play backing, compared with the 3^rd generation that was able to replay 5 hours of videos.

On September 9, 2009, at an Apple event, the fifth generation of iPod Nano was announced with a reduced price.  It is available in 9 colors, starting with the classic black and silver and continuing with purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink and the usual product red. It have an 2.2 inches diagonal screen, bigger than the previous generations, and an integrated camera which can support video effects. Also it have FM Radio via RDS, a speaker, Nike iPod support and a capacity of 5 gigabytes.

Like every product made by a human, even the mighty MacBook have some problems and bugs.  Yet, there are some simple steps to make to solve them.

One of the most common troubleshooting is the display problem that appear  to the MacBook, MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro models.

If your notebook won't see any picture on the display or if you don't hear any hard disk or fan activity, you can find in the next text  some easy steps to set them properly.

First of all you will need to unplug in every device attached to your personal MacBook. This could mean any printer, hub, keyboard, mouse. Than try to power on the computer again. If it still not working, you might have to check the battery level. Push the little button from the battery or on the right side of your notebook. You should see a light signal who will indicate you the battery level. If you will se on this sign only one line means that it is almost of and  you will have to recharge  it. It is properly to use the notebook with its adapter connected, just to be sure that you have enough energy.

If it is still not working, try this method: unplug the adapter from the MacBook and from the electrical outlet. Wait one minute before connect it back, but putting it first in the wall and after on the slot from the notebook. Make sure that your home it is powered trying with another device that you are sure it is working, a telephone or a radio device.  When you will introduce the adapter in the MacBook, a green LED should start to light.

If the computer it is powered properly but still the troubleshooting persists you maybe should check the MagSafe port. This connector it is held in its place magnetically and can be easily removed because of that at a simple trip over the cord, making your MacBook not working. Look also if there aren't some impurities like dust or some other debris and see if all pins are at their place. If you find some problems at this point you should go to someone professional to change your cable.

If the cable it is properly working but your computer it is still shut down and don't want to start, check if you are using the special adapters made for your model. If you don't know for sure or if you need a new one, go to a specialized market that it is selling this type of products. There you can find good advices and consultancies.

To try to restart your computer, there it is a key combination that it will help you and which involves the simultaneous press of the command key, the control key and the power button for three seconds.

If you will press for three seconds or until you will hear the startup sound at least two times the combination of Option-  Command -P -R keys you will restart your MacBook's PRAM and NVRAM.

f it is still not working, you maybe should reset the System Management Controller (SMC) . You will be able to do this by removing any energy source, like the adapter cable and the battery and press the power button for 5 seconds. For the MacBook Air models, this can be done by pressing simultaneous the Shift-Control-Option buttons in the same time with the power one.

If you recently installed some additional components, like a memory board, make sure that it is properly plugged in its slot and that it is compatible and  good for your notebook. Remove the new added component and see if the computer it is starting.

If you still can't start your MacBook after following all of these steps you should check for the most appropriate Apple store or an Apple service provider. This are usual troubleshoots to MacBook systems and they will solve your problems in a couple of minutes.

If you are experiencing login solutions on the MAC OS X system after you upgraded your operating system to Leopard, this should be because your password, made previously on the first system, contains more than eight characters. Make sure that your passwords are ok for this bug before you will upgrade your MacBook and you will not experiment any troubleshoot.

Probably Apple Inc. is one of the best tech companies in the world, but still they cannot do miracles just yet. When buying a new product, a few know exactly how to use it properly. Therefore, you can do mistakes when using it. On the other hand, it is possible to know how that product works, but things can go wrong. iMac troubleshooting can be tricky and this is why you can find here a few things that can go wrong, and what can you do to fix them.


Turn it on

That should be the easiest thing ever. First, locate the power button and then press it. In case this doesn't work and the battery isn't charged, check if your iMac is plugged in or if the power source you are using is working.

Internet troubleshooting

After establishing a service with an Internet Service Provider, you can start connecting to the Internet over a LAN. In order to achieve that, connect your DSL modem or your Ethernet cable from a cable modem and your iMac might determine automatically the proper settings needed. If not, you will have to enter this information manually. There are other ways to connect to the Internet besides a modem. You can use AirPort application. Turn it on from the Applications menu and choose the name of the wireless network you wish to connect. Alternatively, you can use a Dial-up connection by establishing a dial-in number in your configuration. All Apple computers have a Network Setup Assistant, which will provide you help in every step of the way. If, from some reason, your Internet connection is not working, check your modem or even restart it, check your network configuration and use Network Diagnostics.

Mailing troubleshooting

Of course, the first thing you have to do is creating a New Message from the File menu. After into the To field, enter the recipient's address and start typing your message. Finally, click Send. When checking your mail, you can do that either manually or automatically. When checking manually, you'll do that in the old fashioned way. However, if you want to set your Mail to check for itself new messages, choose from Preferences, Check for new mail. If your messages don't get to their destinations, check your Internet connection or see the Connection Doctor for additional help.

Keeping your iMac in shape

When you connect to the Internet, regularly check for software updates to make sure that your system will run optimally. Organize your files so that you can have an easy access to them. Always back up your files to prevent losing them and name them so that will mean something to you when searching through them. Also regularly check for viruses. Although, Mac OS are pretty secure, they are not infallible. For the outside, use a soft and dry cloth to clean the dust and other dirt that might build up on your computer.

Installing software

If the software comes on a CD, then simply insert it in your computer disc drive and the installer window will open automatically. When the software is a downloaded file ( .dmg file), usually the disk image will open it and install it after the download finishes. Every time you install new software, check if you have enough disk space. If not, maybe it is time for a general clean up.

Setting up a printer

The printer will be, most probably, automatically detected and installed by your Mac. Next, add the printer to the Printer List. You can choose some options for your printing and after, start printing your documents.

Burn CDs

Insert the blank CD into the disc drive; add your files you want to burn, then choose the burning speed and click Burn.

If these tips don't work or if they aren't what you need, you can always check Apple's homepages for more iMac troubleshooting.

Apple TV is a special product, released by Apple, on the date of September 12, 2006 , at a press conference in San Francisco, California. Since then, it received the attention of millions of consumers all over the world .

It is one of the most used DMR (digital media receiver)  and it helps, among the years, lots of people to connect to Apple's networks and retrieve digital media files like photos, music or movies. The operating system was upgraded at 3.0 version at the end of October (2009) and improved the streaming of Internet radio and the integrated iTunes. Also, the upgraded was made for a perfect adaptation to wide-screen displays, so popular this days.

To connect the Apple TV receiver  you need some video equipment, like a television who can support the HDMI, a special interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. Also, as this product donesn't come with a special connecting cable, except the power one, this can be a problem for  who don't know anything about the connections between two devices.

The Apple Tv device connects to the Internet trough a LAN ( Local Area Connections)  or wireless, using the wireless integrated protocols.

One of the important features of Apple Tv is that  it has an integrated Youtube  and can receive a direct streaming from this site, without the use of a login account, but still benefiting about the most useful tools of it, like Favorites and personalized options.

After a special update to its system, Apple Tv doesn't need, anymore, a special computer with iTunes running on background, but still, users can see , browse , and save podcasts from this on-line store.

The user can log into a Flickr account or into a MobileMe one, and browse different or personal photos, in a slide show or one by one.  Also, they can add effects like automatic cross dissolve or an additional one, named Ken Burns Effect, which is a type of pan- and- scan effect , almost like the Hitchcock Zoom.


Another important feature of the Apple TV is the ability to stream the music, using the AirTunes, to an AirPort Express or another Apple TV, across to another 10 wireless devices. It has an infrared remote control  which is using an USB port , but the volume buttons can not control AirTunes. However, the volume can be controlled directly from the iTunes.

As the synchronization and  the streaming modes are integrated, the Apple TV device can be connected to a computer, so the Internet streaming radio or another benefits can be used on it. Anyway, it will work properly even if you don't have a local network or a computer.

Because of the ability to copy the content of iTunes on its own hard-disk and library, the stream of the files all over the network and the browse of photos,  we can't help to see the similarity between it and the iPod device.  Actually, they even works similar, the main process been using almost the same technology.

The Front Row  software, used as an interface for Apple Tv, is special designed for download of media files like music, photos and movies from another optical disk or computer and it is used also on the shipping MACs. It suffered, since 2005, when it was released, 2 major upgrades and now it is almost on the same idea as Windows Media Center.

The Apple Tv content it is organized in six groups, trying to satisfy the user's biggest needs : Youtube, Podcast, Movies, Photos, TV Shows and , of course, Music. Also, it contains and a Settings button for personal configurations, which leads to another submenu, that can be navigated with an up and down buttons and selected with the play one. Two important functions, like forward or backward can be realized with the left and right buttons. With them you can, also, use the function of next and previous when you selected the audio- only content. These buttons make Apple TV a simple and intuitive, friendly device.

The Apple TV has only 1.09 kg and 197 × 197 × 28 mm dimensions. It supports digital optical audio and an RCA stereo one. Dispose of a 160 gigabytes hard drive and a memory of a 256 MB DDR2  of 400 MHZ.  Also it has one of the best processors from this category , an Intel Pentium M 1.0 GHz "Crofton"  and a NVidia GeForce 7300 graphic card.

Unfortunately it doesn't connect to Rhapsody or Amazon, LastFm or Shoutcast, or some other video services and this attract a lot of bad critics on it. Anyway it is a good and useful devices and an important option to replace a Mac Mini.