Macbook Complete Specs...

Technical Specifications for the Macbook

In the Box

MacBook
Apple Remote
60W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord
Lithium-polymer battery
Install/restore DVDs
Printed and electronic documentation


Processor and memory

1.83GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor
2MB on-chip shared L2 cache
667MHz frontside bus
512MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) on two SO-DIMMs; supports up to 2GB
Storage
60GB or 80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive; optional 80GB, 100GB or 120GB drive2


One of the following optical drives:
Slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW): reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed, reads CDs at up to 24x speed
Slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer read support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW): writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 4x speed, writes DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs at up to 4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 10x speed, reads CDs at up to 24x speed


Graphics and Video Support
Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory1
Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 x 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colours

Built-in iSight camera with 640-by-480-pixel resolution

Mini-DVI port
DVI output using mini-DVI to DVI adapter (sold separately)
VGA output using mini-DVI to VGA adapter (sold separately)
Composite and S-video output using mini-DVI to video adapter (sold separately)

Communications
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking (based on 802.11g standard)
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) up to 3 Mbps
Optional external Apple USB Modem

Audio
Built-in stereo speakers
Combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack)
Combined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack)

Battery and power
55-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery with integrated charge indicator LEDs
60W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
MagSafe power adapter port

Display
13.3-inch (diagonal) glossy widescreen. TFT display with support for millions of colours
Supported resolutions: 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 768, 1024 by 640, 800 by 600, 800 by 500, 720 by 480, and 640 by 480 at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 at 3:2 aspect ratio

Electrical and environmental requirements
Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
Line voltage: 100-240V AC
Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz
Operating temperature: 10° to 35° C
Storage temperature: -24° to 45° C
Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet
Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet
Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet

Peripheral connections
One FireWire 400 port (up to 400 Mbps)
Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)

Security
Kensington cable lock slot

Software
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools)
iLife ’06 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand), Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, iWork (30-day trial), Big Bang Board Games, Comic Life, Omni Outliner, and Apple Hardware Test
Front Row

Input
Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad
Solid-state scrolling trackpad for precise cursor control; supports two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities

Apple Remote

Size and weight
Height: 2.75 cm (1.08 inches)
Width: 32.5 cm (12.78 inches)
Depth: 22.7 cm (8.92 inches)
Weight: 2.36 kg (5.2 pounds)

And a few more changes....

So I finally received my itinerary and flight information; the only problems seems to be with the return date, which is about three weeks later than it should... I've brought thisup to the people organising my trip; more to come on this!

I also finally got my passport today, no problems there. I then went to the Indian High Comission for my Visa; a pretty funny experience. Nonetheless, I should be able to pick up my Visa from 16h30 today, so at least, these last details are out of the way!

I'll add a little more later!

The new Mac Book...

So Apple has finally announced the new Mac Book, and I have to say that I am fairly impressed so far... Those who know me also know that I have been in the market for a new computer (or two) lately, and this new addition by Apple is making my selection that much more difficult. Obviously, this new iBook replacement is based on the Inter Core Duo chip, and also includes Apple's new patented "glossy screen", which is not only brighter (a common complaint amongst iBook users), but has much better saturation, which makes images seem that much better! And, it's also available in glossy black, which is also a really nice change:



Head over to Apple's website and check it out for yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised; I know that my shopping list may just have to include one of these beauties!

A short delay, now 7 days and counting...

We found out yesterday that our flight would not be on June 5th, as originally planned, but on June 6th instead; a little booking problem, but it was quickly resolved. I hope to get the exact travel details today, including itinerary, flight details and number, as well as the hotel confirmation, which would really help put my mind at ease! I think that these kinds of details need to be worked out as far in advance as possible, so as to prevent this type of last minute stress. I have to pick up my new passport today at the local passport office, and then head over to the Indian Consulate for my Visa application. I was happy to find out that Indian Visas take only a single day to process and emit, which is a nice change from some other, more bureaucratic cultures! The only inconvenience is that the transaction fees are cash only! Fortunately, the bank is right next door to the passport office!

I will add more this evening, once everything has been done, and leave some information on the whole process of getting the visa.

9 days and counting...

So we are at the 9 day mark; the next few days will most likely pass at an astounding rate... We will get to find out a little more about conditions in Chennai today, as we will be speaking to some of our friends already there! Can't wait to hear more about it and ask a few questions!

More to come later...

Details about the hotel...

I found out that I would be staying at Le Royal Meridien in Chennai; I also found some pictures and I will post some that I take once I get there as comparison:

10 days and counting...

I will be posting details and pictures of my trip as I get them. The departure date for my trip is now scheduled for June 5th, 2006 and we have been told to expect 31 hours of travel time; that should be an interesting experience. More to come...

Windows XP install on Mac Intel

As we may have all been reading lately, a winner has been declared in the running contest to get this done. The winner of the contest, known only as "narf," will pick up a cash prize of $13,854, accumulated through donations from contest supporters and other third-party sponsors. As reported in Ars Technica, here are some more details about this feat.

Here is what you'll need:

A Windows XP Pro (SP2) CD. Apparently, it does not have to be a bootable CD, but it does require the i386 directory at root level.

The xom.zip file.
Nero Burning ROM
A blank CD
A PC of course...
20-30 minutes

The instructions lay out the entire process in an abbreviated manner for those users who are more adept at performing "advanced" tasks like repartitioning drives and such, and in a more basic, step-by-step manner for users who might be slightly intimidated by the exercise. When you get down to it, you're creating a custom XP bootdisk, with some of the Microsoft files replaced with patched files created by narf. The files modified/added in the i386 folder are:

iaStor.sys
NTDETECT.COM
TXTSETUP.SIF
WINNT.SIF
XOM.INF

In addition there are several files being replaced and/or added in the $OEM$ directory:

$$/system32/drivers/xomdd.sys
$1/drivers/iastor/iaahci.cat
$1/drivers/iastor/iaahci.inf
$1/drivers/iastor/iaStor.cat
$1/drivers/iastor/iaStor.sys
$1/drivers/iastor/TXTSETUP.OEM

The final 5 items are replicated in the $OEM$/TEXTMODE directory. Once the custom Windows XP bootdisk has been developed, a repartition is required on the iMac's disk to contain both HFS+ and NTFS partitions, which for most people, means you're probably going to have to blow away your current install. Mac OS X will be installed to an HFS+ partition and you'll be installing an xom.efi bootloader which will then allow you to install Windows XP from your new disc.

At this point you're more or less dealing with a situation no different than your run-of-the-mill budget PC.