OS X :: Review Roundup - Snow Leopard Sports Subtle Improvements
Aug 27, 2009
In general, reviewers are very positive about Snow Leopard, calling it a welcome performance boost with strong under-the-hood improvements. But what's really captivated everyone is the price: at $29, critics see the inexpensive upgrade as a no-brainer for most Mac users. The new 64-bit architecture, built-in support for Microsoft Exchange, and the ability to open Mac OS X files while running Windows via Boot Camp are all welcome additions highlighted by reviewers.
But in the end, it's all about the performance: Applications load faster, and the OS install frees up an average of 7 gigabytes on a user's hard drive from Leopard. That's not to say all is perfect. There are reports of applications that do not work or are glitchy in Snow Leopard. Some of the more popular software that has reportedly had problems includes Microsoft Word, Photoshop CS3 (which will no longer be supported for Snow Leopard), Growl, and CyberDuck. But as with any OS upgrade, some older applications will need to be updated in order to fully work with the new system. As has happened in the past, most software will likely see updates in just a matter of weeks to increase compatibility and performance issues.
Here are some of the review highlights:................................
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Jun 26, 2008
A clean installation took about 13 minutes from start to finish, which is a world of difference from the hour or so that a clean 10.5 Leopard install takes. Other then the time involved, there are very few differences between the 10.5 and 10.6 installation processes at this time.Once you're up and running, it feels very similar to Leopard. I don't know how much this will change through Snow Leopard's development, but don't expect a terribly different interface. The subtle changes to the current Aqua definitely look good though.
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May 29, 2009
While many of the changes present in betas of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard have been discussed at length by Apple followers, one tester has taken to the web with observations on some of the more subtle refinements spread through the most recent build of the next-gen operating system. AppleInsider reader inewton1974 pointed us to an annotated Flickr album of nearly four dozen Snow Leopard screenshots he published a bit earlier in the week. He begins by noting that the software's setup assistant will now warn users if they don't supply a password hint and claims that QuickLook capabilities have been built into universal Open and Save dialog windows.
Another interesting discovery is Apple's use of transition effects within the new Cocoa-based Finder. In particular, the Clean Up command for tidying Finder windows reportedly "slides" icons into place instead of shifting them abruptly. This is described as a "a neat visual effect," and several others similar to it are likely to follow. The Finder also present an slider control for resizing icons in the lower right-hand corner of windows displayed in icon mode, as can be seen in the first screenshot below. Additionally, it's noted that a QuickTime preference pane is absent from Snow Leopard, as are any preferences from within the QuickTime X Player itself, leading to renewed speculation that Apple may do away with its premium QuickTime Pro offering entirely. A series of screenshots with inewton1974's observations follows:.......................
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Apr 13, 2010
i was wondering if this new 'inertial' trackpad gesture available on the new line of MBPros might be possible to score on a MBAir rev B/C..this is a feature which would be great to have, IMO..anyone know if this new 'inertial' gesture is software or hardware-based?
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Jun 4, 2014
Where is the drop zone located in the Inspector? I'm using a basic title that should display one clip in he middle of a neon blue frame. Also tied a few others but cannot se where to drop the clip I selected.
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Oct 17, 2009
My brand new MBP 13" vibrates.
It is a subtle kind of vibration, notable only as a ticklish sensation on your palms when resting them on the case, rather than a concrete, strong up and down shaking.
I wouldn't even mind, if my wooden desk didn't pick up the vibration, acting as a soundbox with an audible, deep humming noise. You probably need good ears to hear it, I only do in a quiet room (like, my home desk...). After a short while, the deep humming is joined by a subtle higher-pitched humming. This is when there is absolutely no activity (no programs running, just an empty desktop). I am definitely not talking about the higher fan speeds accompanying increased processor activity and heat.
Now I heard multiple reports of MBPs doing this, but never found an objective conclusion: Is that something MBPs simply do (it's still better than most laptops)? Should I, *sigh*, return the damn thing?
In other words: Is there someone who could confirm that he or she has a 2009 MBP 13" (standard hardware load, cheapest of the unibodies) that has no vibrations whatsoever? Please note that it's subtle and I only noticed it after a while (but now can't stop thinking about it).
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Jun 8, 2012
How can I watch streaming video from free sports sites on my MacBook Pro?
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Jun 4, 2009
Seeing as GeekTool is old and inefficient, I am considering creating a new tool that is less of a burden on system resources.
I want to know what features you would like to see in a new version of the tool. I'm thinking native support for basic stuff such as getting the date and time without having to run a shell command.
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Jul 10, 2009
MBP13 got a nice screen quality bump compared to the ubMB.... but what about the 15" MBP? Any noticeable improvements? Or was that Apple's way of making MBP13 more pro?
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Mar 9, 2010
I am on 4gb RAM now. Will I see any performance increase with 6GB? Will I get more bang for the buck upgrading the HD to SSD?
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Nov 7, 2010
So we all are on 5.0.2 version on Safari, or should I say most of us. Well we have been on Safari 5.0.2 for some time now and I want to see Apple continuing to improve Safari but they have been slowing down with these updates to Safari. Safari updates are the most exciting updates for me because I browse the web everyday so speed improvements and features are always a plus.
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Nov 13, 2009
I am selling my Macbook Pro 15" from late 2008 (it has the dual nvidia cards 9600 and 9400) and going to a macbook 13". I know that the current macbook 13" model only has a 9400 but i need the reduced size. Is there any other benefits that changed in the past year?
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Feb 24, 2010
You can download it here: [URL] Comes complete with new installer and less crashy behavior.
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Aug 13, 2010
Would it be possible to overclock the 5670HD in the 21.5" iMac? I heard somewhere, judging by the device ID, that it is a 5730M card. I have been watching the thread on clocking the 5850M, and seeing the great FPS improvements, so was wondering if it would be in anyway possible to do it to the 5730M. Heres what it says in System Profiler:
ATI Radeon HD 5670:
Chipset Model:ATI Radeon HD 5670
Type:GPU
Bus:PCIe
PCIe Lane Width:x16
VRAM (Total):512 MB
Vendor:ATI (0x1002)
Device ID:0x68c0
Revision ID:0x0000
ROM Revision:113-B9850H-133
EFI Driver Version:01.00.416
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Feb 25, 2008
I was wondering if there was any improvements choosing an Express Card to eSata over using Firewire 800?
This card states a transfer rate on the card up to 300 mbps which is nowhere near the 800 mbps that Fw800 will give?
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Jun 13, 2009
... long time reader, first time poster!! So I'm doing it. I'm switching from PC to Mac. I've been waiting for a while now and the new MacBook Pro's have convinced me. I'm buying the 13 inch this week.
However I'm slightly worried about the upgrade to Snow Leopard in September.
My question is if I buy a new MacBook Pro this week and upgrade from the current version of Leopard to Snow Leopard will it be the EXACT same as the version of Snow Leopard that ships with new MacBooks after September?
Is the upgrade just the same as the full software version available post September? Does the upgrade it just detect if you have the previous software and installs as if it were the full? Or does it just "patch" things depending on what's different from previous versions?
I can wait till after Snow Leopard is released in September 09 if it is different to Leopard upgraded to Snow Leopard.
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Aug 25, 2009
I am using an HP Color Laserjet 3505n. Will snow leopard work with this printer?
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Mar 31, 2012
I have a Snow Leopard Install Disk for the 13-inch Macbook Pro model.I also have a 21-inch iMac. I have OS X Lion installed on both. I have Snow Leopard installed as a partition on my Macbook Pro, which I installed via the install disk. I want to do the same thing for my iMac but I am unable due to (seemingly) my install disk is for a Macbook Pro and not for an iMac.
Info:
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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Mar 25, 2012
"Photoshop CS" and "Acrobat 6.0 Standard" suddenly stopped working in my iMac, apparently after I upgraded it to MacOS 10.6.8 (the latest version of Snow Leopard). Both programs had worked normally until that OS upgrade. I deleted Photoshop CS and tried to re-install it from the original CD, but the installation never proceeds because I get an error message entitled: "Install Adobe Photoshop CS quit unexpectedly". This is the full error message:Â
Process:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â LaunchCFMApp [1516]
Path:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â /Volumes/Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) CS/Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) CS/Install Adobe Photoshop CS.app/Contents/MacOS/Install Adobe Photoshop CS
Identifier:Â Â Â Â Â com.MindVision.InstallerVISE
[Code]...
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Jul 3, 2012
Today I performed a clean install of Snow Leopard on my late 2009 Mac Mini. After completing the installation, I began running software update to bring everything up-to-date.While software update did find and install a number of updates (10.6.8v1.1 Combo update, Security Update 2012-002, Apple Software Installer Update, iLife Support 9.0.4, Remote Desktop Client Update 3.5.3, Airport Utility, Java, Safari) it did not find an update for iTunes (which starts at version 9.x, I believe, in a SL clean install).I assumed that this was some sort of random glitch and manually downloaded and installed iTunes 10.6.3.After that, I re-installed iLife '11 (from a retail DVD, not the App Store).When I ran Software Update again, it found updates for Garage Band, iDVD, and iWeb, but it did not show the updates for iPhoto and iMovie.I found this to be unnerving, as I performed a clean install when I first obtained this Mini a few months ago and didn't experience any of these problems - all of my Apple software updated automatically through Software Update without a hitch.
I began researching this problem online and found that other people have been experiencing this same problem (or some variation of it), and it seems like it began appearing around the time Apple updated some of its security certificates in March.In particular, I've found several references to the missing iPhoto update.This one is especially noticeable because an iPhoto library created in iPhoto 9.2.3 will not open in iPhoto 9.0, and this generates an error upon opening the program (i.e., a user backs up their iPhoto library created in 9.2.3, performs a SL clean install, reinstalls iLife, goes through the Software Update process until it shows that no more updates are available, and are shocked to find that they are unable to open their backed up iPhoto library because they have an out of date version of iPhoto).The most common (and admittedly logical) solution proposed in the threads I've read is to download any necessary updates directly from the Apple website. However, I am curious as to why this previously functional feature now appears to be broken.Has anyone else been struggling with this? Does it indeed have something to do with the new security certificates? Is Apple aware of the problem?
Info:
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
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Oct 20, 2010
Heading off concerns that the Mac App Store might generate complaints about capricious rejections and unclear submission guidelines, Apple has issued an initial outline of what developers will need to do to get their apps listed in the new store."The App Store has revolutionized the way mobile apps are developed and distributed," Apple writes in the Mac App Store Review Guidelines document. "With over 300,000 apps and 7 billion downloads, it has been a huge hit with developers and users around the world. Now we are thrilled to be opening our new Mac App Store to the hundreds of thousands of Mac developers and tens of millions of Mac users around the world."
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Nov 4, 2010
When I read the weblogs about Apple's announcement about the new MacBook Airs and wanted one immediately.I've always been a Windows guy. Except from 2002-to late 2006ish, technically. I bought the new dual core quicksilver power g4 mac when it came out in 02.
I had my problems with the mac then. They released their first version of OSX and it could dual boot with OS 9.But I always kept a windows desktop handy just in case and back then not a lot of programs were compatible, I used it mainly for its photoshop/final cut prowess.I've been building my own computers since I tore one apart in my dads office when I was in..the 3rd grade.
Anyways, prior to this I used to have a Sony Vaio but before that I bought the Adamo 13 when it first came out. I went through 7 Adamos because the logic board they custom made was pretty ****ed up. I still have one sitting in its box that I have to send to Dell so they can repair it but after 7 I kind of lost the heart to send in another, and thats why I bought the Vaio in March of this year.
Here is a review if you would like to read but I just wanted to reiterate what most people have been saying that this is a beautiful computer that can handle its own share of programs. Especially the resolution on this computer makes it worth it than any other 13 inch computers.FYI, I use this machine mainly for Windows 7.hen I first bought it I wrestled with reinstalling mac osx and windows 7 like over 10 times to get it right.
Finally I settled on running Mac with only 15 gbs and using the rest for Windows. This avoids the long boot up into windows directly after completely deleting the Mac partition.I don't know if people were more successful than I am but I went through 5 usb sticks to make them bootable but the mac didnt read them so I used an SD card and made it bootable and it worked.The screenIs extremely bright compared to my Vaio and Adamo. The Adamo was bright but I believe this to be significantly brighter albeit the Vaio was a matte screen instead of a glossy one. The extra screen real estate is always welcomed, prior to this I was looking at the Envy but from what found out they removed the option of having a higher resolution screen so I stopped looking there. It's to the point where I can still use the computer on the lowest and I mean lowest like only one away from off and still use it and sometimes the screen is too bright for me. The whites make me squint my eyes. But the display is gorgeous overall.
ALSO I love that they TOOK OUT the BLACK BEZEL. I would have gotten the macbook pro 15s maybe a year ago if they didnt have the black bezels but finally it is not black. I thought the black bezels were ugly as with the keys on a SILVER computer, would be find if the whole computer was dark but yeah. I can manage just black keys and the silver bezel.The keyboardis slightly disappointing because of the lack of backlight on the keys.Also since I am using it as a Windows computer the change in the keys are hard to get used to but I used SharpKeys to change the registry on the keys for options and alt and have added page up/down, home and delete keys by using the f8-f10 keys and have worked for me.
People might flame me for buying a mac and installing windows but I am willing to make a compromise for a better built (in my opinion), thinner and cooler looking computer.So for the most part, the keyboard is ok but loses points on the backlight and I am not marking points off for the orientation because it was my decision to use Windows on it.The fanis loud, when youre running windows 7. But to be fair it is not as loud when youre running Mac. It's loud enough to hear and notice on windows boot. For the most part the computer doesnt get too hot or anywhere near as hot as the macbook pros I have used that my friends have. Not a big deal.The graphicsseem to be ok. The bench marks are up there so you can read those. All I do is play Starcraft 2, pokerstars and watch movies.Most movies are fine but mine had trouble playing the mkv versions of 1080p movies. Anything below that runs well without a hiccup and you can do multiple things at once. The fan will kick in though.The speakersI love. On ultraportable computers the speakers literally suck @$$ and I know because I've used the Adamo and heard some others while shopping. While the BASS is not that great, the macbook air is EXTREMELY loud. For some reason though, the maximum seems louder on windows that in mac. And the most important of all it doesnt sound TINY. Its hard to explain this but its loud and decently full sounding. Most of the time I use my ultrasone or sennheiser headphones but when I get tired and just want to use the computer, its still adequate and fufillingly(?) loud. I never knew that the sound was coming out of the speakers. I think its truly genius.The touchpadworks well in mac. Too well to the point I am jealous because on the Windows it's a bit stuttery. I do not know why because it is not a hardware issue. I guess its the windows drivers that Apple gives us. But thankfully there is a right click there. To be honest though it is too far to the right and too far on the bottom given the size of the trackpad. But I am still thankful there is a right click at the very least. I found it when I have to drag something using two fingers makes it work the best. If I wanted to drag an icon across the screen, I would click on the icon with my index finger and use my third finger to drag it and it works like a charm. The scrolling gestures work (using two fingers to scroll webpages etc). No problems there. ETC
The computer itself is nicely built. It is sturdy and does not scratch that much yet. I am waiting for Speck to release a new case for the mba 13. The webcam works nicely, I use it mostly for GMAIL video chats and skype.The microphone is on the side, I dont know how well that works but friends on the other end can hear me well. he ports are slightly disappointing. Would have liked more usb ports, hdmi and such without the need for a display adapter from apple. I am looking to buy it cause I have the 21 inch studio display but wont fit the adapter display port.
The hinge seems sturdy too. No problems there.
I think this is a very portable cool laptop I have seen in awhile. It has enough oopmh to give you what you need if hardcore multimedia projects are not your thing.
I know most people use it for light photoshop, web, mail, movies, music and other light things. Games seem to work on light settings. It's not so bad but it's getting there, depends on what you play.
Also the battery is amazing. One of the more reasons that brought me over the edge was the battery. The screen resolution and battery were big +s. Never tested it running OSX but on the Windows 7 I went as far as 5 hours but I had some juice left over but always plugged it in. That is a big win for me. During those 6 hours I did a mix of video chat, watching movies while surfing the net, or a combination of those 3 and on the rare occasion a little poker added to it.
You can get better spec'd computers for half the price I paid but sometimes plastic just sucks. The thing I loved about the Adamo was that it was metal. I still love the Adamo design but their logic board failed me too many times. Also my MBA does not have the logic board issues that other people are facing.
Anyways, I hoped that gave you an insight into a person who uses the MBA 13 as a Windows 7 machine.hanks for reading as this is my first and only post.
I just felt it was necessary because it is a great machine and people who are able should know that they can buy a mac to run windows now. The experience is good enough to have as a primary machine or secondary.
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Oct 24, 2008
I hope we can get a good overview of the problems with some nice percentages!
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Mar 10, 2009
I thought I would post this as the pc used in this review is very close to the top of the line imac. I included the pc specs below used in the review. Assuming the card in the imac is not the mobile version and the one listed in this review, those who wait are in for an amazing machine.
[URL]
Mainboard
nVIDIA nForce 680i SLI (eVGA) (1)
Intel X48 (ASUS) (2)
Processor
Core 2 Duo X6800 Extreme (2.9 ghz)
Graphics Cards
ati 4850 and 4870
Memory
2048 MB (2x1024MB) DDR2 CAS4 @ 1142 MHz Dominator Corsair
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Jul 10, 2009
I just got a rev B 1.6 120gb 2gb DDR3 Ram macbook air i paid around 920.00 for it and iam just wondering how everyone likes theirs. There is 9 months of warrenty left on it and is it worth me buying a new applecare?
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Jun 5, 2010
I ordered one of these early last week from Tiger Direct, and since the whole world has ordered one as well, it's severely back ordered.But I have been getting concerned with all these reviews I am seeing, that it vibrates enough to be a sex toy. the 13" MBP apparently is nuts.. but maybe that was just his drive? I used a friends 13" Sony Vaio last night, and it felt like a jack hammer, and i was like "Please please please don't be like this"my MBP is 15" (see sig), the momentus is juts 7200 RPM right? not any more than another drive? what are your guys experience with 7200 RPM in MBP's (make sure you state your size)
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Jun 26, 2014
I am unable to review my apple id?
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Dec 6, 2010
When i still had my Unibody White MacBook a company by the name "The Lucky Labs" sent me this for review purposes. Let me know what you guys think of it. Just thought about sharing it with you guys and hopefully y'all would find it interesting
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Dec 3, 2008
After much anticipation I received my new Macbook Pro aluminum body a few weeks ago and it was missing something very crucial, a protective covering. Of course no one wants to disturb the precious looks of their new elegant Macbook Pro, the only way to preserve the original look of the laptop is by a skin. There are currently two highly praised companies that provide skins for many electronics from cell phones ipods and to laptops. Bestskinsever www.bestskinsever.com $27.99 and Invisible Shield www.zagg.com $54.99. I currently have the BSE version installed on my Macbook Pro and find it great. Let me start off with explaining what comes in the kit.
What is Included in the kit: I should use the term Kit useless because it comes in a large envelope with 3 sheets each having different parts of the total body skin attached. There is one single piece for the top part of the laptop, a cover for the battery compartment, a small piece for the latch for the battery cover, another piece for the remaining underbody, two separate pieces for the wrist guard near the trackpad and one for the trackpad as well (I did not use the track pad and will explain later). In addition there are 2 pieces that run along the front two sides of the laptop before it hits the express card slot on one side and security lock latch on the other side. There is one strip covering the portion of the back side of the laptop which is attached to the main lid and two small strips covering on the rear edges of the laptop. Basically this kit has you covered on every level for protecting your new $2000 investment. The great thing about the kit is that it does not cover up any screws which is noted on the bottom side of the laptop. also there is a space for the button for battery life so that is not covered up...................
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Oct 16, 2009
I recently purchased and received the new monoprice HDMI adapter with USB audio. I have now had the chance to fully test it and use it several times, and have made the following observations(1) This adapter is extremely easy to use. Just plug MDP and USB into your mac, hook up the HDMI cable to both ends, and you're ready to go, no software or drivers necessary.(2) The video is of high quality, and unaltered by the adapter. Images are crisp and clear. Full 1080p is supported.(3) Audio is also of high quality, although this adapter only supports stereo and not 5.1/7.1. The audio is as good or better than DVD quality, depending on the audio source.
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