Tag: Apple

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New Macbook Air cheaper if you configure your own (UK store only)

Along with the launch of the new Macbook’s & Macbook Pro’s, the Macbook Air received some minor tweaks; faster graphics, storage increase, new display connector. The newer versions are released at the start of November so I thought I’d go and see how the prices and spec compare to my current MB Air and was surprised to find Apple are overcharging for their pre-configured higher spec bundle.

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Backing up raw AVCHD video from SDHC cards to disk image

I’ve recently purchased a Panasonic SD-100 HD video camera that records onto SDHC cards, there are plenty of reviews of it around the web, so I won’t repeat what they have to say but it really is a superb HD video camera, small, lightweight, good battery life and the picture quality far exceeds my expectations.

I have 2x4GB SDHC cards which each hold around 40mins on the highest quality setting, when they get full I normally just open iMovie 08 and import all the footage before wiping the card. The problem is, I sometimes do this on my MacBook Air and was shocked to find a warning saying I was low on disk space on the Air. I had 10GB free before I started importing 4GB of video but I didn’t realise that iMovie 08 un-packs all the video from the video camera’s compressed format so the 4GB ends up being ~16GB+. Importing the video on my MacBook Air is also quite a slow process, on my Mac Pro it’s not too slow but I needed a solution to copying the card contents whilst on the road in order to free up the space on the card.

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UK iPhone users cannot upgrade to the White iPhone 3G

19 days after it was initially launched, it still appears Apple have restricted the White iPhone 3G to Apple stores and “brand new customers only”.

There are only 3 official sources for the iPhone 3G in the UK:

1 – Apple
2 – Carphone Warehouse (CPW)
3 – O2

If you are an existing iPhone owner and wish to upgrade you cannot go to an Apple store! All upgrades for current iPhone users have to be done through Carphone Warehouse or O2.

The problem is, Apple have so far not given any stock of the White iPhone 3G to either O2 or CPW. This effectively means that existing iPhone users cannot upgrade to the White iPhone 3G and must, for now at least, settle for the black version.

I’ve made near daily visits and several phone calls to both O2 and Carphone Warehouse trying to confirm a date that they’ll be receiving stock of the White iPhone 3G so that I can upgrade and some of the responses I’ve been getting are shocking:

“oh no sir, there’s no white iPhone only black, you must be confusing it with the iPods?”

“the White iPhone is going to be exclusive to the Carphone Warehouse, O2 won’t have any”

“the White iPhone is going to be for Pay As You Go customers only”

“The White iPhone will launch between October and December along with the PAYG version”

For Pay As You Go customers only!! Don’t talk rubbish, why would a PAYG customer (who’s going to be paying well over the odds for the phone in the first place) be restricted to getting the White one, which is 16GB only? Christmas time? Really? The Apple store has plenty of them in right now.

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