Peter Cohen

Bottom line: Yes, you can. Should you, is an entirely different question. I tackle this in a recent piece I posted over at Backblaze.

Time Machine is Apple’s backup software built into OS X, and it makes for simplified backup, version control and file recovery. If you upgrade your Mac or if you have to get it repaired, Time Machine makes it trivially easy to keep going where you left off.

SSDs, or Solid State Drives, are storage devices that use memory cells instead of “traditional” hard drives. They’re much faster than hard drives – faster to boot, faster to read, and faster to write. SSDs are a popular internal upgrade for older computers that still use conventional 2.5-inch SATA hard drives inside. You can also put together your own external SSD with USB 3 or even Thunderbolt 2 without spending a fortune, and you can buy a few pre-made ones too.

That got me thinking: Time Machine works using an external hard drive, and with SSD prices coming down, you may think that you’ll get faster backups with an SSD instead of a regular hard drive. You’d be right. But SSD performance is much more important for your actual boot drive than it is for backup media, which usually doesn’t have to happen quite so fast. SSDs are cheaper than they used to be, but regular hard drives still win the day when it comes to price per gigabyte.

Anyway, feel free to read on for more details, and let me know here or there if you have any questions.

Once again, I’m very grateful for having AppleCare, Apple’s extended warranty. Because for the second time in three years, Apple replaced the top case of my 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. What’s more, it was about a week past warranty when I alerted Apple to the problem, but they covered it anyway.

About a month ago I first began to notice problems with the trackpad’s operation. Occasionally the trackpad would fail to register a click or a tap. At first I thought it was me, or some software change I’d made. Perhaps an interaction with some third-party software I’d installed, or a setting I had changed inadvertently. By last week it was clear the problem I was having was, in fact, a hardware problem, so I called Apple.

Replacing a trackpad is not a trivial repair on the Retina MacBook Pro. It’s part of one integrated assembly that includes the entire top case. The trackpad, keyboard, speakers and battery are all part of the same assembly, and Apple replaces them as a single part. It’s a pretty major repair that requires almost the entire disassembly of the computer to do. A trained Apple service technician can do the work without any problem, but this isn’t an easily user-serviceable part with replacements readily available on eBay. It’s kind of a big deal.

This computer already has had the top case replaced once, which I think made it easier for Apple to agree to cover this new repair under warranty, despite the fact that it was about a week out of coverage. They were very nice about it over the phone, and while the initial tech I spoke to didn’t have the authority to bend the rules, the next person up the chain had no trouble creating an exception for me to facilitate the repair.

Buying an extended warranty is always a crapshoot, and often a total ripoff. I’ve gotten bilked on things like extended warranties for appliances.

I think getting AppleCare can be a wise investment on something as expensive to fix as an Apple laptop, however. Because the cost of a single repair is almost guaranteed to be greater than the cost of the extended warranty. AppleCare costs $250 for the 13-inch laptops, $350 for the big one, and its price is sometimes negotiable if you do business with an Apple-authorized reseller. 

There are a few exceptions. If you have a credit card benefit that extends warranty protection or some other insurance that will cover the cost of the repair, that may be more worthwhile. Also, consumer protections vary from country to country, so make sure to be familiar with your rights.

From where I’m sitting, my 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro has been my near-constant work companion for the past three years. I’ve put a lot of miles on it and it continues to work well. I don’t treat my gear with kid gloves, but I’m not the worst person with a laptop either. Regardless, my MBP has been in the shop a few times over the years, including once before for this particular problem. I’ve also had the screen replaced, and had to get the main logic board replaced once too. I don’t think there’s an original part on this thing except maybe for the bottom case.

Obviously there’s a case to be made that at least some of those repairs shouldn’t have had to happen, that perhaps there are some issues with product quality or durability. But every repair has been under warranty – manufacturing-related faults, as opposed to regular wear and tear. All of the problems I’ve had have happened after the 1 year mark, so after the point at which Apple’s standard warranty applied. I can’t tell you that you’ll have the same experience with AppleCare as I have, but for me, it’s been worth it – not just on this device, but on my iPhone 6 and on one of my kids’ computers as well. So consider AppleCare the next time you buy a new Mac, and consider carefully what kind of device you’re buying and how you plan to use it. You may find that it can save your bacon the same way it’s saved mine.

Orthogonal to the discussion about the MacBook and its single USB-C port last week, I got to thinking about the one Apple peripheral that I’d love to tweak. If I had my druthers, I’d love to produce a customized version of Apple’s new Magic Keyboard.

The Magic Keyboard made its debut in 2015 with the refreshed Skylake-equipped iMac that Apple offered late in the year, along with the Magic Mouse 2 and the Magic Trackpad 2.

Apple’s wireless keyboards were overdue for a change; they hadn’t been updated since 2009. The older keyboards used Bluetooth for wireless communication but depended on removable AA batteries (Apple sold an optional, expensive set of rechargeable batteries, though you could use others as well).

The Magic Keyboard looks different than before. Apple’s gone with a more wedge shape, and it’s integrated a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack inside. The keyboard charges using a Lightning cable, just like the iPhone and iPad. And the batteries last a good deal longer per charge than the old keyboard managed.

The shape isn’t the only thing that’s different in the Magic Keyboard. The keyfeel of the keyboard – the way the keys feel when you press them – is dramatically different than it was before. That’s thanks to some clever engineering inside the keyboard replacing the scissor mechanisms that rest under each key.

The keyboard feels much more stable than before, and keys travel less distance with each keypress. The net result, in my experience, is a more precise sensation of typing that enables me to type faster and more accurately with less hand fatigue.

After using it for a couple of months, I have to say that the Magic Keyboard is the best keyboard I’ve used from Apple since the legendary Extended Keyboard II. It’s a real pleasure to type on. In fact, I’d like to type on more of it.

In my fantasy, I’d create a 101 or 104-key layout based on the Magic Keyboard, complete with number pad, cursor and function keys. I’d also throw in backlighting, because I’m fantasizing anyway. I often keep the office lights dim but still want to be able to navigate the keyboard – I’m accustomed to backlighting on my MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and even have it on a Moshi Luna keyboard I use with a Mac mini.

I’m something of a traditionalist when it comes to keyboards. Almost without exception, my favorite keyboards rely on mechanical keyswitches. They produce a much stiffer, more tactile response (and often a louder audible “click”) than the membrane pads underneath most modern keyboards.

So the appeal of Apple’s new keyboard surprised me, because it’s not the sort of tactile response I’m accustomed to. If you haven’t gotten your hands on the Magic Keyboard yet, I heartily invite you to an Apple Store so you can check it out for yourself.

If all this sounds twee, here’s the thing: I spend my day on a computer keyboard. As a writer, stuff like the feel of the keys I’m pressing is incredibly important to me. So yeah, I spend a lot more time thinking about this stuff than I probably should.

Apple’s not going to make the product I’m looking for, and I’m fine with that. I’ll keep an eye out for suitable third-party replacements, but in the interim, I’ll be enjoying the Magic Keyboard.

Apple’s refresh to the MacBook earlier this week has disappointed people who want Apple to add more ports to the device. It’s a criticism I don’t agree with, and here’s why. It’s Maslow’s Hammer. Yeah, that Maslow. The Hierarchy of Needs guy.

Abraham Maslow once said, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”

While I understand the argument in favor of increasingly the expandability of the MacBook – yes, that single USB-C port is maddening – I’m willing to accept that Apple has a very different concept of what this computer should do than people who criticize it. The MacBook, unlike any other Mac laptop, is designed to be as wireless as possible.

Apple executives from Tim Cook to Phil Schiller have articulated the company’s design philosophy for the MacBook, and in marketing materials, the phrase “the future of the notebook” comes up over and over again. The MacBook is uniquely designed to showcase technology that Apple wants to see become ubiquitous in the coming years.

To that end, streamlining the MacBook with as few connections as possible is completely keeping with Apple’s aesthetic. Apple hates wires. Wires create clutter. They sully the work area. Apple ships its iMac desktop computer with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse in the box for exactly this reason.

I’m not discounting that some Mac users need wires to connect things like external hard drives, displays and other peripherals. Using a port replicator or the devices offered by Apple and other third parties, you can expand the MacBook’s connectivity. You can attach an external display. You can hook up an external hard drive. And so on. But ultimately, you’re trying to wedge a square peg in a round hole – the MacBook simply isn’t made with that in mind.

Fortunately, Apple continues to make the MacBook Pro and (at least for now) the MacBook Air, and both of them come equipped with Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3. So if you want a Mac laptop with ports to plug in stuff, you still have a choice.

Just not that particular Mac laptop.

OK, I admit that the the title of this blog post is linkbait, but I’ll deliver: There’s a way to save money on the tiny MacBook, and the secret is right on Apple’s web site.

I’m talking about the Refurbished section of Apple’s online store. Apple repackages and resells gear to the general public, offering a full 12-month warranty and eligibility for AppleCare, Apple’s extended warranty program (which I unabashedly endorse for portable devices, anyway).

Apple has recently refreshed the MacBook, its thinnest, lightest Mac laptop. The new laptop comes equipped with a faster processor, faster graphics, faster memory and faster storage, and comes in a new color – Rose Gold. It’s a handsome device that’s better than ever, and while the MacBook has some inherent drawbacks (like its single USB-C connector for power and expansion), it’s an utterly delightful little laptop that’s a lot more capable than most other computers in its size and weight class.

When Apple introduced the new MacBook, they also refreshed the inventory of gear they’re selling refurbished, and the first-generation MacBook is now on the list. You’ll get a 15 percent break on the price. As I write this, you can pick up a first-generation (2015) MacBook for $929. That gets you a 1.1 GHz processor, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. That price is $170 less than the regular retail price of $1,299. All three colors are available, too: Space Gray, Gold and Silver. (Rose Gold, the newest hue, is only available on the brand new MacBook.)

I’ve bought refurbed gear a few times from Apple and I’ve never been disappointed. The stuff comes as good as new. The big difference is that Apple repackages it in a plain white box instead of the usual colorful livery, but otherwise once you get it out of the package, you wouldn’t know that it’s not brand new.

If you want to pay more, Apple has other options, including models with 1.3 GHz processors and 512 GB storage.

While you’re there, take a look at the other great deals Apple offers on Macs and iOS devices. You might find a deal you just can’t say no to.

Apple’s main fanfare on this Tuesday was the introduction of a refreshed MacBook, with a new Skylake processor inside, faster graphics, faster memory and faster storage capacity (and a pretty new Rose Gold finish, if that’s your thing). You can read my thoughts on it if you haven’t already. They snuck in a comment at the end of the press release that was easy to miss, but important to note: “Apple also today made 8GB of memory standard across all configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air®.”

To be clear, Apple hasn’t made any other change to the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air that you’ll buy from Apple today is built using the same processor and other parts that were in it yesterday. The difference is the 13-inch model comes better equipped for $999. Instead of a 4 GB/128 GB SSD, you get 8 GB and 128 GB of SSD instead.

You can argue that 128 GB SSD is a paltry amount, but it’s actually sufficient for a great many of us, especially when paired with external storage like a USB 3 or Thunderbolt hard drive, or even a network attached storage system like a Drobo or Synology NAS.

8 GB RAM resolves one of the biggest flaws in the previous MacBook Air matrix – the need to custom-order a MacBook air with enough RAM overhead to comfortably run the fairly memory-intensive apps that some Mac users rely on. It’s more value for the money, to be sure.

The MacBook Air doesn’t have a Retina display. It’ll be interesting to see if or what Apple does to the Air in the future. At the moment, it seems content to let this system, which has been very popular, continue to run its course.

This doesn’t extend to the base-model 11-inch MacBook Air, by the way – it remains configured with 4 GB RAM and stays priced at $899, making it Apple’s least expensive Mac laptop.

Apple on Tuesday unveiled an updated MacBook – its “next generation” laptop which first saw the light of day in 2015. Is the new Mac right for you?

First, a quick refresher on the MacBook: Apple’s newest laptop design debuted a year ago. The MacBook is a very different creature than its Air and Pro counterparts. It’s Apple’s thinnest, lightest laptop, barely heavier than a 10-inch iPad. Equipped with a Retina display, “Force Touch” trackpad and single USB-C interface, used both for power and data transfer.

It’s also Apple’s first laptop to come in different colored cases – since the MacBook, that is. Wait, what?

What’s the difference between this MacBook and the other MacBooks?

Background on the MacBook: This name has appeared before.

Apple first used the MacBook moniker after making the Intel transition in 2006. The MacBook was the Intel-based successor to the venerable PowerPC-based iBook line. The MacBook  was positioned as Apple’s consumer laptop model, alongside the MacBook Pro. They’d be joined by the MacBook Air. In 2010 Apple discontinued the MacBook as consumer tastes, improved manufacturing efficiencies and Apple’s marketing efforts pushed the MacBook Air into the consumer market. Since then, Apple’s most affordable laptop has been the MacBook Air.

When Apple reintroduced the MacBook in 2015, they took a very different approach. They bill it as “the future of the notebook.” Instead of a durable system built for use in schoolrooms, they’ve reimagined the MacBook as a thin, elegant, stylish lifestyle computer. Starting with the case, which shows a lot more bling than the rest of the Mac line. So, just like Apple’s other consumer products, the MacBook comes in Space Gray, Silver and Gold, and there’s now a new Rose Gold finish.

The biggest changes are under the hood: The company has replaced the slow 1.1 GHz Intel Core M processor with a 1.2 GHz model built around the sixth generation of Intel’s Core processor architecture (known by its code-name Skylake). It’s also managed to squeeze another hour of battery life, so you can surf the web for about 10 hours without needing to recharge. The new MacBook retains its previous price starting at $1,299.

Apple estimates that graphics performance is up to 25 percent better on this model than last year’s, and the system has faster memory and faster PCIe-based storage, as well. Apple repeatedly emphasized the improved performance of the new MacBook, which is telling: The original didn’t exactly set the world on fire with its extraordinary performance.

Nor, quite frankly, will this model. The MacBook is purpose-designed and it’s not a laptop that should be used by someone who’s really demanding on their hardware. Having said that, this is certainly movement in the right direction, and the MacBook’s raw performance should be more appealing to more users than anyone before.

What’s wrong with the MacBook?

My top advice is to go to an Apple Store and play with the MacBook to see if you like it. The screen resolution is excellent but at 12 inches it’s physically small. If your vision is corrected or if you just don’t like to look at small images and type, you may find the screen’s too small for your needs.

The MacBook keyboard feels different, because Apple uses a different kind of switching mechanism under the key cap itself. I like it more myself, but people generally don’t like disruptions to their sense of touch, so there can be a transitionary period while you adjust to the new keyboard. And if you already have an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, you’re already familiar with the mechanism of Force Touch, which Apple markets as 3D Touch on those devices – the bottom line is that the trackpad supports more delicate and intricate gestures using force feedback than the multi-touch trackpad on other older Apple laptops.

Besides performance, the biggest overall complaint about the first generation MacBook was its single USB-C port, and this has not changed. Apple’s vision for this computer is as a completely wireless device – connecting to the Internet via 802.11ac Wi-Fi predominantly, but also able to be tethered to an iPhone via Apple’s Handoff technology so you can stay connected anywhere.

The single USB-C port does provide ample bandwidth to connect an external display, external storage devices, exotic networking interfaces and more, but it will require you to invest in bulky, inelegant and ugly cables that will clutter your bag or desk, really disrupting the core design concept of the MacBook, which is as an elegant, diminutive but complete portable workstation.

One passing note: Despite the Skylake underpinnings under the hood, Thunderbolt 3 has not been included in the MacBook: That USB-C port is USB 3.1 only.

Quite frankly, I can’t think of a single practical reason why Thunderbolt 3 needs to be on the MacBook. Apple hasn’t released a single computer with Thunderbolt 3, though PCs began shipping with it months ago. Thunderbolt 3 is great, just not something this particular Mac model needs to be a fully functional system.

This isn’t a review of the new MacBook – I haven’t gotten my hands on one. My top advice to you is to get to an Apple Store and check it out. Decide for yourself if it’s the right machine for you, and don’t worry too much about specs. Figure out if it’s fast enough to do what you need it to, and let that be the basis for your decision.

When you install a new Mac app, you find it “chattier” than you’d prefer. Maybe it’s popping up notifications on your screen or polluting your Mac’s notification center with lots of messages. Maybe the red badge on the app icon in your Dock is making your OCD twitch. Or maybe it’s making noise, as I discovered TextExpander 6 did when I installed it last week.

Well, this problem is easy to fix. All you have to do is open up the Notifications system preference and adjust the app’s behavior. Here’s how

How to shut up Mac app notifications

1. Click the  menu.
2. Click System Preferences.
3. Click Notifications.
4. Scroll through the list of apps until you find the chatty one you’d like to shut up.
5. Adjust the settings accordingly, then close the notification window.

And that’s it! You’re done!

Apple’s penchant for minimalist design has some practical downsides. One of those downsides is that sometimes the kit can be a bit more delicate than it probably should be, and I can’t think of a single place this is more true than when it comes to Apple laptop power connectors. Apple’s redesigned the power connectors its laptops use twice and they still haven’t gotten it right. They still fray and get damaged easily because they flex so much, because they’re designed so darned thin.

What’s worse, Apple power supplies are expensive – about $80 a pop, full retail. You can usually shave a few bucks buying online, but the only way people save any big money is to buy a cheap third-party adapter, and those are, quite frankly, utter garbage.

If you have a frayed Apple power cord, you may be nervous to use it, because of the risk of electrical fires, overloaded circuitry and so on – and that’s smart. Bundling it up with electrical tape is an ugly solution at best, but there’s another option in the form of a moldable craft material called Sugru and a couple of plastic twist ties. It’s a technique perfected by Adi “The PC Doc” Kingsley-Hughes, who outlines his process in a new piece he’s posted on ZDNet. Definitely worth checking out. 

You can order Sugru online through Amazon.com and direct from the manufacturer. If you’re really hooked on the DIY aspect, you can make a Sugru analog yourself – there are a few web sites with Sugru-like recipes, too.