Upcoming Small Dog Events!

The MacBook Pro has been redesigned. It’s a very worthy upgrade. Among other new features (listed below), I’m glad to report that the new MacBook Pros finally ditch the case design inherited from the old G4 PowerBooks.

Other new features of the MacBook Pro:

*An all-new unibody aluminum enclosure.*
Made of a single slab of milled aluminum, the MacBook Pro’s shell is extremely rigid, light, and thin. The manufacturing process is apparently very efficient and environmentally responsible. Apple seems especially proud of this process, as it was highlighted several times throughout the “Spotlight Turns to Notebooks” event.

*All-new Glass Multi-Touch trackpad.*
There is no button; instead, the entire trackpad __is__ the button. Without a separate button, the trackpad offers 39 percent more room to move on the silky glass surface for precise cursor control.

The Glass Multi-Touch trackpad supports two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities. Use two fingers to scroll up and down a page. Pinch to zoom in and out. Rotate an image with your fingertips. Swipe with three fingers to flip through your photo libraries. Swipe with four fingers to show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch applications. If you’re coming from a right-click world, you can right-click with two fingers or configure a right-click area on the trackpad.

Apple software engineers apparently had a large part to play in the development of the trackpad. This is the largest, smartest, most ergonomic MacBook Pro trackpad ever.

*Mini DisplayPort.*
All Apple notebooks now feature the the Mini DisplayPort. This is a new industry standard that easily offers a digital connection to external displays, including large 30-inch models. It’s plug-and-play, like a USB port. With a $20 adapter, the ultracompact Mini DisplayPort supports VGA and DVI connections.

The Mini DisplayPort provides plug-and-play performance with the new Apple LED Cinema Display.

The Mini DisplayPort also supports dual display and video mirroring, with full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 x 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors.

I think the move to Mini DisplayPort is great – it makes the MacBooks 100% compatible with the 30″ displays, is easy to use, and is a new industry standard. Yes, you’ll need an adapter to work with current DVI and VGA displays, but in the long run it’s worth it. Apple’s adoption of the Mini DisplayPort reminds me of when Apple adopted USB in the original iMacs. At first people were upset. Now, of course, USB is very widely adopted.

*New LED-backlit, low-mercury glass displays.*
These displays seamlessly go “right to the edge of the product.” The LED backlight is on instantly, it’s 30% more efficient than previous displays, and the colors and picture are brilliant and sharp from corner to corner.

Note that all displays are now glossy; there does not appear to be a configure-to-order matte option.

*New graphics.*
Every MacBook Pro has TWO new graphics cards installed, the brand new NVIDIA 9400 integrated graphics chip along with the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor.

The integrated NVIDIA 9400 offers efficient, everyday performance with up to 5 hours of battery life. For video or image editing and other graphically intensive tasks, switch over to the discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT processor. A new graphics architecture makes it easy to switch between these two processors.

NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT features 256MB of GDDR3 memory on the $1999 2.4GHz configuration, and 512MB of GDDR3 memory on the $2499 2.53GHz and 2.8GHz configurations.

*New keyboard.*
The rigid aluminum keyboard webbing has been cut precisely to hold the keys. The keys are curved to “perfectly fit fingers.” The keyboard is also illuminated for working in low-light settings.

*Plus,*
* An option for a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD).
* A latchless magnetic enclosure, just like the MacBook and MacBook Air.

New MacBook Pros are available with a 2.4GHz processor and 250GB 5400 RPM drive for $1999, or a 2.53GHz processor and 320GB 5400 RPM drive for $2499. An optional, custom-configured 2.8GHz processor is also available. There are also optional 250GB or 320GB 7200-rpm hard drives available.

All MacBook Pros also offer:

* 8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW)
* MagSafe power port
* Gigabit Ethernet port
* One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
* Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
* Mini DisplayPort
* Audio line in
* Audio line out
* ExpressCard/34 slot
* Kensington lock slot
* Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking
* Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
* Built-in iSight camera
* Built-in stereo speakers
* Built-in omnidirectional microphone (located under left speaker grille)
* Combined optical digital input/analog line in (minijack)
* Combined optical digital output/analog line out (minijack)
* Supports Apple Stereo Headset with microphone (COOL!)
* 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
* 50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
* 85W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
* 1066MHz frontside bus
* Built-in full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement)
* Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
* Height: 0.95 inch (2.41 cm), Width: 14.35 inches (36.4 cm), Depth: 9.82 inches (24.9 cm), Weight: 5.5 pounds (2.49 kg)

“Click here to pre-order the new MacBook Pro with free shipping!”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook_Pro

Plus, don’t miss our featured specials below.

Apple’s new products are always highly anticipated. Websites such as “Macrumors.com”:http://www.macrumors.com/ (with about 4.4 million visitors per month) feature speculation about potential new features, design cues, and price adjustments.

Many people who speculate about new Apple products are researching whether they should buy a Mac ASAP, or wait for a potential new release. Others are simply having fun following their favorite brand, as one might follow a band, sports team, or television show. I’m a consummate Mac-follower; I enjoy parsing the hype to guess what Apple will do next.

Anticipation for the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros was especially intense this year. With such high expectations, a certain degree of disappointment is inevitable. When the new machines were unveiled on October 14, Mac-watchers praised their newly designed aluminum cases, graphics and Intel processor updates, Multi-Touch glass trackpad, and reduced environmental impact. However, there has been surprise at three aspects of the new MacBooks (not MacBook Air nor Pro):

*#1. Glossy Screens.*
Online, people have been vociferous against the transition to glossy screens. However, I know from experience that the average person who comes into our stores likes they way they look, and prefers them over the duller matte screens. The new MacBook has an awesomely bright, crisp display that seems to minimize reflections.

I understand the limitations of glossy screens, especially for working on print projects. It is still possible to custom-order the MacBook Pro with a non-glossy (matte) screen. Also, like most other Apple Specialists, Small Dog is looking into screen-protecting overlays for users who are worried about screen glare.

*#2. Price.*
There were rumors that Apple would release a MacBook for $800. Instead, Apple repackaged a white 2.1GHz MacBook with SuperDrive and is selling it for $999. This is the lowest price ever on a new MacBook. Still, it’s the old design which has upset some people. Personally, while I always wish for less expensive equipment, I am content with Apple’s decision to do this. The $999 MacBook is sweet machine, even if it does not have the new aluminum case. It does, however, have a FireWire port, which brings me to…

*#3. No FireWire port on the newest MacBooks.*
This means no use of most older DV camcorders (some may work–-check your manual to be sure). No use with FireWire-only hard drives. No use of FireWire-only audio and video equipment. No FireWire networking. No Migration Assistant with FireWire (though it does work with ethernet, which could be faster in some cases, or via Wi-Fi). And, at least for now, no Target Disk mode.

At first, dropping FireWire seemed crazy to me. Personally, I won’t be buying one of these newer MacBooks, since I use an HDV video camera that does not transfer video via USB 2.0. Even if I upgraded my HDV camcorder, any model I’m likely to buy will still use FireWire for best-quality video transfer, as well as full camera control.

Steve Jobs recently said that “all of the new HD camcorders of the past few years use USB 2.” This is not strictly accurate. Many camcorders with USB 2 use it to transfer photos only. Older versions of iMovie and Final Cut Pro don’t recognize USB 2 for video transfer. Video transfer via USB 2.0 is not nearly as smooth and reliable as FireWire. And as far as I know, USB 2.0 does allow for camcorder control, which makes it useless for logging and capturing footage. There is a transition to USB 2 in camcorders, and all of the small, flash-based camcorders do use USB 2.

Lack of FireWire mostly hurts people with professional equipment and people with older equipment. It can be said that these pro users should buy a new MacBook Pro, or else a previous generation MacBook or MacBook Pro (which Small Dog will be carrying for a limited time at up to $700 less than the current models), or even consider upgrading their AV equipment.

However, there are plenty of people like me who want a machine that’s smaller than a MacBook Pro but has “pro” features. The only thing I really need FireWire for is the camcorder.

I understand that MOST users don’t ever use or need FireWire. USB 2.0 is in very wide use. Camcorders are transitioning to flash memory, which makes two-way camcorder control via FireWire unnecessary. Dropping FireWire from consumer notebooks won’t impact a huge number of people. It just means that we who are impacted have to live with this limitation of the MacBook, or accept that we have one fewer laptop choice.

This whole thing reminds me of when Apple dropped floppy drives, which was annoying at first. Now it would be annoying to __have__ a floppy drive!

*FREE SHIPPING!*
…on all new MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models!

For a limited time, we are offering free 3-day express shipping on pre-orders of the Apple notebooks announced this week.

“See the MacBooks by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook

“See the MacBook Pros by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook_Pro

“See the MacBook Air by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook_Air

NOTEBOOK PRICE DROP! Save up to $400 on the previous-generation Apple notebooks! These are new, feature the same generation of powerful Intel processors as the new models announced this week, and feature matte displays (all new MacBooks/MacBook Pros now have glossy displays.) Get ’em while we have ’em; order below.

At Apple’s “Spotlight Turns to Notebooks” Event on Tuesday, Steve Jobs made an important new announcement: his blood pressure is “110/70” (see http://buzzfeed.com/scott/steves-blood-pressure-via-engadget-b7s-b). (What did you think he would talk about?) No really, aside from remarking on his healthy BP status, he also unveiled some fabulous new Macs to Apple’s line of notebooks.

As Ed mentioned, the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air got revamped with a bunch of new features. The MacBooks have been updated with much of the same technology, as I’ll outline below. The new enclosures are pretty sweet looking–think the new iMac (glossy glass display, aluminum with black color scheme), but in a laptop.

Check out what’s new:

*Model Line-Up*
* Two new metal enclosure MacBooks: $1299.99 and $1599.99
* Existing White MacBook drops to $999.99

*New Features*
* Metal enclosure: the same aluminum “unibody” enclosure as the new MacBook Pro; the unibody design is much stronger and less wasteful than previous multi-part aluminum pieces
* Faster graphics: uses an NVIDIA 9400M chipset
* New display: LED backlit display with corner-to-corner glass
* Multi-Touch Glass trackpad: has the same four-finger gestures as MacBook Pro (Two finger gesture = pinch and rotate for zooming and panning; Three finger gestures = swiping between photos; Four fingers = expose and app switching)
* Mini DisplayPort connector: smaller, different connection than the current mini-DVI connector (it will now power Apple’s 30-inch display!)
* “Better environmental ratings”:http://www.apple.com/macbook/environment.html: Aluminum enclosure more conducive to recycling, has an EPEAT Gold rating, and a 42% smaller packaging size
* Size specs: .95 inches 4.5 lbs
* Battery: 5 hours with an external detector

*New Model Specs*
* $1299.99: 13.3-inch LED backlit display, 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 3MB L2 Cache, 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 memory, 9400M GeForce, 160GB hard drive and SuperDrive.
* $1599.99: 13.3-inch LED backlit display, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 3MB L2 Cache, 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 memory, 9400M GeForce, 250GB hard drive and SuperDrive.

*Some things to note about the $999.99 MacBook:*
While it looks exactly like the White MacBooks that Apple previously introduced, there are some slight changes under the hood. The video card is slightly different than the previous White MacBooks, so be extra careful when considering new software (specifically games that require certain cards). We list all system requirements in our game descriptions, by the way. In addition, the new MacBook includes a SuperDrive rather than a Combo drive, so you’ll be able to burn DVDs as well (great for backing up–DVDs hold up to 6x as much data as CDs)!

Most importantly, though, *they still include FireWire 400,* which the other MacBook models don’t have. If you have a device that requires FireWire (more on that below), this may be the one for you–especially if you don’t want to go up to the MacBook Pros price point. However, if you do need that extra umph, the MacBook Pros include FireWire 800 (easily adapted to a FireWire 400 port with a conversion cable). Of course, we also have the previous generation MacBooks in limited supply, which include FireWire 400 in all three models. 🙂

See all MacBooks listed here:
“http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook”

We’re offering free shipping on all new MacBooks!

Dear Friends,

The debates are over, and it is just a few weeks until the election. I have a completely non-partisan message for each of my readers: Please Vote! At one time, we did a whole series of banner advertising just saying “please vote” and one web site refused to carry our ads because they were too “political.” Needless to say, we never advertised there again. Voting is your obligation and a right that many have fought to protect and preserve over the years. You really cannot complain if you do not exercise your right to vote and if you do not inform yourself about all of the candidates running for local, state and national offices. So, please go vote and take a friend!

There were some great new laptops announced by Apple this week. I can’t wait to get my hands on the new MacBook Pro and try out the new multi-gesture glass trackpad and faster graphics. The new MacBooks are simply beautiful and will do a lot to continue Apple’s increasing market share in the laptop market. Be sure to check out the new notebook specs below as well as our thoughts on the changes.

I was speaking with some Apple folks about the economy and the impact on our business. Their response to the general slow-down we are all seeing is “take market share.” I think that is an important advantage Apple has right now. The latest market share survey from Gartner, Inc. indicated that the PC market as a whole (without Macs) grew at only 1.02% during the 3rd Quarter, while Apple saw growth of 29.4% and captured 9.5% of the overall market. This is up from 7.7% in the same quarter a year ago. Apple will release its 4th Quarter financials on Tuesday and I expect we will see some growth in all sectors regardless of the declining economy.

The trees still are holding onto their colorful leaves and this is one of the most brilliant foliage seasons in years. The other day I was working in the yard and I could hear Grace calling me from upstairs where she was taking a shower. She said “go up by the garden!” I walked around the house, and there, munching quietly on my strawberry plants, were two beautiful does. They looked at me and I looked at them, and after a couple minutes they bounded off into the woods. This is a great time of year to see wildlife here in Vermont. There was a moose with baby here by Small Dog last week, and I have seen lots of Canada Geese, wild turkeys, ruffled grouse, red fox and a variety of little critters as well. On the way to work this morning, I had to wait while a big old porcupine sauntered across the road.

View specials while on-hand supplies last. Please note that some specials may not be available in our retail stores; check for availability.

Also, check out our brand-spanking-new Specials Page by clicking on any special below, or by clicking here:
http://www.smalldog.com/specials