Kibbles & Bytes Blog

As I write this, I’m sitting on the Greyhound bus, and my display is shaking ever so slightly with the bumps in the road. I had also placed my iPhone on the windowsill (albeit precariously) before it fell onto the edge of my MacBook Pro and then landed on the floor, making a noise loud enough to wake my neighbor across the aisle (sorry!).

Some slight shaking of the screen is normal under those circumstances, but the continuous motion and those like it will eventually wear the hinge down to a point where the display flops back and forth like a fish. Sometimes, with much labor involved, this looseness can be remedied with a thread-locking compound on the hinge screws. However, this doesn’t always resolve it, and the hinges themselves can be separated from the display assembly housing. The only complete fix for that would be a new display assembly, which can range from $450-750 or more. (…or one could live with the floppy-fish-like display.)

Fortunately, I have some advice to avoid this altogether. Being aware of these simple rules can keep your display hinge stiff and reliable.

1. Never lift your computer by the display. I know it’s tempting, and I’ve done it many times myself. But this will be the most torque you could possible place on it.
2. Avoid using cases that might add extra weight to the display assembly. It takes a lot of force to keep that much weight aloft, and adding more exacerbates the situation.
3. Avoid using the computer against your legs in bed with the display at a wide angle (pushed far back) is a particularly precarious position and puts a lot of pressure on the hinges. If you do this, you may have noticed the display is sometimes far too eager to close.

The newer MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (Retina) models do have lighter displays, which have helped a great deal, but for those of us with the older, more ubiquitous unibody models, and even for owners of newer machines, following these tips can save your display and keep it lasting for years to come.

It’s that time of year again…the Worldwide Developers Conference starts Monday and we’re all anxiously waiting to see if there are going to be any new products or software. Like Don mentioned in his intro, there are always a ton of rumors that float around — but we’ll have to wait to hear about all of these on Monday like the rest of the world.

Other than new exciting announcements happening during the opening Keynote, WWDC is also a time for about a thousand Apple engineers and five thousand developers come together to attend sessions on Design, App Frameworks, Services, Location and Motion, Graphics and Games, Media, Core OS and Tools and Performance.

You can check out the Keynote on “*Apple’s site,*”:http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2014/ — however, if you’re unable to watch be sure to follow us on Twitter at “*@hellosmalldog*”:https://twitter.com/hellosmalldog as we give you updates and head over to our “*blog*”:http://blog.smalldog.com afterwards where we’ll give you the full recap.

Now let’s hope for some cool new Apple products and software!

*Apple Makes Beats Acquisition Official*
Did you think they forgot about Dre? No chance. As Don mentioned above, what was rumored (and seemingly confirmed by Dr. Dre) is now a reality: Apple has purchased Beats, the electronics company most famous for its headphones, for $3 billion.

“*Read more…*”:http://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/28/apple-buys-beats/
“*Read the official press release here.*”:https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/05/28Apple-to-Acquire-Beats-Music-Beats-Electronics.html

*Acompli Mail App Adds iCloud Support*
Well-funded and well-rounded iOS mail app Acompli has just added support for iCloud accounts (among others). This is welcome news to many Mac users who find that Acompli’s features trump what Apple’s Mail app does currently.

“*Read more…*”:http://www.newscron.com/render/1901558/171782642#.U4iZMF5ZHRo
“*Download Acompli on the iTunes store here.*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/acompli-email-calendar-app/id829384901?mt=8

*WWDC Starts Monday, June 2!*
The Apple World Wide Developers Conference starts Monday, and we’re all waiting with bated breath, as usual, to see what they’re going to announce. iWatch? A TV? Only time will tell, because Apple sure isn’t. At least until they stream it live Monday morning. Steph has more on the event below.

“*Read more…*”:http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/29/5759884/apple-wwdc-rumors-2014-what-to-expect
“*Visit the WWDC site.*”:https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/

_Dear Friends,_

The big news this week was official confirmation of the worst-kept secret in recent Apple history. Apple announced after the bell on Wednesday that they would be acquiring Beats Audio in a $3 billion deal. In addition to the wildly popular Beats headphones and speakers, Apple gains access to Beats Music, the subscription-based music service that Tim Cook described as the first subscription service to “get it right.” The key is “human curation” married with technology.

Of course, Apple also gets Jimmy Lovine and Dr. Dre as part of the Apple executive team. People, product, and a service justify the biggest acquisition in Apple’s history. It will be very interesting to watch how Apple integrates and changes Beats, but more so, how Jimmy Lovine and Dr. Dre change Apple.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software and Services described Apple’s product pipeline for later this year as “we’ve go the best product pipeline that I’ve seen in my 25 years at Apple.” We are going to get at least a sneak peek at that pipeline and Apple’s plans during the keynote presentation Monday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Tim Cook and his team will present at 10am Pacific (1pm here in Eastern time). Stream it live on “*Apple’s website*”:http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2014/ and follow along with us as we cover the event.

There have been a lot of rumors floating around, and while Apple normally concentrates on software at WWDC, there have been some notable hardware updates at these conferences as well: the Power Mac G5, iSight camera (there was one under each attendee’s chair), the Mac Pro (old) and the latest Mac Pro, which was introduced with Phil Schiller’s infamous comment, ??”Can’t innovate anymore, my ass?!”?? I expect some very exciting news and will be watching the stream to enjoy the presentation. I am highly skeptical of the 4-inch iPhone that unfolds into an iPad mini that one analyst reported, but I am sure there will be new toys for all of us!

My Kibbles & Bytes exclusive special this week is a Chill Pill Audio bundle. This bundle includes a set of black Chill Pill speakers for the ultimate in portable sound in a very compact package, and a Tuxedo Black Chill Box which features big sound with the convenience of wireless Bluetooth connectivity. This is normally a $129 value, but this week for Kibbles & Bytes readers, you can get these two Chill Pill Audio products for only $99!

“*Grab the Chill Pill deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001454/