Acrobatic Apple thieves “steal different”
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Theft
In a world of “Smash and Grab” Apple thefts and gun-totting thugs, it’s nice to see a professional Apple Heist where no-one gets hurt. Case in point, the theft of 20 Apple laptops from a South Brunswick, NJ Best Buy where the thieves apparently pulled a Tom Cruise, descending from ropes in the ceiling to avoid setting off alarms, and then jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch proclaiming their love for Katie Holmes.
On top of the building, they used a saw to cut through several inches of rubber and insulation, then sliced a 3-foot-wide square in the metal roof,” said Detective James Ryan.
They cut a hole in the roof and came in at a spot where the cameras were obscured by advertising banners.
Once inside, the burglars dropped 16 feet to 10-foot-tall racks — avoiding contact with the floor, where motion sensors would have set off an alarm. They snatched the notebooks from the racks, then went back out through the roof.
Maybe it’s the entertainment industry’s glorification of well thought-out thieves with cool tools and clock-work timing, but I Kind of dig these guys. I think whenever you see someone who’s good at their job, whatever it is, it’s nice to take a second and let them know you respect their skill. So, kudos to them. Plus they apparently have great taste.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Jimbo for the tip!
[via NJ.com]
“The 12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaway: Day 19 – Any Speck laptop case you want
Filed under: Awesomeness, Free Stuff, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, contests
This contest is closed. Congrats to faithful Macenstein reader Howard.
On the Nineteenth Day After Christmas, Macenstein gave to you (or, more accurately, gave you a chance to win…) Any Speck Apple laptop case you want!
In the past we used to give out specific cases, say, a pink 17-inch MacBook Pro case. Problem was, if you didn’t have a 17-inch MBP, or didn’t like pink, well, you pretty much didn’t care. But this year the good folks at Speck came up with a BRILLIANT idea: Why not let the winner choose what case THEY want?
That’s right, whether you own an old black or white MacBook, a MacBook Air, or the big daddy 17-inch MacBook Pro Speck’s got you covered in style. The winner gets to choose any style case in any color for any model Apple laptop that Speck makes (assuming it is currently in stock on their online store). So head on over to the Speck Store, pick out your dream case from their wonderful selection (including the SeeThru or the new SeeThru Satin), and then enter below.
To enter: Sure, we all LOVE brushed aluminum, but since Speck’s cases are as much about adding a splash of color to your laptop as protecting it, leave us a comment telling us If you could force Apple to make you a custmo MacBook Pro in ANY color, what would you choose?. Winners will be picked randomly 7 days later and notified (kind of like in The Ring, only with less killing… we hope). Open to ALL READERS WORLD-WIDE. Good luck, and thanks for reading Macenstein! (Oh, and be sure to enter ALL our “12 Days AFTER Christmas” Giveaways!)
Please note: Comments may take a while to show up, please do not double-post. Thanks!
I don’t believe this guy has 6 friends
I’m not saying the MacBook Air isn’t popular, but I have yet to see one in the wild, nor do I even know a guy who knows a guy who owns one. So forgive me if I don’t believe that not only does this guy know six other people with MacBook Airs, but all six of them have the exact same hinge problem.
Well, at least we know the Air has a brighter screen than the IBM (and can apparently type in a bigger font as well). Maybe he was just trying to scare his iPhone into not acting up.
What do you know? Macs DO crash!
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Awesomeness, Hardware, MacBook Air, Photos
Has your computer ever crashed? No, I mean REALLY crashed? Like from 10,000 feet? Well, here’s the story of a Mac that did and lived to tell the tale.
Above: Oh don’t worry, that will buff right out.
When a Turkish Airways Flight crashed in Amsterdam earlier this year, killing nine people and injuring 121 others, there was one survivor that makes a pretty convincing case for unibody Airline construction: Passenger Sefer Baris’ MacBook Air.
Sefer’s friend Bulent tells us:
“He is working for documentary project in Turkey. A couple years ago he didn’t like Apple, but when he has seen my MacBook, last year he bought this MacBook Air. He is now an appleboy 
He was sitting on the chair in the front [of the airplane]. Seat number seven. (3-4 chairs from the business class). He has his MacBook Air with him, he was Read more
Hmmm… Might be time to knock €24,016.13 off that thing
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, MacBook Air, WTF, design
Remember last year when that “beautiful” €26,000, gold and crystal-covered MacBook Air by Bling My Thing made its ultra-classy debut? Well, guess what still hasn’t sold…
Faithful Macenstein reader Fabrizio writes:
“Hi Doc,
I live in Berlin (Germany) and last week as i went to buy something in a Ka.de.We (the biggest Store in europe like Harods and Lafayette) i saw it! A Macbook Air for 26.000-€!!! With swarovsky kristall on the topcase… insane! Sorry for the bad quality, i took the pics with my iPhone…
Greetz from Berlin”
Hey Fabrizio, don’t knock the iPhone’s camera! Everyone knows it is the best camera ever made, and Apple did not purposely hobble it just to give people an incentive to buy the next iPhone refresh!
Actually, oddly enough I believe that thing debuted at €20,000, so I’m not sure what it is that caused the price increase. Lord knows it wasn’t demand…
Time for a Fire Sale?
As we approach an inevitable MacBook Air refresh, and with both Liberace and Elvis still believed to be dead, it seems like now might be a good time to drop the price on that bad boy to something a little more reasonable so Michael Jackson can afford it. Sure, we all love gaudy technology, but no one wants out-dated gaudy echnology.
Apple “Truth in Advertising” test commercial
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Humor, MacBook Air, video
Remember the 1990 Dudley Moore classic “Crazy People“? Sure you do – every year it tops AFI’s Top 100 movies of all time list. Well, long story short in case you missed it, Moore is an ad exec who is fed up with the Madison Ave scene and ends up in a mental hospital where his fellow inmates help him come up with a “truth in advertising” campaign that ends up being wildly successful. (Example: “Volvo: they’re boxy, but they’re good.”)
Well, it looks like YouTuber vctrlalonde thought that perhaps Apple might have similar success selling MacBooks if they showed some real world Mac users using their gear in real life settings. Forget the eerily “all white” world of traditional Apple ads with hip kids using Garage Band and such. Take a look at how real life Mac user (and best selling author/evolutionist) Richard Dawkins uses his PowerBook – to answer his hate mail.
I use mine for pretty much the same thing actually, although luckily so far most of my hate mail has stopped short of actual death threats. Still, it’s an interesting thought, and might get Apple out of all those “truth in advertising” lawsuits it’s getting hit with.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Billy for the tip!
MacBook Airhead
Filed under: Celebrity Mac Chick, Humor, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Opinion, Photos
Look who just went Mac shopping! It’s Paris Hilton and her man of the hour Benji Madden.
Paris picked up a brand new MacBook Air, while Madden opted for the MacBook Pro. We spotted Hilton with a MacBook Pro of her own a few months ago, but we’re sure the MBP must have died on her. After all, she doesn’t seem like the kind to make extravagant purchases just on a whim.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Chris for the tip!
[Images: Ryan Fuertes via Mr. Paparazzi]
Studying the effects of centrifugal force on the MacBook Air
Filed under: Awesomeness, Humor, MacBook Air, That's Weird..., WTF, video
I’m a big fan of people with useless talents, mainly because they make me feel better about myself. After all, I may have no talent, but then I didn’t waste all my free time practicing something that is ultimately pointless.
One such useless but admittedly entertaining talent (when put into a compilation reel, at least) is Peter’s ability to spin almost any flat object on his finger, including the MacBook Air.
Above: Well, at least he didn’t set it on fire….
Hopefully Peter (or whoever’s MacBook Air he’s spinning) opted for the Solid State model (with fewer moving parts). I do not recall seeing any studies on the effects of centrifugal force on laptop hard drives, but I assume the are not beneficial.
Rumor: Voodoo releasing a laptop that’s thinner than MacBook Air on Tuesday?
Filed under: Hardware, MacBook Air, Rampant Speculation, Rumors
Uh-oh… Looks like Voodoo may be getting ready to unleash an ultra thin laptop on June 10th that is even thinner than the MacBook Air.
Faithful Macenstein reader Michael writes:
Check this out… I was reading a story on Engadget, so I decided to Facebook the CEO of Voodoo. I pretended that I was greatly interested in his offerings, and told him I only wanted the thinnest laptop. He told me to stick around (see attatched). Maybe the air won’t be the thinnest laptop on the block after all…
Here’s hoping it doesn’t have an optical drive or more than 1 USB Port, or we fanboys are going to have a little explaining to do…
“Save Our Ship!” er… MacBook Air
Faithful Macenstein reader shoe came across a MacBook Air support document in Apple’s knowledgebase (HT1221) that has to be one of the all time best inside engineering jokes of all time. Apparently when the MacBook Air encounters a severe problem during boot, it will emit 9 beeps before hanging: “3 short, 3 long, 3 short.” In other words, S-O-S, in Morse code.
While it’s always nice to see Apple’s engineers have a sense of humor, odds are if your MBA wont boot you will likely be making 10 beeps yourself… “3 short, 4 short, 2 short, 1 long.”
[via digg]
