Back in January, I wrote about the Vu SuperMac TV by Vu Technologies. The company claims it to be the first “Apple based TV” in the world and rightly so — it’s a TV with an actual Mac mini inside it. When you power it on, the Mac boots into OS X and is available as one of the sources. You can use it as a standard Mac. Technically, it’s a giant screen attached to a Mac mini. However, Vu Technologies actually bundle and integrate the insides of the Mac mini into the back of the TV, so the TV is as slim as it can be.
The folks behind The Sweet Setup recently showcased my Desk and my Mac setup on their site. I have always loved Shawn’s Sweet Mac Setup series on his blog and it was truly an honor to be on The Sweet Setup.
The desk in the photo is a custom-made desk that I got done about a month ago, since I needed a wider work area.
New MacBook Air Pricing in India
Apple today has refreshed their MacBook Air lineup with the latest generation Intel’s Haswell processors. With this refresh, all the MacBook Air models have receive just a minor, 0.1GHz speed bump while other specifications remain the same. The price of the MacBook Air has also been reduced by $100 and the base model now begins at $899 only.
The MacBook Air, available in 11-inch and 13-inch models with 128GB and 256GB options, previously shipped with a 1.3GHz Core i5 processor (with Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz). With today’s update, they have now been updated with a 1.4GHz Core i5 processor (with Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz). Surprisingly, the built to order option also stays unchanged with a 1.7GHz Core i7 (with Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz).
Apple has updated the pricing for MacBook Air in India, with each model receiving only a ₹2000 price cut. The following table shows the pricing for each MacBook Air model in India.
| MacBook Air Model | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| 11-inch: 128GB | ₹67,900 | ₹65,900 |
| 11-inch: 256GB | ₹81,900 | ₹79,900 |
| 13-inch: 128GB | ₹74,900 | ₹72,900 |
| 13-inch: 256GB | ₹88,900 | ₹86,900 |
How Vodafone India Welcomed a Postpaid Customer
TL;DR Version: Applied for new Vodafone Postpaid SIM on Feb 24th, 2014. Number wasn’t activated till Feb 27th. Submitted fresh set of documents & form on Feb 28th. Number is still not activated as of today, March 6th, 2014. Vodafone refuses to help me.
Background: I have been a happy Airtel Mobile customer for about 10 years now. Their service has been generally good for me and I continue to recommend them to anyone who comes asking. However, I tend to travel to offbeat places a fair bit and Airtel’s network is completely absent at times. A lot of my peers suggested that I get a Vodafone number as an alternative, so that I won’t be completely in the dark. So I thought, “Why not? What’s the harm.” Pretty innocent, right?
NO!
Here’s how Vodafone has been dealing with me and my attempts to get a Vodafone Postpaid Number.
Twelve South’s New SurfacePad for iPad mini
The brilliant minds at Twelve South have just released the SurfacePad for iPad mini.It is a beautiful, luxury leather cover for your precious Apple tablet that not only protects it from scratches and scuffs, but also allows you to prop it up at viewing or typing angles. The SurfacePad is made from high-quality Napa leather and fits snuggly with your iPad mini. It works by sticking to the back of your device (but doesn’t leave any residue behind) and a flaps that stretches out on the front.
The SurfacePad is now available to order on the Twelve South website in Pop Red, Mod White & Jet Black colors for just $69.99. I wish this was available when I purchased a case for my iPad mini.
PadFoot Stand for iPad Air & iPad mini
I have been using the PadFoot since 2010, when I first wrote about it on Smoking Apples. Since then, the PadFoot’s designer Michiel Cornelissen has been churning out new versions for each generation of the iPad that Apple has been building at Cupertino.
I recently bought an iPad mini for myself and Michiel was kind enough to send me a sample of his latest release of PadFoot, built for the iPad Air and iPad mini. Unlike the first one, this PadFoot is an elongated cube and is also comparatively smaller and lighter, weighing in at just 8 grams. It’s still built using 3D printing and made out of polyamide. It can prop up the iPad both in Portrait & Landscape mode and makes a great stand for watching movies.
You can order one for as low as $19.76 and pick from 9 different versions.
The Vu SuperMac TV — The Largest Apple based TV in the World
Late last month, I received a press release from Vu, introducing the first "Apple-based TV" in the world. Vu has been selling TVs in the market for a while now, but this was the first time I was receiving a proper press release from them for a TV with "built-in Mac". Reading about it, I was obviously curious & intrigued. I got in touch with the company and a demo of the product was arranged for me at their Mumbai office.
There’s a Person at Apple who…
Apple has a “Jobs at Apple” page on their Corporate (US) website. Click the link and go see the first four slides on top, especially #3.
This is a great example of the culture Steve Jobs has left behind at Apple.
Via /r/apple