AppleInsider AppleInsider Forums


Go Back   AppleInsider > General Discussion
Register Members List New Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-23-2008, 03:17 PM   #1
AppleInsider
Kasper's Automated Slave
 
Join Date: Nov 1997
Posts: 6,159
Apple execs, Intel share, Lotus software, MBA SuperDrive, more...

Apple executives received significant bonuses that included millions in stock-based compensation for their service to the company during fiscal 2007. Meanwhile, Intel is gaining share on rival AMD, the MacBook Air's SuperDrive may be limited to use with new notebook, and IBM is not yet ready to unleash its Lotus software suites for Apple's desktop and mobile products.

Executive compensation

Several of Apple's senior executives received considerable compensation packages in fiscal 2007, according to regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Chief executive Steve Jobs, however, was not one of them.

Jobs has taken home a $1 annual salary since he rejoined the Apple in 1997 and began serving as interim CEO. In 1999, the company awarded him a $43.5-million Gulfstream V aircraft as an executive bonus in recognition of his performance during the two previous years.*

Jobs also received two stock option grants, one in 2000 and another in 2001. However, he never exercised those grants, and they were both cancelled in March*2003 when the company awarded him a new grant of 5*million shares of restricted stock because the older grants had gone underwater.

After a portion of those shares were withheld for the payment of taxes,*Jobs received the remaining 5,426,447 shares. With the addition of a 30,000 stock options grant that was awarded to him when he was elected to the company's Board in 1997 and exercised after two stock splits, Jobs currently holds just over 5.55 million shares of Apple common stock.

"In fiscal year 2007, Mr.*Jobs’s entire compensation consisted of his $1 annual salary," Apple said in its most recent fling. "Because Mr.*Jobs’s continued leadership is critical to the Company, the Compensation Committee is considering additional compensation arrangements for him."

For their roles, Chief Operating Officer Timothy Cook, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, Senior Vice President of Retail Ron Johnson, and Senior Vice President of iPod Division Tony Fadell, each received bonus between $500,000 and $700,000 respective of their salaries, in addition to millions in stock-based compensation (see chart, below).

Each executive, with the exception of Jobs, also received an iPhone from the company valued at a tax gross-up of $379.



Intel gains on AMD

Meanwhile, Intel Corp. has reportedly widened its lead over archrival Advanced Micro Devices Inc., as the worldwide personal computer chip-maker posted an 8.5% sequential fourth-quarter growth, according to the International Data Corp.

Intel was still the No. 1 PC chip maker, with 76.68% share of total shipments in the fourth quarter, up from 74.55% in the year-ago period, according to IDC. AMD was still No. 2 with 23.09%, compared to 25.32% in the same quarter the previous year.

Intel also remained dominant in the three major PC chip markets -- desktops, notebooks and servers -- IDC said.

Air's SuperDrive limitations

The MacBook Air's $99 external SuperDrive may only be recognized by the Air rather than any computer due to custom requirements for both the new sub-notebook and its peripheral.

More high-quality photos (1, 2) of the new MacBook Air.

While external optical drives have existed that rely on the USB port alone, the particular power demands of the Apple-made drive should prevent it being used elsewhere, reports Electronista. The Air's sole USB port has been boosted past its specifications to supply enough power to use the drive with just the data cable rather than a direct power connection.

IBM holds on Lotus

IBM is still preparing the launch of a Lotus Notes web client for the iPhone and iPod touch, despite earlier reports from the Associated Press that the software would be released at this week's Lotusphere conference.

IBM now claims that the client is "not something that [it's] ready to go out and market or launch." Lotus Notes is a long-standing collaborative suite which integrates e-mail, calendars and other workgroup applications.

Skyhook behind Maps with location

Finally, the USAToday takes a closer look at Skyhook Wireless, which helps provide some of the technology behind the location feature of Apple's new mobile Maps application for the iPhone and iPod touch.

According to Skyhook chief executive Ted Morgan, the technology works as follows: "Every Wi-Fi access point, whether public or private, sends out a signal every second or so, like a lighthouse. We pick up those signals and use our technology to calculate your exact location."

Skyhook, which detects but does not connect to those Wi-Fi networks, sent teams of drivers around the USA and Canada to map out hot spots in order to get its service up and running. The firm claims to have 70% of North America covered and is now cruising Europe and Asia to build its database.

Skyhook's system works best indoors and in urban settings, while GPS is better in areas with clear views of the open skies, to reach satellite signals. As a result, Apple uses a combination of Skyhook's WiFi technology and Google's technology in the new version of Maps.

The software looks for Wi-Fi signals first, and if there are none, it switches to Google's cell-tower information, the USA Today reports.
AppleInsider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 03:43 PM   #2
CREB
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 271
The Apple exec pay is old news.

Do we know for a fact that Apple's USB Air SuperDrive is solely for the MBA? It seems Apple could make more money if it weren't.
CREB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 03:55 PM   #3
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by CREB View Post
The Apple exec pay is old news.

Do we know for a fact that Apple's USB Air SuperDrive is solely for the MBA? It seems Apple could make more money if it weren't.
If what they said about the power over USB is true. Then it can't work with other machines.

I just hope that it doesn't have a standard USB plug. If it does, it could possibly damage a standard USB port.

I would imagine that to prevent that, Apple either has some special tit on the plug that corresponds to a small slot on the jack so that it can't go into any other USB jack anywhere else, or, it has firmware that quickly detects if the jack is from the Air before the drive spins up.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 03:57 PM   #4
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
and Google's GPS technology
What???
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:05 PM   #5
solipsism
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Ansible
Posts: 11,855
Quote:
Originally Posted by CREB View Post
The Apple exec pay is old news.

Do we know for a fact that Apple's USB Air SuperDrive is solely for the MBA? It seems Apple could make more money if it weren't.
We know that the MBA's USB port pushes out more power to run the SuperDrive when it's attached. We knew that last week at MacWorld.

I'm surprised that the MBA SuperDrive doesn't have at least one USB port on it.
solipsism is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:06 PM   #6
Lorre
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Belgium
Posts: 351
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post
If what they said about the power over USB is true. Then it can't work with other machines.

I just hope that it doesn't have a standard USB plug. If it does, it could possibly damage a standard USB port.

I would imagine that to prevent that, Apple either has some special tit on the plug that corresponds to a small slot on the jack so that it can't go into any other USB jack anywhere else, or, it has firmware that quickly detects if the jack is from the Air before the drive spins up.
I think it just needs more power than the USB standard is providing. Therefore the MBA port can deliver more watts than a normal USB port.

I think the drive just won't power on if it's connected to a normal USB port, because it just doesn't get enough power to run.
Lorre is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:10 PM   #7
CREB
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 271
It is too bad if the Air SuperDrive only pushes Air. A major aspect that Apple has going, and has always had going for it, is design. I would much prefer to purchase an Air SuperDrive for an external unit (for many reasons) versus another. Apple could provide firmware/software updates via iTunes on other platforms.
CREB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:13 PM   #8
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorre View Post
I think it just needs more power than the USB standard is providing. Therefore the MBA port can deliver more watts than a normal USB port.

I think the drive just won't power on if it's connected to a normal USB port, because it just doesn't get enough power to run.
The USB power spec is considerably lower than the one for FW, which can supply a full .5 amp. That and USB can burn out if too much power is drawn.

If if there is nothing to prevent it from running, it will attempt to do so. That's why either a physical layer, or firmware query is required.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:15 PM   #9
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by CREB View Post
It is too bad if the Air SuperDrive only pushes Air. A major aspect that Apple has going, and has always had going for it, is design. I would much prefer to purchase an Air SuperDrive for an external unit (for many reasons) versus another. Apple could provide firmware/software updates via iTunes on other platforms.
That's why it's too bad it doesn't have a FW 400 port. That would have taken care of the problem.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:18 PM   #10
Nicnac
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post
While external optical drives have existed that rely on the USB port alone, the particular power demands of the Apple-made drive should prevent it being used elsewhere, reports Electronista. The Air's sole USB port has been boosted past its specifications to supply enough power to use the drive with just the data cable rather than a direct power connection.
Right. So now, Apple needs to make a tiny update to AppleTV hardware. That one update would be upgrading the USB port to this same higher power one. Then, we can all support Apple even more by buying the USB Superdrive to play DVDs on our AppleTVs.

Let all the "Why would I want my AppleTV to play DVDs? I already have a DVD player" comments begin....

Some might think it strange, but I would buy an AppleTV/Superdrive combo in a minute if it meant combining TWO boxes under my TV into one (and saving on inputs and connections on the TV and receiver.)
Nicnac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:23 PM   #11
Abster2core
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,075
Quote:
Originally Posted by CREB View Post
It is too bad if the Air SuperDrive only pushes Air. A major aspect that Apple has going, and has always had going for it, is design. I would much prefer to purchase an Air SuperDrive for an external unit (for many reasons) versus another. Apple could provide firmware/software updates via iTunes on other platforms.
Love to see how you could do it. Perhaps it is a little more complicated than you imagine.

http://www.electronista.com/articles...r.usb.details/
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/01/...r.special.cpu/
Abster2core is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:28 PM   #12
KennyWRX
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 140
They should have put a DC in jack in there to make it compatible with everything else, the MBA's USB port would just happen to be able to supply all the power itself.

I wonder you are able to hook one of these to an Airport or Time Capsule and access it wirelessly.
KennyWRX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:43 PM   #13
jabohn
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 394
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post
Skyhook, which detects but does not connect to those Wi-Fi networks, sent teams of drivers around the USA and Canada to map out hot spots in order to get its service up and running. The firm claims to have 70% of North America covered and is now cruising Europe and Asia to build its database.
I guess Skyhook hasn't sent anyone driving around my neighborhood yet. Maps can't find me on my ipod Touch.
jabohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:56 PM   #14
GQB
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 728
Quote:
Originally Posted by jabohn View Post
I guess Skyhook hasn't sent anyone driving around my neighborhood yet. Maps can't find me on my ipod Touch.
I'm out in the boonies, and it was so accurate on my touch I could drop a water baloon on my house.
Actually I was so suspicious that I started looking for some entry in my addressbook that it may have been using instead of this poor-man's gps.
I have a 'me' entry, but that's imported from Exchange.
Haven't tried from away from my home wifi yet.

As an aside, the article seems to indicate the the wifi gps is used first on the iPhone, and then Google's cell-tower gps is used if not on wifi.
But Steve seemed to indicate that if an iPhone is on wifi, then both were used and somehow amalgamated.
GQB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 04:57 PM   #15
mdriftmeyer
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Northwest
Posts: 2,697
I will reiterate on a thread earlier about the SuperDrive for Air being not compelling enough to beat the competition for people looking to use an external slim DVD Drive to connect to a Mac.

Clearly, this drive is only for the MacBook Air and at $99 it's a one stop shop.

The $99 drive Sony slim drive isn't slot loading but as an external drive it's got a very nice form factor and it can be run on machines other than the Air.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827131052

LiteOn has a cheaper drive that looks physically cheaper:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106097

You'd think Apple would produce an external drive machines that want a second SuperDrive or older machines that don't have a SuperDrive but want a burner.

It also looks like the Industry is gearing up for a BluRay drive/combo DVD-DL burner situation.

Blu-Ray Burners:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ray+DVD+Burner

Blu-Ray Readers:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...+DVD-ROM+Drive

I don't see Blu-Ray taking off until readers are $99 or less.
mdriftmeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 05:11 PM   #16
K.C.
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post
The MacBook Air's $99 external SuperDrive may only be recognized by the Air rather than any computer due to custom requirements for both the new sub-notebook and its peripheral.

More high-quality photos (1, 2) of the new MacBook Air.

While external optical drives have existed that rely on the USB port alone, the particular power demands of the Apple-made drive should prevent it being used elsewhere, reports Electronista. The Air's sole USB port has been boosted past its specifications to supply enough power to use the drive with just the data cable rather than a direct power connection.
Which part of "Requires..." don't people understand ?

MacBook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A)
Play or burn discs directly with the external USB-based MacBook Air SuperDrive. Thin, light, and easy to take with you, this drive is designed specifically for MacBook Air.

Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Size: 139 x 139 x 17 mm / 5.47 x 5.47 x 0.67 inches (L x W x H)
Weight: 320 g (0.71 pounds)
Requires MacBook Air with available USB 2.0 port

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post
The Air's sole USB port has been boosted past its specifications ...
How it could be boosted beyond it's own specs ?

What you meant to say was that the Air's USB port has been boosted beyond the standard USB 2 specs, right ?
K.C. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 05:25 PM   #17
Abster2core
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,075
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post
The $99 drive Sony slim drive isn't slot loading but as an external drive it's got a very nice form factor and it can be run on machines other than the Air.
It is also 2.7 lbs plus the external power adapter, about the size of a cigarette pack.

MacBook Air Super Drive slimmer all round, i.e., 5.47" x 5.47" x 0.67" (L x W x H) vs 6.5" x 6.0" x 2.5" for the Sony


Last edited by Abster2core; 01-23-2008 at 05:36 PM..
Abster2core is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 05:42 PM   #18
BoiseMacDan
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 5
Mark My Words

Someone, Belkin or other, will create a small and very inexpensive USB adapter that simply boosts the power output so you can run the MBA SuperDrive on any computer. I give it less than two weeks before it is announced.
BoiseMacDan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 05:48 PM   #19
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post
I will reiterate on a thread earlier about the SuperDrive for Air being not compelling enough to beat the competition for people looking to use an external slim DVD Drive to connect to a Mac.

Clearly, this drive is only for the MacBook Air and at $99 it's a one stop shop.

The $99 drive Sony slim drive isn't slot loading but as an external drive it's got a very nice form factor and it can be run on machines other than the Air.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827131052

LiteOn has a cheaper drive that looks physically cheaper:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106097

You'd think Apple would produce an external drive machines that want a second SuperDrive or older machines that don't have a SuperDrive but want a burner.

It also looks like the Industry is gearing up for a BluRay drive/combo DVD-DL burner situation.

Blu-Ray Burners:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ray+DVD+Burner

Blu-Ray Readers:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...+DVD-ROM+Drive

I don't see Blu-Ray taking off until readers are $99 or less.
The two externals are both much bigger than the Apple model. People will likely prefer the Apple because of that, despite its limitations.

Otherwise, I pretty much agree with the rest of the post.

But, remember that the original Superdrive cost $1,000 as an external when Apple put it into its top Digital Audio model. I bought that model (it just died. A minute of silence please!).
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 05:49 PM   #20
minderbinder
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,395
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicnac View Post
Right. So now, Apple needs to make a tiny update to AppleTV hardware. That one update would be upgrading the USB port to this same higher power one. Then, we can all support Apple even more by buying the USB Superdrive to play DVDs on our AppleTVs.

Let all the "Why would I want my AppleTV to play DVDs? I already have a DVD player" comments begin....

Some might think it strange, but I would buy an AppleTV/Superdrive combo in a minute if it meant combining TWO boxes under my TV into one (and saving on inputs and connections on the TV and receiver.)
AppleTV/Superdrive is STILL two boxes, although smaller ones.

And no thanks, I'll stick with a regular DVD player until I'm watching all content from hard drive and internet.
minderbinder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 05:50 PM   #21
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by K.C. View Post
W
How it could be boosted beyond it's own specs ?

What you meant to say was that the Air's USB port has been boosted beyond the standard USB 2 specs, right ?
Well, yes. I think most everyone understands that was what was meant.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 06:00 PM   #22
Robin Huber
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: The OC
Posts: 181
Quote:
Originally Posted by jabohn View Post
I guess Skyhook hasn't sent anyone driving around my neighborhood yet. Maps can't find me on my ipod Touch.
I contacted them and they told me how to send them the location of my home wireless so that it could be included in their database. It took about a week, but now the location circle is much closer to my house.
Robin Huber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 06:44 PM   #23
John.B
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 400
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post
That's why it's too bad it doesn't have a FW 400 port. That would have taken care of the problem.
+1!!!
John.B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 06:52 PM   #24
daniel84
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post
AppleTV/Superdrive is STILL two boxes, although smaller ones.
I think what he meant was being able to control two boxes from one remote. I see the benefit personally.
daniel84 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 07:10 PM   #25
merdhead
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 585
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post
If what they said about the power over USB is true. Then it can't work with other machines.

I just hope that it doesn't have a standard USB plug. If it does, it could possibly damage a standard USB port.

I would imagine that to prevent that, Apple either has some special tit on the plug that corresponds to a small slot on the jack so that it can't go into any other USB jack anywhere else, or, it has firmware that quickly detects if the jack is from the Air before the drive spins up.
Here's a high-tech piece of equipment that will solve the problem - it's called a 'cable'. The cable you need is often found with external 2.5" drives - it has two USB plugs on one end for plugging into a machine and a single usb plug on the other. It should run to a couple of bucks. You might need some sort of gender bender too.

I'd say the drive wouldn't require more than 1 Amp, which equates to two USB ports. If it requires more than this then you're out of luck, since Apple is quite particular about delivering only 0.5A to their USB ports (at least before they made the Air).

Also, this drive won't damage USB ports. If the device tries to draw more power than the port is willing to deliver then it just doesn't get it, end of story. The engineers who designed the spec and build machines have thought of these things. What do you think they do all day?
merdhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 07:40 PM   #26
Samnuva
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 223
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoiseMacDan View Post
Someone, Belkin or other, will create a small and very inexpensive USB adapter that simply boosts the power output so you can run the MBA SuperDrive on any computer. I give it less than two weeks before it is announced.
Good Point.
Samnuva is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 08:08 PM   #27
timothyjay2004
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoiseMacDan View Post
Someone, Belkin or other, will create a small and very inexpensive USB adapter that simply boosts the power output so you can run the MBA SuperDrive on any computer. I give it less than two weeks before it is announced.
Exactly. Anyone remember the Griffin iFire? It was designed to allow the use of Apple's Pro Harmon/Kardon speakers that came with the iMac G4. The iMac G4 had a special high power audio jack that allowed the speakers to work. If you plugged the speakers into a regular audio jack, they wouldn't work. Griffin came up with the iFire and the iFire used power from the firewire port of the non-iMac G4. It was a neat devise, but a little costly.. It would be nice to see the external superdrive work with other macs. I'd probably pick one up in a heartbeat since it'd go nicely with my new mac mini.
timothyjay2004 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 10:46 PM   #28
rtdunham
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: florida
Posts: 212
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post
...I just hope that it doesn't have a standard USB plug. If it does, it could possibly damage a standard USB port. ..I would imagine that to prevent that, Apple either has some special tit on the plug that corresponds to a small slot on the jack so that it can't go into any other USB jack anywhere else, or, it has firmware that quickly detects if the jack is from the Air before the drive spins up.
Western Digital sells a cable that draws power from two usb ports and combines them into one, for powering HDs when a single usb port output isn't enough. If apple hasn't made the connectors exclusive, that WD cable might solve the "need more power" problem and allow the drive to be used on macs other than the Air.


Last edited by rtdunham; 01-23-2008 at 10:55 PM..
rtdunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 10:50 PM   #29
rtdunham
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: florida
Posts: 212
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post
We know that the MBA's USB port pushes out more power to run the SuperDrive when it's attached. We knew that last week at MacWorld.
the apple guys at the Air counter at MWSF didn't share that info with me, when i was asking them about backup strategies in lieu of a 2nd usb port (i propose to carry a 320GB 2.5" external with all my files on them; but to back IT up to a backup drive would require a usb hub): the apple reps said to drive two external HDs would require a powered hub. Based on what you're saying maybe not?
rtdunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 11:12 PM   #30
solipsism
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Ansible
Posts: 11,855
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtdunham View Post
the apple guys at the Air counter at MWSF didn't share that info with me, when i was asking them about backup strategies in lieu of a 2nd usb port (i propose to carry a 320GB 2.5" external with all my files on them; but to back IT up to a backup drive would require a usb hub): the apple reps said to drive two external HDs would require a powered hub. Based on what you're saying maybe not?
If I were Apple I would have designed the USB port detect when the MBA Superdrive is attached, and to only supply more power than the USB2.0 specifications then. If it can supply the full power at any time it may cause some external devices to fail and therefore be a liability for Apple.

I've said it before, I'm surprised that the MBA Superdrive doesn't have a USB port of it's own for daisy-chaining two devices. Perhaps the power and/or bandwidth is already maxed out for the optical drive that they they decided against it.

Also, could they have added a FireWire 400 port instead of a micro-DVI port and then sold a FW-to -DVI/VGA/S-video/composite adapters the way they sell the USB-to-Ethernet adapter? If they could, this seems like it would make more sense as you still need to buy a conversion cable anyway. Does FW-400 have fast enough transfer rates to support a 24" display correctly?
solipsism is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 11:45 PM   #31
JeffDM
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: .US
Posts: 9,127
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post
Does FW-400 have fast enough transfer rates to support a 24" display correctly?
No, not close. FW 400 is 400Mbps. Single link DVI is up to 3.7Gbps. Compressing / Converting it would be expensive.
JeffDM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2008, 11:48 PM   #32
solipsism
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Ansible
Posts: 11,855
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post
No, not close. FW 400 is 400Mbps. Single link DVI is up to 3.7Gbps. Compressing / Converting it would be expensive.
Wow! That is high. Thanks.
solipsism is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 12:02 AM   #33
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by merdhead View Post
Here's a high-tech piece of equipment that will solve the problem - it's called a 'cable'. The cable you need is often found with external 2.5" drives - it has two USB plugs on one end for plugging into a machine and a single usb plug on the other. It should run to a couple of bucks. You might need some sort of gender bender too.

I'd say the drive wouldn't require more than 1 Amp, which equates to two USB ports. If it requires more than this then you're out of luck, since Apple is quite particular about delivering only 0.5A to their USB ports (at least before they made the Air).

Also, this drive won't damage USB ports. If the device tries to draw more power than the port is willing to deliver then it just doesn't get it, end of story. The engineers who designed the spec and build machines have thought of these things. What do you think they do all day?
It would be nice if it were that simple.

Having been one of those engineers in my own company a while back, I can tell you that not all eventualities are thought of in advance, no matter how hard you try.

The exploding gas tanks on the Pinto, which started the consumer safety movement, is proof of that.

You'd be surprised at how many things are left to chance in speccing out new technology.

For example, Apple's FW ports burn out if too much power is drawn, or if static is applied. Why?

USB has no real way to check the amount of power being drawn. The specs suppose all manufacturers will attend to the standard.

Usually, but not always, devices simply won't work, but sometimes either the device, or the port, get damaged.

If the firmware needs to detect something from the computer, some sort of code, before it will power up the drive, then no cable will work.

But, I don't know for sure. I'm just hoping Apple has some safety built-in.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 12:06 AM   #34
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtdunham View Post
Western Digital sells a cable that draws power from two usb ports and combines them into one, for powering HDs when a single usb port output isn't enough. If apple hasn't made the connectors exclusive, that WD cable might solve the "need more power" problem and allow the drive to be used on macs other than the Air.
Perhaps.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 01:08 AM   #35
solipsism
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Ansible
Posts: 11,855
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post
No, not close. FW 400 is 400Mbps. Single link DVI is up to 3.7Gbps. Compressing / Converting it would be expensive.
This may allow for a future, 2009 MacBook to have one FW400 and one FW3200 port, instead of the mini-DVI port. Just a hypothesizing...
solipsism is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 01:11 AM   #36
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post
This may allow for a future, 2009 MacBook to have one FW400 and one FW3200 port, instead of the mini-DVI port. Just a hypothesizing...
I suspect that Apple will give only one port to the Macbook.

But, as they haven't given it an 800 port by now, why do you think they may go with 3200?
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 01:17 AM   #37
solipsism
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Ansible
Posts: 11,855
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post
I suspect that Apple will give only one port to the Macbook.

But, as they haven't given it an 800 port by now, why do you think they may go with 3200?
I think they may go with it because the mini-DVI port only attaches to monitors and is probably not used by very many, even thought the ones that do use it probably use it quite a bit. By making SL-DVI work via FW3200 they are able to create a 3 function connecter: FW800, FW3200, or display out. As well as, promote FW3200 in their most common machine without increasing the total number of ports.

Just a late night idea that I probably would never remember writing anyway, even if it does come true in a year.
solipsism is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 01:22 AM   #38
melgross
Global Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,612
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post
I think they may go with it because the mini-DVI port only attaches to monitors and is probably not used by very many, even thought the ones that do use it probably use it quite a bit. By making SL-DVI work via FW3200 they are able to create a 3 function connecter: FW800, FW3200, or display out. As well as promote FW3200 in their most common machine without increasing the total number of ports.

Just a late night idea that I probably would never remember writing anyway, even if it does come true in a year.
Hmm!

They would have to change the specs for both standards, and probably the physical layer as well.

I'm hoping that Apple would stay away from any more proprietary ports, though the USB port just shows that they can't avoid meddling, even though there are better ways to do things.
melgross is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 08:21 AM   #39
lfmorrison
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 395
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post
The USB power spec is considerably lower than the one for FW, which can supply a full .5 amp. That and USB can burn out if too much power is drawn.
To be pedantic, a powered USB port can supply 500mA (0.5 Amp) at 5V, for a total of 2.5 Watts.

A powered Firewire bus's power supply is an unregulated voltage, no more than 30V, but Apple's notebook Firewire ports' power pins are usually proportional to the battery voltage and typically can run from 9V to 12V. That implies that the peripheral device itself must supply its own power supply regulator to convert the variable supply voltage into its desired operational range.

The Firewire standard says that the ideal port is capable of delivering up to 45 Watts. At 30V, that would be 1.5 Amps; if 9V were still sufficient to drive the device's power regulator, then that same 45 Watts would require 5 Amps.

Typical Firewire devices will actually draw something more like 7 or 8 Watts, or 0.25 to 1 Amp (depending on the supply voltage). That's still significantly more than a standard powered-USB port can deliver (let alone an un-powered one).
lfmorrison is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2008, 10:59 AM   #40
danielchow
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: philadelphia, pa
Posts: 61
woo-hoo, i can get an MBA from Apple! this would look so awesome on my resume.

why yes, indeed, i got my MBA at Apple in 2008.

danielchow is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:20 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.