softeky

Over the years I've taken apart iMacs and laptops to repair them at board-level. One of the consistent construction issues is the use of thermal paste between the CPUs and the heat sync. In all cases grey thermal paste has been over applied and caked in a thick blanket between the CPUs and the metal heat sync. Furthermore, the thick application of thermal paste creates a blanket around the sides of the CPUs and keeps the heat in rather than allows it to escape the CPUs.

Is it possible that the fan ramping effectiveness is monitored under load and the fan ramping is not as effective as it was intended, being bypassed using more effective cooling noticed by clocking down the CPUs by monitoring software in real time?

Physically checking the thermal paste (and reapplying properly) might give you different results and something interesting to report to Apple's assembly team. Additionally the fan blade shaping spreads their sound over many frequencies and makes them very quiet though no less effective as they speed up (more of a hiss than a hum when they crank up).

I'd really love to hear if the thermal paste is finally being applied properly.

We design product all the time that may be used to further illegal practices.

Cars are designed to be able to exceed speed limits, they are able to run red lights, transport illegal drugs and terrorists.
Hand guns are specifically designed to kill people - some of the people killed are murdered.

Imposing rules on product use, criminalizing certain behavior, is what governments do. Government should not put the onus on manufacturers to impose arbitrary limits on product.

Terrorism is illegal, it may be facilitated by using encrypted communication just as it may be facilitated by using cars. That does not mean it is reasonable to ban cars (which have many legal uses). Nor is it reasonable to ban encrypted messages (which also have many legal (indeed constitutionally protected)) uses.

No big deal now? You may be happy that current government will not abuse this power-creep - but what about the next government or the one after that?

(just my $0.02 on the subject).

Mike Wuerthele said:

softeky said:

Over the years I've taken apart iMacs and laptops to repair them at board-level. One of the consistent construction issues is the use of thermal paste between the CPUs and the heat sync. In all cases grey thermal paste has been over applied and caked in a thick blanket between the CPUs and the metal heat sync. Furthermore, the thick application of thermal paste creates a blanket around the sides of the CPUs and keeps the heat in rather than allows it to escape the CPUs.

Is it possible that the fan ramping effectiveness is monitored under load and the fan ramping is not as effective as it was intended, being bypassed using more effective cooling noticed by clocking down the CPUs by monitoring software in real time?

Physically checking the thermal paste (and reapplying properly) might give you different results and something interesting to report to Apple's assembly team. Additionally the fan blade shaping spreads their sound over many frequencies and makes them very quiet though no less effective as they speed up (more of a hiss than a hum when they crank up).

I'd really love to hear if the thermal paste is finally being applied properly.

Over the last few years, in my experience, they're using either something very precise to dollop the paste on, or a consistent pad of compound. 

I haven't seen an over-application in a long time.

Well, it certainly is the case that I do not get recently manufactured motherboards to repair. They tend to be well out of warranty :-)

I bet the parody was shot on an iPhone!

Ranks right up there with "iPod Flea"...

emoeller said:

Took a long time to update my Series 1, and when it was finished my  iPhone said Update Completed in a pop up box, but the watch was still booting up (apple logo) and the iPhone noted that it was still installing even after the watch completed booting.   After quitting the iOS Watch app and relaunching, both devices showed that it updated to 3.1.1 - so all was good. 

Same here. iPhone Watch application hung at 12 minutes to go showing "updating...". It took over an hour for the watch to finish its update and reboot back into its OS (with the iPhone continuing to show "12 minutes" to go. When the watch (Series 1) rebooted back into its OS, the watch reported "Version 3.1.1 (14S883)". I quit the iPhone watch app (double-tap and drag-up to quit). Restarting the watch app showed "watchOS 3.1.1 Your software is up to date"). Watch-to-iPhone synchronization indication during its operation is almost as poor as real-time status indications during iPhone App Store application updates (which has been mismatched for years now). I wonder who is responsible for display of real-time work-flow and threads?

Reading between the lines...

They meant Apple should upgrade its security so that "special access" could be provided to those who are going to ask for^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hdemand it.

philboogie said:

damacguy said:

That's a floppy DISK. A floppy DRIVE is what you put a DISK in. Kids today. ;-)

And the writers here call themselves 'journalists'.

Perhaps they're confused because they don't DRIVE into work any more but use DISKs to work from home? (ps :-) ).

"Step Backwards"? Apple have been using push-plugs rather than screws to fasten the keyboards to the top of the bottom case for years. Usually I pull out the old, faulty keyboard, discard it, and replace it with a new keyboard, attached with tiny screws (80 of them). Pulling the old keyboard out (with most of the plugs) destroys it. New keyboards are roughly $40 (including screws). The scissors keyboard should be more repairable than butterfly version. Key caps are removable on the "scissors" and dirt should be more easily cleaned out (if that is still a problem). I'm more concerned with other issues. How well is the heat removed when the CPU is used intensively. How well will the Mac work in the summer without air conditioning. Does leaving the Mac plugged in to a power-supplying dock or a monitor that provides power reduce the lifetime of the internal battery (I've had 2 batteries become pillows in two years because the connected external monitor provides charging 24/7 through its data connection). Must buy more popcorn!

I live in Brooklyn. Hopefully this new store is useful for a bunch of locally-based people. Not useful for anyone in Park Slope, Brooklyn I'm afraid. Unfortunately it's in an area (Williamsburg) that is starved of useful MTA access. Catch an "L" via Manhattan or a "G" (slow and rare service). Takes 45 minutes - which is a longer trip to any Manhattan Apple Store. Manhattan based Apple Stores are crazily busy and take several days to get a Guru appointment (even at the 24 hour 5th Ave Apple Store). Who knows, perhaps the busy Manhattan Apple Stores will drive business to Williamsburg?

Intel has been holding Apple up for well over a year on the Mac side. Intel has been trying to get Apple to use their processor on the iPhone side too. I wonder if Intel has been playing games with delaying Apple until Apple has agreed to use Intel's product in the iPhone. My spider sense is tingling (or just more paranoid than usual). Is it possible that Apple had to commit to use Intel chips (starting with the modem) in the iPhone then Intel would get MacBook Pro Kaby Lake processors into Apple's hands in sufficient quantity for Apple finally to be able to refresh the MBP?

In order to support 4-5k graphics throughput and ThunderBolt 3.1 Apple would need Kaby Lake (not a cut-down version either). Intel does not seem to have been in a cooperative mood so I wonder if they have been holding out on Apple without business quid-pro-quo, putting Apple in a position to be the Beta tester for Intel's modem chip set.

Perhaps now we can get a 5k Apple 27" display too with TB 3.1 and various ports?
Perhaps Intel can be persuaded to fix their iPhone modem chips (can the software drivers make up the gap)?
Must order more popcorn.