Rogue Wolves

Apple just released a firmware update for all us MacBook owners that adjusts the fan behavior. This firmware update may be a direct result of all the complaints of heat and strange fan noises (a.k.a. Mooing). I installed it and the firmware update scared the crap out of me. It turns your fan on full blast for some reason during the update. I had no idea the MacBook fan could be so loud.

I'm wondering how this update will affect heat, battery life and fan noise. Also, will the dreaded Moo sound become a footnote in history? Personally I never heard the "Moo" very often and when I did it was fairly quiet.

Now that I've updated I hear a low fan noise that I don't recall before. It sounds like the fan remains on low spin continuously. If it keeps heat down that's fine with me.

Odd, I'm starting to feel a bit sentimental and I'm already missing my MooBook.

After too much time and money spent trying to keep my iBook G3 cranking out bits to meet my high demands I sadly realized my usage is beyond it's capabilities.

This iBook was my first Apple computer (I "switched" back in 2004) and I've grown pretty fond of it but it was time to retire it. I tried hard to keep it limping along but issue after issue has plagued it in the last year. I've upgraded the RAM, replaced the logic board and replaced the hard drive. Now I suspect the logic board may be going again. I won't sink anymore money in it. Especially since it's dog slow and I'm pushing it past it's capabilities. It served me well as an experiment of the Apple world.

To replace my iBook I decided to buy a new MacBook. I need portability and in my opinion there was no sense buying anything other than a new Intel based Mac since eventually Apple will stop supporting the PowerPC architecture. Plus the Intel based Macs are blazingly fast and fairly well priced.

I've had my MacBook for about a month now - sorry no gratuitous shots of me opening the MacBook packaging - search Flickr if you want that - and it's easily the best computer I've ever owned. It does have it's issues but it's fast, light, has a great form factor and is loaded with features:

• Intel Duo Core
• Blue Tooth 2.0
• USB 2.0
• Firewire 400
• mini-DVI output
• optical digital/audio in/out
• gigibit ethernet
• built-in 802.11g (54mbps wifi)
• DVD-RW/CD-RW
• magsafe power adapter
• built-in iSight webcam
• glossy wide screen (1280 x 800 native resolution).

As I said there are some issues with it and there has been much talk on the internet about the problems that plague it. I'll address them below...