Appletell

Image Credit: James Bayliss

Yes, you heard right. A good friend of mine, and part time contributor to Appletell, James Bayliss, is the latest victim of an exploding laptop. James wasn’t hurt or anything other than a small burn on his hand, but both his MacBook Pro and desk have seen better days.

James was sitting at his desk yesterday, reading Digg, when all of a sudden he heard a loud “POP”. Immediately after this pop, sparks and flames started shooting out from his MacBook Pro, lighting his desk on fire and giving him a slight burn as he tried to put out the flames. He finally got the fire out, unplugged his MacBook Pro and pulled out the battery and gave Apple Europe a call.

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Many have been carefully following the forums across the internet wondering when Apple will release an updated version of their flagship notebook, the Macbook Pro. The last time the Macbook Pro was updated was on June 5th, 2007, and in order to keep up with the competition, Apple must update soon. One can usually get a pretty good bearing on where Apple is heading by looking at Intel’s roadmap (Apple’s sole processor supplier). In January 2008, Intel released their newest processor, the core 2 duo Penryn, which basically brings faster Front-side bus, about .4Mhz faster speeds, and greater power efficiency.

Many are also speculating that Apple will update the video card in the machine, in addition to higher capacity hard drives and a multi-touch trackpad, which made it’s debut in the Macbook Air. The big mystery is when this update will be released. Some speculated that it would be released at Apple’s “special event” with Linkin Park, but that was busted after Linkin Park came and went at an Apple store in New York with no announcement. I would hedge my bets on some time within the next two to three weeks, but it’s anyone’s guess. Many have noted, however, that many Apple stores’ stocks of Macbook Pros are running low, hinting at an imminent update. My advice: if you absolutely must have one now, buy it, but if you can wait a few more weeks, then wait.