Apple whips rivals in consumer purchase plans

More American consumers plan to buy an Apple computer in the next 90 days than any other brand, a market research firm says.

Analysis: Intel developer forum introduces your next MacIntel provided 170-plus hours of technical instruction last week at its developer forum. Rik Myslewski sorts through it and pulls out the relevant news for Mac users about how the nuts and bolts that hold together the entire world of computing will influence future Apple hardware.
Benchmarks: Western Digital Scorpio Black laptop hard driveQuiet, efficient, and only marginally hotter than your standard laptop hard drive, the Scorpio Black is an attractive drive for any high-performance seeking user.

Product	Score	Price
17-inch MacBook Pro/2.5GHz	219	$2,679.00
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.4GHz	204	$1,899.00
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.5GHz	222	$2,478.00
13-inch MacBook/2.4GHz (black)	196	$1,479.00
13-inch MacBook/2.4GHz (white)	193	$1,288.88
13-inch MacBook/2.1GHz	180	$1,088.88
MacBook Air/1.6GHz	124	$1,650.65

Product	Score	Price
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.8GHz	268	$1,721.15
Mac Pro/8-core 2.8GHz Xeon 5400	314	$2,594.57
20-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.4GHz	230	$1,147.09
20-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.66GHz	254	$1,434.12
Mac mini Core 2 Duo/2GHz	172	$777.77
Mac mini Core 2 Duo/1.83GHz	159	$559.99

Product	Score	Price
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.8GHz	268	$1,721.15
17-inch MacBook Pro/2.5GHz	219	$2,679.00
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.5GHz	222	$2,478.00
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.4GHz	204	$1,899.00
13-inch MacBook/2.4GHz (black)	196	$1,479.00
13-inch MacBook/2.4GHz (white)	193	$1,288.88
Mac Pro/8-core 2.8GHz Xeon 5400	314	$2,594.57
20-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.4GHz	230	$1,147.09
20-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.66GHz	254	$1,434.12
Xserve (2.8GHz Quad-Core Xeon) (2008)
13-inch MacBook/2.1GHz	180	$1,088.88
Mac mini Core 2 Duo/2GHz	172	$777.77
Mac mini Core 2 Duo/1.83GHz	159	$559.99
MacBook Air/1.6GHz	124	$1,650.65

ExpressCard/34 Buyers’ Guide
If you've got a MacBook Pro, you've got an ExpressCard/34 slot (instead of the old PC Card slot). Jeff Carlson explains a few of the ways you can use that slot to beef up your laptop.
MacBook Pro and the bad battery
How can you tell if your MacBook's battery is on the fritz? Follow along.
Secrets of Mac trackpad, from iBook to MacBook Air
Depending on which Mac laptop you have, there are up to 10 specialized trackpad functions you can use to make navigating the screen, Mac OS X and various applications faster and easier. Computerworld’s Ryan Faas takes a look at each of them.
Essential mobile gear
As a Macworld editor, I’m often asked what I pack in my laptop bag; here’s a look at the kinds of accessories that are on my must-have on-the-go list, along with some specific examples of them.
Fitting your files on a MacBook Air
If you’ve ordered a MacBook Air, you’ve got some storage decisions to make. The 80GB of storage that ships with this thin notebook goes against the trend of higher-capacity hard drives. But not to worry—Joe Kissell has some advice on how to make sure all your vital files and applications fit on your new laptop.

What will be in Apple’s next laptops?
Intel’s new Centrino 2 platform may make its way into Apple’s next laptops—but don’t count on it. Rik Myslewski looks at the many options available to Apple for its upcoming hardware updates.
New life for old Macs
Just because you’ve upgraded to a new Mac doesn’t mean your old machine is finished. James Dempsey has several suggestions for ways that creative professionals can squeeze more life out of aging hardware.
The Mac keeps driving Apple
All people seem to talk about these days is the iPhone, but as Monday’s quarterly earnings announcement proved, the Mac is still very central to Apple’s business.
Comparing prices: Mac vs. Windows laptops
Think Macs costs more than PCs? PC World’s James A. Martin compares the cost of Mac laptops to their Windows-based equivalents.
Computerworld: How the 17-inch MacBook Pro won me over
Computerworld’s Ryan Faas was skeptical about Apple’s largest laptop model. But a little time with the 17-inch MacBook Pro convinced him to rethink his stance.