Loading...
Symbols:
Authors:

Apple: Steve and I Have Been Wrong

by: Joel West September 05, 2008 | about stocks: AAPL    

Joel West

About this author:
Become a Contributor Submit an Article
  • Font Size:
  • Print

I bought my first Mac (the 128k variety) in January 1984. As part of the rationalization for spending $3,000 for a computer toy, I promised my wife I’d find a way to make money off of it — so I wrote a book on Basic programming. (Which wasn't published, but that’s another story.)

Of course the Mac reflected Steve’s uncompromising vision of what “insanely great” was. One thing where he was notoriously inflexible was on the question of a cooling fan. The advantage of the fan was that it would keep the computer from overheating and malfunctioning; the disadvantage was that it made noise.

The original Mac 128/512 and Mac Plus all lacked the cooling fan, and the quietness of the computer I found appealing, at least at first. (After Steve left Apple, the Macintosh SE and SE/30 in the same case did have a fan.)

However, I found in the summer of 1984 — writing my book nights and weekends in Southern California — that without a fan that once the room temperature was about 85° or 90°, the computer would malfunction in unpredictable ways. To be able to work under typical summer conditions, I cobbled together a solution with velcro and a fan from a surplus parts store, and later bought one of the sleek add-on products sold by third parties.

Fast forward 24 years and probably 20 Macs later. Between 4-6 p.m. this afternoon, my MacBook Air was acting strangely. I kept rebooting and closing applications but it would take 15 minutes to do something that should take 30 seconds. I finally gave up and did something else.

On tonight’s TV news, I found the answer: record temperatures from our latest heatwave. The high today in San José was 99°, and 101° for the reporting station closest to my house. I’m guess it was above 90° inside today in my home office. (Of course there’s A/C at work, but none at home).

My use of the Air over the past 6 months has shown a consistent pattern that when the computer gets hot, the computer seems to slow down — consistent with older power management schemes of reducing power/cycles to the CPU to reduce its heat output. So today the computer got slowed down to avoid overheating. Months ago I put the Mac on a box roughly 4"x4"x1" to increase the cooling and heat transfer under the case, but that obviously wasn’t enough.

Mac users have been complaining (like Steve) about fan noise for years, including on the MacBook Air. Still, the computer needs an aggressive variable speed fan that goes full blast when it’s needed.

Apple claims

  • Operating temperature: 50° to 95°F (10° to 35°C)
  • Storage temperature: -13° to 113°F (-24° to 45°C)

but I don’t buy it. It’s not much use having having a portable computer that gives up before I do.

Related Articles

This article has 24 comments:

  •  
    Sep 05 06:32 AM
    Apple products have just received an unprecedented 85 % favorability rating. Hmmm.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 07:06 AM
    I believe Apple has already addressed this problem:

    weblog.infoworld.com/v...
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 07:07 AM
    I believe Apple has address your problem:

    weblog.infoworld.com/v...
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 08:32 AM
    Dude, it was 101 outside and you don't have air conditioning?? Yet you can afford to buy a MacBook Air?

    I'm a fanboy but this is taking it to new extremes! Your productivity might increase if you had taken some of that $2,000 and bought a MacBook and a $400 air conditioner.

    Just saying.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 08:34 AM
    What a completely useless article. Anyone with any intelligence knows that computers do not do well when they get hot. 90 to 100 degrees is HOT for any computer....what a complete waste of time reading this crap
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 08:47 AM
    can you just install the update ??
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 09:54 AM
    Well, Joel, with this article you are living proof that just because you are a PhD, it doesn't mean that you are smart. Thanks for proving this for us, again.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 10:07 AM
    Joel,

    Why didn't you give up writing when you failed to publish your BASIC book in the 80's? Seems to me you are just whining about the heat, which is apparently getting to you as well as your computer.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 10:31 AM
    When a computer gets hot, they cool it down by slowing it down. In the industry it is called throttling. The thermal budget for memory is 5 watts. It isn't hard to exceed this. Also the cooling for portables is really poor compared to desktops.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 10:58 AM
    Open System Preferences, Energy Saver and set Optimization to "Better Performance."
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 11:38 AM
    i built a desk using a wire shelf as the desk top and that's where my laptop sits. it keeps it cooler... and there are lap top bases you can buy that have fans in them. you were obviously around when mainframes needed climate control...that's why. the Air is mostly aimed at business people who usually do have AC or travel in climate control.
    i hate heat so i can't understand anyone living without AC. but i have news for you... in 90+ weather, even an internal fan won't help all that much. a fan just circulates, it doesn't really cool when only hot air is there.
    so, go to home depot or lowes and get a wire closet shelf and put that on your desk...put your computer there. and while at lowes...um, they carry small AC units... one in just that room could cool it enough, say to 80, and solve the problem.
    and..mac101 is right. but also keep your screen less bright and don't 'game' or have a lot opened at once.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 12:10 PM
    Quick, some *might* have said something bad about Apple.

    ATTACK THEM - NOW.

    You know that "Steve" wants you to.

    For all you fanboi dweebs telling him to buy an AC unit, try actually reading the article, Joel was well within the manufacturers operating limits.

    The MacBook Air was not robust, operating within the stated manufacturer's tolerances.

    Joel: this was a pretty cool article, right on the money.



    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 12:40 PM
    @crappletv,

    nothing that you say will ever carry any value after your recent post on Apple leadership.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 12:48 PM
    The normal temperature of human body is around 99. If you put your Macbook Air on you in a wet air without fan to make moving the air, you overheat yourself the computer. Yes heat is going up! You don't use your computer in the range of the operating temperature. Don't be surprise the computer is overheating.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 01:45 PM
    @Jon T: The value of my comments, like yours, are worth precisely what you pay for them. This is the Web, learn how it works.

    It's a fact that Apple state an operating temperature. Go look at their site.

    It's a fact that Joel experienced issues with his unit whilst operating within Apple's recommended temp.

    What about that do you not understand?

    I know, it's political season, if *you* agree with your opponent, but it's embarrassing to *your* stance, attack.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 01:56 PM
    @crappletv

    Joel didnt use his computer within apple's recommendation. He used it in an hot environnement at leat 90degree without any air circulation and on his own body at 99 degree.

    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 02:22 PM
    You again.

    You're an idiot. God, stop writing and go, go .... go flip burgers.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 02:33 PM
    AAPL to a 100 case closed
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 05:19 PM
    what the helllll does this article have to do with AAPL... isn't there a customer service on apple.com to address this issue??? Its great! Have you tried it Joel???.... PhD?? Phonie Doctorate....Tip: this is not a place to vent useless information...what the hell am I still coming seeking alpha... i remember when it used to be great! Where do I go now?
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 05 06:44 PM
    The outside temp is only indirectly relevent to the throttling issue. What matters if the CPU Core substrate temp which can fluctuate a lot but having a general average. Most CPUs ICs are tested to 85 dec C (not F) but they have a ton of heat self generated dynamically. The outside temperate relates to the amount of heat exchange that can take place between the outside (ambient) air fed by the fans past the Hot CPU. The colder the ambient air, the more heat exchange can take place (or cooler it will make the CPU). So, 90 deg is cool for a CPU technically but 90 deg ambient air is not as efficient to cool that CPU below 85 deg C... Apple has done a pretty fair job in creating an internal heat dissipation network of tubing to help reduce the fan size/count but they must operate with air that falls in somewhat of an efficient heat removal range..
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 06 08:32 AM
    Get that crappletv?

    "Go flip burgers"

    I'd have put it differently.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 06 11:47 AM
    @sgmsg,

    It was actually between 99 and 101 according to the author. He has no way to cool his house down, but he "guesses" it was 90° inside his house. It could just as well have been 100. That would be a better guess.
    Reply
  •  
    Sep 07 10:49 AM
    I started with a Mac Plus in 1987 and have never regretted having a Mac--best investment there is--NO way do I believe this author has had 20 Macs! NO way! I have had a total of 4 over 20 years, and two were still working when I got rid of them, but they couldn't work with internet because of being antiques. I still have my Mac Plus--yes, it is useless but it got me through my doctorate--did all my statistics on it (1000 subjects)--and so I have some silly sentiment for it, even though it can only be a doorstop now.

    Reply
  •  
    Sep 08 04:45 PM
    I burnt up my HP because I didn't use a 'chill pad', or whatever they call this $20 plastic gizmo with two fans in it. You set the laptop on it.

    Don't ever set your laptop down on the mattress, etc. and leave it for awhile. Never, ever!! Motherboard gets hot,,,and you will have to buy a new laptop. Always use a chill pad w/laptops.
    Reply
More Comments on AAPL »
More by Joel West

Investment Resources
Money Management 

Research 

Seeking Alpha provides these ads as a service to its leading contributors
Articles on related themes
PCs & Servers 

Cell Phones 

Digital Cameras & Printing 

Digital Home