Month: April 2016

Apple has announced the first major hardware update for the 12-inch Retina MacBook, just over a year after releasing the first version. Apple first tipped its hand in a recent OS X Server update, which indicated that an "Early 2016" MacBook model was coming but revealed nothing else.

You'll find most of the hardware updates on the inside: the laptop has been upgraded with Intel's Skylake Core M processors, which consume roughly the same amount of power but improve CPU and GPU performance. Apple says the laptop's storage should be slightly faster and that it picks up an extra hour of battery life. And a new rose gold finish joins the space gray, silver, and gold options, following in the footsteps of the iPhone 6S, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple Watch, and iPhone SE. Otherwise this laptop looks mostly the same as its predecessor. It has a 12-inch 2304×1440 Retina display and uses a low-travel keyboard and Force Touch trackpad to make the system as thin as possible. The MacBook is 0.14 inches (3.5mm) at its thinnest point and 0.52 inches (13.1mm) at its thickest, and it weighs just over two pounds (0.92kg). The Core M CPUs mean that there's no fan, so like an iPad or iPhone the system will never make noise no matter how hard you're pushing it.

If you were hoping for updated ports on this year's model, you'll be disappointed. The MacBook still uses a single USB Type-C port for everything from charging to data to display output to docking, and Apple hasn't updated the computer with Thunderbolt 3. This is surprising, since Apple has been a big booster of Thunderbolt since its first iteration, and the new version uses the same USB Type-C port. Some PC makers are even offering it in laptops similar to the MacBook in size and weight. We'll have to hope Apple adds it in a future update.

A judge in southern California has ruled that a recent federal agents’ search of a man’s cellphone as he was crossing into the United States was entirely lawful.

The case, known as United States v. Caballero, involves a man who was driving into the US from Mexico and attempted to cross the border at Calexico (Imperial County) on September 28, 2015. While at the checkpoint, a dog alerted agents to the presence of narcotics on the man’s car. The government is now accusing Sergio Caballero with importation of over 33 pounds of methamphetamine, and 2.75 pounds of heroin inside the gas tank.

The government brought the criminal case that same day. However, approximately two months later, Caballero’s public defender attempted to suppress the search of the phone, which revealed a photograph of a large amount of cash. The defense attorney, Nathan Feneis, argued that the search of his client’s phone was illegal under the Supreme Court decision, Riley v. California. That 2014 decision found that law enforcement generally does not have the right to search a phone belonging to someone who is arrested without a warrant.

We drive the new Ford Shelby Mustang GT350, the Blue Oval's most exciting road car for some time. Video edited by Jennifer Hahn. (video link)

When Ford introduced the Mustang to a salivating public in 1964, it was quite the game-changer. It offered rakish, sports car styling at a highly attainable price—less than $2,400 at the time. But the Mustang had a dirty secret. Keeping costs down meant Ford raided its parts bin quite heavily. While the Mustang might have looked like it was going flat-out even when parked, it wasn't actually much of a performance car. At least, it wasn't until Caroll Shelby came along and turned it into the Shelby GT350.

The Mustang is now in its fifth generation, yet again looking like a million bucks. And 50 years since the original Shelby GT350s first took to the track in anger, the most exciting variant still wears the GT350 badge. The suspension is optimized for track work. There's extensive use of lightweight components. It has special brakes and custom tires. The six-speed manual transmission is unique to the car. It's not just lighter than a regular Mustang, it's also stiffer. Oh, and under the hood is a very, very special engine.