All about laptops

Macworld editorial director Jason Snell and senior editor Dan Frakes join Christopher Breen to talk laptops—Apple-branded MacBooks as well as anything-but-Apple HackBooks.

Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac? Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac? Roman Loyola does a little bit of testing, and finds the answer may be yes.
Create an SD card startup disk for the new MacBook ProsIn this video, senior editor Roman Loyola will show you how to create an SD card startup disk for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros.

Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac? Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac? Roman Loyola does a little bit of testing, and finds the answer may be yes.
Switch network settings with ease OS X's built-in Location feature lets you quickly change network settings based on where you are. Glenn Fleishman shows you how to get the most out of this feature, and how to tweak it with third-party tools.
Make the most of the Genius Bar Prepare in advance for a trip to Apple's Genius Bar and you’ll likely go home smiling -- with a Mac that’s working again.
Check your Wi-Fi speeds Glenn Fleishman shows you how to use AirPort Utility to find out at what speed has connected to an Apple base station.
Understanding Wi-Fi's two spectrum bands The versions of AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule released earlier this year can operate simultaneously over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum bands. Glenn Fleishman looks at common problems and solutions that might plague you in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and offers advice on manually setting channels in both bands or creating two unique networks with a simultaneous dual-band base station.

Review: MacBook Air (Mid 2009) If light weight and small size are you top considerations, the MacBook Air is the laptop for you. The new models aren’t much faster than their predecessors—in fact, the high-end system is slower than the previous model—but they’re cheaper.
Review: MacBook Pros (13-inch, Mid 2009) With its lower price, the return of FireWire (woo-hoo!), longer battery life, better looking display and a new built-in SD Card slot that you can boot from, the newest member of the MacBook Pro makes an impressive debut.
Review: MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009) The latest 17-inch MacBook Pro is by all measures a minor hardware upgrade over its predecessor, offering only slightly faster processor options and a bump in hard-drive capacity. The more significant change is the value you get for your money.
Review: MacBook Pros (15-inch, Mid 2009) This update to the 15-inch MacBook Pro delivers better value and even more specification options to the laptop, though the upgrades to this new model are more nuanced than flashy.
New MacBook Pro speed tests Macworld Lab tested all six of the new MacBook Pros, and the result show modest gains over the previous models.

Opinion: Reassessing the 'Apple Tax' PC World's Michael Scalisi is rethinking the so-called Apple tax after Monday's changes to the Mac laptop lineup.
The case of the missing ExpressCard slot The changes to Apple’s laptop line means the elimination of the ExpressCard/34 expansion slot, at least on the 15-inch models. And Peter Cohen thinks that will leave some mobile Mac users in the lurch.
WWDC: Final Apple predictions PC World offers a final round-up of WWDC predictions in advance of Monday morning's keynote.
MobileMe 2.0: A wishlist Apple has spent the past year fortifying MobileMe and polishing the existing feature set. David Chartier speculates on what the company could add to the service in its sophomore year.
Your desert island app What if you were trapped on a desert island -- one with electricity and Wi-Fi -- and could have only one third-party application for your Mac? Which one would it be?