Brad has an 2012 MacBook that he added a second hard drive to. He then plugged a Logitech webcam in, and the display went blank. Leo thinks that Brad may have overloaded the power supply and overheated the motherboard. Laptops are designed with a very narrow window of power usage tolerances. A tower would've have worked better.
Donovan recently received an iMac from 2006 and just got it upgraded to OS X Lion. He would like to mirror his MacBook Pro so he doesn't have to pull it out all the time. Donovan should check out EveryMac.com and it will tell him the most recent version of the OS that his Mac will support. But OS X uses VNC to do it.
Ian is 11 and wants to know if he should buy a MacBook or build his own gaming computer. Leo says that building a computer is a fun project, and a great learning experience. But if something goes wrong, he'll have to be his own support. If he buys a computer, then he'll have a company to support him. Leo also says that running Steam means that many games are ported to the Mac, but most gamers are on PC, and that means Windows. But if he's planning on doing other things like getting into video editing, then Leo would recommend the Mac.
Danny is having issues running Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 on his MacBook with Retina display. The icons look pixelated. Leo says that is a common issue with the Retina display when using an older version of an app. Apple deliberately makes the display larger and at half the resolution so he can see what he's looking at. He'll get the full resolution for videos and images, however.
Leo says if he had a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, then the MacBook Pro would be usable with the lid closed. Using VNC works, but he'd have to keep waking up his laptop to do it.
Bruce also has issues with the login keychain of his MacBook. Leo says that Keychain is great for secure storage, but people often forget their keychain password when they lock it. If he can't remember the password, he can always create a new keychain. Use the same password that he uses to log in. That should unlock it.
Evan has an old MacBook Pro running Boot Camp for Windows 7. He uses it for 3D modeling software and gaming. It's getting long in the tooth and now he's looking to upgrade. Leo says that Evan may want to wait for Intel's new Skylake processor. It may not be that much faster than the current Broadwell line, but it'll future proof him better. If he can't wait, Broadwell will be fine.
Joe is looking to buy a new Apple laptop. Should he wait? Leo says that he expects a new Mac with the Intel Skylake processor to be announced within the next few months. But the news is that Skylake isn't that much more powerful than the last generation Broadwell. So if he really needs it now, there's no real need to wait.
Wayne has a MacBook Pro and it has memory problems. He's tried removing programs and data, but it keeps filling up. Leo recommends a disc explorer program for the Mac.
Grandma Julie called a few weeks ago and Leo advised her to get a MacBook Pro for her grand daughter. Leo says that the 13" version would last her all through college. But it may be a good idea to go to the Apple Store and check which one she likes best. There's also the MacBook Air, which is a nice light version. In the middle is the standard Macbook with Retina, but it's a bit pricey. Leo has a 13" that he carries around and it's not bad. The Retina display is beautiful.
