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The newest OS X from Apple, Snow Leopard Mac OS X 10.6 was just released and boasts some pretty nifty features.  One of the more interesting ones is that it claims to take up a lot less space than Leopard.  Upon installation, you can actually RECOVER up to 6 gigabytes of space.

However, it was also recently revealed that Snow Leopard reports free space differently than most other operating systems.  Instead of reporting a kilobyte as 1024 bytes, Snow Leopard reports a kilobyte as 1000 bytes.  Likewise for megabytes, gigabytes, and I would assume, terabyte.

As a result, that 8gb USB stick will actually be reported as 8gb as opposed to 7.4gb.  I would assume that this move is an attempt to alleviate consumer confusion about “missing space” though I can see it potentially increasing confusion instead!

So does Snow Leopard actually recover 6 gigabytes of space or is it just reported as such?  The truth is, it does recover close to 6gb of actual space in addition to any “gains” from the change of disk space calculation.

It should be noted that technically, both definitions are correct and are often used interchangably so Snow Leopard isn’t doing anything wrong.  Apple just isn’t following the convention that previous operating systems have always adhered to.

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I recently got a new 13.3 inch MacBook Pro as my primary computer and am still getting used to it.

I brought it to Europe for a conference and noticed a very strange thing that is not widely known or advertised about aluminum Macbooks.

This problem affects Unibody MacBooks and aluminum body MacBook Pros.  Apple gives users the choice of using an extension cord with their adapter or by using a “travel plug” that allows the adapter to plug directly into an outlet.

Many of these travel plugs are not electrically grounded (i.e. not a three prong plug) so when the laptop is placed on a non-conductive nor grounded surface, you can feel a bit of static electricity on the aluminum casing.

If you run your fingers over the casing, you can feel a slight vibration or a sort of “texture”.  Some may describe it as a tingly feeling.  From what I have been told, this is perfectly harmless.  You can test to see if it is actually caused by the non-grounded plug by unplugging it or using the three prong plug and see if the feeling remains.

I would say this is definitely a design flaw on Apple’s part and a disadvantage for having an entirely metal casing.  It was unnerving at first because I thought the vibration was from my hard drive but I’m not sure if I feel better knowing that’s electricity flowing into my palms!

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