digi-quest
I recently started using Apple's Macintosh operating system (I have a MacBook Pro). For the most part, I am very pleased. There is, however, one thing I find very irritating. I subscribe to services that allow me to download large video files. I prefer to close my computer when I download but it stops as soon as I put the notebook's lid down. Can you help?
John, Deepwater Bay
DQ: It is in the nature of personal computers that some people do certain things with them that other people may not. That means technology suppliers such as Apple and Microsoft must make decisions that will not please everyone. Microsoft thought people would want to run software when the lid was down; Apple did not.
A software program called InsomniaX will allow you to shut your MacBook Pro without putting it to sleep.
I have not tried it but it has received a fair amount of praise on VersionTracker.com.
Another option is to connect an external display to your MacBook Pro, so the computer will continue to run even with the lid closed. Every step you need to take to accomplish this can be found on the Apple.com site. Click 'Support' in the top right-hand corner. This will open a page on which you can enter your question.
I have seen many people with Apple's new iPhone but I thought the device was not locally available.
Has it been officially released? If not, are these people doing something illegal? Will Apple come after me if I buy the device in Hong Kong?
Name and address supplied
DQ: This is an intriguing question. I can no longer count the number of iPhones I have seen in Hong Kong. People have told me they have paid as much as HK$6,000 for one. I know several people who have bought two units each, and not because they are planning to sell one.
From a purely legal perspective, I cannot give you advice. However, I suspect Apple will not pursue you, because there are too many devices on the streets already. Still, you must be careful about performing the unlocking procedure on the iPhone. In Hong Kong, Apple has issued a statement: 'Apple strongly discourages users from installing un-authorised unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorised modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software licence agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone's warranty.'
Of course, unlocked iPhones can be purchased locally. You can also find out how to do the unlocking yourself from that usual source of all things good and bad: the internet. There is no official launch date for the iPhone in Hong Kong but Apple has said the device will be released in Asia next year.
