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Lots of minor topics peppered the Apple-focused blogosphere this week, but two items stood taller than most.
First off, Consumer Reports gave MacBooks of all sizes -- despite their high prices -- phenomenal ratings in almost every category in its tests of laptop computers. Secondly, built-in support for 3G wireless data services seems to be coming to MacBooks sometime soon.
In other news, Mac clone maker Psystar might be cooking up its own Mac laptop, despite its ongoing litigation with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL).
Latest Test Results: MacBooks Are Nice
Offering scores that certainly could not have surprised any Mac fans, the June issue of Consumer Reports included ratings for laptops.
"If it weren't for the magazine's legendary reliability and highest ethical standards, we might have gone so far as to say that CR had a little crush on the Infinite Loop folks. The venerable publication gave the company top rankings in three of its notebook categories: 13-inch machines, 14-inch to 16-inch laptops, and 17-inch models," noted Dan Moren on PCWorld.com.
"The seemingly near-complete control of Consumer Reports' ratings appears at a critical time for Apple, as the company has posted its best non-holiday quarterly results ever but is under pressure to justify the at times higher prices of Macs versus PCs in light of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) attack ads," added AppleInsider.com's Aidan Malley. "For now, the study supports Apple's notion that it wants to make the best computers, not the most computers and that it's therefore willing to give up market share for a better reputation."
Of course, the purchase price may start playing a larger role than overall quality. A US$2,000 15-inch MacBook Pro scored a 75 out of 100, while the next-leading PC laptop in the category, a Toshiba, scored a 64.
"The main point, for the average consumer, is the extra 11 points worth 1300$? To some, it will be. To the majority, cost is a major factor," commented cycomiko on the AppleInsider.com post on the subject.
"Sure. That's why Microsoft-based PCs have such a large market share. And that's just fine with many of us who think that Apple's high-margin, low-volume, high-quality, high-service, low-maintenance strategy 
is the way to go. Different strokes for different folks," added anantksundaram.
Of course, Quadra 610 brings up the obvious point on an Apple-focused fan site: "Is this news? Sure. But most of us already knew this. Even poor, long-suffering WinPC users. Still, nice to see all the same."
Wireless 3G Built In?
ran into A job post from Apple for quality assurance engineers to test Mac hardware with 3G wireless WAN (wide area network) cards caught the eye of Computerworld.com's Apple Ink blogger Seth Weintraub. Based on the job description and previous rumors about possible MacBook updates coming this summer, Weintraub muses that Apple might be looking at the inclusion of built-in 3G wireless data capabilities for its MacBooks. This could relate to a nascent Mac tablet device, he adds, but one of the specs noted in the job posting, Gigabit Ethernet, seemed to imply full-fledged Macs rather than smaller devices.
In any event, the notion was picked up and spread around the blogosphere.
"A few years ago, notebooks with embedded chips that could connect to cellular networks were thought to be the next big thing in mobile computing, but the concept didn't exactly pan out in the same way that WiFi is now ubiquitous in notebook computing," noted Tom Krazit on the Apple news section on Cnet.
A lot of it, of course, comes back to 3G service providers.
"I don't really get why 3G in laptops hasn't really gone any where," commented sting7k.
"Perhaps it is because no one really feels like buying a multi-year contract for a provider, when there are so many wifi hotspots around that let you online for free," explained Random_Walk.
"3G speeds pale in comparison to WiFi, and wireless carriers charge obscene rates for data," kcotham added. "It'll never take off."
True enough on the speed issue, but is it safe to say 3G will "never take off"?
"There's definitely a big push by carriers to add more devices to their portfolio, but the issue is quality of service," Chris Hazelton, research director of mobile and wireless for the 451 Group, told MacNewsWorld. "If you have too many devices attaching to a 3G network, you can have quality issues."
The high cost for 3G Internet data plans, then, isn't so much about 3G service providers looking to make massive profits as it is about limiting the number of customers to ensure that the architecture can support the service -- and still make a profit, no doubt.
As the next generation of data services delivered over upcoming 4G backbones arrives, the services will likely be increasingly integrated into laptops and additional devices. Right now, Hazelton said, the concern for end-users is getting a truly "unlimited" data plan. Some plans are marketed as "unlimited" but actually incur steep fees after a certain threshold is surpassed. There are still a few problems that need to be shaken out in the industry.
Still, "It's much easier to open your laptop and be connected anywhere rather than looking for a WiFi hotspot," Hazelton added.
Meanwhile, Psystar Goes Portable?
It seems as though the full weight of Apple's legal team has thus far been unable to crush upstart Mac clone maker Psystar. The tiny, independent system builder rose to fame (or infamy) last year when it began selling PCs running unauthorized versions of Mac OS X.
A curious MacRumors reader asked Psystar whether it's planning on producing an OS X-based netbook.
Psystar's "response confirmed that [it] did have a mobile Mac computer in development. This unannounced product may simply be an extension of their laptop initiative that has previously been revealed. Any sort of miniaturized laptop, however, could be very appealing to a certain segment of the Apple's installed base," MacRumors.com reported.
Interesting news, indeed.
"I doubt they will make anything that compares to the solution Apple comes up with, but this will for sure give users the chance to get an OS X netbook without going through the hackintosh of say a Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) Mini," commented xhambonex.
"A 300-400 dollars netbook, with no option from Apple, could be the answer mac users have been waiting for: there are many people that think the [MacBook Air] is not small enough and it's very expensive," added Macmel.
Then "macrumors god" arn chimed in: "Yep. I'd probably try a $400 Psystar Mac OS X netbook."
Talkback: 
