When the Apple Store went down this morning we knew we were in for a treat, but we had only hoped it would end up like this! After iPods got an update for the holidays, it followed that the Mac line couldn't be far behind. Power and performance upgrades are seen across the board, but guess what? No need to prepare yourself for sticker shock. There weren't any price cuts, per se, but now you're getting a whole lot more computer for your money. Read on the see what's in store for you if you're in the market for a new Mac.
MacBook
The MacBook may have gotten some serious performance upgrades, but there's no compromise on price: Apple's entry level laptop offering is still a cool $999. Lucky for us, too; we'd have plunked down more cash than that for the new design and features. First and formost is the new polycarbonate unibody frame--it's lighter and thinner than its predecessor at 1.08 inches and 4.7 pounds. And aside from looking good, the new frame has gotten a major functional update. Instead of a few rubberized feet for stability, the entire base of the laptop is coated with nonstick material to keep your laptop exactly where you put it. As pretty as its outside is, its insides are better. The screen is backlit by LEDs and boasts an impressive 1280 x 800 pixel resolution for improved visibility and clarity. The Multi-Touch Trackpad allows you to replicate familiar functions from finger swipes to pinching and finger rotation for a variety of intutive responses; just what we've come to expect from Apple. An improved keyboard, built in iSight camera and longer battery life round out the updates--oh, and did we mention the new 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor? Those got an upgrade too.
- 2.26 GHz: $999
Mac mini
Tiny, affordable, and incredibly energy efficient, the Mac mini is anything but small. Using only 14 watts of power when idle, the Mac Mini uses 10 times less power than the average desktop PC. The freshly updated model has an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.and the low-end Mac Mini comes with a 2.26GHz processor, 2GB of SDRAM and a 160GB hard drive. The low end. The 2.53GHz high-end Mac Mini has 4GB of SDRAM and up to 320GB on the hard drive. While the price only includes the mini itself, there are plenty of displays to choose from and keyboards and mice are easily customizable in the Apple Store...although with the new Magic Mouse, we don't think you have any other choice there!
- 160GB: $599
- 320GB: $799
iMac
Following in it's smaller sibling's footsteps, the new iMac gets power and performance upgardes without a hefty price tag. An Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with anywhere from 3.06-3.33GHz doubles the memory (up to 4GB) and storage (up to 1TB) of the previous version. The new iMacs give users both HD resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio and HD precision with up to six times faster graphics performance than before thanks to NVIDIA. They also feature a flat-panel LCD screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution in the 21.5-inch version or 2560 x 1440 resolution for the 27-inch. Because of these new upgrades, the iMac is closing the gap on the Mac Pro too...it better watch its back! The iMac ships with Snow Leopard, of course, and wireless keyboard and the new Magic Mouse are standard. It's an all in one Mac in the Box, and aside from its obvious talents, it's energy efficient too...bravo. Bravo.
- 21.5 Inch 3.06GHz: $1,199
- 27 Inch 3.06GHZ: $1,799
Magic Mouse
Ever play with your iPhone and wish your Mac were as intuitively easy to control? Well, it's like the Apple Fairy heard your wishes, and made the Magic Mouse just for you. No buttons, no side wheels, no wire, no bulk--this is a whole new way to interact with your computer and the core rests in Multi-Touch technology. Just like the screen on your iPod touch and iPhone, this mouse senses gestures and relays them lickety-split to your computer...twirl, pinch, rotate and swipe to your heart's content, and let the Magic Mouse live up to its name. Sensitive laser tracking also eliminates the need for a mouse pad.
- Standard with iMac, otherwise $69
More Apple
More News
iPad Costs
iSuppli Corp., which generally waits until it can actually get the new Apple product to estimate its production cost, has decided to forgo hands on examination in the case of the iPad. They have--from just looking at it, it's amazing--decided the base model only costs $219.35 for Apple to produce. According to AppleInsider the base model won't make Apple anywhere near as much profit as the 32 GB model with 3G wireless priced at $729...that one reportedly costs only $287.15 to produce.
That's some profit! No wonder Apple execs have said they'd stay nimble on pricing! With demand for the iPad under scrutiny and this week's news that the "Take Picture" hint was removed from the Address Book app in the iPad simulator even we are starting to wonder if it's not worth waiting for the 2nd generation.
Trust us, it's painful to say.
Google Challenges the Internet
"Think Big" indeed. This time, Google is setting its sights on the very way we transmit information and asking people from around the country to nominate their city or state to be included in an ultra-high speed open internet network of Google's building. Set to include anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 people, this network will boast 1GB per second fiber optic connections that Google reps are hoping will bolster developer creativity, test new ways to build the infrastructure and challenge internet service providers to band together to create a better internet instead of shunning change to maintain their bottom lines.
This is huge news, and we hope our city is on the receiving end of the new interwebs...here's the official Google Blog if you want to read it all in detail or submit your community.
Dogs on Twitter
From the country that's given us karate and karaoke comes the newest iPhone app: that's right, Japan's Index Corp. has announced the release of "Bowlingual," the dog emotion translator. Latest in a long line of technological advances, this app (to be released this summer) analyzes Fido's bark and puts it into one of six categories, like "needy." Or "happy." Then it adds a caption based on the emotion and allows you to snap a photo of your pooch in its current mood; as if that weren't enough it can modify that photo to enlarge your pet's eyes...oh...so cute.
Seriously, the app is set to sell for $5 and will post your pet's barks to Twitter. Silly? Yes. Fun? Probably!!
Will you let your dog speak his mind? Tell us here.
