Apple Releases New Desktops, Unibody MacBook, and Multi-Touch Mouse
While not including integrated Blu-ray Disc drives, the new iMacs still get an impressive upgrade with new edge-to-edge glass 16:9 widescreen displays with LED backlighting in 21.5- and 27-inch sizes (with two models in each size bracket). They both offer, at minimum, a native 1080p high definition resolution (with the 27-inch sizes providing a 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution), and they take a cue from Apple's MacBook Pro unibody construction with a precision-forged aluminum enclosure. Three of the iMacs get a speed boost to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, while the top-of-the-line 27-incher gets blessed with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor. The four iMac variants are as follows:
- 21.5-inch screen, 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 500 GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics
- 21.5-inch screen, 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 TB hard drive, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256 MB DDR3 discrete memory
- 27-inch screen, 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 TB hard drive, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256 MB DDR3 discrete memory
- 27-inch screen, 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, 1 TB hard drive, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512 MB DDR3 discrete memory
Aside from the improved screen and new enclosure, the biggest new feature of the iMac is the inclusion of Apple's new wireless Magic Mouse (as well as a wireless Apple keyboard; previously iMacs came with wired peripherals). The Magic Mouse (also available separately) uses the same Apple Multi-Touch technology found on the iPhone and MacBook trackpads, and it includes no buttons or scroll wheel--the entire seamless top is a button as well as a touch-sensitive surface. And like Apple's other Multi-Touch products, it supports actions based on a number of gestures, such as two fingered swipes to browse through photos or Cover Flow in iTunes. The Magic Mouse connects to Macs via Bluetooth.
The entry-level MacBook gets a bit more of an overhaul with a new unibody, polycarbonate enclosure, glass Multi-Touch trackpad, LED-backlit display, and the non-removable, long-life battery that the MacBook Pro lineup has been outfitted with. The MacBook's battery promises up to 7 hours of continuous use. In addition to shaving off a couple ounces from its predecessor, TUAW notes that the new MacBook has shed itself of a couple of ports--the FireWire 400 port and a dedicated audio output jack (the audio jack now does double in-and-out duty).
The Mac mini also got refreshed with some speedier processing power with two versions--one with a 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 160 GB hard drive and another with a 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 160 GB hard drive. Nothing too exciting, but Apple is offering an interesting build-to-order twist that comes with the Snow Leopard Server operating system as well as dual 500 GB hard drives. As Glenn Fleishman notes over at TidBITS:
These specifications turn the Mac mini into a server powerhouse for a small network, with enough performance to drive email and spam filtering, internal Web service, file sharing, and a host of other tasks. It lacks only a second Ethernet port to act as a firewalled gateway for a network.In addition to the refreshed Macs and reinvigorated mouse, Apple also quietly released new versions of the Airport Extreme wireless router and two sizes of the Time Capsule Wi-Fi router/backup device (in 1 TB and 2 TB sizes). The devices are now certified for 802.11n networking (not just the Draft-N standard) and have redesigned antennas that Apple claims to significantly improve both data speeds and range. Finally, the spare, white plastic Apple Remote that's been shipped for years has been replaced by a new Remote with an aluminum enclosure featuring black buttons. The Apple product page notes that it works with Macs and iPods/iPhones, but it doesn't list the Apple TV (though there's no reason to think it wouldn't)
--Agen G.N. Schmitz
LoboSolo on October 21, 2009 at 02:11 PM
I'm glad that is nothing exciting enough to want me to trade in my MacBook. I like have the firewire and the audio-in with a 2.2 GHz Duo processor. I do use a mic quite often when I communicate over the net. I don't know if my headset with a mic would work on just the audio-out connection even it can handle both ... Can it handle both at the same time and are the headsets with mics designed to send the voice signal over the earphone?
If Apple doesn't think that people use the audio-in plug much (and at the same time they use a headset), they are seriously mistaken.
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