TeddyK
on - last edited on by
ElizabethS
If not for the expected launch of OS X Lion, today’s series of announcements from Apple might as well have been termed “Thunderbolt announcements”. The high-speed connector port is pretty much at the centre of a lot of the upgrades mentioned today, and it’s clearly just the beginning of what will be a burgeoning aftermarket.
To summarize, Apple has announced a new MacBook Air, new Mac Mini, its first Thunderbolt-enabled 27” display monitor and OS X Lion.
MacBook Air goes through a tune up
The new MacBook Airs (11-inch and 13-inch) are the same weight, size, thickness and design as the previous generation from last year. The difference now is that the Core 2 Duo processors from before have been replaced with Core i5 and i7 processors. The RAM has also been bumped up on the 13 to 4GB. All of them use Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 card. The connectors and ports on the sides are virtually identical, save for the addition of Thunderbolt. Screen resolution remains the same, too. And, of course, they come preloaded with OS X Lion.
Another key addition is the backlit keyboard is back after a hiatus in the last version. Looks like Apple recognized consumers’ complaints about that going missing the last time.
I’m assuming that because of how thin it is, Apple is still forced to put a bezel around the screen instead of the flush edge-to-edge glass used in the MacBook Pro lineup.
It’s true that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, and it shows with the Airs, as these are just incremental upgrades from what was available before. Pre-orders are available from Future Shop now. The 11-inch will start at $999, while the 13-inch will start at $1,299.
One casualty of all these announcements is the entry-level white MacBook. After everything went live on Apple’s site, the white MacBook simply disappeared, and doesn’t appear to be for sale anymore. Apple hasn’t commented on this as of yet, however.
Mac Mini loses its drive
The Mac Mini’s new upgrades are bit more intriguing, particularly because this new iteration has done away with the CD/DVD drive. The new-look Mini looks like a cross between an Airport Extreme router and the old Apple TV, only with a slicker aluminum body. What matters in this update is that ‘the little box that could’ has been tweaked to increase processor and graphics performance to the point where Apple can position the Mini as a versatile work and gaming desktop.
There are choices between 2.3GHz or 2.5GHz dual-core Core i5 or a 2.7GHz Core i7 processors. The 256MB AMD Radeon HD graphics processor is supposed to double graphics performance, but that remains to be seen.
The Mini isn’t without a slew of ports in the back. The image above speaks for itself, but as you can see, you’re not tied to the Thunderbolt port, as you can just use HDMI to connect to any display you want, including a TV. In fact, that’s one of the best applications for a Mini — plugged into your TV as a media player and server.
The Mini starts at $599 for the 2.3GHz Core i5 model, while the 2.5GHz Core i5 model is $799. Upgrading to the 2.7GHz model will cost more.
The iMac-like Thunderbolt monitor
Which leads us to the new Thunderbolt display monitor. This monster 27-inch LED-backlit display looks a lot like an iMac, but obviously isn’t. Apple smartly included a MagSafe connector to the Thunderbolt cable so that you can use the monitor’s power to charge any Mac laptop.
That aside, the technology behind the monitor is now a huge departure from the 27-inch iMac. The resolution is the same at 2560x1440, as is the look and feel of it.
The monitor doesn’t come cheap at $999, so this isn’t really a display for everyone.
As for OS X Lion, fellow bloggers on here have covered that pretty extensively, and I’m sure we’ll have something more on it once we’ve all played with it.
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