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Apple unveiled the New Macbook Aire 11? and 13?

Frank Guillen — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:45:36 +0000

Apple today unveiled an all new MacBook Air, the first of a next generation of notebooks which will replace mechanical hard disks and optical drives with Internet services and solid state flash storage. These next generation notebooks are:
faster–solid state flash storage is up to twice as fast as hard drive storage
more reliable–hard drive crashes are eliminated
lighter and smaller–solid state flash storage is up to 90 percent smaller and lighter than hard drives

Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models and weighing as little as 2.3 pounds, the new MacBook Air is Apple’s lightest and most portable notebook ever. MacBook Air uses the same solid state storage technology as iPad™ to deliver instant-on responsiveness, up to seven hours of battery life and up to 30 days of standby time.* Starting at $999, the affordable MacBook Air defines the next generation of MacBooks.

With its precision aluminum unibody enclosure, the new MacBook Air measures an incredibly thin 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest, and weighs just 2.3 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.9 pounds for the 13-inch. Like iPad, MacBook Air was designed from the ground up to use flash storage exclusively. Apple’s custom-designed flash storage is 90 percent smaller and lighter than a conventional notebook hard drive, contributing to MacBook Air’s mobile, featherweight design. MacBook Air’s flash storage also provides faster data access and is more reliable than notebook hard drives due to its solid state design.

MacBook Air features a full-sized keyboard for typing comfort and productivity, as well as the highly acclaimed glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad found on Apple’s MacBook® Pro, so you can scroll through web sites, flip through photos, and resize or rotate images all from the trackpad. The built-in FaceTime® camera, mic and stereo speakers are perfect for video calls with iPhone® 4, iPod touch® and other Macs.

Flash storage combined with power-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processors and NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics delivers an ideal balance of mobility, battery life and performance. MacBook Air features an 11.6-inch or 13.3-inch high-resolution LED-backlit display and Mini DisplayPort to connect your 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display, projector or HD TV. Ultra-fast 802.11n Wi-Fi networking allows you to download music and movies from iTunes®, back up data to Time Capsule and store or share files with MobileMe? and iDisk. MacBook Air includes Bluetooth 2.1+EDR for wireless peripherals and two USB ports making it easy to sync and charge an iPad, iPhone or iPod® while using another device. The 13-inch MacBook Air also includes an SD card slot.

Apple makes the industry’s greenest notebooks and the MacBook Air is the latest Mac® notebook to achieve EPEAT Gold status and meet Energy Star 5.0 requirements. Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.

Apple uses advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology to create a MacBook Air battery that delivers up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and up to 1,000 recharges. The built-in battery design results in less waste, and depleted MacBook Air batteries can be replaced for $129, which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner.

Every Mac comes with Mac OS® X Snow Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife®, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Snow Leopard builds on more than a decade of innovation and includes multiple features for portable computing such as Multi-Touch navigation, advanced wireless networking, easy file sharing, automated data backup and intelligent power management. The new iLife ‘11 features iPhoto® with stunning full screen views for browsing, editing and sharing photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use tools to transform home videos into fun theatrical trailers; and GarageBand® with new ways to improve your playing and create great sounding songs.

The 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air are immediately available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The 1.4 GHz 11-inch MacBook Air with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage starts at a suggested retail price of $999 (US) with a 128GB model for $1,199 (US). The 1.86 GHz 13-inch MacBook Air with 2GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starts at a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US) with a 256GB model for $1,599 (US). Configure-to-order options and accessories include faster processors, 4GB of memory, MacBook Air SuperDrive® and a USB Ethernet Adapter.

Apple launches lighter, faster Macbook Air 11? and 13?

Frank Guillen — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:44:18 +0000

Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models and weighing as little as 2.3 pounds, the new MacBook Air is Apple’s lightest and most portable notebook ever. MacBook Air uses the same solid state storage technology as iPad™ to deliver instant-on responsiveness, up to seven hours of battery life and up to 30 days of standby time.* Starting at $999, the affordable MacBook Air defines the next generation of MacBooks.

With its precision aluminum unibody enclosure, the new MacBook Air measures an incredibly thin 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest, and weighs just 2.3 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.9 pounds for the 13-inch. Like iPad, MacBook Air was designed from the ground up to use flash storage exclusively. Apple’s custom-designed flash storage is 90 percent smaller and lighter than a conventional notebook hard drive, contributing to MacBook Air’s mobile, featherweight design. MacBook Air’s flash storage also provides faster data access and is more reliable than notebook hard drives due to its solid state design.

MacBook Air features a full-sized keyboard for typing comfort and productivity, as well as the highly acclaimed glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad found on Apple’s MacBook® Pro, so you can scroll through web sites, flip through photos, and resize or rotate images all from the trackpad. The built-in FaceTime® camera, mic and stereo speakers are perfect for video calls with iPhone® 4, iPod touch® and other Macs.

Flash storage combined with power-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processors and NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics delivers an ideal balance of mobility, battery life and performance. MacBook Air features an 11.6-inch or 13.3-inch high-resolution LED-backlit display and Mini DisplayPort to connect your 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display, projector or HD TV. Ultra-fast 802.11n Wi-Fi networking allows you to download music and movies from iTunes®, back up data to Time Capsule and store or share files with MobileMe? and iDisk. MacBook Air includes Bluetooth 2.1+EDR for wireless peripherals and two USB ports making it easy to sync and charge an iPad, iPhone or iPod® while using another device. The 13-inch MacBook Air also includes an SD card slot.

Apple makes the industry’s greenest notebooks and the MacBook Air is the latest Mac® notebook to achieve EPEAT Gold status and meet Energy Star 5.0 requirements. Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.

Every Mac comes with Mac OS® X Snow Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife®, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Snow Leopard builds on more than a decade of innovation and includes multiple features for portable computing such as Multi-Touch navigation, advanced wireless networking, easy file sharing, automated data backup and intelligent power management. The new iLife ’11 features iPhoto® with stunning full screen views for browsing, editing and sharing photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use tools to transform home videos into fun theatrical trailers; and GarageBand® with new ways to improve your playing and create great sounding songs.

Apple is delaying the Mac potential

Frank Guillen — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:44:02 +0000

Today news is that the next major release of Final Cut Pro will be delayed to 2011 as the closer date and that new features and a complete interface overhaul could be put on hold until 2013, this news has been around since the begining of the year, Apple is putting too much resources into its mobile business and the Mac as a platform is relegated to a second class, the mac platform is still virgin, there is a enormous potential within the Mac OS X and its applications, but Apple success in the mobile business has changed its main focus, now the Mac is seen as the perfect mobile platform and not as the graphic design universe, a title that Apple keeps to its chest, but that has been losing market buzz because Apple transition from a computer market to a mobile busines.

The Mac is growing, slowly and the Halo Effect is working, but just when the Mac is poised to grow a little faster Apple launched the iPad, another mobile device that will in one way or another cannibalize the Macbook and the whole OS X for desktop and there is not sign that
a full-OS X tablet could hit the market any date soon that could help the mac desktop business to grow exponentially.

There’s nothing new in Mac OS X, not innovations that capture new users imagination, the system is taking a long vacation, there isn’t any rumor about what will be added to the next 10.7 or any new implementation that could help the whole platform expand for itself, but We are hearing about merging iOS features with the Mac OS X desktop to help mobile applications to run freely, this is nothing new and the platform is getting dust without its own innovation cycle and while Apple polishes the iOS Microsoft is adding new feature to Windows 7, those features are already inside Mac OS X and there is nothing to fear, but perception is that Windows 7 is new while Mac OS X, even with the same features, looks old and quasi-abandoned.

Apple stated that they has transformed into the bigger mobile company in the world and that’s a good thing, but at Mac OS X expense, all major implementation, new features, tweaks and more are added to iOS, the little brother.

I would like to see Mac OS X advertising elsewhere, new features that transform how We interact with computers and new and amazing applications working on Mac OS X, the mobile business is good, thank God, but I spend more time working on my Mac Pro than surfing the net with the iPad and from a business perspective Apple is not taking advantage of Mac OS X as a real and competitive OS to displace Windows in any major market, it seems that Apple is satisfied with how Mac OS X is only related to actual mac users.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7? a dead man walking against the iPad

Frank Guillen — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:09:13 +0000

Samsung is creating a lot of buzz about the Galaxy Tab 7″, its first Android-based tablet that is poised to take on the iPad, but falls short in price and size, two of the most important factors when comparing it with the iPad and a not so smart move from Samsung that will only look interesting to Apple haters or heavy smokers.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″ is a nicely conceived device that Samsung is trying to pitch against the iPad, the Galaxy Tab comes with a 7 inches display while the iPad comes with 9.7″, but size is just one of the drawbacks, it has premium price over the iPad and a carrier contract is mandatory in order to have access to the Android Market, these two things make the Galaxy Tabs a DOA (dead on arrive) device, its hefty price has been the center of numerous discussions and fanboys and phandroids got to the cruel conclusion that it won’t be adopted by too many Android users.

But the real irony here is that phandroids joked about how the iPad was just a big iPod Touch, but now realized that the Galaxy Tab is a 7″ mobile phone acting like a tablet and offering nothing new against the iPad for a higher price, putting out of reach of millions of Android users that already have a carrier contract and won’t be having another one just for the Galaxy Tab.

Sorry Samsung, I would like to have one Galaxy Tab, but when I realized that the price would be higher than the iPad for a 7″ device that I can’t justify that big ammount of money, I would buy first a Macbook or two iPads without remorse.

Pricing the Galaxy Tab between $900 and $1000 is one of the dumbest things I have seen in a product that even before its introduction offers too little features, but it can get worse if Apple bundles the iPad with an iPod Touch Nano for christmas, it can be a total mess for Samsung and its Sony-style pricing strategy that is guaranteed to fail.

It’s too small for a ebook reader and too big for a mobile phone, sorry Samsung, not this time.

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The 15-inch MacBook Pro

dario_lorenzo — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:35:24 +0000

The live Apple coverage made earlier today had some information about the new MacBook Pro, but if you want specific details just keep reading.

* Prices: from $2,000 to $2,500 depending on the processor + graphics card + memory ram + hard-drive.
* Alternative Prices: as low as $48 per month for the low-end model, which means it will take a few years to complete payment.
* New Stuff: Multi-Touch trackpad that doesn’t have a button, so Appleish…

In the specifications list, the new MacBook Pro boasts the following details:

* Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.53GHz, or if you want better go for the 2.8GHz processor
* 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM Memory, at 1066MHz
* 128GB SolidState Drive, or 320GB SATA, or if you need something smaller there is a 250GB Serial ATA
* Integrated Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, or a normal 9600M GT with 256MB

All the other features are equal to both laptops, which includes a SuperDrive 8x, a Backlit Keyboard.

The 13-inch MacBook (white)

dario_lorenzo — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:30:36 +0000

One of the fresh laptops presented by Steve Jobs earlier today was the (White) MacBook that will only cost $999, that is, if you pick the basic features like only 1GB of RAM.

It took a long time to reach this “below $1,000 MacBook” goal, but it is here and it is real:

* Prices: from $999 to $1,374 depending on the Hard-Drive and RAM memory
* Alternative Price: as low as $24 per month for the low-end model, but you must use a Juniper Visa Card
* New Stuff: White color
* Default Processor: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

The following options are available when picking your configuration:

* 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of DDR2 RAM Memory
* 120GB, 160GB, or 250GB Serial ATA Hard-Drive

Via Apple

Apple new Cinema Display too pricey, buy a iMac 24″ or 3 Samsung Syncmaster 24″

whatz — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:47:34 +0000

Apple today introduced a new LED based 24″ Cinema Display especially designed for the Macbooks, featuring the new Display Port, 1920 x 1200 resolution, stereo speakers, a MagSafe to power your Macbook, a USB port.

While the design is beautiful and the added technology makes it more interesting the price is too high for what it offers, it is a iMac case that behave like a Display but without the iMac and if I want to have a bigger display for my new Macbook this is not the correct one, with this money I can buy a iMac 24″ refurbished that will be more productive than an dull Display. Sorry Apple, not this time

The $899 price is tooo high for a secondary display, instead the smarter thing to do is spend it in two or even 3 display from Samsung, while I won’t discuss that the display looks beautiful, but please the price is out of proportion when you can buy an iMac 24″ refurbished for the same price and even if you need more thand that, you can buy a Epson or any other Projector that you can hook up your Macbook.

Check these offers, while these displays are not Cinema, they look interesting and their beauty relies on their price, check it….

Dell S2409W Black 24″ Widescreen LCD Monitor $324
Samsung T260HD 25.5″ Widescreen LCD Monitor 526.99
Samsung SyncMaster 245BW Black 24″ Widescreen LCD Monitor $299.00

All prices come from PC World.com

Apple notebook event is done, not subnotebook, not Blu-Ray, not $800 laptop

whatz — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:42:46 +0000

Apple Notebook event has ended with a refresh in the notebook lineup, better graphics, new design and a sophisticated new construction method for Macbooks that revolutionate how electronics are built today.

The new Macbook comes in 13″, Ultrathin 13.3-inch LED-backlit display made completely of glass supporting a resolution of 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640 and the new Macbook Pro comes in 15″ supporting a resolution of 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640.

Apple is adding the new Nvidia 9400 and 9600 chipsets, so users can switch from one to another depending on their needs, Apple promises a 4 hours using the 9600 and 4 hours using the 9400 and at the same time added a new Display Port connector capable of powering a 30″ Display. Apple killed the Intel integrated chipset, the HDMI connector and the Firewire 400.

Apple ups the hard disc size in the 2.0 Ghz Macbook to 160GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive
Optional 250GB or 320GB 5400-rpm hard drive or 128GB solid-state drive and in the 2.4GHz MacBook to 250GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive Optional 320GB 5400-rpm hard drive or 128GB solid-state drive.

Both machines are available in November, the entre Macbook is priced at $999 and the Macbook Pro starts at $1999.

Missing in action:
• Apple is replacing Intel integrated graphic processor with the Nvidia 9600 and 9400.

• Firewire 400 is gone, Apple replaced it with a Firewire 800 port.

• Subnotebook, netbook anything except Macbooks will wait for next upgrades, Steve believes it’s a nascent market, too young.

• Blu-Ray is trueblosome, Apple doesn’t want users to suffer licensing cost. (sounded vague) almost all pc makers have laptops with Blu-Ray.

What to Expect of Apple MacBook Event

whatz — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:36:12 +0000

We’re about six hours away of the Apple MacBook event and we are anxious to see if any of the rumors we’ve had so far will be confirmed. So far we’ve seen the Brick Aluminum design; we’ve heard about the Apple netbook which is supposed to cost around $900; we’ve seen Best Buy prices which also revealed different color schemes and we’ve read quite a lot about the price cut everyone is expecting.

We don’t know that many things about the Air and we hope we will be in for some surprises. As we did with other Apple events, we’re going to keep you updated later on today when we’re going to be covering the event.

Via Mobilewhack

First Apple Store Opens tomorrow in Australia

whatz — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:35:40 +0000

Apple’s first retail store in Australia will open on George Street in Sydney on Thursday, 19 June at 5:00 p.m. Located in the heart of the city’s shopping district, the Apple Store® Sydney features two floors dedicated to Macs and iPods and a third floor entirely dedicated to service, including the world’s largest Genius Bar for free advice and personal training through Apple’s popular One to One membership.

“We are thrilled to bring the unique Apple retail experience to Australia,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “This breathtaking new store will be the ultimate place for the people of Sydney to shop, learn and be inspired.”

The Apple Store Sydney has more than 80 Macs and 60 iPods available for customers to experience hands-on, as well as an incredible range of third party products. The store’s knowledgeable staff includes more than 125 locally hired Specialists, Creatives and Geniuses who are ready to share their expertise and offer customers personalised instruction on everything from getting started with a Mac® to building their own web page, creating a podcast or making a digital movie.

Every Apple® retail store offers customers great ways to get the most out of their Mac and iPod®, such as free advice at the Genius Bar, popular in-store workshops and special programs for kids. Customers can also book a free appointment with a Personal Shopper to get expert buying advice or help selecting the perfect gift for everyone on their list. The hands-on Apple retail store experience gives customers a chance to test-drive Apple’s entire product line including the all-new MacBook Air™, the world’s thinnest notebook, as well as the widescreen iPod touch.

The Apple Store Sydney also brings Pro Labs to Australia, offering free, in-depth training on Apple’s professional creative applications for digital photography, music production and video editing including Final Cut Pro®.

Nearly 350 million people have visited Apple retail stores since they opened in May 2001. Apple now operates 215 retail stores in six countries including Australia, the US, UK, Japan, Canada and Italy.

The Apple Store Sydney is located at 367 George Street, one block North of the Queen Victoria Building.