The Apple Specialist Marketing Co-op (ASMC) is proud to announce the first annual Apple Specialist Pre-Holiday Sale. More than 130 independent Apple Specialist Reseller locations in the US and Canada are participating in this event. Buyers will receive up to $200 of useful gifts with each new Mac in addition to special holiday pricing on both new and recently discontinued models. A full list of participating locations is available at www.applespecialist.com/sale.

“This is the biggest sales event in Apple Specialist history and we’ve pulled out all the stops,” said Kevin Langdon, ASMC Executive Director and owner of Crywolf Computers in San Diego, CA. “We have very strong support from Apple, Brenthaven, Canon, Epson, HP, Mac Video Training and STM Bags — overall we have the best, most aggressive deals on a new Mac you can get anywhere.”

Buyers can receive a free color inkjet printer (up to a $99 value, after mail-in rebate), a free “Quickstart Your Mac” training disc (a $40 value) and, with new Mac portables, a free high quality laptop case (up to an $85 value). And that’s on top of the special pricing deals that will only be made available to buyers at the event.

“Depending on which items you buy, you can save hundreds of dollars at this event,” said Langdon. “This is truly an unprecedented effort by the Apple Specialists to offer their loyal customers something extra during these tough times.”

Not all locations will be participating for all three days, please see www.applespecialist.com/sale for specific location details. Also, prices and participation may vary by location. The AppleCare Protection Plan may be required to qualify for some offers. All offers valid while supplies last. Some offers require manufacturer mail-in rebates. All offers expire no later than end of business on Sunday, November 23, 2008.

“Apple Specialists provide the complete, one-stop solution for all their clients’ Macintosh product and service needs,” Langdon said. “Apple Specialists don’t just sell boxes — we consult with our clients and design custom computing solutions to fit their specific requirements. And this weekend we have the very best deals in North America, too.”

The Apple Specialists Marketing Co-op represents 160 Apple Specialist Dealers, Apple Authorized Resellers and Apple Authorized Service Providers with more than 300 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Our members are listed online at www.applespecialist.com.

The MacBook Air is encased in anodized aluminum, weighing only 3.0 pounds which maks it the lightest computer on the market at this time. I say at this time, because I’m sure it won’t be long before the new MacBook Air will get in our greedy consumers hands. Rumor has it that Apple will replace all aluminum with carbon fiber parts. And we’ve seen lately that most of Apple related rumors turn to reality.Carbon fiber is an extremely lightweight material, being at the same time exceptionally strong. Only by just replacing the lower case, the new Macbook Air could weigh 2.78 pounds or lower. Well again we’ll just have to wait and see.

Via Mobilewhack

Just because Psystar and Apple recently decided to enter into arbitration instead of going to court doesn’t mean that Psystar isn’t going to try to sell as many machines as possible before the final decision comes down, no siree bob. In fact, today, Psystar decided to one-up Apple, not only releasing a new model of clone, but one that comes with a built-in, patented Blu-Ray bag of hurt plus Nvidia’s new 9800GT graphics card—beating Apple to the punch, at least for now. I’m guessing that this will give Messrs. Cooperman and Yorio lots to arbitrate.

Via MacUser

The iTunes Store offers a stellar lineup of primetime programming in HD from all 4 major TV networks, Apple today announced. That includes popular shows from ABC (Grey’s Anatomy and Lost), CBS (CSI and CSI: Miami), FOX (Prison Break), and NBC Universal (Heroes and The Office). iTunes has now sold over 200 million TV episodes, including more than 1 million HD episodes since last month’s launch of HD programming. Filed under: iPod+iTunes.

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One of the top drum loop companies making Apple Loops for musicians released a new collection of drums. Beta Monkey music just released Drum Werks XIII and is available for download.

Drum Werks is the company’s flagship product that encompasses many different genres of music, from Rock to Country. This newest release focuses on old school funk, funk-rock, soul and R&B.

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The MacBook Air will feature more storage capacity and faster graphics, Apple announced Tuesday during a press event at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. The revamped versions of the smallest and thinnest laptop in Apple’s portable product line will ship in early November at the same $1,799 and $2,499 prices as the current systems.

The graphics improvements are being ushered in by Apple’s switch to the Nvidia GeForce 9400M—the same core graphics chipset Apple is introducing to both its MacBook Pro and MacBook models. The Nvidia GeForce 9400M will be embedded on the computer’s motherboard, as was the case with the Intel GMA X3100 graphics chipset it replaces. Apple says the new graphics architecture in the Air promises four times the speed of the old system, though it won’t run as quickly as on other MacBook models due to thermal concerns.

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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.

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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 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 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.