Today's Apple updates

Today, Apple updated their.............

MacBooks (Not Pro), Mac Minis, iMacs, Mice, Apple Remote, Airport Extreme, and Time Capsule.


In my opinion, the MacBooks didn't get such a great refresh. Some things about it are better, while some are worse.

The design of the MacBook is now more like the aluminum MacBook Pros, but they're still made from polycarbonate plastic. A few things have changed with the ports. The display is now LED backlit just like in the 13" MacBook Pro. The Mini-DVI port for video output has been replaced with a Mini-Displayport ... port, just like the rest of the Macs currently use. The audio in and out connectors have been combined like on the 13" MacBook Pro, and the Firewire port is..... gone. The processor is now a 2.26 Ghz Core 2 Duo, which is 0.13 Ghz faster than the previous MacBook, While 2GB of RAM are still included, it is now 1066 Mhz DDR3 RAM, as opposed to the previous MacBook's 800 Mhz DDR2 RAM. The hard drive capacity increased from 160GB to 250GB. The MacBook now weighs 4.7 lbs, 3 lbs lighter than the previous generation. The battery now lasts 7 hours, but unfortunately, it's built into the computer like with the current MacBook Pros.

I'd like to point out something that doesn't make any sense. The 13" MacBook costs $999 USD ($1099 CAD) and includes a 250GB hard drive, while the 13" MacBook Pro costs $1199 USD ($1299 CAD) and includes a 160GB hard drive. Find the logic in that! I guess that means that updates are coming to the MacBook Pros soon.

The Mac Mini is the same as the previous generation for the most part, but with an interesting addition. The Mac Mini is available at speeds of 2.26 Ghz, 2.53 Ghz, and 2.66 Ghz using a Core 2 Duo processor. That's up from 2.0 Ghz and 2.26 Ghz. The low-end Mac Mini can now use 256MB for graphics, same as the high-end.

The major addition for the Mac Mini is a new server configuration for $999 USD ($1099 CAD). This configuration runs at 2.53 Ghz and replaces the DVD-RW drive, allowing for a total of 1TB of disk space.

The iMac had a redesign. It is now available with 16:9 LED backlit displays with sizes of 21.5" and 27". The 21.5" display has a resolution of 1920x1080, while the 27" display has a resolution of 2560x1440. All iMacs include 4GB of 1066 Mhz DDR3 RAM. All standard configurations include a 1TB drive except for the least expensive one which includes a 500GB drive. The $1199 USD ($1299 CAD) iMac includes a 3.06 Ghz Core 2 Duo processor with an option for a 3.33 Ghz processor. The 27" model has those processor options, as well as a quad-core 2.66 Ghz Core i5, or a 2.8 Ghz Core i7.

Wait a minute!... 2.8 Ghz quad-core? Isn't that a little bit fast for a laptop processor?

That's right. The new iMacs are the first Intel iMacs to use desktop processors instead of laptop processors. The graphics start with the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 integrated graphics, with the option for an ATI (AMD) Radeon HD 4670, or the Radeon HD 4850 (The ATI Radeon HD 4850 is only available with the 27" iMac). The 27" iMac now has 4 RAM slots while the 21.5" iMac still has 2 slots. The iMac now also has an SD card slot. The 27" iMac also offers video through the Mini-Displayport connection, which allows the computer to be used as an external display.

Included with the new iMac, is Apple's new mouse, called the Magic Mouse. The Magic Mouse is in the process of replacing the current Mighty Mouse. The magic mouse is a wireless laser mouse, but the unique point of it, is that the surface of it is fully touch sensitive. You can primary click, secondary click, scroll, etc. just by touching the surface of the mouse. In my opinion, it's cool and definitely a neat concept, but I don't think it will be practical for day-to-day use. I'm not sure if it has a physical click, but I'm guessing that it doesn't based on the concept.

The Apple Remote is now made from aluminum and has a slightly different button configuration than the old Apple Remote.

The Airport Extreme and Time capsule were updated with a slightly revised antenna, which allows for better performance under wireless and a greater range.

In summary:

The new MacBook
+ Refreshed look to match that of the MacBook Pro
+ 7-hour battery life
+ LED backlit display
+ Fairly powerful integrated graphics

- Non-removable battery
- Firewire removed (again)

The refreshed Mac Mini
+ New server option allows one to run a server using very little power
+ Still small and quiet
+ Fairly powerful integrated graphics

- Uses 5400 RPM laptop hard drives
- Doesn't include a keyboard or mouse
- Expensive for what you get

The new iMac
+ LED backlit display
+ Display has a high pixel per inch ratio
+ Display is IPS (high quality)
+ Uses desktop processors which allow faster speeds for less money
+ Has a Core i5/i7 option
+ 27" model can support up to 16GB of RAM
+ 27" model can be used as an external display

- Starts at $1199 USD ($1299 CAD)
- Core i5 and i7 only available on 27" model
- Costs $300 to upgrade the hard drive from 500GB to 1GB and upgrade to the Radeon HD 4670

Magic Mouse
+ Innovative concept
+ Can't get dust caught underneath the scroll ball like with the Mighty Mouse
+ Wireless

- Unpractical for daily use
- Bad for gaming

New Aluminum Apple Remote.

Refreshed Airport Extreme and Time Capsule.