Tag Archives: MacBook

Apple solidifies Watch release date & pricing, unveils HBO standalone streaming service, HealthKit, plus a shiny new MacBook

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On Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook hosted the company’s latest keynote dubbed “Spring Forward” and it packed quite a punch. Everyone was expecting more details about the anticipated Apple Watch–release date and pricing was finally made known–but before getting to all that, Cook announced an exciting launch with HBO, he introduced a forward-thinking platform called HealthKit that aims to support the medical field in new and exciting ways, and a brand new MacBook packed with all kinds of cool technology made its debut. For all the details, skip after the break. Continue reading Apple solidifies Watch release date & pricing, unveils HBO standalone streaming service, HealthKit, plus a shiny new MacBook →

WWDC 2012: Apple refreshes MacBook lineup, intros iOS 6, talks Mountain Lion

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At this year’s World Wide Developer’s Conference, Apple spent equal time talking about hardware and software updates. The annual event heated up when the MacBook lineup received a healthy dose of upgraded processors and graphics, among other spec bumps. Also, a brand new “next-generation” MacBook Pro was unveiled. Later, the mobile iOS that powers iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches was significantly enhanced with the introduction of iOS 6. For all the details, read on.

MacBook

The MacBook Air was refreshed with the following spec bumps. The thin-and-light laptop now packs the 3rd-gen Intel Core processors, also known as Ivy Bridge; these dual-core i7s can reach speeds up to 2.0GHz (or up to 3.2GHz with Turbo Boost). Memory reaches 8GB 1600MHz, and graphics can perform up to sixty percent faster. Flash storage has been beefed up to 512 GB and is 2x speedier featuring a 500MBps read speed. The Air also includes a USB 3 port and a FaceTime HD camera (720p). There are two 11-inch and two 13-inch configurations, both shipping today and both starting at $100 cheaper than the previous generation. The 11-inch MacBook Air with 64GB starts at $999 and the 13-inch Air with128GB starts at $1,199.

The MacBook Pro was also refreshed and here are the note-worthy spec bumps. Just like the new Airs, the updated Pros now include the 3rd-gen “Ivy Bridge” Intel Core processors; these dual-core i7 processors reach speeds up to 2.7GHz (or up to 3.7GHz with Turbo Boost). Memory reachers 8GB 1600MHz. Graphics are upgraded to NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 650M (based on the graphics chip maker’s new Kepler architecture), with up to 1GB video memory that is up to sixty percent faster than before. USB 3 is on board. There are two 13-inch and two 15-inch MacBook Pro configurations, both shipping today and they start at the same price ranges as the previous generation Pros. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.5GHz processor speed starts at $1,199 and the 15-inch Pro with a 2.3GHz speed starts at $1,799.

And now we move onto what Apple is branding the “next generation” MacBook Pro. The company says it’s “the best computer we’ve ever made.” In short, what makes this new breed of Pro so special is that it’s made thinner and lighter and it packs a gorgeous Retina Display. You want hard specs, so here they are. This new Pro measures at 0.71 inches thin (a quarter thinner than the standard Pro) and it weighs 4.4 pounds. The 15.4-inch screen is a Retina Display with an impressive resolution of 2880×1800, packing 4x the number of pixels than the previous-gen Pro. With 220 pixels per inch, Apple crowns this “the world’s highest-resolution notebook display.” Lion has been updated to take advantage of the higher resolution; Mac apps like Mail, Safari, iMovie and iPhoto will be compatible, along with others like Aperture, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Autocad, and the game Diablo 3. Just like they had to do when the Retina Display came to the iPhone, software developers will have to update their apps to make them Retina-ready. Jumping inside, the Pro runs on Intel’s fastest quad-core processors, that is Core i7s up to 2.7GHz (or up to 3.7GHz with Turbo Boost); memory goes up to 16GB 1600MHz; next-gen NVIDIA Kepler graphics GeForce GT 650M; up to 768GB fast flash storage; up to 7 hours of battery life with 30 days of standby time. Across the left-side of the powerful, noticeably thinner lappy you’ll find an SD card slot, HDMI, and USB 3 ports; along the right side there’s a MagSafe 2 port (the new port has been made thinner to fit the design), two Thunderbolt ports, USB 3, and a headphone jack. That’s right, this Pro has ditched an optical drive, FireWire, and Gigabit Ethernet. Apple sells adapters if you require these. Additionally, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display features a glass multitouch trackpad, backlit keyboard, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, stereo speakers, and a new internal fan system that outputs nearly imperceptible sound. Two configurations of the next-gen Pro ship today starting at $2,199. Continue reading WWDC 2012: Apple refreshes MacBook lineup, intros iOS 6, talks Mountain Lion →

Colorware your gadgets

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Colorware allows you to send in your favorite gadgets and pay a premium to customize them to your heart’s content.  Seen above is the “Stealth Macbook Pro” ($5999) and a customized pair of Dre Beats headphones ($249).  You can customize phones, computers, MP3 players, TVs, video game consoles, and more.  All customization is done online.  You are given the option of sending in your own product or purchasing the product with Colorware and have them customize and ship it to you within 2-4 weeks.  Too cool, too pricey.

[Via Colorware; KanyeBlog; Gizmodo]

Apple WWDC Round-Up

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Apple. WWDC. San Fransisco. June 8, 2009.  Keeping it simple.

Apple announced an updated line of its laptop products, gave an updated preview of its new OS Snow Leopard, and unveiled the next version of the iPhone.

All sizes of Apple’s laptop line (13” (!), 15″, and 17″) are now called MacBook Pro, thus blurring if not entirely removing the distinguishing features between the cheapest and most expensive MacBook.  They all have updated screens (better color gaumet) and longer battery lives (up to seven hours, non-removable (eight hours for the 17”)).  The 13” and 15” now have SD card slots which replace the ExpressCard slot, which is only found in the 17″ model now.  Also, Firewire returns to all the MacBook Pros.  The 13″ starts at $1199, 15″ at $1699, and 17” at$2499.  The MacBook Air also took a price cut; it starts at $1499.  The white plastic MacBook stands at $999.

Snow Leopard looks to be a great upgrade to Apple’s successful Leopard OS.  It has 64-bit architecture, among other updates.  It will be available this September for only $20 for those who are upgrading from Leopard.

The new iPhone 3G S looks the same as the current 3G model on the outside; it is the inside where things are different.  The 3G S has a faster processor (about 2x faster than 3G), a better camera (3 megapixels, can capture video), and even a compass.  It also has voice control that can be used when calling someone or controlling your music playlists.  The iPhone 3G S will be available in 2 flavors, 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($299), on June 19th.  The current iPhone 3G is now available for the low price of $99 (8GB).  The new iPhone 3.0 OS will ship on the 3G S and will be available for a free download to all current iPhone and iPhone 3G users for free on June 17th (iPod touch users must pay $9.99).  *Side-note: AT&T sucks.  It was announced that MMS and tethering are included features to the iPhone 3.0 software.  Laughter filled the auditorium when it was said that the MMS feature on AT&T would not be enabled until “later this summer.”  Also, AT&T was not among the carriers named that will allow the tethering feature.  WTF, AT&T!

Check after the break for images of the new products.

[Image via Engadget]

Continue reading Apple WWDC Round-Up →