Apple on Wednesday updated two of its computers, the MacBook Air and the Mac mini, with next-generation processors and the new Mac OS X Lion operating system. The company also released first Thunderbolt display.
Mac OS X Lion
Apple's updated devices are running on the Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the company's operating system. Available today as a download from the Mac App Store for $29.99, the new OS includes new Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, a view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.
"Lion makes upgrading a Mac easier than ever before; just launch the Mac App Store, buy Lion with your iTunes account, and the download and install process will begin automatically," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
Additional new features in Lion include:
- Resume, which brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;
- Auto Save, which automatically and continuously saves your documents as you work;
- Versions, which automatically records the history of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, revert and even copy and paste from previous versions; and
- AirDrop, which finds nearby Macs and automatically sets up a peer-to-peer wireless connection to make transferring files quick and easy.
Mac OS X Lion is available as an upgrade to Mac OS X version 10.6.6 Snow Leopard from the Mac App Store for $29.99 (US). Lion will be also made available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) for $69 (US). Mac OS X Lion Server requires Lion and is available from the Mac App Store for $49.99 (US).
First Thunderbolt Display
Apple also today unveiled the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, the first display with Thunderbolt I/O technology and a docking station for your Mac notebook. With just a single cable, users can connect a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac to the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display and access its FaceTime camera, audio, and Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt ports. Designed specifically for Mac notebooks, the new display features a thin, aluminum and glass enclosure, and includes a MagSafe connector that charges your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.
With a 16:9 edge-to-edge glass design, the Thunderbolt Display uses IPS technology to provide high-quality image across a wide 178 degree viewing angle. Any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac notebook can dock with the display to easily create a full-fledged desktop solution. The Thunderbolt Display includes a built-in FaceTime HD video camera, a 2.1 speaker system, an integrated MagSafe charger to keep Mac notebooks charged, three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and a Thunderbolt port for daisy chaining up to five additional Thunderbolt devices.
The Thunderbolt Display is the world's first display to include Thunderbolt I/O technology. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to 10Gbps each, each Thunderbolt port delivers PCI Express directly to external peripherals such as high performance storage and RAID arrays, supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Thunderbolt-based Macs with discrete graphics can drive two external displays giving professional users over 7 million additional pixels of display real estate and the ability to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt devices, as well as video and audio capture devices.
The Thunderbolt Display includes an ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions.
The new Thunderbolt Display will be available within the next 60 days through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US). The Apple Thunderbolt Display requires a Mac with a Thunderbolt I/O port.
New MacBook Air
Apple 's updated the MacBook Air comes with next generation processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, a backlit keyboard and Mac OS X Lion. The MacBook Air starts at $999 (US) and is available for order today and in stores tomorrow.
MacBook Air is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models. The MacBook Air?s durable aluminum unibody enclosure measures a thin 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest. Flash storage allows MacBook Air to turn on instantly and deliver fast data access, improved reliability and energy efficiency. The 11-inch model weighs 2.38 pounds and provides up to 5 hours of battery life, while the 13-inch weighs 2.96 pounds and provides up to 7 hours of battery life.
With the latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors, the new MacBook Air is up to twice as fast as the previous generation. MacBook Air also features Intel HD Graphics 3000 and offers up to 4GB of faster 1333 MHz memory.
Thunderbolt I/O technology provides expansion possibilities never before available to MacBook Air users. Through a single cable, users can connect to high performance peripherals and the new Apple Thunderbolt Display. Thunderbolt can be adapted to support legacy connections such as FireWire and Gigabit Ethernet.
MacBook Air comes with a full size backlit keyboard and a glass Multi-Touch trackpad. The backlit keyboard uses a sensor to automatically detect a change in ambient lighting and adjusts the keyboard brightness for any environment. The Multi-Touch trackpad supports Lion?s new Multi-Touch gestures such as momentum scrolling, tapping or pinching your fingers to zoom in on a web page or image, and swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps.
MacBook Air also features a high resolution LED backlit display. With Wi-Fi, you can wirelessly download apps from the Mac App Store, get music and movies from iTunes, back up data to Time Capsule and share files using AirDrop. MacBook Air includes Bluetooth for wireless peripherals and two USB ports.
Every new MacBook Air comes with Mac OS X Lion and iLife apps for creating and sharing photos, movies and music.
The 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air are available for order on the Apple Store (www.apple.com) today and in Apple?s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers starting July 21. The 1.6 GHz 11-inch MacBook Air is available in two models, one with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage for a suggested retail price of $999 (US), and one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage for $1,199 (US). The 1.7 GHz 13-inch MacBook Air comes in two configurations, one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), and one with 4GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage for $1,599 (US). Configure-to-order options and accessories include a 1.8 GHz Core i7 processor, additional flash storage, MacBook Air SuperDrive and a USB Ethernet Adapter.
Mac mini updated
The Mac mini has been also updated with next generation Intel core processors, new discrete graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and Lion OS. Starting at just $599 (US), the new Mac mini is available for order today and in stores tomorrow.
At just 7.7-inches square and 1.4-inches thin, the new Mac mini maintains its compact aluminum design while delivering high performance and graphics capabilities. Available in three different configurations, Apple's customers can choose a Mac mini with the latest dual-core Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics, or a quad-core Intel Core i7 powered server configuration. Designed without an optical disc drive, Mac mini can access the optical drives on other PCs and Macs, and works with the MacBook Air SuperDrive. Configure-to-order options include up to 8 GBs of memory, a faster 7200 RPM hard drive and a 256GB solid state drive.
Mac mini now comes with Thunderbolt I/O technology for expansion possibilities. With a Thunderbolt port, Mac mini can connect to peripherals such as high-performance storage devices, RAID arrays and the new Apple Thunderbolt Display.
With Wi-Fi you can wirelessly download apps from the Mac App Store, get music and movies from iTunes, back up data to Time Capsule and share files with AirDrop, which makes transferring files quick. Mac mini includes Bluetooth for wireless peripherals and four USB ports.
The new Mac mini is available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) today and in Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers starting July 21.
The 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 2GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $599 (US), with options to add memory up to 8GB and a 750GB hard drive.
The 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $799 (US), with options to upgrade to a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, and a 750GB hard drive with an option to add or replace with a 256GB solid state drive.
The 2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac mini with Lion Server, 4GB of memory and dual 500GB hard drives starts at a suggested retail price of $999 (US). Options include adding memory up to 8GB, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives.
