This week Apple introduced the new Macbook Air in an event which was very appropriately announced as “Back to the Mac”.  While the new Air is probably a harbinger of new things to come throughout the Mac line, it was in the software, usability and business aspects that things got really interesting. While I have been away from writing about the Mac for well over a month I couldn’t let all these new developments go by without calling attention to how they will probably affect Apple’s Mac business. Apple’s new iLife’11 applications are pretty impressive and as always...

Patently Apple, a website that specializes in tracking patent applications submitted by Apple, dug up recently indications of what an iMac/iPad hybrid might look like.  The patent describes how the computer would shift from being a regular Mac when the display is close to being vertical to being an iPad-like device when the display is moved into a slanted position. I don’t expect this to really be what an iMac/iPad hybrid device will look like or really function.  A much more likely scenario would be for the Mac to be able to display iPad and iPhone applications in their own floating windows...

In a day of Mac-related announcements Apple introduced a new 27 inch Cinema display with built-in iSight camera, speakers and microphone.  This display has a MagSafe  charger built-in as well as a 3 port USB hub. The ability to use the monitor as the power supply for a MacBook or MacBook Pro, as well as the hub USB functionality turn the monitor itself in a simple and efficient docking station for your Apple notebook. The new display will be available in September and will cost $999.  Apple has also reduced the price of the 24 inch Cinema Display to $799.

Apple released today the Magic Trackpad, a touchpad input device for desktops that supports all the multi-touch gestures that you can use on the MacBooks, many of which have been popularized by the iPhone and the iPod Touch. This is the next step in Apple’s slow but sure march towards making OS X applications become touch and gesture aware.  While the Magic mouse already offered some support for touch gestures, it can easily be argued that its surface is too small to make a practical touch interface. The new Magic Trackpad has look that is consistent with Apple’s keyboards and has clearly...

Apple has introduced today new models in the iMac and Mac Pros.  The new models use Intel’s Core i3, i5 and i7 and have new graphics cards. The iMac traded the NVIDIA graphics cards for new ATI RADEON models.  The basic iMac model comes with a  500 GB hard drive and a RADEON 4670, while most other models come with a 1 TB hard drive and use the RADEO 5670. All models come with 4GB of RAM by default and a 27 inch, build to order model with a quad-core i7 is available from $1999.

Despite all the iPhone 4 frenzy, this seems like a week full of Mac rumors.  A rumor has been circulating widely today that upcoming versions of both the iMac and the Mac Pro will have USB 3.0 ports as well as faster Firewire ports. With external disk size being now measured in the Terabytes, it seems like a good idea to add faster peripheral connectivity to the new desktop macs.  In fact it would not be a bad thing for the next generation of MacBooks either as pocket hard drives have also reached the 1 TB mark. Faster interface ports are so a great thing for everyone that does video editing as they...

Closer inspection has revealed that the new Mac mini’s SD card slot is in effect an SDXC card reader.  SDXC cards follow a more recent specification for SD cards which can hold up to 2TB of data.   Other Apple computers are equipped with SDHC card readers which allow the use of cards with up to 32GB. It is probable that the next computers to be upgraded will receive the same reader.  The next in line for upgrades should be the Mac Pro and then the iMac.  The notebooks have all been upgraded recently and should take a little longer to be upgraded...

This week Apple introduced a totally redesigned Mac mini computer and discontinued the two base models it offered for desktop use, replacing them with a single system.  The desktop base model for the Mac mini (there is also a base server system) comes with only 2GB of RAM as the previous entry-level model did, but can now easily be upgraded to up to 8GB.  In all fairness 2GB is more than adequate for most things that most users will ever want to do with a Mac, but I was a bit disappointed that the base model was not upgraded to 4GB, especially considering that the was a $100 increased in price. The...

As the closing act of a day marked by expected and surprise releases, Apple just made available a new update to OS X.  Snow Leopard, OS X 10.6.4 is now available for users to automatically update their systems. The release of this new version of Snow Leopard came as a surprise just as that of the new Mac mini and of Apple’s online store for iPhone.  Both of these were released today, a day which already had Apple as a focal point for the attentions of the technology aficionados due to the programmed start of pre-orders for the new iPhone 4. OS X 10.6.4 includes Apple’s new Safari 5...

The new Mac mini is a pretty interesting computer in many ways.  Personally I think it would sit very well in my living room connected to a large screen TV as a media hub for my videos and photos.  I also think it makes a pretty good Mac, iPhone, iPad development system for people that happen to already have good monitors, which I’ll have to admit is also may case. What I really don’t like about the new mini is the price increase.  Apple already enjoyes what are by far the largest profit margins in the computer industry so why increase the price for their entry level system.  I’ll...