Isaiah's Tech

It was rumoured to launch next week but it's actually now available. Apple has quietly released a new 21.5-inch iMac at $999.99 and this one's intended for educational purposes. This all-in-one PC packs a dual-core 3.1GHz Intel Core i3 CPU, AMD Radeon HD 6750 graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, SuperDrive, and OS X Lion pre-installed. If you're interested then you can head over to Apple's Higher Education online store, according to reports.

[Apple Insider]

Looking to get a new all in one computer? Then look no further than Apple who have just outed their latest batch of iMacs. The base model is going for $1,199 and that'll get you a 21.5-inch IPS display with a 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD) resolution, a quad-core Intel Core i5 2.5GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics. The base 27-inch model features a 2,560 x 1,440 IPS display, a quad-core Core i5 3.1GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD, AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics, and it's going for $1,999.

Both of these new iMacs also feature two Thunderbolt ports along with a bunch of USB ports and an HD webcam if you want. Of course, there are a bunch of different models so just check it out on Apple whenever you're ready.

[Engadget]

Here's an interesting one coming from DigiTimes. They have just mentioned that Apple plans to upgrade the MacBook Pro and the iMac line-up sometime in the first half of 2011. Apparently, there'll be four different sizes for the MacBook Pro. Currently, there's 13, 15, and 17-inch models so what will the new one be? It's unknown right now but I'm thinking an 11 or even a 14-inch model could get squeezed in there, but those are just my guesses (of course, a 12-inch model is also possible). The website also mentions that there'll be a new size for the iMac. That size is also unknown so we'll have to wait for that; Crunch Gear is guessing that it'll be a 24-incher.

All of these models are going to have a touchscreen display because they'll all come pre-installed with the new Mac OS X Lion which is the start to bring together the desktop Mac OS X with iOS so it'll have some touch capabilities if that's your thing.

[Crunch Gear]

The rumour that we heard yesterday turned out to be true, Apple has refreshed a bunch of their products today. This includes the iMac and the Mac Pro; they've also released a 27-inch LED Cinema Display, a Magic Trackpad, and even a AA charger (yes, a AA charger). First up is the iMac which is now available in the same sizes, a 21.5 and a 27-inch model. Now you can choose Intel Core 2010 CPUs, which is a big plus. For $1,199 you get the 21.5-inch model with a 3.06GHz Core i3 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics. The cheapest 27-inch model will cost you $1,699 and you'll get a Core i3 3.2GHz CPU with ATI Radeon HD 5670 graphics. Other options include Core i5 / i7 CPUs, optional SSD storage, and up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM. All of the models sport FireWire 800, USB 2.0 ports (no 3.0 yet), WiFi 802.11n support, and a slot-loading DVD burner. Anyways, check them all out on Apple's site.

Next up is the new Mac Pro desktop. The cheapest model will now cost you $2,499 and features a 2.8GHz quad-core CPU. Next up is the 2.4GHz eight-core model which is going for $3,499. But if you want to go all out, you can now get the "fastest Mac ever" with an Intel Xeon CPU which sports 12-cores and it'll cost you $4,999. It's up on Apple's site.

Apple has released a new monitor, the 27-inch LED Cinema Display. This monitor is actually a pretty sweet deal since it's cheaper than Dell's U2711 monitor (by $100). The 27-inch Apple IPS monitor is now available for $999 and it's gorgeous. It sports a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, 375 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, a 12ms response time, an integrated iSight webcam, a 3-port powered USB hub, and a MagSafe connector. Like I said, it'll cost you $999 so check it out here. You'll have to wait until September for this one though.

Update: MacNN has pointed out that the 24-inch LED Cinema Display is now $799 (down from $899) since the new and larger 27-inch model was introduced this morning. Check it out on Apple here.

We've heard about this one a bit and Apple has announced it as the Magic Trackpad. Everything from Appls seems to be magical these days, doesn't it? It really doesn't add any new functionalities, it's just a giant multitouch trackpad. I'd rather use a mouse to be honest. If you need to know more, you know where to go (Apple's site).

Apple didn't stop there though, they've unveiled another magical product. This is the AA battery charger which will cost you $29 and will, thankfully, ship with six AA batteries. You'll be able to use these AA batteries in the Magic Trackpad and even the Magic Mouse, of course. It has a 10-year lifetime and is now shipping in 2 - 4 business days. Of course, Apple is mentioning that the charger is amazing since it sucks up less power than every other charger on the market. Anyways, it's on Apple's site here.

iMac Refresh: Slash Gear
Mac Pro Refresh: Engadget
27-Inch Apple LED Cinema Display: Gizmodo, Engadget
Apple's Magic Trackpad: Engadget
Apple Releases a AA Charger: Crunch Gear

There's a rumour going around that Apple will be updating a couple of their products tomorrow. This includes the monitor you see above (on the right), the 27-inch LED Cinema Display along with the iMac and Mac Pro which seem to be just about unavailable on their online store. Of course, everyone has just been waiting for Apple to refresh these three, but it does seem a bit sudden. Then again, you never know with Apple.

Update: Pocket-Lint has just mentioned that Apple's Magic Trackpad could be launching tomorrow as well.

[Mac Rumors]

There's been word lately that Apple is running out of their all-in-one PC, the iMac, supply because there's a refresh coming. Of course, this new refresh should bring Core i3 / i5 / i7 CPU options and what we heard last week. On these new iMac's there could also be USB 3.0 ports along with FireWire 1600 / 3200. The iMac is also rumoured to be gaining a touchscreen display - could that mean a new update to the OS too?

[Slash Gear, Engadget]

There's a rumour going around that Apple will be updating their Mac Pro desktop at the end of this Summer. The new Mac Pro will have a brand new CPU inside of it, of course, but it'll also come equipped with USB 3.0 support along with FireWire 1600 or 3200. This update will be just in time for back-to-school sales, so you can expect an announcement in the next month or two.

Update: According to Slash Gear, the iMac will be updated as well. This update will be taking place about a month later than the Mac Pro's and neither refresh will have Light Peak technology or possible Blu-ray drives. You can also expect the Mac Pro to sport 6-core Intel Core i7 CPUs.

[Crunch Gear]

There's a new rumour going around about Apple's all in one PC, the iMac. What's expected is that the iMac will get a touchscreen display but that's not all. The rumour states that it'll actually have Mac OS X on it along with a "touch interface for iOS." This rumour likely started because a lot of people believe that Apple plan to fuse the two operating system's together or they'll work in harmony or something like that. We'll see what happens. Oh yes, this iMac should actually be unveiled in the next 60 days so start saving up.

[9 to 5 Mac]

As expected Apple have just updated their iMacs, their plastic MacBooks, their Mac Mini, and have released their new Magic Mouse (replacing the Mighty Mouse). The new iMacs now come in 21.5 (1,920 x 1,080 resolution) and 27-inch (2,560 x 1,440 resolution) sizes (larger than the old 20 and 24-inch models) and they sport a 16:9 aspect ratio, an IPS panel, and a 178-degree viewing angle. These LED-backlit iMacs come packed with: Intel Core 2 Duo / Core i7 / Core i5 CPU options, an SD card, an optical drive, up to 16GB of RAM, up to a 2TB HDD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M / ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics. The 21.5 and 27-inch iMacs are now available for $1,199 USD and $1,699 USD, respectively. These new iMacs come with Apple's wireless keyboard and mouse. Yeup, no Blu-ray here. Check it on Apple's website here.

The plastic "low-end" MacBooks got a slight design overhaul now sporting a unibody design - with a curvy body. They still feature an LED-backlit display and a multitouch trackpad, so that's good. The cheapest MacBook still costs $999 USD, but will feature: a 2.26GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM (up to 8GB), Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, and a 250GB HDD. The new MacBooks are slightly thinner than the old models and, of course, a non-swappable battery that should last 7 hours. Check it out on Apple's website here.

Apple has also decided to slightly upgrade their Mac Minis. They may look the same, but as usual it's the internal components that have changed. The new $599 Mac Mini now features: a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 160GB HDD. The higher-end $799 USD model now features: a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB HDD. Thankfully, both models also come packed with an 8x SuperDrive and the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics.

Apple also went on to introduce a Mac Mini server. The Mac Mini server throws away the optical drive and allow you to sub in a second hard drive. The $999 model comes packed with: two 500GB HDDs (that's 1TB in total, kiddos!), an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, and, sadly, no DisplayPort. Check it out on Apple's website here.

The only absolutely positively new product from Apple today is what you see above: The Apple Magic Mouse - that replaces the Mighty Mouse. This Bluetooth mouse appears to have no buttons, but it actually sports a "multitouch surface." Like the MacBook trackpads, you'll be able to use multitouch gestures, but it will not feature pinch and zoom, which sucks - I guess. Apple has mentioned that this mouse will last four months and it's now available for $69.99 USD. Check it out on Apple's website here - by the way, it comes with the iMac if you choose the right option.

Update: According to Engadget, Apple has also released a new Apple remote with an aluminum body that costs $19 USD. If you're lazy enough to own this, then you'll be able to control your iPod, your iPhone, or your Mac without even touching them. If you want to control your iPod / iPhone, you'll of course have to spend another $49 on a dock. Check it out on Apple's website here.

New MacBooks: Engadget, Mac World
New iMacs: Engadget, Mac World
New Mac Minis: Engadget
Apple Magic Mouse: Engadget

It looks like that rumoured iMac / Mac Mini / plastic MacBook refresh could be coming very, very soon. According to the latest rumour, Apple will be launching all of these new products on October 7th to 9th of this year. This means that we could see the refresh by the end of this week. Could it really be true? If this is true, I hope we'll also see the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that just passed the FCC.

[Stuff.tv]

According to Apple Insider, these Apple ads spotted on Google could be hinting at the new rumoured iMac / Mac Mini / plastic MacBook refresh. The ad above says, "Apple's newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and stronger! Free delivery. Order Today." The two ads below say, "The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only € 1099. Apple Store" and "Apple's New Mac Mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499. Order immediately." Could it really be? We'll likely find out soon.

[Apple Insider]

We heard this rumour before so it shouldn't be all that surprising. These new iMacs will, apparently, be a bit thinner and will "look more like the LED Cinema Display, with mystery features that make them the 'most versatile ever.'" The rumour states that this could be an integrated Blu-ray player and that could be a first for Apple. These new iMacs could actually be launched right before Windows 7 gets released on October 22nd, so try to keep a close eye on it.

[Engadget, Gizmodo]

This may not be an accurate picture, but we've already heard about possible iMac refreshes. W'eve heard about a possible Blu-ray drive and a 24-inch LED Cinema display. Below is what Wedge Partners thinks.

Wedge sees a redesigned iMac witjh a “thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges. The MacBook redesign “is likely to be limited,” Wedge asserts. Meanwhile, the firm also expects “new, lower price points to drive demand and create a meaningful competitive threat” to coming PCs based on Windows 7 as well as to the booming netbook segment. “We believe these new designs and price points will help Apple achieve a 3 million unit quarter for Macs in [calendar] Q4.”

[9 to 5 Mac]