Laptop News Blog

Apple Unveils 17 Inch MacBook Pro

                                                



Rumors and dreams do come true!  Apple has unveiled a 17-inch version of its MacBook Pro Intel-based upscale notebook, replacing the 17-inch PowerBook. The 17 inch version is similar to the 15-inch MacBook Pro that was introduced back in January.

Specs: 2.16-GHz Core Duo CPU, 17-inch display (36% brighter than before), ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 PCI Express graphics with 256MB of dedicated GDDR3 graphics RAM, built-in iSight Webcam, FrontRow media software and remote, and Apple's MagSafe power brick with a cable that comes apart to prevent anyone from bumping into your power cord and knocking the notebook to the ground. Design is similar to the PowerBook it replaces, with a snazzy, 1"-thick aluminum case.

Retail Prices start at $2799 and shipping will begin next week.

Apple Mac Mini Updated with Intel Core Duo Processors

                                                

                                                      
Apple has unveiled the new upated Mac Mini which now comes equipped with Intel Core Solo and Core Duo processors.

The Mac Mini comes in either the 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo or the 1.66GHz Core Duo processor and offers up to 2-3 times increase in overall speed over the G4 Mac Mini.

1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo Model Specs:

• 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo processor
• 2MB L2 Cache
• 667MHz Frontside Bus
• 512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
• 60GB Serial ATA hard drive
• Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
• Apple Remote
• Retails for $599

1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo Model Specs:

• 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 2MB L2 Cache
• 667MHz Frontside Bus
• 512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive
• Double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
• Apple Remote
• Retails for $799

Included in both updated Mac Minis are the Apple Remote with Front Row, up to 2GB RAM, Intel GMA950 graphics, DVI, 120GB hard drive, built-in gigabit Ethernet, USB & FireWire, iLife 06' and Mac OS X Tiger.

iBook Line To Adopt Magnet Technology

                                                         

                                           

Mac maker Apple Computer, has quietly been incorporating magnetic innovations to its computer systems over the last six months and we can expect another to be launched soon.

The new notebooks will contain a magnetic latch rather than a movable latch to close, according to sources.

The Intel-based iBook, which could debut under a new product name such as MacBook, will likely resemble a smaller version of the MacBook Pro with a 13 inch display. The new iBooks may also contain a built-in iSight video camera, Apple Remote, and Front Row media software.

Although unconfirmed, the new notebooks are rumored to have a 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo or Solor processor.

Source

OS X Second Worm Found

OS X sees its second worm, but the spread of it is unlikely.  This latest vulnerability, a worm called OSX/Inqtana-A, takes aim at OS X's Bluetooth stack.

Experts at Sophos have issued protection against a second worm for Mac OS X in less than a week.

"It's disturbing to see a second worm for Mac OS X so soon after the first, but it should be remembered that this is only two compared to well over 100,000 viruses for Microsoft operating systems. The good news is that Inqtana is not going to spread successfully in the wild, but this announcement will still be a shock to those in the Mac community who thought hackers were not interested in their operating system," said Graham Cluely, a consultant for Sophos.

 

via ITVibe

Apple to Begin MacBook Pro Shipment

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  Apple Computer Inc. will begin shipping the new MacBook Pro this week. The MacBook Pro is the company's first laptop computer to feature an Intel Corp. microprocessor.

Analysts expect the new Intel-based Macintosh products to boost Apple's 4 percent share in the U.S. PC market.  The iPod boom has promoted the Apple brand and consumers will likely consider Macs now as a result.

Apple claims the MacBook Pro delivers up to four times the performance of its predecessor, the PowerBook G4, which uses PowerPC chips from IBM Corp. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc.

Instead of using the previously announced 1.83 gigahertz Core Duo processor, Apple said the new high-end MacBook will feature a 2.0 Ghz chip, but will remain priced at $2,499. The lower-end $1,999 model will have a 1.83 Ghz chip, instead of the previously announced 1.67 Ghz chip.

via Yahoo News

 

Intel iBooks Will Ship in April

A UBS analyst has said Apple may launch new iBook laptops as soon as April.

"We remain confident in Apple's potential for new products," UBS analyst Benjamin Reitzes said in a research note on Monday, suggesting that concerns may be overdone about a potential drop in demand for the company's products after its shift to Intel microprocessors.

Reitzes said other potential new products this year from Apple include a "media hub," updated iPods, a media player and even a cell phone.

via Reuters

Apple MacBook Pro and iMac Core Duo Speed Doesn't Match Jobs Claims

Recent testing at MacWorld has revealed that Steve Jobs claims at CES 2006 about the Intel based  iMac being two times faster than the iMac G5 may not be exactly true.

According to MacWorld their lab tests "do show that the new Intel-based iMac is faster than the iMac G5 when running native applications. However, we found that those improvements are generally much less than what Apple claims is a 2x improvement in speed."

MacWorld found that for the Intel-native applications that have been ported the iMac ran only about 10% - 30% faster than the G5 but for applications that hadn't been ported properly to the Intel platform the applications ran half as fast as the same application running on the iMac G5 which is  50% slower.

via Macworld

Expect Apple MacBook Pro Shortages

Apple is already indicating that we can most likely expect a shortage of their newly announced Intel-based MacBook Pro laptop.

"We may not be able to meet the demand on the MacBook Pro," said Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, in a telephone briefing. "The limited number of weeks to ship [the MacBook Pro] in the second quarter, and the very strong response we've gotten means we may not be able to meet demand."

Peter Oppenheimer, the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and electronic maker's chief financial officer, also warned analysts that Apple's second quarter might suffer because of the shortage.

Apple is notorious for having trouble with keeping up with demand or delivering products during important salse seasons. Just last year, the new Mac mini and the iPod Shuffle were backordered for several weeks due to shortages.  In 2004, Apple shortages of the PowerPC G5 processor led to Apple missing most of the back-to-school selling season.

"There's always a sales risk [when Apple doesn't deliver]," says Joe Wilcox, an analyst with JupiterResearch. "The MacBook Pro isn't the only notebook shipping with the Duo."

via Yahoo Tech News

Will XP Boot on Mac?

Despite original skepticism that Intel-based iMac and MacBookPro wouldn't be able to boot Windows XP, reports are starting to surface that the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) boot manager can launch XP after all.  Intel has commented that motherboards using the Intel 945 chipset (most likely used in Macs) support EFI and can boot XP.

Intel's EFI information also indicates that a "Compatibility Support Module" will allow EFI to boot OSes that aren't directly supported by the boot manager.  No one will really know for sure however, until we get one of these Intel Macs in our hot little hands and try it out for ourselves!

Apple MacBook Pro Released

  Apple has released a MacBook Pro Intel-based laptop powered by a Dual Core Processor with speeds of up to 1.83Ghz. The 15” laptop display has a native resolution of 1440x900 and has a slim 1-inch (thick) body. It features an integrated webcam.  The MacBook Pro comes with up to 100GB in hard drive storage and a multi-format rewriteable DVD drive.

( Via Apple )