Just seven months after overhauling the Mac mini, Apple made some small improvements: The base speed is now 2.26 GHz, 2 GB of RAM is the norm, and the 160 GB hard drive holds more data than the 120 GB drive found in the previous version. And for power users, there’s now a server version […]
Author Archives: LEM Staff
The 3G iPod touch is even more powerful than the 2G iPod touch, with a faster, more efficient processor, twice as much system memory, and improved graphics. In most respects, the 3G iPod touch hardware matches the iPhone 3GS. It was the last iPod touch with a 480 x 320 display. Hardware Overview Models Announced: 2009.09.09 at $299 […]
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was billed as primarily under-the-hood changes to OS X 10.5 Leopard, but it was much more significant than that. Snow Leopard was announced at the June 2008 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) and released on August 28, 2009. For the first time since Mac OS 8.5 was released in October 1998, […]
Everyone knows about the federal Cash for Clunkers program that’s done wonders for auto dealers, but we were taken by surprise to receive a press release from Microsoft about its Cash for Clunker Computers rebate program. We knew that Microsoft was in a world of hurt with declines of 6% to 11% in operating income, […]
The iPhone 3G had been a step forward in some areas – especially in adding 3G data support – but in other areas it was no better than the original iPhone. With the iPhone 3GS, Apple took a few more steps forward with a faster processor, a better camera, video capability, and a 32 GB option. […]
The June 2009 update of the MacBook Air (MBA) gets faster CPUs (1.86 GHz and 2.13 GHz) and lower prices ($1,499 and $1,799). It used the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor, which uses 256 MB of system memory, as its predecessor. The MacBook Air supports wireless NetBoot, and the Remote Disc software that comes […]
Just 5 months after introducing the first 17″ Unibody MacBook Pro, Apple improved it by moving to a 2.8 GHz CPU – and making a 3.06 GHz CPU a build-to-order option. As before, 4 GB of RAM is standard, and it officially supports up to 8 GB of RAM. With the elimination of ExpressCard/34 on […]
The long-awaited replacement for the 12″ PowerBook has finally been delivered. The 13″ MacBook Pro takes the successful Unibody Aluminum MacBook, ups the speed a bit, and adds an SD Card slot and FireWire, a feature the Unibody MacBook lost (in this case, it’s FireWire 800). Following the example set by the Early 2009 17″ […]
For the first time in a long time, the 15″ MacBook Pro has become more affordable while adding an SD Card slot. The entry-level 2.53 GHz model doesn’t have the GeForce 9600GT M graphics chip found in the previous generation of 15″ MacBook Pros – and in the faster models in the current generation. Prices […]
Completely unheralded, Apple quietly updated the MacBook White in late May. The updated model has a 6.5% faster CPU at 2.13 GHz, uses faster RAM (800 MHz vs. 667 MHz), and has a larger hard drive (160 GB) – and for the first time on a MacBook, a 500 GB build-to-order hard drive option. It retains […]
Apple upgraded the Xserve to the same Nehalem CPUs found in the Mac Pro. Even though the clock speed of these chips is lower than on the 2008 Xserve, the efficiencies of the Nehalem architecture power it well past last year’s models. The Nehalem chips also support Hyperthreading, so each core can emulate two cores, […]
Apple updated the iMac with Nvidia graphics as a standard feature (Late 2008 iMacs used Radeon graphics). The low-end Early 2009 iMacs use the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M GPU found in Early 2009 MacBooks and the Early 2009 Mac mini. Early 2009 iMacs have four USB 2.0 ports (one more than previous aluminum iMacs), FireWire 800 (but […]
Apple has updated the iMac with Nvidia graphics as a standard feature (the Early 2008 iMac used Radeon graphics, although there was an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS build-to-order option for the 24″ model). The low-end iMacs use the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M GPU found in current MacBooks and the new Mac mini, while the high-end […]
It’s been 14 months since Apple introduced the 2008 Mac Pro, and the 2009 Mac Pro is a big step forward: every configuration uses quad-core Intel Xeon Nehalem CPUs for even more power. Each core has its own 256 KB Level 2 (L2) cache, and each quad-core CPU shares an 8 GB Level 3 (L3) […]
After over a year and a half without a change, Apple finally updated the Mac mini in March 2009. As widely anticipated, the new Mac mini adopts Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, the same GPU found in the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro – and it finally gets 802.11n WiFi as well (and 802.11a for […]
In an unexpected development, Apple quietly changed the specs of the MacBook White in mid-January. The updated model has the same 2.0 GHz CPU as the entry-level Aluminum Unibody MacBook – and also the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor. Best of all, it retains the FireWire 400 port present on all polycarbonate MacBooks. It […]
A lot of features in the Early 2009 17″ MacBook Pro were anticipated based on the Early 2008 17″ model and the Late 2008 15″ Unibody MacBook Pro: Unibody construction, dual GPUs, glass trackpad, glossy display standard, and 1920 x 1200 resolution – and losing the FireWire 400 port wasn’t unexpected. The first unknown was […]
The Aluminum MacBook uses the same unibody construction as the 15″ MacBook Pro and now has an LED-backlit display. The top-end 2.4 GHz MacBook also has a backlit keyboard. The Unibody MacBooks use new, more energy efficient versions of the Core 2 CPU: P7350 in the 2.0 GHz model and P8600 in the 2.4 GHz […]
It looked like the end of the line for the plastic bodied MacBook design introduced in May 2006. The October 2008 MacBook White was the first to dip below the $1,000 mark, but that was because there was not much new about it. Apple had pretty much taken the 2.1 GHz Penryn MacBook, replaced the […]
The Late 2008 MacBook Air (MBA) has the same Mini DisplayPort introduced with the 15″ MacBook Pro. Drive options are a 120 GB hard drive or a 128 GB solid state drive (SSD), but now on a SATA bus for much better speed. Perhaps the biggest improvement comes ditching integrated Intel video for the Nvidia GeForce 9400M […]
The era of formed aluminum Apple notebooks has come to an end. The new 15″ MacBook Pro (MBP) is carved from a 2.5 lb. block of solid aluminum. The result is a quarter-pound enclosure – and 2.25 lb. of aluminum that’s recycled to make more enclosures. It’s even thinner, the first time Apple has built […]
The 2G iPod touch is about 30% more powerful than the original iPod touch and was the first one with Bluetooth. It was also the first iPod touch with volume buttons and a built-in speaker. The 2G iPod touch was the first one to ship with iPhone OS 2, so it came with full support for […]
One of the biggest complaints about the original iPhone was that it didn’t use 3G for wireless data, instead depending on the far slower – average data speeds between 75-135 Kbps – EDGE protocol. Another complaint was the lack of third-party apps. The iPhone 3G addressed both of these. The iPhone 3G is very similar […]
Apple updated the iMac with Intel’s more efficient Penryn processor in April 2008, which has a larger Level 2 cache and includes the SSE4.1 instruction set. The Early 2008 iMac also moved from the 800 MHz system bus in the Mid 2007 iMac to 1066 MHz, and clock speeds now range from 2.4 GHz to […]
Just four months after moving the MacBook to Intel’s Santa Rosa chipset, Apple has refreshed the line. The entry-level MacBook now runs at 2.1 GHz (yeah, it’s only 5% faster), while the faster models now clock at 2.4 GHz (almost 10% faster). The updated Core 2 CPU (known as Penryn) has an enhanced SSE4 vector […]
Multitouch. Introduced with the iPhone, brought to the Mac with the MacBook Air, it now makes its debut on the MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, Apple is doing it using the same trackpad, not a larger one like the MBA has. Although nominally faster at 2.5 GHz, the new Penryn CPU used in the new MacBook Pro […]
Multitouch. Introduced with the iPhone, brought to the Mac with the MacBook Air, it now makes its debut on the MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, Apple is doing it using the same trackpad, not a larger one like the MBA has. Apple has refreshed the 15″ MacBook Pro in almost every aspect – except for its looks, […]
Apple took a completely different approach to ultralight notebook computers with the MacBook Air (MBA). Where netbooks used small screens, shrunken keyboards, and underpowered CPUs, Apple has gone very, very thin so the MacBook Air can have a 13.3″ LED backlit display, a full-sized keyboard, and a 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU – along […]
Apple finally upgraded the Xserve from a base 2.0 GHz dual-core configuration to a base 2.8 GHz quad-core machine – with dual 2.8 GHz and 3.0 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon CPUs optional. It matches the power of the Mac Pro, whereas the previous model had lagged behind. The base 2.8 GHz 4-core Xserve benchmarks 37% […]
It’s been 17 months since Apple introduced the original Mac Pro, which shipped with two dual-core processors (an 8-core model with two quad-core CPUs was introduced in April 2007), and the new Mac Pro is a big step forward: every configuration uses quad-core Intel Xeon CPUs for even more power. The new 45nm Harpertown CPU […]
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, released on October 26, 2007, was the biggest change to Mac OS X since Apple first released OS X 10.0 in March 2001. For the first time, a version of OS X was certified as Unix, and the new unified appearance makes Leopard friendlier and less confusing for users. Leopard itself was also […]
This is the fourth version of the consumer MacBook – and the first to use the Santa Rosa chipset that made its way into the MacBook Pro line in June. The entry-level MacBook remains at 2.0 GHz, while the faster models see a tiny speed bump from 2.16 GHz to 2.2 GHz. At the same […]
As part of its huge September 2007 iPod event, Apple introduced the first iPod touch, essentially the original iPhone with its phone circuitry removed. Better yet, the iPod touch was a bit smaller, significantly thinner, and also lighter than the iPhone. Best of all, it didn’t tie you to a two-year AT&T wireless plan. You […]
The hard-drive based iPod got a new name in September 2007. Henceforth it would be called the iPod classic. This was the 6th generation of the classic iPod design – and the first with an aluminum front. The iPod classic had dramatically better battery life than the 5.5G iPod it replaced – up to 40 hours […]
In September 2006, Apple completely changed the configuration of the iPod nano, giving it a wider, larger screen so it could display video content. The iPod nano also got a new range of colors. The low-end 4 GB version was available only in silver, and the 8 GB in silver, turquois blue, mint green, and black. There […]