Microsoft officially released Windows 7 this week, but the Mac world
has been buzzing about new consumer Macs, the new Magic Mouse, and
Apple's most profitable quarter ever. That includes 30 million Macs,
7.4 million iPhones, and 10.2 million iPods.
New 21.5" and 27" iMacs
MacBook, PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. iPod, iPhone,
and Apple TV news is covered in The iNews
Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Products & Services
Software
News & Opinion
'Snow Leopard Consistently Beats Windows 7'
Cnet's Dong Ngo reports that Snow Leopard consistently beats Windows
7 in many general performance areas, based on tests with a good
stopwatch, a 2.5 GHz 15" unibody
MacBook Pro, two separate 320 GB 5400 rpm hard drives, and a lot of
time, noting that, thanks to this laptop's nice design, it was very
easy to swap out the hard drives with the help of a small Phillips-head
screwdriver and a tiny Torx wrench.
Dong reports that Windows 7 noticeably outdoes Snow Leopard in the
3D image rendering benchmark but in other areas Snow Leopard
consistently outdid Windows 7, such as taking only 36.4 seconds to boot
up vs. 42.7 seconds for Windows, and Snow Leopard lasting 111 minutes'
runtime on a battery charge as opposed to 78 minutes for Windows 7
lasted, while Snow Leopard managed to stay on for 111 minutes. However
he says that performance-wise, Windows 7 is probably the better choice
if you're a gamer.
Link: Performance
Showdown: Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard
Apple Reports Net Quarterly Profit of $1.67
Billion
Apple on Monday announced financial results for its fiscal 2009
fourth quarter ended September 26, 2009. The Company posted revenue of
$9.87 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per
diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.9 billion and net
quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, in the
year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.6%, up from 34.7% in the year-ago
quarter. International sales accounted for 46% of the quarter's
revenue.
In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by
GAAP, the Company recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for
iPhone™ and Apple TV over their estimated economic lives.
Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of
subscription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures* for the
quarter are $12.25 billion of "Adjusted Sales" and $2.85 billion of
"Adjusted Net Income."
Apple sold 3.05 million Macintosh computers during the quarter,
representing a 17% unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company
sold 10.2 million iPods during the quarter, representing an 8% unit
decline from the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones in
the quarter, representing 7% unit growth over the year-ago quarter.
"We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any
previous quarter," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We've got a very
strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products
in the pipeline for 2010."
"We are delighted with our September quarter and fiscal 2009
results," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO. "For the full year, we
grew revenue by 12% and net income by 18% in extraordinarily
challenging times. Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2010,
we expect revenue in the range of about $11.3 billion to $11.6 billion
and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $1.70 to
$1.78."
Apple will provide streaming of its Q4 2009 financial results
conference call utilizing QuickTime, Apple's standards-based technology
for live and on-demand audio and video streaming. The live webcast was
at 2:00 p.m. PDT on October 19, 2009 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq409/
and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks
thereafter.
Apple continues to reap the rewards of its June overhaul to its line
of notebooks, which featured price cuts on nearly every model. The
result has been two straight quarters of growth. During the quarter,
Apple sold nearly 2.3 million laptops, with portables accounting for an
astounding 74% of the Macs sold during the last three months.
"Last quarter was the quarter of the portable," chief operating
officer Tim Cook said during a Monday conference call to discuss
Apple's earnings. In response to one analyst's comment that "the
[laptop] price cut worked," Cook responded loudly, "Yes, it did!"
Oppenheimer noted that the rise in Mac sales outpaced the 2-percent
growth of the PC market for the quarter, according to figures tallied
by market-research firm IDC. That marks the 19th time in the last 20
quarters that Mac sales have grown faster than overall PC market,
Oppenheimer said.
Apple executives also cited a strong back-to-school quarter for the
company. Sales to U.S. schools rose 12%, as Apple tallied its highest
quarterly sales ever for the U.S. education market. Those figures were
buoyed by shipments of 50,000 books to Maine as part of that state's
ongoing 1-to-1 Learning initiative.
Apple also noted particularly strong sales in its Asia Pacific
market, with Mac sales increasing 42% from the year-ago quarter.
Cook also said that Snow Leopard sales were stronger than Apple
expected, with twice as many sales of Snow Leopard upgrades during the
operating system's first five weeks on sale than Leopard made during
its first five weeks.
Apple Kills Recession
Forbes' Brian Caulfield declares:
"It's official. There is no recession at Apple . . . The
iPhone maker shocked investors Monday, reporting a fourth-quarter
earnings leap of more than 47% from the year-ago quarter. Apple shares
rose $11.65, or 6.14%, to $201.51 in after-hours trading.
"The result: There's no need to sell cheap notebooks. Layoffs are
wholly unnecessary. If the company has any plans to replace the water
coolers at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters with large vats of Dom
Perignon, it should go right ahead."
Link:
Apple Kills Recession
Apple Unveils New 21.5" and 27" iMacs
PR: Apple on Tuesday unveiled an all new iMac line featuring
brilliant LED-backlit 21.5" and 27" widescreen displays in a new
edge-to-edge glass design and seamless all aluminum enclosure. The new
iMac line, starting at $1,199, is the fastest ever with Intel Core 2
Duo processors starting at 3.06 GHz, and Core i5 and i7 quad-core
processors for up to twice the performance.* Every new iMac ships with
a wireless keyboard and the all new wireless Magic Mouse, the world's
first mouse with Multi-Touch technology pioneered by Apple on the
iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpad.
Bigger and better: The new 21.5" and 27" wider-screen iMacs.
"The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the
world and today we are making it even better," said Philip Schiller,
Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With
brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic
Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we
think customers will love."
The new iMac features stunning LED-backlit displays with a 16:9
aspect ratio, ideal for watching high definition movies and TV shows
from iTunes, or editing and watching your own videos or photos using
iLife. The new 21.5" iMac features a high resolution 1920-by-1080 pixel
display. The 27" iMac features a beautiful 2560-by-1440 pixel display
that offers 60 percent more pixels than the previous 24" model. Both
21.5" and 27" displays use IPS technology to deliver consistent color
across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle.
The iMac comes standard with a wireless keyboard and the new Magic
Mouse featuring Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch technology. Instead
of needing mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the
entire top of the Magic Mouse is a seamless Multi-Touch surface. Using
intuitive gestures, a user can easily scroll through long documents,
pan across large images or swipe to move forward or backward through a
collection of web pages or photos. The Magic Mouse can be configured as
either a single button or two button mouse, according to the user's
preference. The wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse work seamlessly with
the iMac's built-in Bluetooth capabilities to provide a clean,
cable-free desk top.
The iMac features improved graphics across the line with Nvidia
GeForce 9400M integrated graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete
graphics in the 21.5" model, and ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics
or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics in the 27" model. The new iMac
line now also features 4 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory and capacity
up to 16 GB across four SODIMM slots. Every iMac features a built-in
iSight video camera, mic and stereo speakers integrated into the thin
aluminum and glass design. iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme
802.11n WiFi networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, a total
of four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and a new built-in SD card
slot.
Apple today also announced that the Mac mini, the world's most
energy efficient desktop,** is now faster, offers more storage and
comes standard with double the memory. Starting at $599, the entry
level Mac mini features a faster 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
and 2 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, a 160 GB hard drive, five USB
2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a
SuperDrive. The $799 Mac mini features a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
processor, 4 GB of memory and a larger 320 GB hard drive. Apple
now offers a $999 Mac mini that is specially configured with Mac OS X
Snow Leopard Server. Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server features two 500
GB hard drives for a total of 1 TB of server storage in the tiny
6.5" square by 2" tall Mac mini enclosure.
Continuing Apple's commitment to the environment, both iMac and Mac
mini extend their leadership in green design. iMac and Mac mini meet
the new, more stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieve EPEAT
Gold status.*** The new iMac now features LED-backlit displays that are
mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Both iMac and Mac mini
use PVC-free internal components and cables, contain no brominated
flame retardants, use highly recyclable materials, and feature
material-efficient system and packaging designs.
Every Mac comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the world's most
advanced operating system, and iLife, Apple's innovative suite of
applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and
learning to play music. Snow Leopard builds on a decade of OS X
innovation and success with hundreds of refinements, new core
technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange. iLife
features iPhoto, to easily organize and manage photos; iMovie with
powerful easy-to-use new features such as Precision Editor, video
stabilization and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand which
introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and
guitar.
The new 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac and Mac mini lines are now
shipping and available through the Apple Store,
Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The Intel Core i5
and i7 quad-core iMacs are available for order and will begin shipping
this November. Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is available
from the Apple Store and Apple's retail stores.
The new 21.5" 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199,
includes:
- 21.5" 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display
- 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB shared L2
cache
- 4 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16 GB
- Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics
- 500 GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R
DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately)
- built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth
2.1+EDR
- built-in iSight video camera
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- four USB 2.0 ports
- one FireWire 800 port
- SD card slot
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
The new 21.5" 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499,
includes:
- 21.5" 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display
- 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB shared L2
cache
- 4 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16 GB
- ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256 MB GDDR3
- 1 TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R
DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately)
- built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth
2.1+EDR
- built-in iSight video camera
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- four USB 2.0 ports
- one FireWire 800 port
- SD card slot
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
The new 27" 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699,
includes:
- 27" 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display
- 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB shared L2
cache
- 4 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16 GB
- ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256 MB GDDR3
- 1 TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R
DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold
separately)
- built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth
2.1+EDR
- built-in iSight video camera
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- four USB 2.0 ports
- one FireWire 800 port
- SD card slot
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
The new 27" 2.66 GHz Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of
$1,999, includes:
- 27" 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display
- 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with 8 MB shared L3
cache
- 4 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16 GB
- ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics; with 512 MB GDDR3
- 1 TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R
DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold
separately)
- built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth
2.1+EDR
- built-in iSight video camera
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- four USB 2.0 ports
- one FireWire 800 port
- SD card slot
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
Build-to-order options for the 27" Core i5 quad-core iMac include a
2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor.
27" iMac Also Designed to Work as a Display
AppleInsider's Prince McLean reports:
"Apple has designed its new 27" iMac model to serve as an external
display for DisplayPort devices such as recent MacBook and MacBook
Pros.
"The new model is the first all-in-one system from Apple that
doubles as an external display. Attaching a notebook or other device
capable of DisplayPort output only requires the use of the appropriate
cable...."
Link:
Apple's New 27 Inch iMac Designed to Also Work as a Display
New iMacs Viewed as Boon for Sagging Desktop
Sales
AppleInsider's Neil Hughes reports:
"While sales of portable machines saw tremendous growth during
Apple's last financial quarter, desktop sales lagged behind. But the
release of new iMacs this week is predicted to change that in a big
way."
Link:
Apple's New iMacs Viewed as Boon for Sagging Desktop Sales
Mac mini Updated, Server Model Added
Along with the new iMac and MacBook revamps and Magic Mouse
introduction on Tuesday, Apple also quietly refreshed the Mac mini, adding a new $999
model that ships with Snow Leopard Server.
The base $599 Mac mini gets a faster 2.26
GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor similar to the one used in the new
MacBook and the 13" MacBook Pro as well as 2 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz
RAM (twice the Early 2009 mini's standard allotment), and a 160 GB hard
drive (up from 120 GB in the previous model). The new minis have five
USB 2.0 ports (up from 4 on the preceding model), FireWire 800, two
monitor ports, Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics, Mini-DVI and
Mini DisplayPort video out, and a Mini-DVI-to-DVI adapter is included
Grand Central Dispatch, 64-bit operation and OpenCL are also
supported.
There's an 8x SATA SuperDrive that writes DVD±R discs at up
to 8x speed, DL at 6x; DVD±RW at 8x; reads DVDs at up to 8x;
writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at up to 24x, and reads CDs at up to
24x.
Moving up a notch, the $799 Mac mini middle model gets a 2.53 GHz
Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM standard and a 320 GB HD. If you
need more power than that you can order the Mac mini with a 2.66 GHz
CPU.
The
new $999 server Mac mini comes configured out of the box with Mac OS X
10.6 Snow Leopard Server (which sells for $499 separately) loaded up,
and also is equipped with two 500 GB hard drives instead of the usual
single HD and internal SuperDrive combo, for a total of 1 TB of
internal server storage in its minuscule 6.5" x 6.5" x 2" housing,
which is pretty amazing when you think about it. There's a whole server
in that tiny package, and Apple says it's easy to set up, easy to run,
and the $999 price tag makes it easy on the wallet as well, considering
what you get.
Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is designed to make it easy for
anyone to set up a server to help communicate, collaborate, and share
information. It's perfect for small businesses or groups - retail
shops, medical and law offices, classrooms, design studios and so
forth. For $999 you can have your own server that supports email on Mac
computers, PCs, and iPhone. Sync and share calendars and contact
information, between Mac computers and PCs, and can help you create
full-featured wikis and high-quality podcasts as well as automatically
back up all your important data.
Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server lets you add an unlimited number
of Mac and PC users without per-user licensing fees, so you can grow
your business or other operation without growing your costs.
Designed to be easy to use, Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is
ideal for people who've never run a server before or for overtaxed IT
departments. Apple's Server Assistant will walk you through the setup
process step by step. And if you want help at any stage, just click the
? icon for more information.
Tools like Server Preferences let you quickly set up all your key
services and manage users and groups. And a Server Status Dashboard
widget makes it easy to keep an eye on the status of services such as
email, file sharing, web hosting, and more.
Advanced network hardware and software make it simple to integrate
Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server into a Mac or PC environment, and
it's compatible with a wide range of displays, keyboards, mice, and
other peripherals, so you can put it to work with equipment you already
have.
If you need capability to burn discs or install additional software,
an optional $100 external USB-based MacBook Air SuperDrive is
available, drawing power through its USB cable with no need for a
separate power adapter, making it simple to connect, space efficient,
and energy efficient.
According to Apple Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server uses less than
16 watts of power when at idle, or an estimated 4.5 times less than a
similarly equipped tower server. It's also made from highly recyclable
aluminum, making it a greener choice, as do its tiny dimensions.
The three Mac mini configurations available are:
Base Model
- 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2 GB memory
- 160 GB hard drive
- 8x double-layer SuperDrive
- Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard
- Free Shipping
- $599
Mid Model
- 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4 GB memory
- 320 GB hard drive
- 8x double-layer SuperDrive
- Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard
- $799
Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server
- 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4 GB memory
- Dual 500 GB hard drives
- Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics
- Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard
- Free Shipping
- $999
Magic Mouse: The World's First Multi-Touch
Mouse
Apple on Tuesday also introduced the new wireless Magic Mouse, the
first mouse to use Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch technology.
Pioneered on iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpads, Multi-Touch
allows customers to navigate using intuitive finger gestures. Instead
of mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the entire top of
the Magic Mouse is a seamless Multi-Touch surface. Magic Mouse comes
standard with the new iMac and will be available as a Mac accessory at
$69.
"Apple is the Multi-Touch leader, pioneering the use of this
innovative technology in iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook
trackpads," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of
Worldwide Product Marketing. "Apple's Multi-Touch technology allows us
to offer an easy to use mouse in a simple and elegant design."
Magic Mouse features a seamless touch-sensitive enclosure that
allows it to be a single or multibutton mouse with advanced gesture
support. Using intuitive gestures, users can easily scroll through long
documents, pan across large images or swipe to move forward or backward
through a collection of web pages or photos. Magic Mouse works for left
or right handed users and multibutton or gesture commands can be easily
configured from within System Preferences.
The Magic Mouse laser tracking engine provides a smooth, consistent
experience across more surfaces than a traditional optical tracking
system. Magic Mouse uses Bluetooth wireless capabilities to create a
clean, cable-free desk top and its secure wireless connection works
from up to 10 meters away. To extend battery performance, Magic Mouse
includes an advanced power management system that works with Mac OS X
to automatically switch to low power modes during periods of
inactivity. The wireless Magic Mouse is powered by two AA batteries
which are included.
Magic Mouse comes standard with the new iMac and is available at the
end of October through the Apple Store, at
Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested
retail price of $69. Magic Mouse requires Mac OS X Leopard version
10.5.8 or later.
iFixit Magic Mouse Teardown
iFixit takes apart the new Magic Mouse.
iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens says:
"We took apart the new Magic Mouse. We didn't find any fairy dust
inside, just a lot of capacitive sensors.
Highlights:
From the Apple logo up, the entire surface of the mouse is covered
with capitative touch sensors.
The mouse uses a Broadcom BCM2042 Advanced Wireless
Keyboard/Mouse Bluetooth Chip.
There's not much Aluminum in the mouse; we weighed just 10
grams. That's compared to 37 grams of plastic and 47 grams of
batteries. Nearly half the mouse's weight comes from the two AA
batteries.
"We'll be taking apart the iMac that came with our Magic Mouse next.
Follow @ifixit on twitter and we'll keep you updated."
Photos courtesy iFixit.
Link: iFixit Magic Mouse
Teardown
Apple Plans Turbocharged Mac Pro Speedster
The Register's Chris Mellor says:
"The Mac Pro is the Big
Mac, with up to two Nehalem processors and 32 GB of RAM producing great
graphics processing performance.
"But it's a pussy compared to what might be coming. Early next year
we could see a 12-core Mac with 128 GB RAM that just screams: a Mega
Mac, if you will."
Link: Apple Plans
Turbocharged Mac Pro Speedster
Products & Services
First External Hard Drive with Reduced Standby
Power Consumption of 95%
PR: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has announced that its new
3.5" external hard drive, STORY Station, will feature the industry's
first standby power consumption below a watt when it ships in November.
The reduced standby power level easily meets requirements for the
forthcoming European Union's EuP (Energy Using Products) Directive for
Standby Regulation, effective January 2010.
Samsung has lowered the standby power consumption by over 95%, to
0.09W from the conventional level of 2.5W, a move that will cut down on
indirect CO2 emissions. Samsung's
introduction of the low standby power level is the first for any 3.5"
external hard drive.
User requirements for external hard drives now include
eco-friendliness and lower power levels in addition to performance,
reliability and exceptional design, said C.H. Lee, vice president,
Storage sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. Samsung's STORY
Station, which has been praised for its appealing external-drive
design, takes a huge step forward in setting the stage for the timely
introduction of environmentally-conscious hard drive technology.
The reduced power level for standby mode was achieved by adopting a
new circuit structure, which makes the drive non-operational when the
power cable is connected and the USB port is not.
Samsung's 3.5" STORY Station external hard drive line up is
available globally in densities ranging from 500 gigabytes (GBs) to two
terabytes (TBs) and features Samsung Auto Backup for ongoing data
preservation, SecretZone!" software for personal data encryption and
SafetyKey!" for password protection.
The lowered standby power feature will be adopted in all STORY
Station drives shipped from early November 2009.
Link: Samsung
FirmTek 64-bit and 32-bit PCIe 'Snow Leopard'
Compatible 4-Port eSATA Host Adapter
PR: FirmTek, LLC, a pioneer in Serial ATA (SATA) storage
solutions announced today the SeriTek/2ME4-E 4-Port eSATA host adapter
is shipping. Mac OS X 10.6.x "Snow Leopard" 64-bit and 32-bit modes are
supported with direct connect enclosures like the SeriTek/2eEN4 and
port multiplier enclosures like the SeriTek/5PM. The SeriTek/2ME4-E is
also backward compatible with Mac OS X 10.4.6 or higher. This new 4x
PCI-Express eSATA controller is designed to provide extreme data
storage performance options with all Apple Mac Pro models and the late
2005 PowerMac G5 (11,2).
"The FirmTek SeriTek/2ME4-E engineering effort has
produced a superior quality, 4-port, eSATA host adapter that meets the
needs of our Professional customers", said Chi Kim Stanford Vice
President of Business Development. The SeriTek/2ME4-E is ideal for
audio/video editing, photography, large media content libraries,
storage expansion, backup and any application where external, hot swap,
high performance, data storage is desirable. The new FirmTek 64-bit
SeriTek/2ME4-E driver is built from the ground up to take advantage of
Snow Leopard while providing a low power, ultra high performance native
PCIe to Serial ATA interface.
Ultra High Performance
Professional Macintosh users with uncompromising data storage
requirements will appreciate the high-bandwidth available once the
SeriTek/2ME4-E is installed. Four direct connect hard disks attached to
the SeriTek/2ME4-E provided RAID 0 performance as high as 540 MB/sec.
during FirmTek performance trials. As more advanced storage
technologies are introduced, the SeriTek/2ME4-E is ready and willing to
deploy up to 250+MB/sec. per channel. When multiple SeriTek/5PM
enclosures are utilized, up to twenty hard disks can be supported a
single SeriTek/2ME4-E. Hard disks installed in the SeriTek/5PM can be
formatted as individual disks, multiple RAID sets or as one large RAID.
Twenty hard disks configured in RAID 0 can provide throughput reaching
beyond 700 MB/sec, enabling up to four simultaneous HD video feeds to
be streamed directly to disk.
Configuration Options
Users looking for raw storage capacity can engage the expansive hard
disk configuration options provided by multiple SeriTek/5PM enclosures
with the SeriTek/2ME4-E. Up to 40 TB of data storage is available when
twenty 2 TB hard disks are installed! Meanwhile, Macintosh
performance minded users looking for the ultimate in four drive RAID 0
performance can configure the SeriTek/2eEN4 with the SeriTek/2ME4-E.
This option offers unprecedented bandwidth that maximizes hard disk
performance. Professional users will appreciate the significant number
of different configuration options available with the
SeriTek/2ME4-E.
Think SMART
The new FirmTek SeriTek/2ME4-E driver includes S.M.A.R.T application
support. This feature allows the FirmTek driver to deliver SMART data
to Macintosh third party utilities like Hardware Monitor. Users can
conveniently monitor hard disk temperatures and the health of hard
disks attached to the FirmTek controller while using their favorite
Macintosh SMART reporting application. In addition, Disk Utility can be
used to verify the SMART status of hard disks. SMART application
support provides users with an excellent tool for keeping an eye on the
condition of hard disks attached to the SeriTek/2ME4-E.
FirmTek SeriTek/2ME4-E Key Features and Benefits Supports Mac OS X
10.6.x "Snow Leopard" 64-bit and 32-bit modes Backward compatible with
Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later Compatible with all Apple Mac Pro models and
the late 2005 PowerMac G5 (11,2) PCI-Express 4x bandwidth (Compatible
with 4x, 8x and 16x PCIe slots) Four independent data channels with
external Serial ATA (eSATA) connectors Supports Apple Disk Utility RAID
and JBOD hard disk configurations SATA II 3 Gb/sec. Backward compatible
with SATA 1.5 Gb/s hard disks S.M.A.R.T application support for third
party Macintosh utilities Self-contained PowerMac G5 boot functionality
Not bootable with the Apple Mac Pro (provides additional storage) Bus
Mastering off-loads data I/O handling from CPU Complete CRC error
checking, for all bits transmitted offers enhanced data protection SATA
II Native Command Queuing and Spread Spectrum Clocking (SSC) Low Power
Consumption Environmentally Sensitive Design Onboard Flash ROM for easy
firmware updates Port multiplier support: Connect up to 20 drives using
SeriTek/5PM enclosures Direct connect support: Connect up to 4 drives
with a SeriTek/2eEN4 enclosure Simple to install, easy to use, built
solely for Mac OS X
The FirmTek SeriTek/2ME4-E 4-port eSATA controller for Apple Mac Pro
and the late 2005 PowerMac G5 (11,2) is available now, with an
estimated retail price of $199.95. The SeriTek/2ME4-E (SATA-2ME4) can
be purchased from FirmTek distributors, resellers or directly from
FirmTek. The SeriTek/2ME4-E is also available bundled with the
SeriTek/5PM (SATA-5PM-2ME4). For more information about the
SeriTek/2ME4-E, please visit FirmTek's website.
Link: SeriTek/2ME4-E 4-Port
eSATA Host Adapter
Software
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac Released
PR: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 software combines power and
simplicity so you can easily go beyond the basics to tell great stories
with your photos. Make your photos look extraordinary, share your life
stories in creative ways, and easily manage all your photos. Works
great with iPhoto.
Quickly recompose your photos to any size, without distortion.
Go from flawed to phenomenal with one-step shortcuts and the Smart
Brush tool.
Perfect lighting is a snap
Automatically create perfectly lit shots that show every detail
using new Photomerge capabilities - just one of the many great new
editing options in Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac.
Photoshop Elements 8 works great with iPhoto
Easily bring photos from Apple iPhoto into Photoshop Elements to
take advantage of fun yet powerful photo-editing options.
Exploring what you can do
Browse the feature highlight movies and see how easy it is to
manage, edit, create, and share your photos with Photoshop Elements
8.
Get the best exposure
Want to capture all the details in a scene that includes light and
dark areas? Snap one photo with flash on and one with flash off, and
Photomerge Exposure will combine the shots into a single, perfectly lit
photo.
Recompose photos to any size - without distortion
Ever want to change the size or orientation of a photo to fit a
certain frame? Now you can quickly resize - even going from landscape
to portrait or vice versa - without distorting key subjects like people
or buildings.
Quickly clean your scene of unwanted elements
You took five shots of your subject, but pedestrians and cars
distract from the scene in every one. Now, use Photomerge Scene Cleaner
to simply brush away any elements that changed positions between photos
and create a composite with just the look you want.
Select and apply with a single stroke
Simultaneously select a specific photo area and apply incredible
effects with a single stroke of the Smart Brush tool. Improve lighting,
add rich textures, and more with eight libraries of over 50
sophisticated effects.
Go from flawed to phenomenal in seconds
Get just the photo fixes you're looking for with new one-step
shortcuts that whiten teeth and make skies a vibrant blue.
Choose the best result
Perform a full range of common photo adjustments - including color,
contrast, and lighting - with just one click. Then choose the best
result from a group of adjustment previews.
Give your creations fresh looks
Experiment with new artwork and templates to give your printed
creations fun and stylish new looks.
Count on step-by-step assistance
Need to touch up a scratch or blemish but not sure how to begin? Let
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 software for Mac walk you through each
editing step to easily get the results you want. New Guided Edit
options help you achieve both basic and artistic effects. Quickly
retouch skin and soften other surfaces new
Soften surfaces while keeping edges and details crisp with a Surface
Blur filter that works great on portrait shots. Share in fresh ways on
the web new
Share your photos in new, eye-catching web gallery templates that
you can easily preview before uploading.
With special offers and integrated options from Adobe partners, it's
easier than ever for you to do anything you want with your photos and
videos.
Education discounts
Find out how teachers, students, and administrators at qualifying
institutions can take advantage of lower pricing.
Upgrading to Adobe Photoshop Elements 8? Get a $20 rebate.
System requirements
- Multicore Intel processor
- Mac OS X v10.4.11 through 10.5.8 or Mac OS X v10.6
- 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended)
- 64 MB of video RAM
- 2 GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space
required during installation 1,024x768 display resolution
- DVD-ROM drive
- QuickTime 7 software required for multimedia features Internet
connection required for Internet-based services
Language versions
- English
- French
- German
- Japanese
$99.99: Save $20 after mail-in rebate - $79.99
Free trial available
Link: Photoshop
Elements 8 for Mac
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers monthly:
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
