MacObsession

We were all a little bit disappointed when Apple did not announce any new hardware in the last (and final) Macworld keynote back in January. One of the reasons that Apple is retreating from conferences and expos is so that they can release new hardware and software on their own timetable. It turned out that yesterday was a pretty big day, with a refresh on all desktop Macs (Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro), network devices (Airport, Time Capsule) and a bunch of software updates.

The most anticipated update is of course is the Mac mini, which was long overdue for a refresh. Over the past several days we saw a few leaks, which many people pooh-poohed because the Mac mini had a whopping 5 USB ports.

Well, it turned out to be true. The new Mac mini does indeed have five USB ports, a Firewire 800 port and supports both DVI and DisplayPort video-out. This is a lean, green machine, using only 13 watts of power when idle. Too bad Apple did not lower the price to sub-$500, the entry level Mac mini costs US$599 (RM2,299).

The iMac consumer desktop now has twice the memory and storage (2GB RAM, 320GB hard disk), as well as the new NVIDIA 9400M graphics subsystem. New iMacs start at US$1,499 (RM4,499).

Apple’s high end desktop, the Mac Pro will feature Intel’s Nehalem chip. You get an option of quad-core or 8-core processors. The new chipsets include an integrated memory controller, Intel’s QuickPath, Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading technologies — which means fast and faster. There are new graphics card options, and the interior has been redesigned. Mac Pros start from US$2,499 (RM9,299).

Apple’s wireless network devices, the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme base station have been updated to include Mobile Me support, dual band support (for iPhones) and the ability to allow network access to “guests”.

Check your Mac’s Software Update panel — there’s quite a few updates available.