New toys this week? (1 Viewer)

Rumors are swirling that both the Mac Pro and iMac lines will be updated as soon as this week, and a french blog sez iLife 11 is launching August 7th with a mystery new app (ibooks, duh!) Gruber sez:

We’ll have much to talk about, what with the new Mac Pros (finally, right?), speed-bump iMacs, and the gorgeous new 16:9 27-inch Cinema Display that Apple might hypothetically release tomorrow.

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Sam Sez:

No blu, no sale

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I sure hope Gruber is right about the 27" ACD -- I have a broken (the stand snapped off) decade old 20" ACD in dire, desperate need of replacement. I would have preferred a new 30" ACD, but 27" will do. It will kill two birds with one stone as I can get rid of my ancient Sony CRT form the bedroom as well.


I'll just need a 30' DisplayPort & USB extension cables. Those do exist, right?


I'm also very excited about my favorite podcast, The Talk SHow coming back!

The 27" ACD is going to be $1299 - $1499 tho, given Apple's history. Are you prepared to pay that big a premium over the Dell equivalent?

Engadget seems to agree

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/26/apple-launching-new-mac-pros-speedbumped-imac-new-cinema-displ/


Double hypothetical indeed, since he got burned on the bluray call for the original 27"

I'm an iLife and iWork fan, and have upgraded each year for 3 years running. S I'm curious about what's to come. But with my iPhone and ipads likely next yr I'm not sure I'll upgrade the 'i' suites this year.

The store is down, the store is down!

It's up now. I've never noticed the Magic Trackpad before. And they are saying "The new iMac" although I can't tell if that is from today...

Yep, new iMacs http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html and Mac Pros: http://www.apple.com/macpro/specs.html and the Magic Trackpad is new.

MacPro now going dual 6 core Xeon (12 core) on a serverboard platform:


http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/apple-mac-pro-line-overhauled-with-new-design-and-12-core-proces/


That is a monstrous workstation design. And infinitely bootcamp ready.


The iMac refresh is kind of a letdown. Mostly i3, using either a 2 generation old ATI (4670) or a .5 generation old, middle of the line video (5670), though both trump the 9400M. Clearly mainstream, but no Quadcore until you hit $2k.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac?aid=AIC-WWW-NAUS-K2-BUYNOW-MACBOOK-TECH+SPECS&cp=BUYNOW-MACBOOK-TECH+SPECS


That's kind of a letdown. I figured they'd have a lower i5 in the mix somewhere.



But the MacPro is a potentially very sweet offering for the right buyer Now if only it had Bluray to work with all that horsepower for.

The MacPro clearly outstrips the available graphics options.


And bundingling the 15 year old Superdrive with these is just pathetic. No sale.

Oddly it's not working on the iPhone apple store app yet.

The trackpad intrigues me. It might be useful for my wife with her iMac. She uses a thumb controlled trackball so the magicpad might an improvement in all regards.

OK, so you can get 2 27" 2560x1440 IPS monitors for the price of 1 30" 2560 x 1600


http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9179LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MTA4MzU1OTQ


http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/apple-cinema-display-goes-to-27-inches-16-9-aspect-ratio/


If I wind up moving I definitely see a pair of 27s in my new home.

Don't forget the battery charger! At first I thought that was silly, I could get one from another maker. But then, it includes 6 batteries, so it might not be a bad deal. I burn through batteries like crazy on my mouse and keyboard. So I had considered rechargeable batteries.


The new MacPro looks good! I've been lusting for a new desktop to replace my G5.

We knew that Blu wasn't coming, and I was resigned to that. I am disappointed that the rumored USB 3.0 and Firewire 1600 weren't implemented in either the iMac or the Mac Pro (the latter is more surprising given the cost of the machine).


Also, I can't find final confirmation, but I don't think the Mac Pro uses SATA 3.0? For something that they advertise is not only one of the best desktops you can buy, but also can be a small server, I think this omission (at a relatively low cost) is a big one. I guess I can keep my Macbook Pro and Vista desktop limping along until one or more of these technologies are implemented in either the iMac or the Mac Pro. I'm in need of faster RAM and HD performance due to the large size and amount of pictures I take with my 7D (25MB RAW files) as well as my Pro Tools and Logic Pro sessions. My 4 year old MBP is starting to show its limitations when handling these types of files and I'm itching for a desktop solution.

Looks like, from the ad I received in my email, the track pad

is in addition to the magic mouse though I don't know if it comes

in the box or you have to pay extra for it.


Not a huge reboot for the iMac. In fact, on the outset it looks

like they just upgraded the graphics for the lower models and

added an i3 processor.

So they only update the iMac and Mac line once a year? and the Mac Pro only gets an i3? Very strange.

The iMacs have i3, i5 and i7 options. The Mac Pro is using the Xeon line of processors, which I don't think are in the "i#" series.

Originally Posted by Dennis*G

So they only update the iMac and Mac line once a year? and the Mac Pro only gets an i3? Very strange.

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Magic Trackpad is not bundled with any systems, it is an add on accessory only.

Originally Posted by Dennis*G

So they only update the iMac and Mac line once a year? and the Mac Pro only gets an i3? Very strange.

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Expect longer waits between hardware refreshes, and less revolutionary refreshes when they come. While Apple is still very much in the PC game, it no longer views itself as a PC company. The iOS-based products are going to be the focus from here on out.

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein Not a huge reboot for the iMac. In fact, on the outset it looks like they just upgraded the graphics for the lower models and added an i3 processor.

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One change – you can now order a 27-inch iMac with two internal drives: a HD and a SSD.