As usual after a Keynote and/or the introduction of new products, we will provide analysis and compare then to the previous models.
MacBook Pro
Apple decided to unify its Alu-enclosure notebook models under the same name, aka MacBook Pro, so the previously known Unibody macBook is now a 13" MacBook Pro. But as we will see it, it is not only a matter of renaming, the new 13" MacBook Pro has been updated at the hardware level:
- The price of the 17" model is strongly reduced (starting at 2499 USD) and one can now add faster CPU, up to 3.06 GHz as a BTO.
- The main changes are for the 15" MacBook Pro: It now features a built-in battery, as its brother the 17", and can now enjoy 7 hours. However, the 153 models does not feature the ExpressCard slot anymore (preserved on the 17") and adopt a SD card port most probably to fit with this format massively used now in cameras and camcorders. One should point out that the 2.53 and 2.66 GHz model have 3 MB on-chip L2 cache memory, while the faster 2.8 and 3.06 GHz share 6 MB of L2 cache memory.
- The new Macbook 13" is now available from 1199 USD. Apple listened its customers and brought back the FireWire port, offering now a FW800 to the 13" model too. It also features the SD lot-in port, but has a single port for audio, working as audio in/out line, so you will have to iPhone earphone or any third-party model including a microphone. One can customize it and add a SSD as a BTO.
MacBook
So, MacBook are now intended to be polycarbonate enclosure only, and their specifications were not modified, only the family has been now restricted, and Unibody macBook are now part from history and been included in the MacBook Pro family as the 13" model.
MacBook Air
Here Apple cut prices too while upgrading the high-end model. One can question the impact of the RAM limited to 2 GB for a future use with Snow Leopard, as there are now ways to further increase it as a BTO.
The entry level model powered by a 1.83 GHz Core2Duo LV associated with a 120 GB HD.
The high-end model receives now a 2.13 GHz Core2Duo LV and a 128 GB SSD.
Snow Leopard
It is now official, it will come in September, and will cost ONLY 29 USD! For sure, Apple intends to fight with Windows about the price of OS. Snow Leopard will be better, faster and easier (and cheaper). We should finally be able to benefit from our multicore architecture Macs, while having a built-in support for the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server. Here, Apple is providing its OS the tools to finally compete with Microsoft for corporate IT system, making it possible to have both hardware/software to fully communicate and understand each other, marking the end of a Microsoft/PC monopoly in such market.
iPhone 3GS
The shape did not really changed (as expected and reported before) and it simply get faster and now feature built-in video camera with editing. Apple keep the iPhone 3G in its catalog, and refresh its price list. So, one can now get an iPhone 3G for 99 USD (to be associated to a subscription plan from the eligible carriers), while the first iPhone 3GS model will cost 199 USD with a faster hardware and double the storage space. The high-end model, with 32 GB storage space, will cost 299 USD. A video demoing the new iPhone 3GS is available at the following address: http://bit.ly/M7bc0
iPhone OS 3.0
The new iPhone OS 3.0 bring a lot of new features, among them the most anticipated copy/paste, landscape keyboard, improved calendars, etc. It will be available on June 17th, it will be free for all iPhone owners and will cost 9.95 USD for iPod Touch owners. One will have to wait before being able to test if all this new features and improved speed are not draining the battery power faster too. Developers and attendees will get the iPhone OS 3.0 version today at conference.
