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WWDC-Cheap Macbooks announced

On 06.08.09, In iBlog, by npetrik

Today at the 2009 World Wide Developers Conference Apple made some big announcements. Here is a run down of today's events.

Macbook Pro

The new Macbook Pro line

Apple re brands all Aluminum Unibody Macbooks into one Macbook Pro line that includes the 13", 15" and the 17" Macbooks. The price on the 13" Aluminum Macbook. Minor speed bumps were also included with the base model going from 2GHz to 2.26 GHz and higher version from 2.4GHz to 2.53 GHz. The price was reduced from $1299 to $1199 on the low end and $1499 from $1599 on the high end. The higher priced 13" Macbook now comes with 4GB of memory as standard.
The new battery on the Macbook Pro line is enclosed and offers up to 7 hours on a single charge( 8 hours on the 17" Macbook Pro)
Firewire and an SD slot is now included in the new Aluminum Macbook Pro line meaning Apple did listen to their customers complaints. The entry level price on the 17" Macbook Pro has been dropped from $2799 to $2499.

Macbook Air

The "cheaper" Macbook Air

The Macbook Air clock speeds have been increased from 1.6GHz to 1.8 GHz and 1.86 GHz to 2.13 GHZ. The price has been reduced $300 on the entry level Macbook Air bringing it to $1499 and a respectable $700 drop in price on the high end model bringing it to $1799

White Macbook

The "cheap" Macbook

The "cheap" Macbook has also been updated with a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor and advanced NVIDIA graphics. Firewire has also been included in the White Mac Book. An option to upgrade to a significant 500 GB hard Drive has been added. The processor has been upgraded to 2.13 GHz and the memory to 2GB with support up to 4GB.

Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard coming in September 2009

Snow Leopard was finally given a launch date of September 2009 and will have a price point of $29 for current OS X 10.5 Leopard single license users and $49 for the family pack.
Mac users with Intel machines running versions of Mac Os X such as Tiger can purchase the box set including Snow Leopard, iWork '09 and iLife '09 at $169 for a single license or $229 for the family pack.
Apple also announced the launch of the Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard with a price point of $499 that includes unlimited client licenses on Mac, Linux and Windows.

Safari 4

The Safari 4 browser was launched from public beta to the official version delivering a number of enhancements.

Some of the innovative features include the Nitro engine which is capabe of running Javascript up to .5 times faster then Safari 3.

Safari 4 makes browsing more enjoyable with features such as cover flow, Top Sites and full history search.

OS X 10.5.7 paves the way for Snow Leopard

On 05.12.09, In iBlog, by npetrik

On Tuesday Apple released Mac OS X 10.5.7 that includes general operating system fixes that improves the security, compatibility and stability of Macs and is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard.

The Mac OS X 10.5.7 software is available for download through the system update utility or as a separate download at the Apple Site. Specific enhancements are as follows.

General

Latest security fixes
Resolves an issue with the Dvorak keyboard layout in Mac S X 0.5.6
Improves the performance of cursor movement and video playback for recent Macs including Macbooks with the NIVIDIA graphics card
The inclusion of extra RAW image support for 3rd party cameras
The accuracy and reliability of Stocks, Weather, Unit Converter and Movies dashboard widgets has been improved
Some issues when logging into Gmail have been addressed
Syncing contacts with Yahoo has been improved
Network performance when connected with particular Ethernet switches that have Flow Control enabled has been improved
The expansion slot utility for Mac Pro can now report the correct PCIe slot
Improvements on Finder search results for network volumes that don't support Spotlight searches such as Mac OS X Server v10.4, 3rd party AFP servers and Time Capsule
Improved reliability of home network directories hosted by Mac OS X Server v10.4
Several improvements to Client Management and Directory Service

iCal

Improved stability and reliability when syncing with Apple Mobile Me
Improved overall reliability with CalDav

Mail

An issue that might cause the BBC field to incorrectly populate while redirecting the message from the sent mailbox has been addressed
Addresses sync and reliability issues with Notes

Parental Controls

Issues with the time limits that might not work right with Fast User Switching and full screen games has been addressed
Consistent with application restrictions and Parental Controls has been improved

Printing

Improved printer reliability and stability
Issues that might cause 3rd party printers to incorrectly print to the wrong paper tray has been resolved
Non-admin users can now have permission to add and remove printers by turning on Parental Controls and checking "Can administer printers"

Ever since 2001, the Mac OS X has brought more then a 1000 innovative and great features. This should be the last OS X update until the release of Snow Leopard which is rumored to be released or at least announced at the upcoming WWDC in June.