Who said Apple's event was all about the little things? Apple just unveiled its first redesign to its iMacdesktop in three years. The new all-in-one makes the widely expected leap to Intel's Ivy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 processors, but also represents a much leaner and meaner replacement for the 2009-era template -- its edges just 5mm thick, and it's constructed with "friction stir welding" as well as a gapless, less reflective display that's laminated together with the glass. Screen sizes remain the same and include both a 21.5-inch, 1080p model and a 27-inch, 2,560 x 1,400 model -- sorry, no Retina displays this year. They share 720p-capable front cameras with dual mics as well as NVIDIA's GeForce 600-era graphics, up to 3TB of spinning storage (or a 768GB SSD) and a maximum 32GB of RAM.
[Source: Engadget]
Apple will double its current built-to-order RAM configurations for the upcoming Mac minis, and perhaps the new iMacs according to sources familiar with the upcoming product releases. The current version of the iMac includes four RAM slots, and Apple’s top RAM configuration is four 4GB chips for a total of 16GB of RAM. The new iMac, however, will be sold with an options for 16GB of RAM across two chips (2 X 8GB) of RAM. Assuming that the new iMac retains 4 slots, users will be able to buy up to 32GB of iMac RAM from Apple. However, if not, it is still notable that Apple will be selling iMac RAM in pieces of 8GB chips for the first time. Up until this point, you could buy and use 8GB RAM chips from third parties for both the Mac mini and iMac.
[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]
Rumors suggest Apple's upcoming October 23 event will also bring a much-needed refresh of the company's iMac and Mac mini line of computers. Adding some credence to the rumor is the observation from AppleInsider that iMac inventory is declining in some Apple online stores in Europe. Both the German and UK stores now have ship times of 1-3 days on their two iMac models. It's fair to note that this is not a widespread decline in supply, so it's possible this is an isolated incident, and the timing is coincidental.
[Source: TUAW]
Apple's extension of the iMac 1TB Seagate hard drive replacement program was mentioned last Sunday, and late this week customers began receiving email reminders to schedule a drive replacement. If you're an iMac owner but not certain your machine is covered, you can easily check your serial number via the online validation tool.
While the Apple service program covers replacing your potentially problematic drive, it does not include backup or restoration of your OS, applications or data: that is on you. Please take our advice and spare yourself much pain and misery -- back up your drive now.
[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]
MacRumors points to a WeiPhone.com forum thread [Google translation] this morning that purports to show details of a new iMac. The poster’s brother-in-law apparently works in the factory that builds the new Macs, and he snapped the above picture on his cell phone. The design was verified by iFixit to be similar to the internals of a current iMac with the plastic radio-transparent circle on the rear.
On the iMac, the poster says:
[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]
Apple's desktop-bound iMac and Mac Pro computers could be about to lose their disc drives, configuration files in OS X Mountain Lion reveal.
An Appleinsider reader noticed the cryptic clue, which appears in a configuration .plist file that's used by Boot Camp Assistant, a bit of software that helps you install Windows on your Mac.
The file details newer models of Mac computers that can boot up an older operating system from a USB drive, handy if your computer lacks a disc drive. While a few Macs in the list do have slots for a CD or DVD, most are models that lack that disc-chomping capability.
Nestled among those models numbers are two that refer to Macs that haven't come out yet, the IM130 -- reckoned to be the next iMac -- and the MP60, which is thought to be an upcoming Mac Pro. It's far from conclusive, but does raise the possibility of professional-grade Apple gadgets devoid of disc holes.
The iMac was notably left out in the cold when Apple recently refreshed its lines of fancy computers, shivering in the snow outside the Apple family home and pressing its nose against a frosted window pane to watch the MacBook Air and all-new retina MacBook Pro dancing around a Christmas tree with Tim Cook.
The Mac Pro meanwhile was given a cursory processor boost and a snifter more memory, but hasn't been given a significant upgrade since 2010. Updates for both are tipped to arrive next year.
Apple appears to be driving out disc drives with its other computers, but would shedding this once-crucial port from its desktop machines be a smart move?
I can't remember the last time I stuck a CD in my computer, but I remember the cruel lesson taught by the browser-only Chromebook laptop -- just because you don't think you use something (like a bit of software or a certain port) very often, doesn't mean it won't prove totally crucial in the near future.
[Source: cnet]
Hidden files in the Mountain Lion version of Boot Camp appear to confirm the next generation of both the Mac Pro and iMac, according to information dug up by AppleInsider.
It has been a whole year since we started producing video reviews on a regular basis. Last June we managed to purchase a MacBook Pro which we had sponsored and laser etched with various company logos. This was a great success, not only did it get great exposure, but it also performed admirably with the video crunching we threw at it.
This year we needed some extra processing power, which came in the shape of a new 24-inch 3.06GHz iMac. This time around we had the sponsors logos thermally printed and applied to the back of the iMac. We also created a desktop wallpaper displaying the logos too. The new iMac is superb, really fast, quiet and stable. We have upgraded our software to Final Cut Express, so we can edit together some more attention grabbing video reviews for you this year. As well as the iMac, a new Audio Technica AT2020 mic, an Alesis Multimix 8 USB2 mixer, and some new studio lighting. I hope you start to see an improvement in quality and keep coming back to the Geekanoids website to check out our great reviews.
A big thank you goes out to the sponsors, who are listed below;
Academy Class
BMI Solutions
Crucial Technology
Eazydraw
Maccast
Make
Mamut (MYOB)
Miglia
Proporta
Quark
Roxio
It seemed appropriate to let you all know about our new acquisition. You may recall that last year some very supportive companies sponsored our laser etched MacBook Pro. Well, we have gained many many more readers and viewers since then, so most of the existing sponsors and some new, dug deep into their pockets again this year.
Not quite ready for public consumption yet, our investment went on a new 3.06GHz, 24-inch iMac. This beautiful machine landed at Geekanoids HQ late last week. The screen is gorgeous and gives a massive amount of creative workspace. The processor just eats its way through our video review processing, so will be a really productive addition for getting great content out there for you all. Of note, the iMac runs very quietly, has a massive 500GB hard drive, and 512MB of video memory. A really stunning machine. Expect to see it in it full glory, along with a list of sponsors toward the end of June.
We had a little funds left in the bank at the end of the day. This has been invested in new studio lighting, so much more accurately exposed videos for all. We also purchased an Audio Technica AT2020 microphone and an Alesis Multimix 8 USB2 mixing desk, so my dulcit tones will be more palatable.