With the past several Apple Keynotes focusing entirely on mobile iOS oriented devices, it would be easy to accuse Apple of neglecting its Mac lineup. If there was any doubt in your mind, yesterday’s announcements hopefully re-affirmed that the company is still keeping the Mac on the front burner. The amazing new MacBook Air stands to revolutionize Apple’s entire notebook line, and Mac OS X Lion fuses the greatest successes of previous iterations of OS X and iOS. Though these two announcements alone would technically be enough to quell the insatiable demand for new Apple products through the holidays, Apple also announced an all-new version of its popular iLife software suite. However in all the update chaos that ensued post keynote, Mr. Jobs and Co. slyly released/hinted at ten additional items that flew under the radars of many. Here is a collection of some of the more subtle announcements from yesterday’s media event.
10. The Air Flies Higher than 2GB:
Though all of the models showcased at Apple’s media event included a stock configuration of 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM, the new machine actually supports up to 4GB. Available only as a CTO option, the MacBook Air’s RAM is onboard (non-user replaceable) and therefore the amount must be chosen prior to purchase. The good news is that this option is fairly inexpensive. Prospective Air buyers can upgrade their machines to 4GB for only an additional $100.
9. Apple Releases a 1st Party HDMI Cable:
To accompany the recently released Apple TV and the HDMI equipped Mac mini, Apple has put out an official HDMI cable. Ok, I know what you’re thinking, HDMI cables are expensive to begin with, and the rule of thumb is that any official Apple cable is even more expensive than the competition. Apparently an anomaly, the official Apple branded cable is a surprisingly good value. At nearly 6 feet, this black cable complements the Apple TV nicely and retails for only $19.99.
8. MacBook Air SuperDrive gets Souped-up:
Retaining its optical drive free design, the MacBook Air will likely have to interface with optical media from time to time. Though Remote Disc enables this functionality wirelessly, users must have two computers and a wireless network to use it. As they did for the original Air’s release, Apple has put out a “new” version of the MacBook Air SuperDrive. I say “new” only because not a whole lot has changed. Apple evidently found a faster and lighter optical drive, as the new drive is 180 grams lighter than its predecessor. DL DVD write time has also improved from 4x to 6x.
7. iLife and iWork Break-up:
Though unconfirmed, early screenshots–including those demoed in the keynote–of Apple’s Mac App Store, indicate that the company’s popular software suites might be splitting up in the near future. Showing individual titles for sale, if users don’t intend or envision using all of the apps included in a particular suite, they may be able to grab just the ones they need. Apple plans to launch the new store in a little under 3 months. We’ll fill you in as we know more.
6. News Flash! No Flash!:
After some initial hands-on time, early adopters of the new MacBook Air are reporting that it does not include the Adobe Flash plug-in by default. With Apple spearheading the web wide transition to HTML5, this move makes sense, but at the same time seems a bit odd. Though Flash is not the most efficient web standard, it is still widely in use online. Its exclusion from being pre-installed on the Air seems to almost work against Apple’s “It just works” philosophy.
5. Snow Leopard on a Stick:
Most prospective Air buyers likely know that the machine does not include an optical drive. Realizing it would be unfair to shortchange MacBook Air owners of the software that typically comes with a new Mac, Apple has devised a work around. For the first time, the company has included digital copies of OS X and iLife on a proprietary USB drive. If users need to restore their machine or re-install iLife ’11 they need only to plug in the included restore drive. This marks the first time that OS X has not been distributed on an optical disc. Does this hint that Lion might be available in a similar medium? Maybe even as a download?
4. MacBook Pro Speed Bump:
Not letting the Air steal the spotlight entirely, Apple quietly updated 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro CTO options this morning. Rounding out the high end of Apple’s portable lineup, 15 and 17-inch machines can now be configured with a 2.8GHz i7 processor. Costing an additional $400, this upgrade doesn’t come cheap. However if you require a lot of power on-the-go, this will surely be a welcome update.
3. iWeb and iDVD are the Black Sheep of iLife ’11:
With the first half of yesterday’s keynote based on updates to the iLife suite, Jobs and his fellow presenters focused entirely on iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand. No mention was made of iWeb and iDVD–the two other programs historically included in the suite. TUAW today reports that the only changes made were code modifications to make the applications Intel native. While these programs have never seen the run away success of iPhoto and iMovie, leaving them untouched is a surprising move.
2. SD Card Reader a 13-in Exclusive:
Though some may have caught it, post keynote I was under the impression that both the 11-in and 13-in varieties of MacBook Air included an SD card reader. However, after studying the hardware specs more intensely and being clued in by a helpful reader, it seems I was mistaken. From a space perspective, this omission makes sense. The 11-inch MacBook Air is likely too small to accommodate the fairly long port. Though its inclusion would have been nice, its absence is not a deal breaker due to the two USB ports featured on both models.
1. Lion Isn’t 10.7:
If you listened carefully, you may have noticed that Steve Jobs not once referred to Lion as 10.7. Instead he dubbed it Mac OS X Lion eliminating the version number entirely. In the wake of the keynote, all official references on Apple’s site seem to indicate that the company may have dropped its sequential naming scheme. Though Lion seems to hint at enough new features to make it a major release, Apple may or may not see it that way.
Did you spot any other sly updates yesterday? First impressions of the FaceTime for Mac Beta? Are you a member of the iDVD fan club enraged by the lack of attention it received? Feel free to comment!