Tossed into the myriad of Apple updates yesterday, was the biggest sneak peak of Lion–the next version of Mac OS X–Apple has given to date. With the release of a developer preview build, Apple demoed several of the operating system’s new features in greater depth than at the ‘Back to the Mac’ event last year. Lion marks the eighth iteration of Mac OS X, and takes some of the best ideas from iPad and brings them back to the Mac. Though items such as Mission Control, Launchpad, new trackpad gestures and the Mac App Store had been previously announced, yesterday’s preview unveiled a host of brand new features too. Some of the newly announced features of Lion include:

*Mail 5*

Taking a cue from the iPad–and the popular “*WideMail*”:http://widemailplugin.com/ plugin–Apple has re-designed Mail’s default layout in Lion. This new view is specifically designed to take advantage of widescreen displays, and gives a full preview of a selected message while simultaneously displaying the inbox. In addition to the redesigned interface, Apple has improved search and message organization. Conversations–the final previewed new feature–threads and groups messages together to streamline a conversation making it easier to read.

*AirDrop*

AirDrop looks to make USB flash drive file exchanges a thing of the past. Instead of loading data too big to email onto a drive for a friend or co-worker, AirDrop sends it wirelessly. By clicking the AirDrop icon in a Finder window, your Mac will search for nearby AirDrop users–allowing for an easy wireless transfer to their downloads folder.

*All-new FileVault*

Apple has upgraded FileVault–a mainstay since Panther–to be faster, more secure, and less obtrusive. Upgraded to XTS-AES 128 data encryption, FileVault better protects your internal and external drives. Presumably borrowing a feature from “*Find my iPhone,*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Ffind-my-iphone%2Fid376101648%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 FileVault in Lion provides users the option to wipe their hard drive remotely should their Mac be lost or stolen.

*Lion Server*

IT departments rejoice! Apple has built in server functionality–traditionally a separate and pricey release–into the standard “client” version of Lion. The server component of the OS delivers easier setup and administration, better profile-based setup and management, the ability to publish and update Wikis and file sharing for the iPad.

Though all of these newly announced features nicely supplement those disclosed last Fall, Apple likely has even more surprises in the works. To take a more in-depth look at some of the features of Lion, click “*here.*”:http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/

This is a fun bit for me to write for this week’s final Black History Month profile. Bill Russell is the Boston Celtics incarnate. If you think about the Celtics you have to know about #6. I have a big autographed photo of Bill Russell in my house with his huge hands holding all of the NBA championship rings he earned. Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics as a player and a player/coach to an unprecedented 11 NBA Championships in 13 years. He was the first African American to coach an NBA team, or major sports team in the US. He won a gold medal on the USA Olympic team, two NCAA titles at the University of San Francisco and was a 12 time All-Star and five time MVP of the league.

Moreover, Bill Russell changed the game. He was the first big man to play defense and his epic battles versus Wilt Chamberlain are stuff of legends. However Bill Russell was not all about basketball. Bill was an outspoken civil rights advocate, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was a star in an era of the segregated south. In 1961 Bill Russell refused to play an exhibition game in Lexington, Kentucky because a local restaurant would not serve the black players. Early in his career he charged the NBA with having a quota system limiting the number of black players on each team. In 1963, at the height of the civil rights struggle in the south, he accepted, uneasily and at great personal risk, a request to travel to Mississippi to organize and lead integrated basketball clinics.

Bill Russell was recently awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama

We of the old can now only help to guide the young — not black, not white, not yellow. Just, the children. For all my battles, I have learned just that. We, white and black, on one side or the other, have made our prejudices and our philosophies and now fight our battles. Pray, God, that in the future our children will not have to. – Bill Russell, 1966

This Thursday, Apple released significant updates to the MacBook Pro family. The entirety of the line received state-of-the-art next generation Intel Core series processors, enhanced AMD graphics, Thunderbolt I/O technology and FaceTime HD cameras. After nearly a full year without updates, Apple boasts the new models of MacBook Pro are twice as fast as the previous generation.

Though the processor and graphics speed bumps are certainly welcome upgrades, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology is the biggest new feature. This revolutionary new technology features speeds 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and an amazing 20 times faster than USB 2.0. Introduced as a combination port, Thunderbolt replaces the Mini DisplayPort featured on previous generation machines. Supporting high-resolution displays and data devices through a single port, Thunderbolt is a giant leap in input/output technology, and marks the most powerful I/O technology ever featured in a personal computer. Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller commented:

bq. “Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.”

Additionally, Apple has outfitted all three models of MacBook Pro with Intel Core series processors. The two 13-inch machines–which previously featured the aging Intel Core 2 Duo processors–have been updated to include Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors with speeds up to 2.7 GHz. The higher end 15-inch and 17-inch machines feature quad-core Core i7 processors with incredible speeds up to 2.3GHz. All three models now carry the Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor which is specifically designed for efficiency and increased battery life. For the most demanding users, Apple has teamed with AMD to deliver three times the graphics performance of the previous generation. With configurations sporting up to 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory, the new 15-inch and 17-inch machines deliver performance completely on par with many of Apple’s desktop offerings.

Apple has also updated the built-in cameras featured across the MacBook Pro line. Taking a cue from the recently re-designed MacBook Air, The cameras formerly known as iSight have been rebranded as FaceTime HD. A new name isn’t the only thing the webcams have going for them however. Utilizing the enhanced graphics cards, the resolution has been tripled to make HD video calls a reality. To support these crisp widescreen calls, Apple has pushed its FaceTime app from beta and is bundling it in with the new machines. “*FaceTime*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Ffacetime%2Fid414307850%3Fmt%3D12%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 is also available in the Mac App Store for all Intel Macs for only $0.99.

More than a simple speed boost, these updates usher in the next generation of professional machines from Apple. The first consumer machines ever to feature Thunderbolt, the new MacBook Pros truly set the standard for portable performance.

The new models of MacBook Pro are available now. Click “*here*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=MacBook+Pro+2011 to view all specs and learn more.

I will be on vacation starting on Sunday so you will see some guest authors here in Kibbles & Bytes, but it will be Ben holding down the fort for the Kibbles team over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be heading down to Jamaica for 10 days of relaxation, reggae and reading. I’m taking my iPad for reading, movies and music and I hope that I don’t spend too much time in the mail app!

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don & Ben_

In the midst of yesterday’s MacBook Pro updates, Apple quietly debuted version 1.0 of its previously beta FaceTime video calling software. The app–which was introduced at last October’s ‘Back to the Mac’ media event–landed in the Mac App Store yesterday for $0.99. Strongly affiliated with the FaceTime HD cameras featured in the new Pros, the app allows for video calls to be made to a range of Apple devices. Most notably iPhone 4 and the 4th generation iPod touch, users can also make calls Mac to Mac. As the newest MacBook Pro models support 720p HD video calls, users can go face-to-face in glorious full screen HD.

Though only capable of sending standard definition video themselves, some older Intel Macs can receive HD video calls from the newest Pros. A full list of compatible machines can be found “*here.*”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4534 It’s also worth noting that since FaceTime is only available in the Mac App Store, prospective buyers must have Mac OS X 10.6.6 installed to use it. Although the number of machines capable of placing HD video calls is fairly limited, it’s a safe bet Apple will be implementing the higher end webcams into future iterations of popular machines. In the meantime, users with the latest and greatest can relish in being part of the high definition elite.

FaceTime comes included with the MacBook Pro models announced yesterday. Users with compatible older machines can download the app “*here.*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Ffacetime%2Fid414307850%3Fmt%3D12%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

This Wednesday “*The Loop,*”:http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/02/23/apple-announces-ipad-2-event-for-march-2/ reported that Apple had issued invitations to a media event next Wednesday the 2nd. The event, which will be held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, is widely speculated to mark the introduction of updates to Apple’s iOS platform and potentially the iPad. The not so subtle imagery accompanying the invitation serves to bolster these claims. Apple has held numerous events at the Yerba Buena Center in the past, and debuted the original iPad at the venue early last year. The event is slated (get it?) to take place at 10:00 AM PST.

Tune in to “*Barkings*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/ and “*@hellosmalldog*”:http://twitter.com/HELLOSMALLDOG at 1 PM EST for updates.