Apple have already been tipped as readying a new entry-level MacBook once this month, and now the second nod to the polycarbonate MacBook line has come, courtesy of AppleInsider. They’ve heard that the range refresh will likely be launched alongside the rumored new iMac desktops, themselves described as “imminent”, and be the Cupertino company’s “most affordable notebook offerings” to date.
The dust has only just started to settle after Apple’s iPod event last week, and already the company are tipped to be readying another range refresh. Research firm Wedge Partners are predicting that Apple will release new iMacs and MacBooks “in the next several weeks”. The iMac has not been significantly updated since March 2009.
Apple’s plastic MacBook may be the odd one out in the company’s unibody range, but according to Apple Insider’s sources the polycarbonate computer is currently undergoing an “industrial design overhaul”. The new machines – which are tipped to arrive in the next few months – will be slimmer and lighter than the current model, together with having freshly rearranged and updated internal architecture. There’s also talk of a lower price point than the current $999 tag.
We’ve heard from TwelveSouth before, and so we figured we should keep our eyes on these crazy designers. Looks like it paid off. Much like the first iteration of their crafty designs we saw, the BookArc is meant to keep your desk nice and tidy. And let’s face it, you probably need it. But unlike the BackPack, the BookArc is meant for bigger and better things: your Macbook.
Apple’s online stores are back, and they’ve brought with them preorder pages for OS X Snow Leopard. The Cupertino company have confirmed the much-rumored August 28th shipping date, which is earlier than their previous “in September” promises, along with delivering a whole range of performance stats to tell you just how much better Snow Leopard is compared to its predecessor, Leopard.
Apple have announced their Q3 2009 financial results, and as you might expect they’re continuing to buck the economic trend. The Cupertino company described the last quarter as their best non-holiday quarter for revenue and earnings, marking revenue of $8.34 billion and profits of $1.23 billion. Sales figures were also healthy, with 2.6m Mac computers sold during the three month period – up 4-percent over the same quarter last year – and 5.2m iPhones sold, up 626-percent from last year.
We’re over the surprise of seeing new MacBook Pro models arrive at Apple’s WWDC keynote, and on paper the new 13- and 15-inch notebooks certainly tick most of the consumer boxes. Our first-impressions – which you can find with our video unboxing – were that the new Pros have emphasized the most-used functionality at the expense of dropping some of the more marginally used features. Have those opinions changed? Check out our full review after the cut.
I’ve no doubt this video will be all over the place before long (if it isn’t already) but we’re suckers for transforming tech here at SlashGear. Apparently created for the French postal service, to publicize their new home printing service for shipping labels, it shows a MacBook option that, while cool, could get expensive after a while.
Video after the cut
Straddling the divide between ultraportable and mainstream notebook, Lenovo’s ThinkPad T400s squeezes a business-friendly 14.1-inch LED-backlit display, Intel Core 2 Duo processor and integrated WWAN into a chassis just 0.83-inches thick. SlashGear had the opportunity for a pre-release hands-on; check out our first impressions after the cut, together with some preliminary T400s benchmarks.
With the Apple WWDC 2009 Keynote a matter of hours away now, it seems as good a time as any to wrap up the latest next-gen iPhone rumors. We’ve already heard about the higher-resolution camera with newly acquired video recording capabilities; now Daring Fireball are suggesting that the handset will in fact be called the iPhone 3GS, believed to be its current in-house codename. The iPhone 3GS will be just one of a range of multiple Apple smartphones: as many as twelve, according to carrier information leaked to Spazio Cellulare.
Update: The iPhone 3G S has been announced!
After the cut: more iPhone predictions, plus OS X news expected at the WWDC
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