New Apple releases: Mac OS X Lion, Mac mini, MacBook Air and Thunderbolt Display
Lion doesn't sleep tonight
Fresh from announcing record profits, Apple has today showed that it has no intention of resting on its considerable laurels by releasing a whole raft of new products.
The headline act is arguably Mac OS X Lion, but it’s been joined on the market by new versions of the Mac mini and MacBook Air (both of which ship with the updated operating system). There’s also a new display that makes use of the recently-announced Thunderbolt I/O technology.
Click through for more details on all the new products. Further information can be found on the Apple website.
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NEXT: Mac OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion
Available from today through the App Store, Lion promises in excess of 250 new features including Multi-Touch gestures, system wide support for full-screen apps, Mission Control (which shows you everything you’re currently running), Launchpad (a new container for you apps) and a redesigned version of Mail.
Other additions include Resume, which brings back your apps as you left them when you restart, Auto-Save in documents, a document history feature called Versions and AirDrop, which sets up a peer-to-peer service between nearby Macs.
Mac OS X Lion is available now from the Mac App Store priced at £20.99. You’ll need Snow Leopard installed to buy it this way, though Apple has also confirmed that it’ll be available in its stores on a USB thumb drive from August priced at £55.
MacBook Air
The latest iteration of Apple’s ultra-light laptop offers up to twice the performance of its predecessor thanks to the inclusion of Intel Corei5 and Core i7 processors (which you get will depend on the model you buy). It has Thunderbolt I/O connectivity, a backlit keyboard and ships with Mac OS X Lion.
Prices start at £849 for the 11-inch version and £1,099 for the 13-incher.
Mac mini
The baby of the desktop Mac family is now significantly more powerful - again, it can host either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and the machine’s graphics capabilities have been ramped up, too. A Thunderbolt port is present and correct, as is a copy of Mac OS X Lion.
A 2.5GHz dual-core Core i5 Mac mini will set you back £529, while a 2.0GHz quad-core Core i7 machine can be yours for £849.
Apple Thunderbolt Display
Designed with Mac laptop users in mind, this 27-inch display takes advantage of the single-cable Thunderbolt connection and features a FaceTime camera and 2.1 speaker system. There are are GigaBit Ethernet, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 ports on there too, while a MagSafe connector enables you to charge your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.
The Apple Thunderbolt Display will be available within 60 days priced at £899.
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I’m the Group Content Manager for MusicRadar, specialising in all things tech. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 20 of which I’ve also spent writing about music technology.