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Talkcast reminder: tonight at 10 pm, new Mac chat
Last week, Christina hosted Kai Cherry as they discussed Kai's new app Bang!Bang! and the emergence of firearm apps in the App Store. You can download the show from Talkshoe or subscribe in iTunes. Tonight, join the gang for a discussion of Tuesday's hardware announcements; it'll be worth calling in just to hear me and Dave confess our shame at mocking the 5-port power of the Mac mini photo leaks. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, or you can also use the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VOIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. Talk with you then! Recording support for the talkcast is provided by Call Recorder from ecamm networks.
Mac mini gets ripped to shreds, isn't so dull
There's something slightly disconcerting about seeing a fine, new piece of hardware torn apart before your very eyes, but we'll freely admit that we get some satisfaction out of it. The new Mac mini (above) looks about like what you'd expect it to on the inside, and very similar to the previous model, albeit slightly rearranged. It's a fairly sparse affair, nothing wildly unexpected going on in there -- well, with the exception of the tiny magical troll running at a steady pace to keep the gears grinding -- ever-so-silently, of course. There are a few more shots after the break, but hit the read link for the entire, supremely interesting set.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Apple Mac mini (GeForce 9400M) unboxing and hands-on
Sure, it may not look too different on the outside (save for that Mini DisplayPort jack and copious USB 2.0 slots), but the Mac mini is all... newish. Two variations of the tiny desktop just hit the doorstep here, and we're going to be putting them into a few use cases to see how much they sweat, but until that goes down, check out the unboxing and hands-on pics below!%Gallery-46665%
Tuesday is upon us: new Apple hardware
It's been busy in the dwarven mines of Cupertino, we can tell: much new iron has arrived today, and the store is back up (though getting hammered at the moment)! We'll go into detail on each of the announcements in the next hour or so, but here's the basic scoop:All of Apple's consumer desktops have been updated, with new iMacs and new minis. The iMacs offer 'twice the memory, twice the storage' in the new $1499 base 24" model, and all have been updated with the GeForce 9400M graphics subsystem. BTO options on the 24" iMac include up to a 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, a 640GB or 1TB HD, and a rogues' gallery of graphics upgrade options: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or the ATI Radeon HD 4850 instead of the 9400M. Gamers, start your engines. The mini... well, Dave and I have to eat our words on the mini, because the new models do indeed come with five frickin' USB ports, FW800 and both DVI and DisplayPort video-out, as well as the 9400M integrated graphics. The spy shots, the video and the box picture appear to have been spot-on (despite the 'scientific' scoffing analysis of Photoshop artifacts in the original shot). $599US gets you the base model with a 2GHz C2D and 120GB hard drive/1GB of RAM (really? 1GB?), $799 doubles the RAM to 2GB and bumps the HD to 320GB. The new mini also uses less power than before, only 13 watts at idle. For all of you that had 'five USB ports' in the pool, instead of 'sharks with lasers on their heads' -- congratulations. Who knew that Gillette was collaborating with the Onion and Apple on product design?The pro desktop has been revved with new Mac Pro hardware: shipping next week, the new models start $300US cheaper than before and now feature Intel's Nehalem chip, along with a redesigned interior, DisplayPort + DVI standard and more spec upgrades -- but no 16-core model.The Airport Extreme and Time Capsule were also updated with dual-band support (allowing Apple TV and iPhones to use the older 2.4GHz band without dragging other devices down) and 'Guest Network' capability for your no-account friends who come over and mooch your wireless. Yes, you know who you are.Macworld also notes that there was apparently a 'stealth' update to the MacBook Pro today, bumping the top processor speed to 2.66GHz.Our complete coverage:Mac ProMac miniTime CapsuleiMacMacBook ProFull press releases in the 2nd half of the post.
Apple rumor Monday: Nehalem Mac Pro, new Airport Extreme and Time Capsule in FCC, Mac mini box
Lots of Apple rumors today following the weekend whispers of a March 24 desktop hardware event, and they fall neatly along the plausibility spectrum: First up, we'd say a bump of the Mac Pro to Intel's upcoming Nehalem-EP Xeon processors is looking quite likely -- famed OS X hacker netkas was poking around in a test build of OS X 10.5.7 and found support files for i7 chips lurking about, as well as drivers for ATI's Radeon 4000-series GPUs. If you're making a chart, this one's right up there with an NVIDIA-powered iMac refresh -- it's a pretty obvious move. Second, new entries for the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule have popped up in the FCC, and while the listed dimensions are exactly the same as the current editions, there are no model numbers and something internal has to have changed enough to raise ol' Sammy's brows. That could be as simple as a new radio hardware supplier or bigger drives, but if we were placing bets, we'd say both units are getting updated for simultaneous 5GHz and 2.4GHz operation -- Apple's really high on 5GHz for laptops and Apple TV, but the iPhone and iPod touch are 2.4GHz-only. Let's call this one even odds, shall we? Lastly, a new picture of that improbable five USB port Mac mini has surfaced, this time purporting to show the outside of the box. Considering the Photoshop wars the last image of this thing set off, we'd say this is the least likely candidate for a Philly Schills reveal, but then again, Apple's been pretty leaky lately. That's everything we know -- anyone else have something to share with the group? Read - Ars Technica on the Mac Pro Read - New Airport Extreme FCC listing Read - New Time Capsule FCC listing Read - One More Thing Mac mini image [Via TUAW]
Mac mini refresh allegedly caught on camera
Well, what do we have here? According to MacRumors, this could quite possibly be the next-gen Mac mini we've been waiting so patiently for. This guy would seem to correspond roughly to other possible "leaks" we've been hipped to in the past, including the presence of five USB ports, FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort, and Mini DVI. Coincidence? Underhanded Photoshoppery? You be the judge.Update: Looks like the pic hit both MacRumors and AppleInsider at the same time, but the MR forum poster who put it up included some alleged specs: a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB Level 2 cache, 2GB DDR 3 memory at 1066MHz and a ATA Super Drive. Believe what you will![Thanks, iB3nji]
HP's exclusive Mobile Internet Ubuntu skin not so exclusive anymore
Crazy kids and their crazy hacks have extracted all the juicy goodness of HP's Mini-purposed Mi software for Ubuntu, including the launcher (pictured), the OS skin, and some application skins, and unleashed it for all Ubuntu users with an eye for black and some hacking skills of their own. From what we can tell, it's not exactly a breeze getting the mod up and running -- and most successful folks still cite a few tweaks they'd like to make -- but it's free, so we won't look a gift theme in the resource files... or something like that. Instructions are in the forum, a bit more inspiration is after the break. [Via Ars Technica]
Dell Mini 10 shows up at Tesco for 349
Well, Dell might have been super cagey about pricing and release dates for the new Mini 10 during its CES Adamo non-event, but you can't keep the kids locked up forever, and Dell's netbook middle child seems to have shacked up at Tesco for £349 ($480). Basic specs are generic netbook -- 1.6GHz Atom Z530 (it lists a Z520, but we know it's a Z530), 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP, and a sesame seed bun -- but we were actually quite taken with Dell's "perfect 10" when we played with it at CES, and the addition of a multitouch trackpad, built-in GPS and optional WWAN certainly make the Mini 10 a little more interesting than the competition. We'll see how pricing looks when Dell sees fit to bring this guy Stateside -- let's hope this mix of features doesn't end up costing $900 like a certain not-a-netbook competitor with a similar spec sheet.[Thanks, Fry]
HP Mini 2140 "business" netbook now available
HP's very recently announced Mini 2140 is available now for you to get one of your very own if you so please. The handsome fella's just been unleashed on the world, and if you don't remember his stats, well, that's what we're here for. The business-aimed netbook features a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, with options for either an 80GB or 160GB hard drive, up to 2GB of RAM, and resolution options of 1366 x 768 and 1024 x 567 for the 10-inch screen, and of course the ExpressCard / 54 slot. Though a Linux OS has been announced, so far all we've seen are options for XP and Vista materialize, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. Prices start at $499 for the base model, but run up to $799 for the tricked out Vista version. Now get back to work, slacker.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HP rumored to have new Mini-notes on the way, father still unknown
While the Viviene Tam Edition Mini 1000 sure was pretty, it's hardly what you'd call "new." According to undisclosed sources cited by the always questionable DigiTimes, Hewlett-Packard is toying with the idea of bringing a few new infants to market in the Mini-note line. If all goes to plan, a WWAN-enabled Mini-note 2150 (13.3-inch, presumably) will hit the scene in early June. For what it's worth, a new 11.6-inch model is also mentioned, and as expected, the whole crew (however large) is apt to arrive with Intel Atom's within. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, folks.
Rumored Mac Mini refresh said to be Ion-based
People trading in salacious gossip have been counting on an update of the Mac mini for ages now, with most of the rumors centering on it making its appearance at Macworld. Well, the festivities came and went without a peep about the mini -- but that hasn't stopped the rumors from swirling. The latest we're hearing is that the refresh will be built upon NVIDIA's new Ion platform, which houses a 9400M GPU -- the same graphics processor as the new unibody Macbooks -- and could mean an even minier mini than the one we already know. Tom's Hardware, the source of this newest rumor, also speculates on a March release date, though they're not guessing on the price just yet.
It's-a Mario World: Sweating the Small Stuff
The holidays are a time for cheer and gift-giving, but it isn't quite the holidays yet. Instead of subscribing to that whole positive spirit thing, we're going to continue venting our frustrations from last week, only this time with an finger pointed at the tiny enemies that sneak under our skin. "But wait," you ask, "aren't you just channeling unrelated rage at the simple challenges of a video game?" Probably. But try saying that with a group of Micro-Goombas crawling all over you.Check out this new gallery spotlighting a few of Mario's smaller (but no less menacing) foes. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated. Check back every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps. * * * Links of the week: Literal Mario paint! | Predictably rehashed boxart! | Club Nintendo Mario swag! | Wintry new Mario Kart tournament!
Wired: New Mac mini to be announced at MWSF
Wired's Brian X. Chen writes that Apple will release a new version of the Mac mini at Macworld Expo early next month. Chen's unnamed source didn't disclose any details about the Mac mini, but Chen offered plenty of specification speculation. Based on "trends seen in Apple's latest products," Chen expects the new Mac mini to feature a unibody enclosure with speeds and video specs that closely match the new unibody MacBooks. This follows another rumor of a budget-priced, small-form-factor iPhone that could be announced at the same time. Nilay Patel, of our sister blog Engadget, notes that this may be a reaction to slowing sales numbers, and an overall reticence by consumers to drop large amounts of money on a new computer system. We'll see next month: The keynote presentation is scheduled for January 6. Macworld Expo typically announces by now if Steve Jobs will give the presentation, but they've been keeping mum about his involvement so far.
Dell's OptiPlex 160 'Tiny Desktop Computer' is appropriately named
Dell just dropped the new tiny-tower OptiPlex 160 for businesses and educational markets looking to save space and "go green." This 1.85-inch thick machine packs the usual assortment of ports, and an integrated power supply (no brick!), but unfortunately forgoes the integrated disc drive. The $563 base model incorporates a single-core Intel Atom processor, 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, integrated video, and Vista Home Basic SP1 -- most of which reminds us of the Eee Box, other than the extra two Benjamins Dell's asking for. You can also spring for a 64GB SSD and an external DVD-ROM drive, and there will be a dual-core Atom option in 2009. While folks over in Round Rock envision these in the workplace, we certainly wouldn't mind taking one home for a romantic weekend with Ubuntu.[Thanks, Ivana]
Tiny Wiimote "projector" is not nearly as impressive as it sounds on paper
This image is not necessarily one we are thrilled about having projected upon our walls, but we are pretty fond of anything in miniature. This 2.25-inch Wiimote is actually a semi-ingenious mini-projector which projects an image (yes, only one) from Super Mario Kart when its button is pressed. When you order you'll get a random choice of one of the six possible images, each less exciting and more pointless than the next. They're available from ThinkGeek now for $6, which is maybe worth the roughly one minute of amusement you (or your cat) will get out of the thing.[Via Wired]
MINI E 'unboxed' in LA to the delight of car nerds, your mom
That's not really a "your mom" joke, more of a statement that your mom is pretty neat and has good taste in electric cars -- like this here MINI E. BMW just unveiled the first production MINI E to roll out of its magical electricity-imbuing factory, the first in a limited series of 500 for lease in California and metro New York to people way better looking than you. The bad news is that the all-electric MINI is part of what BMW is calling "Project I," a test of sorts to see how well electrics hold up to real world abuse and to figure out usage patterns of real-life photogenic people -- there's little indication that the car in its current incarnation will be distributed any more widely than this 500 car run. Check out a plethora of sexy unveiling pictures at the read link to help offset the pain.
Opera: Apple won't let us in the App Store
Opera Software CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner said in a New York Times interview yesterday that its engineers have developed a version of the Opera web browser that works on the iPhone, but Apple has rejected it for the App Store because it competes with Safari. This isn't unprecedented: Apple rejected an app called Podcaster possibly because it duplicates functionality in an upcoming version of the iPhone software. Podcaster was (for a time) available via ad-hoc distribution before that, too, was shut down. Daring Fireball's John Gruber suggests that Apple rejected Opera because the browser included its own JavaScript interpreter, something forbidden by the iPhone SDK developer agreement. Opera makes two flavors of its mobile web browser: Opera Mini for most mobile phones, BlackBerry, Palm, or Windows Mobile; and Opera Mobile, a more featured version for Symbian and Windows Mobile. A beta version of Opera Mini for Android is also in development. Update: Gruber used his massive Rolodex over the weekend to determine through an unnamed source that the app may not have even been submitted to the App Store. Huh.
HP Mini 1000 review round-up
We were certainly suitably impressed by HP's new Mini 1000 netbook when we got our hands on it earlier this week, and it looks like that may be the common sentiment about the device, at least if this first batch of reviews is any indication. Like us, other folks were especially impressed by the netbook's keyboard, with Computer Shopper, Laptop Magazine, and PC World each singling it out as one of the stand-out features, and CNET going so far as to declare it "the best netbook keyboard" they've seen. Each of the aforementioned sites also welcomed the step up to the now standard Atom processor and, of course, the cut in price compared to HP's more business-minded 2133 model. That's not to say the netbook is without its drawbacks, however, with most complaining about the lackluster 3-cell battery (though that's due for an upgrade in January), as well as those unfortunately placed trackpad buttons and, last but not least, its glossy screen -- although, as is often the case, there's not exactly a consensus on that last point, and Laptop actually lists it as a plus. Still undecided? Then dig into the links below for plenty more details, pics, and benchmarks.Read - Computer Shopper (8.4 / 10)Read - Laptop Magazine (3.5 / 5)Read - PC World ("fantastic keyboard, surprisingly good sound")Read - CNET (4 / 5)
Whither the Mac mini?
Gizmodo is citing two major European retailers, who have said they are not expecting any more Mac mini shipments from Apple. This could mean one of two things: either a new model is soon to be announced, or the line will be discontinued as early as today's Q4 conference call. Many people love their Mac minis, turning them into everything from low-cost web servers to roll-your-own DVRs. It was originally intended for switchers who didn't want or need to replace their screen, keyboard or mouse, but wanted the Mac experience. On Amazon.com, the MacBook continues to be Apple's best-selling computer, followed by the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The Mac mini comes in third, ahead of the 24-inch iMac. As someone with a family member interested in a Mac mini, this doesn't bode well. What do you think this means? Will Apple have another ultra-low-cost Mac waiting in the wings? Leave us a comment with your predictions.
Inspiron Mini 12 pops up on Dell's website: it's a done deal (almost)
We can't call it official with a straight face, but seriously, what else could you call it? A not-at-all mysterious Inspiron Mini 12 (1210) has emerged on Dell's website in the Product Support pages, hinting (and we're using that as loosely as possible) that a 12-inch netbook could be fast approaching to complement the current Mini 9. We're talking about a User Manual, Setup Guide, Troubleshooting documents -- the whole nine. Packed within the Setup Guide is a nice list of basic specifications, including your choice of an Intel Atom Z520 or Z530 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 10 / 100 Ethernet, Bluetooth / WiFi, optional WWAN, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, audio in / out, and a 12.1-inch display with a 1,280 x 800 resolution. It'll also feature a 1.3-megapixel camera, 3- or 6-cell battery and weigh around 2.73-pounds. Oh, and we get the impression there will at least be an option for Ubuntu. Feel free to dig around in the read link for as long as Round Rock keeps it active, and in case everything collapses prior to the formal launch, we've screened capped a few looks below.[Via CMSReport]%Gallery-34624%
