Apple Releases OS X Lion, Refreshes MacBook Air, Mac Mini, Introduces Thunderbolt Display
OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion is finally released, it cost US$29.99 in the Mac App Store. I was downloading this at 11MB/s (megabytes not megabits) yesterday night! If you have a slower Internet connection, Lion will be made available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple Store (Singapore) for S$88. Mac OS X Lion is the eighth major release of Mac OS. It has more than 250 new features such as new Multi-Touch gestures, system-wide support for full screen apps, Mission Control, Mac App Store, Launchpad and a new re-designed Mail app.
It seems that Xcode 4.1 (App Store link) is free (usual US$4.99) for OS X Lion only and FaceTime is included in OS X Lion (App Store Link) (usual US$0.99).
Website: Apple (Singapore) – Mac OS X Lion
Mac App Store: Mac OS X Lion
MacBook Air
MacBook Air now includes the Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5/i7 processor, Thunderbolt I/O and backlit keyboard. It also seems that the white MacBook is phrased out in favor of the lowest end MacBook Air which starts at S$1,288. MacBook Air supports Bluetooth 4.0 with Bluetooth Low Energy.
- 11-inch: 64GB – S$1,288
- 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
- 2GB memory
- 64GB flash storage
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 11-inch: 128GB – S$1,588
- 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
- 4GB memory
- 128GB flash storage
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 13-inch: 128GB – S$1,688
- 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
- 4GB memory
- 128GB flash storage
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 13-inch: 256GB – S$2,088
- 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
- 4GB memory
- 256GB flash storage
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
Website: Apple (Singapore) – MacBook Air
Shop: Apple Store (Singapore) – MacBook Air
Mac Mini
Similar with the MacBook Air, the Mac mini also receives the updated Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5/i7 processor and Thunderbolt I/O treatment and it seems that the optical drive got ditched by Mac mini. The death of CD is sooner than you think! Also Mac mini supports Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy. In the higher end Mac mini (S$1,088) discrete graphics (AMD Radeon HD 6630M) is being supported for the first time.
- 2.3GHz: 500GB – S$788
- 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
- 2GB memory
- 500GB hard drive
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 2.5GHz: 500GB – S$1,088
- 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
- 4GB memory
- 500GB hard drive
- AMD Radeon HD 6630M
- 2.0GHz: Dual 500GB – S$1,348
- 2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
- 4GB memory
- Dual 500GB 7200-rpm hard drives
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- OS X Lion Server
Website: Apple (Singapore) – MacBook Air
Shop: Apple Store (Singapore) – MacBook Air
Thunderbolt Display
Looks like Apple rebranded Cinema Display to Thunderbolt Display. It now supports Thunderbolt and acts as a docking station for MacBook Pro/Air with a Thunderbolt cable and MagSafe connector. It is a 27″ monitor (16:9 – 2560px x 1440px) with LED backlight and IPS panel. It has built-in FaceTime HD camera and microphone to make video calls and ambient light sensor to adjusts your screen brightness accordingly. It is going for S$1,348!
Website: Apple (Singapore) – Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)
Shop: Apple Store (Singapore) – Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)