2009 13" MacBook Pro
At the WWDC 2009 Keynote, Apple announced a new 13″ MacBook Pro. That’s right, Pro.
When the first 13″ Unibody came out, the looks, specs and pricing made it seem more like a replacement for the PowerBook G4 12″ (which was a Pro model) than a new MacBook. The MacBook (and iBook) line were marketed as entry level, student/budget friendly books and somehow the 13″ Unibody never quite fit in with that image.
With the newest release, Apple has classed the 13″ Unibody as a Pro model. Does this mean new form factor MacBooks are coming? Will Apple continue to develop and release polycarbonate MacBooks? Time will tell.
The new 13″ MacBook Pro starts at $1199 and comes in 2 pre-configured models:
$1199 – 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, and a 160GB HD
$1499 – 2.53GHz, 4GB RAM, and a 250GB HD
All models now come with an SD card slot (very useful for working with digital cameras) and a new 7 hour, non-removable lithium polymer battery (same setup as the new 17″ and 15″.) The battery is rated for 5 years of life and 1,000 recharges. Firewire is back with a FW800 port! All models now come with the backlit keyboard and new, more eco-friendly screens.
The new 13″ MacBook Pros are shipping today from Apple. We’ll post repair pricing and upgrade options when they become available. Images courtesy of Apple.
[ Apple Store ]
CNN has announced they are coming out with their own App for the iPhone this summer.
While they provide no details on what that App will do that the mobile version of CNN (or the full website for that matter) doesn’t already provide, it will be interesting to see what they come up with.
There is a lot of debate/uncertainty over the future of mobile applications. Will they be web based and work across multiple hardware and software platforms or will they be device specific (App store) but offer tighter integration and a better overall experience? Right now it looks like most major companies are hedging their bets and offering both.
Cnn.com is one of my primary sources of mainstream news and they’ve generally been quick to embrace new technologies. So what will the iPhone App offer that their website doesn’t? Mobile is all about location (the Apps know your GPS location and where you’ve been/frequent.) By delivering news thats relevant to your current location, this App could bring something new and valuable to the table. Let’s say you travel to Denver for business and when you get off the plane, the CNN app delivers weather/traffic and any breaking local news for Denver.
We’ll keep you posted. Until then you can signup here for updates on the App from CNN.
Watch the full video of the WWDC keynote address presented by Phil Schiller, SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing (running time just over 2 hours).
See the iPhone 3GS and MacBook Pro unveilings, as well as the iPhone 3.0 and Snow Leopard previews.
There’s a few great iPhone app demos (some with minor technical difficulties), but overall it’s a great watch if you’d like to get every last detail. Image courtesy of Apple.
[ WWDC Keynote ]
With the release of the iPhone 3.0 software on June 17th we’ll see Internet tethering added to the list of available features.
What is this exactly and why is it important?
Tethering allows you share your Internet connection with your laptop via Bluetooth or USB. Right now I use the AT&T USBConnect Mercury 3G USB dongle for this. You can have an internet connection for you computer anywhere your iPhone receives internet.
In the near future I can get rid of the $60 a month subscription and use my phone for the same function.
But there’s only one hitch- AT&T was not one of the carriers listed at the WWDC keynote for tethering support. AT&T is expected to offer the plan sometime soon, but for right now it will be unusable within the U.S. with AT&T as your carrier. Image courtesy of CNET.
