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Apple Releases Plethora of New Hardware: Mac Pro, Mac mini, iMac

Aviv — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:11:05 +0000

Mac Pro

Apple today has released an upgrade to its professional line desktop, the Mac Pro. Alongside redesigned interiors that make it easier to expand the machine, the new Mac Pro includes Intel “Nehalem” Xeon processors capable of running at speeds up to 2.93 GHz.

“The new Mac Pro is a significant upgrade and starts at $300 less than before,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The Mac Pro features an advanced system architecture, new faster processors and our best-ever graphics options to deliver a faster, more powerful system that our professional customers are going to love.”

“An optional ATI Radeon HD 4870 is available for even more performance. With both a Mini DisplayPort and DVI port, the new Mac Pro provides out-of-the-box support for the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display, the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, or other DVI based displays. ”

iMac

Apple also released updates to its all-in-one desktop machine, the iMac. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the machine’s price. For $1,499 you can now purchase a 24-inch iMac for the same price as the previous generation 20-inch model.

“Our flagship 24-inch iMac with twice the memory and twice the storage is now available for just $1,499,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO.

“The elegant, full-featured iMac line starts with the 20-inch iMac for only $1,199 with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. The 24-inch iMac features a beautiful 1920-by-1200 pixel widescreen display that offers 30 percent more screen real estate than the 20-inch model, and starts at just $1,499. The 24-inch iMac includes up to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, and a variety of graphics technology from NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics for ultimate performance.”

Mac mini

And for those fearing the end of the Mac mini, Apple rekindled some old flames by giving some much needed attention to the Mac mini in the form of sweet upgrades. The new Mac mini “features the same groundbreaking NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics introduced with the aluminum unibody MacBook family.”

“The Mac mini is not only our most affordable Mac, it’s also the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer,” said Apple COO, Tim Cook.

“Starting at $599, the Mac mini is an innovative, tiny desktop measuring only 6.5 by 6.5 by 2-inches. Available in two models, Mac mini features a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, up to 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 and a SuperDrive®. The Mac mini features NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics for up to five times better graphics performance than before* and now with dual display support can drive two Apple or third-party displays with Mini DisplayPort or DVI connections. Using less than 13 watts of power at idle, up to 10 times less power than a typical desktop PC, the new Mac mini is the most energy efficient desktop in the world.”

Apple Reportedly Scheduled to Release iMacs and Mac minis Tomorrow

Aviv — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:31:06 +0000

Adding even more fuel to the fire, some more updates regarding upcoming Mac minis and iMacs has been made available. Detailed specs are now being reported by some sites, which accompany previous reports, leaked images, and a video.

HardMac reports:

The new iMac models and their corresponding references:
- MB417: Entry level model
- MB418: “Mass market” model
- MB419: high-end model
- MB420: ultimate model
The entry level model should come with a 20″ display, while the three other models will feature a 24″ panel.

For the Mac mini, the references are the following:
- MB463: entry-level model
- MB464 high-end model

MacRumors explains that HardMac.com is an english sister site to MacBidouille, and can be considered “trustworthy.”

OneMoreThing.nl reports: (translated from MacRumors forums here)

Mac mini
- 5x USB
- 1x FireWire 800
- 1x mini DVI
- 1x Display poort
- Nvidia chipset (net als de nieuwe MacBooks)
- vanaf 2.0 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 1 of 2 GB DDR3 ram geheugen (max 4 GB)
- 120 GB harde schijf (max 320 GB)

iMac
- 1x 20″ model, 3x 24″ modellen
- Intel Core 2 Duo (géén quad core dus): 2.66 Ghz, 2.93 Ghz en 3.06 Ghz
- 1x Display poort
- 20″ 2 GB DDR3 ram geheugen, 24″ 4 GB DDR3 ram geheugen (max 8 GB)

Of note, March 24th has been pegged as a date for the next Apple press event

Historically Inaccurate Analyst Speculates On the iMac’s Future

Aviv — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:07:22 +0000

Analyst Shaw Wu, who has been fairly inaccurate in the past, both with Apple product information, and speculation about their future plans, now claims to have sources which he is citing in a recent report about the possibility of an iMac refresh over the next few weeks.

Specifically, Wu claims that over the next few weeks Apple’s all-in-one iMac machines will be getting updates. He claims that the new machines will be utilizing both dual-core and quad-core configurations. However, this is incredibly alarming given the recent reports about Intel’s future roadmap. Nearly all reports pointing to a release date for the chip this machine would use point to late 2009.

Additionally, previous reports about the possibility of a 28″ iMac were spread as nearly “100% confident” by some, however we have not heard word of this again.

It’s important to note that Wu’s track record, as wiki’d by MacRumors, is of poor consistency. To us, his reports sound more like a summary of information that is already out there, not new information from solid sources.

In his note to clients today, Wu now claims to be hearing from his sources “that both types of processors will likely be used,” which would “makes sense as this helps Apple create better tiers within the iMac family, utilizing quad-core for the high-end, and dual-core for mid-range and low-end.” – “In our experience, when Apple sends an advisory to its channel partners of limited availability and inventory of existing models are drawn down, it is highly likely that a product refresh is within a few weeks,” he said.

Wu rounds out his notes with speculation about Apple’s Mac Pro, “As Apple mentioned briefly on its earnings call, Mac Pro sales have become less important and less attractive in this tough economic environment,” he told clients. “However, we think a refresh utilizing upcoming Intel ‘Nehalem’ 8-core processors (and with two enabling a 16-core) would bring it better price performance and help jump start this highly profitable segment.”

This information should be taken with a grain of salt. Just by his wording, Wu’s thought process in explaining what may be coming is shaky at best. Of note, just because an iMac refresh may be en route, this would not influence the release date of Apple’s Mac Pro, especially not this late into a refresh cycle.

An Apple “Desktop Media Event” in Early February?

Aviv — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:13:05 +0000

Digital Daily’s John Paczkowski kicks off speculation about what the industry may see from Apple in the coming weeks after Macworld ‘09. If new products are in fact planned, Apple may already have something lined up.

Given the announcements at Macworld ‘09, Apple left many wondering when a few products would get some attention. In particular, the Mac mini, long overdue Cinema Displays, Mac Pro, and a speedbumped iMac weren’t mentioned, but all are rumored to be coming “soon,” in one way or another.

“Clearly there’s quite a precedent for post-Macworld announcements, and in all likelihood this year will see a few as well. Certainly, an Apple desktop event later this month or in early February would be an elegant way for the company to dovetail the official release of iLife ’09 with some new desktop hardware, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh and prove once and for all that it doesn’t need Macworld to publicize new product releases,” Paczkowski explains.

Apple has historically used late January and February as launch months for new products during their lifecycles, so it’s rather expected that we see something announced shortly. “Apple has on many occasions uncrated new products on the heels of Macworld,” Paczkowski explains. “In February of 2008, the company announced new iPhone & iPod touch models. In February of 2006 it debuted the Intel Mac mini and iPod Hi-Fi. In January 2005 it uncrated new PowerBooks and a month later, it announced a new iPod mini and an update to iPod photo.”

28″ iMac, Mac Pro Rumored to Start Shipping in February

Aviv — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:26:03 +0000

PC Perspective’s Ryan Shrout has released some information regarding a few upcoming products we may see at Macworld this week. While most of the information corroborates with what we’ve heard, new specs regarding a 28″ iMac and new Mac Pros have popped up as well.

The report claims that Apple’s new iMacs should be making an appearance soon, most likely at Macworld, along with the widely anticipated Mac Minis. However, the 28″ iMac, along with supposedly new Mac Pros will begin shipping in February. Still though, Shrout believes Apple may announce these new machines at Macworld with a delayed shipping date.

Shout explains: The above five products (four iMacs and one Mac Mini) I feel nearly 100% confident are correct for tomorrow’s MacWorld Expo. There are some other parts that I have seen information on but haven’t seen creep up into the world of rumors quite yet. The most exciting of which is the possibility of a new 28″ iMac! Besides the much larger form factor and increased screen real estate, the hardware inside such a machine looks to be much different than the 20″/24″ iMacs; instead of using Intel’s Core 2 line of processors with the NVIDIA MC79 chipset these new computers are likely to use the new Intel Core i7 processor along with the Tylersburg chipset and platform.

Of the new iMacs expected, Apple Insider explains:

Instead of using the 9400M as its foundation, the system would use Intel’s X58 chipset and a processor using the Core i7 (previously codenamed Nehalem) architecture. As a result, it would not only include the four cores thought to be present in the upcoming Core 2-based iMac updates but would gain HyperThreading support that at times mimics the behavior of an eight-core system. NVIDIA at most would be used for dedicated graphics in the all-in-one computer.

Back in November, reports indicated that Intel leaks pointed to Mac Pro updates early in 2009, so the timing is naturally expected. The Mac Pro hasn’t been updated since January 2008, so some attention is due. In regards to Macworld, Our Rumor Roundup covers nearly everything that’s rumored for the week.

iMac Refresh Hinted, NVIDIA Unveils Desktop GeForce 9400 and 9300

Aviv — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:35:20 +0000

NVIDIA has unveiled two new motherboard graphics processors, the GeForce 9400 and 9300. With Apple’s all-in-one iMac widely expected to be receiving a refresh in the coming weeks, NVIDIA’s new chipsets could find their way into more and more Apple products.

The higher end GeForce 9400 is the desktop version of the same GPU that Apple unveiled at the recent notebook media event. Both processors have been developed for the Intel platform, so Apple continuing to utilize its new fruitful relationship with NVIDIA makes sense. As previously reported, Apple is clearly impressed with what NVIDIA has brought to the table. Integrated NVIDIA GPU’s should continue making their way into more Apple products, especially if Apple wants to get rid of the notoriously negative gaming stigma that has plagued them for so many years.

NVIDIA explained that the latest (16-core) chips fully support high-definition Blu-Ray video, as well as allow “…parallel processing power to deliver a new level of performance for a variety of visual computing applications, including Adobe Creative Suite 4 and BadaBoom.” At the same time as improving the performance of its motherboard product, NVIDIA has managed to reduce the size of the desktop chipset by 50% from its previous model.

“We’ve combined the power of three different chips into one highly compact and efficient GPU,” said Drew Henry, general manager of MCP business unit at NVIDIA. “In doing so, we’ve redefined the level of performance people can expect from a motherboard solution to enrich visual computing experiences for mainstream systems. You can now have the performance of a discrete GPU in a small form factor PC.”

“These new mGPUs give NVIDIA a big advantage over other integrated graphics chips,” said Dr. Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research. “By doing so much parallel processing on a single chip, they can accelerate the new visual computing applications people are getting, and at a reasonable price. The GeForce 9400 and 9300 mGPUs set a new standard for what users should expect from today’s more mainstream desktop systems.”

Additionally, NVIDIA explains that the GPU’s offload 100% of all video processing from the CPU to the GPU! Here we can begin to see why Apple has been so impressed with NVIDIA’s new offerings. Additionally, the GPU’s support NVIDIA Hybrid SLI Technology (not to be confused with dual graphics chips), which boosts performance up to 70% above the motherboard GPU.

Apple will be reporting fourth quarter earnings numbers on Tuesday, October 21st at 2:00pm PT/5:00pm ET. If you are planning on listening to the webcast, please make sure you have QuickTime installed before the event begins.

NVIDIA – Official Statement

Apple iMac Refresh Coming in the Next Few Weeks

Aviv — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:25:13 +0000

Back in January Apple Insider explained that Apple’s all-in-one iMac would be receiving a speedbump before the holiday shopping season. Recent information has led the rumor site to believe that Apple is still on track to unveil new slightly improved iMacs within the next few weeks.

The iMac contains a seemingly similar internal structure to Apple’s new Macbooks. So looking at Apple’s new family of overhauled notebooks may provide some information into what we can expect to see from Apple’s refreshed iMac desktops.

People familiar with the company’s plans have said changes to the iMac family will largely consist of performance improvements and technology refreshes. And while there’s admittedly been few concrete details to go by since the August report, this week’s notebook overhauls offer a window into the future of the iMac line, which sports an architecturally resemblance to the MacBook lines, Apple Insider explains.

Apple’s current iMacs use a special run of Intel’s Santa-Rosa chip platforms, developed per Apple’s request. They operate and support faster speeds and performance than what was available to the rest of the market at the time. Furthering Intel and Apple’s bountiful relationship, Intel has released a new Montevina platform, which houses the Core 2 Duo chips inside Apple’s new unibody notebook line. The same setup is destined for the fall iMac refresh.

Additionally, Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently mentioned that Apple would be building DisplayPort into every suitable product it develops. “This is what we’re going to for all video out on all of our products. It’s pretty outstanding,” he said during Tuesday’s event. “We can do everything [a full-size DVI] connector can do and more — including driving 30-inch displays — out of something a fraction of its size. Now the new industry standard Mini DisplayPort. We’re building it into everything we make.”

Apple could also be leveraging its relationship with NVIDIA to utilize their latest graphics technologies in the upcoming iMac line. Clearly, Apple likes what NVIDIA has to offer, so using the same, or a related NVIDIA controller for the upcoming all-in-one’s could be a no-brainer.

Apple will be reporting fourth quarter earnings numbers on Tuesday, October 21st. Expect to hear about 3G iPhone sales and retail store plans throughout fiscal 2009. Once numbers are released, you’ll be able to find the official Press Release on Apple’s website in the Investor Relations section.