Steve Jobs wasn't kidding when he said Apple had a strong lineup prepared for the holiday season and beyond. The company has just about refreshed its entire product line, introducing the world's first multitouch mouse, as well as new iMacs, a low-end MacBook, and a new Mac mini.
The "Apple Magic Mouse" is void of the usual buttons and instead has a multitouch surface that is reliant on touch, taps, and swipes -- as interesting as this may be, I can't see it being useful beyond basic use. The Magic Mouse connects via Bluetooth and can be purchased for $69 alone, but it ships with the new iMacs launched today.
Apple's iMac refresh includes the introduction of new 21.5" and 27" models, which effectively replace the old 20" and 24" units. The 21.5" iteration features a 1,920x1,080 LED-backlit display with 178-degree viewing angles, a 3.06GHz or 3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated or ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics, 500GB to 2TB of storage, an iSight camera, all of the typical connectivity and starts at $1,199. Meanwhile, the larger model bumps the screen resolution to 2,560x1,440, a 2.66GHz or 2.8GHz Intel Core i5, dedicated ATI Radeon HD 4670 or 4850 graphics, and starts at $1,699.
Cupertino is also shipping a revamped version of its entry-level MacBook, which is now a bit thinner, lighter, and more powerful. It measures just over an inch thick, weighs about 4.7lbs, and is housed in a glossy-white polycarbonate body which boasts a similar construction to the aluminum MacBook Pros. The new 13" MacBook has a glass multitouch trackpad (sans buttons), a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of DDR3 RAM (up to 8GB), Nvidia 9400M graphics, a 250GB HDD (320GB and 500GB options available), a seven-hour battery life. It is available today from $999 and ships with Snow Leopard and the iLife Suite.
The company's Mac mini line has received faster processors, more memory, and now includes a server configuration. Apple's updated Mac minis are priced the same as before, with the $599 system featuring a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of 1066MHz RAM, and a 160GB hard drive, while the $799 model features a 2.56GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB drive -- both have Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics. The new $999 Mac mini server has no optical drive, but instead includes a second HDD to make 1TB of total storage.
