Apple has made two announcements today. Its new iBook line now comes with a scrolling trackpad and sudden motion sensor (technology to help protect a spinning hard drive if the notebook is accidentally dropped), and the Mac mini now comes with double the memory, built-in wireless networking and DVD burning capabilities.

The iBook G4 line of laptops (from $999) now come with a faster Power PC G4 processor running up to 1.42GHz, 512MB memory, improved graphics and built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The new iBooks feature two patent-pending Apple technologies made popular in the PowerBook® G4 line - scrolling trackpad and sudden motion sensor, with prices starting at an affordable $999.

'The new iBook is the perfect portable for the go anywhere, do anything digital lifestyle of consumers and students,' said David Moody, Apple's vice president of Mac Product Marketing. 'With improved performance, double the memory, and new mobility features like the scrolling TrackPad, Sudden Motion Sensor and Bluetooth, the new iBooks are an amazing value.'

Encased in a polycarbonate plastic enclosure, the new 12- and 14in. iBooks offer improved performance with either a 1.33GHz or 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 processor and provide up to 6 hours' of battery life, according to Apple. Each iBook features ATI's Mobility Radeon 9550 with 32MB of dedicated video memory and either a slot-load SuperDrive, for burning DVDs and CDs, or a slot-load Combo drive for watching DVDs and burning CDs.

You also get both 802.11g and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless technologies thanks to the built-in AirPort Extreme, as well as a 10/100BASE-T Ethernet NIC, two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port. Each iBook includes Apple's Mac OS X version 10.4 'Tiger' OS and iLife '05, a suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and iTunes.

The Mac mini is Apple's smallest a lowest-cost desktop computer to date. Available from just $499, all models in the line now include 512MB of memory as standard. The Mac mini also features built-in wireless networking with AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth (from $599), and the ability to burn DVDs with a SuperDrive ($699).

'Mac mini has been a popular choice for consumers getting started with Mac OS X and iLife '05,' said David Moody, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. 'With double the memory and new features like built-in wireless networking and DVD burning, the new Mac mini delivers an even greater value in an innovative compact design.'

The Mac mini lineup includes three models: 1.25GHz Mac mini, 1.42GHz Mac mini and the new 1.42GHz Mac mini with SuperDrive for burning DVDs and CDs. The top two models include built-in AirPort Extreme for connecting to 802.11g wireless networks and an internal Bluetooth module. Connectivity includes one FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports, DVI interface that also supports VGA, and built-in 10/100 BASE-T NIC. Every Mac mini includes Mac OS X version 10.4 'Tiger' OS and iLife '05.

BIOS, Jul 26, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Apple Mac