BIOS: Technology Means Business

Steve Jobs ‘reintroduced’ people to Apple computers yesterday at MacWorld Expo, unveiling the company’s first Intel-powered machines as part of the company’s strategy to be at the centre of people’s digital lives. The launch of a new iMac and the debut of the MacBook Pro laptop with Intel chips came six months earlier than the Cupertino company said it would - an impressive bit of engineering muscle that surprised Apple watchers.

The new iMac is probably the most interesting announcement, a desktop computer running Mac OS X on Intel’s new Core Duo processor. Promising to deliver performance that is up to twice that of its predecessor, the iconic iMac now also features a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box, as well as an Apple Remote for enjoying your content from across the room.

Starting at £929, every new iMac comes with iLife ’06, the next generation of Apple’s digital lifestyle applications featuring major new versions of iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and introducing iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it ‘super-easy’ to create Web sites with photos, blogs and Podcasts.

The new iMac comes standard with a SuperDrive for burning DVDs, 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB), hard disk drive storage capacity up to 500GB, and ATI’s Radeon X1600 PCI Express-based graphics with 128MB of GDDR3 memory. You also get built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, AirPort Extreme for 54Mbit/s wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), a total of five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two FireWire 400 ports. The new iMac now includes mini-DVI video output to connect up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display.

Apple has also unveiled its new MacBook Pro laptop computer. Similar to the iMac, the MacBook Pro features Intel’s new Core Duo processor which delivers up to four times the performance of the PowerBook G4, claims the company. The new MacBook Pro, the first Mac laptop based on an Intel processor, features an aluminium enclosure just one inch thin, weighs only 5.6 pounds, includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go, and the Apple Remote and Front Row software for accessing your data across the room.

The new MacBook Pro also debuts Apple’s patent-pending MagSafe magnetic power connector, designed especially for mobile users. The MagSafe power connector makes charging the laptop’s battery by magnetically coupling the power cord to the MacBook Pro. The MagSafe power connector safely disconnects from the laptop when there is strain on the power cord, helping to prevent the laptop from falling off its work surface when the power cord is inadvertently yanked.

The new MacBook Pro features a 67-per cent brighter 15-inch display, which is now as bright as Apple’s Cinema Displays, and offers a completely new system architecture for faster performance, including a 667MHz front-side bus that is four times as fast as the PowerBook G4 and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB that is twice as fast as the PowerBook G4.

Each MacBook Pro comes standard with ATI’s Mobility Radeon X1600 PCI Express graphics, with either 128MB or 256MB of dedicated GDDR3 graphics memory. Each MacBook Pro includes built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), integrated AirPort Extreme 54Mbit/s 802.11g Wi-Fi wireless networking, a scrolling TrackPad and Apple’s Sudden Motion Sensor that is designed to protect the hard disk drive in case of a fall.

The new MacBook Pro includes iLife ‘06, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it easy to create Web sites with photos, blogs and Podcasts. All the iLife ‘06 applications are Universal applications that run natively on the new Intel-based MacBook Pros.

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