Apple News from the Macworld Conference & Expo 2005
- By Campus Technology Editors
- 01/13/05
Computer peripherals and hardware just keep getting smaller, and Apple has
thrown its hat into the industry ring to bring consumers the smallest devices
possible. Macworld Conference & Expo revealed on Tuesday, in San Francisco,
the latest additions to Apple’s family. The introduction of the Mac mini
and iPod Shuffle had expo-g'ers and consumers looking to Apple for the latest
incarnations of their most compact devices.
Mini Me? No! Mac Mini.
The Mac mini is the smallest Mac desktop computer, weighing in at 2.9 pounds
for a street price starting at $499 ($479 educational discount price). This
unreal size and price is a winning combination to sell like hotcakes. Comparable
in size to an external hard drive (or a medium-sized book), this system stands
two inches tall and only 6.5 inches square. This is the most affordable way
to get a Mac OS X-based computer, to date, and it comes complete with iLife,
a global collection that features the latest versions of iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie,
iDVD, and GarageBand. One FireWire and two USB ports gives users plenty room
to use external devices, when the stock model is not enough. The downside? Not
much if you’re considering the low price. But, you would need your own
monitor, keyboard, and other peripherals. You’ll have to buy these separately
as they are not included in the base price.
Apple's Mac Mini
Two choices are currently available: 1.25Ghz/40GB or 1.42Ghz/80GB. In both
models, memory can be expanded from 256MB to 1GB of RAM. And think of how much
physical space new Mac users can save using the Mac mini. Its small size might
also make life a little easier for techs who have to swap computers in and out
of campus labs and classrooms. Spokespeople say that the Mac mini is ideal for
anyone wanting to get started with Mac OS X, especially for first-time Mac users.
A few more seasoned Mac users are keeping an eye on one situation, however.
They question whether the ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor (with 32MB video
memory) on board the Mac mini will support some of the Dashboard effects of
Tiger, the latest in Apple’s operating system development efforts. Mac
OS version 10.4 “Tiger” is scheduled to arrive sometime during the
first half of 2005. What will happen when users want to upgrade past the Mac
OS X version 10.3 “Panther” installed on the Mac minis? Maybe Apple
is sorting out a potential problem here… Bloggers observed that a listing
of video cards supporting Tiger mysteriously disappeared from Apple’s
Web site Tuesday. But there’s still time…
Do the Shuffle
For folks who want the iPod but can’t afford the 60GB model, Apple has
a new music player for you! Apple introduced the iPod Shuffle: The first iPod
under $100. Smaller and lighter than a pack of gum, say Apple spokespeople.
This is the ultimate budget Apple-brand media player. Two models are currently
available: one with a 512 MB holding up to 120 songs for $99 and a 1GB that
can hold up to 240 songs for $149. (Education users take heart—the 1GB
version will be available with an education discount.) What is Shuffle? You
can play songs randomly, or use a playlist. How about preloading with lectures
and then recycle or toss like textbooks?
The iPod Shuffle
The other product introduction at MacWorld Expo of potential interest to education
users (although not as exciting as the Mac mini and the iPod Shuffle) is Apple’s
iWork ’05, billed as productivity software to present and publish professional-looking
documents and presentations. It includes streamlined features to import photos
and move them around easily within text—like you can in sophisticated
page layout software. iWork ‘05 also features Keynote (presentation software),
too. Price: $79. iWork ‘05 is available for purchase beginning Jan 22.
To learn more about these exciting new products and other Apple products, go
to: www.apple.com