Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s iMac 2012 line-up has been revealed this morning, and those hoping for a compelling alternative to the new Windows 8 all-in-one PCs we’ve been seeing have had their wishes granted. Now incredibly thin – just 5mm at the tapered edge – and occupying 40-percent less volume than the slab-sided predecessors, the narrow iMacs are just as impressive in the metal as they are in photos. These are all-in-ones you almost can’t believe contain a full computer; read on for our first impressions.

Apple is very keen to talk up the high-tech manufacturing magic it had to muster in order to make the new iMacs quite so slim, but it’s the end-result that really grabs the attention. The crisp lines are reminiscent of the edges of the Retina MacBook Pro line, with bunched vents running under the chin of the desktop, and bevels in the stand that echo what we’ve seen Appel doing in its high-end notebook range.

What they don’t have is Retina resolution. Will-they-won’t-they chatter had circulated for months, but in the end it seems Apple’s supply chain either can’t supply higher-resolution panels at a cost the company thinks is realistic for consumers, or simply can’t supply them at all. Instead, you get 1920 x 1080 Full HD on the 21.5-inch iMac and 2560 x 1440 resolution on the 27-inch iMac.

What’s changed is the way the screens are layered together, and even without Retina that’s impressive. Optical lamination, just as we’ve seen used on the iPhone 5, brings the LCD IPS and cover glass together into a single pane, for what Apple says is 75-percent less reflection. To our eyes, though, it’s the colors and detail that really stand out. We hope Apple also uses the same sort of technology for a new Thunderbolt Display, as no matter how good that standalone monitor is, it pales next to the 2012 iMacs.

A solid selection of Core i5 and Core i7 chips, together with the speed/capacity advantages of hybrid SSD/HDD storage (if you don’t opt for regular SSDs or HDDs) should keep the iMacs running swiftly too, though we’ll have to wait until we can review them to know that for sure. For now, enjoy our hands-on gallery.

Apple iMac 2012 hands-on is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Today Apple had an event that blasted forth with a collection of smaller, thinner, and much more powerful devices including the iPad mini. This event started with the massive sales of the iPod family as well as the iPhone 5, the new fastest selling phone in history. They moved on with iOS 6 adoption with a 200 million iOS devices mark for the ecosystem – that’s quick! UPDATE: Check our hands-on with the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, iMac 2012 refresh, and iPad mini now!

This event showed iBooks app updated to a new version with Continuous Scrolling for the page-turn-weary. The Appstore that Apple releases this app in has reached 35 billion downloads while the Apple Mac is mentioned as taking the top spots in both notebooks and desktops across the USA.

On that desktop note, the iMac mini 2012 edition was revealed with Core i5 processors inside and starting in at $599 USD. The MacBook Pro with Retina display line was given a new Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro to take on another size market, now the 2nd highest definition display holder in the notebook segment as well. The entire MacBook family was priced as well. The iMac was refreshed with prices starting at $1,299 and busting out with a brand new super-thin body. This update works with a brand new Fusion Drive, a bit of the ol’ fabulous new-age technology on the innards.

The iPad was next on the blocks, of course with a sales number of 100 million units since the beginning. The next generation iPad 4 (or iPad 4th gen) will be working with an updated Apple A6X chip. The whole iPad family will benefit from the update to iBooks Author for authors joining the fun club.

Then of course there’s the iPad mini. This unit will be coming out for $329 for its wi-fi edition and $459 for 4G. Apple went directly for Google’s throat once the iPad mini was revealed with a straight up Nexus 7 vs iPad mini all-out fight on stage, and a full list of iPad wireless carrier partners was revealed as well.

Stay tuned to our giant Apple portal for more news as it pops up, including hands-on action with most or all of the devices listed above!

Apple iPad mini event full round-up [UPDATE] is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has priced up its beautiful new iMac all-in-one desktop, with the achingly skinny computer priced from $1,299. The 21.5-inch iMac kicks off at $1,299, with a 2.7GHz quadcore Core i5 processor from Intel, paired with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard-drive. There’s also GeForce GT 640M graphics. Of course, Apple also has a bigger model too.

The 27-inch iMac is priced from $1,799. It has a 2.9GHz quadcore Core i5 processor from Intel, paired with 8GB of RAM and, again, a 1TB hard-drive. It too uses NVIDIA graphics, in the shape of the GeForce GTX 660M GPU.

Both can be specified with considerably higher kit, however. There’s the option of up to 768GB of flash storage or either a 1TB or 3TB traditional hard-drive. However, there’s also Apple Fusion Drive, which combines both flash and hard-drive storage in a hybrid, for the speed advantages of an SSD and the capacity of an SSD.

The new iMac will be delivered with a wireless keyboard and either a Magic Trackpad or a Magic Mouse. An external optical drive will also be offered. The 21.5-inch model will ship in November, while the 27-inch version will ship the following month, in December.

Apple’s super-slim iMac 2012 priced from $1,299 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has revealed a new Mac mini, updating the compact desktop with new processors but keeping the slick, low-profile style. Now packing a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, from 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard-drive, the new Mac mini is priced from $599.

Inside, there’s a choice of up to 1TB of HDD storage or a 256GB SSD. Intel’s HD Graphics 4000 keep your display going – via an HDMI output, among other things – plus there’s wireless connectivity in the shape of WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.

There’ll also be a Mac mini Server version, with a 2.3GHz Intel quadcore Core i7 processor instead. It’s paired with 4GB of RAM and twin 1TB hard-drives. Up to 16GB of RAM can be specified.

The Mac mini Server will be priced from $999. It’s up for sale from today. Keep up with all of Apple’s news today at our Apple Hub.

Mac mini 2012 revealed: Core i5 from $599 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple‘s Mac is the number one desktop in the US market, while its MacBook line-up is the number one notebook in the US, company CEO Tim Cook has confirmed. In fact, Apple’s Mac growth has outpaced the PC market for the past six years.

Cook revealed the sales stats news today at the company’s iPad mini event, which also saw a new MacBook Pro 13-inch Retina Display model revealed. Apple credits the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display for part of its sales success, though both desktops and notebooks have been selling well.

In fact, Apple struggled to keep the Retina Display MacBook Pro 15 in stock when it first hit shelves, with demand outstripping supply. That’s despite a premium price tag at the top end of the MacBook Pro line-up, though Apple did reportedly have issues getting the high-resolution screens it needed from suppliers.

Still, not all of Apple’s line-up has been so blessed with regular updates. The Mac Pro, for instance, has languished for years without a refresh, amid persistent rumors that Apple would like to delete the pro-desktop completely.

Apple Mac takes desktop and notebook top-spots in US is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.