Apple recently announced several new additions to its product range, specifically within the iMac and MacBook catalogues.<\/p>\n
The manufacturer, which recently posted a 47% increase in quarterly profit margins, has chosen to update its entry level MacBook range with a number of new features. The machine now features a unibody polycarbonate casing and includes an LED backlit display which allows for reduced power consumption.<\/p>\n
Like the MacBook Pro, the updated MacBook will also feature a multi touch glass track pad. It will come equipped with a 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive.<\/p>\n
Apple has also unveiled two updates to its desktop iMac range in the 21.5 inch and the 27 inch LED display options. These devices will include Intel Core 2 Duo, i5 and i7 processors according to pricing level and the displays will feature a minimum resolution of 1920×1080, which is regarded as fit for HD viewing.<\/p>\n
The 27 inch model will feature a resolution of 2560×1440, offering 60% more pixels than the 24 inch version which has until now been the largest available.<\/p>\n
Each iMac device will ship standard with 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory with a capacity for 16GB across four SO-DIMM slots as well as the recently released Snow Leopard OS X Apple operating system.<\/p>\n
The company also announced the release of the world’s first multi touch mouse, which will ship with the iMac range and will be available as an accessory for $69 (R511).<\/p>\n
Internationally the MacBook will be available for $999 (R7402). The iMac line will be available from $1199 (R8459), although the higher end models are expected to be considerably more expensive.<\/p>\n
Local Apple distributors could not however confirm South African pricing or date of availability for these models, adding that “it usually takes at least a week for the local pricing on new or updated products to be finalised”.<\/p>\n
Despite the lag in pricing confirmation, Apple products have a reputation for being readily available locally within a reasonable timeframe. For example; copies of Apple’s updated operating system Snow Leopard OS X were available nationally on the day of release.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that the prices reflected by Apple in the US do not include value added tax or shipment costs.<\/p>\n