New MacBook Pro has Apple fans excited photo: benjamin-nagel
The background
Anticipation was high ahead of Apple’s developer conference on 11 June 2012 – and the consensus among the technorati is that the company did not disappoint. Apple unveiled a new line of Macs that had critics salivating, as well as upgraded operating systems. Here are the top five talking points.
The new MacBook Pro (with Retina Display) is super-sexy
“Apple unveiled a lot of new toys today, but the highlight is clearly the ubersexy and powerful MacBook Pro With Retina Display,” wrote Peter Pachal at Mashable. The new MacBook is thinner and lighter than its predecessors, and boasts “the highest-resolution laptop display ever: 2,880 x 1,800 pixels”; everything you could possible want in a laptop: “People will buy Apple’s prize MacBook because, like the Air before it, this is what they want. Ultra-sharp graphics. Blazing fast speed. Great connectivity. Tons of storage. All in a package that’s actually lighter than what you had before,” Pachal said.
“We are so proud of these products, as they’re perfect examples of what Apple does best,” said Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, reported The New York Times.
MacBook Pro will be pricey
The new MacBook Pro starts at $2199, pointed out John Herrman at Buzzfeed, “which means that you could EASILY spec this thing out over $3k”. But Herrman predicted that customers would be willing to pay the price: “It’s hard to get people excited about a laptop, and people are excited about this laptop.”
IOS 6: Siri and Facebook
IOS 6 will see some improvements to personal assistance software Siri, which has an enhanced language bank and iPad integration, said Rebecca Greenfield at The Atlantic Wire; “users can also tweet by talking into the phone. And, the bot can now launch apps.” IOS 6 includes a ‘do not disturb’ feature on the phone app, new maps and photo sharing with comments. “Facebook now works with Siri, along with the total integration of the social network into the phone. Users no longer have to log-in to Facebook on different apps,” Greenfield wrote.
Updated Apple mobile operating system targeting Google?
The updates “clearly target Google, Apple’s fellow tech titan and, increasingly, its key rival,” reported Doug Gross for CNN. And this is particularly evident in Apple’s maps system: “A brand new map system, complete with 3-D imaging and voice-assisted, turn-by-turn navigation is clearly Apple’s effort to keep iPhone and iPad users home instead of clicking on what had been the system’s go-to app, Google Maps.”
Mountain Lion brings new features
Becca Caddy provided a round-up of the best features of Mac operating system OS X Mountain Lion at Shiny Shiny. As well as increased iCloud, Twitter and Facebook integration, “Mountain Lion enables you to talk anywhere you’d usually type using the Mac’s built-in microphone. This is a pretty big deal and according to Apple, the more you use it the better it’ll get at recognising your silly voice.” Mountain Lion also introduces Power Nap, “which means [your laptop] looks like its fast asleep but really it’s still checking for updates now and again and updating your Mail, Messages, Contacts, etc”.
