In a typically provocative move Apple yesterday unveiled a wealth of new products hoping to steal the media attention away from the official release of Windows 7. Did it work? Probably not. The world’s media is still going to fawn over Windows 7 tomorrow - and rightly so. It’s not every day Microsoft unveils a major update to the OS and despite it not being as ‘cool’ as OS X, it is used by far more people - in some variant or other.

But, that said, I still intend to comment on it, because hidden away behind the flashy newer, bigger, faster etc... product details lay a few interesting elements, and a few of them have gone largely un-noticed. And, while every man and his dog has had access to Windows 7 for months now, and the official launch is nothing really but a formality, the Apple news is really that: something new we didn’t already know about and weren’t necessarily expecting.

So what’s new?

1. 1)The unibody MacBook
   The white plastic MacBook has started to look a little old recently, especially when placed near it’s thinner, unibody aluminium clad MacBook Pro siblings. So it’s no big surprise to see this given a redesign. With this redesign though has come the final death knell for FireWire 400 ports on Apple’s laptop range. The new MacBook, like the original aluminium unibody MacBook, features no FireWire port at all and since Apple seems to have forgotten about eSATA there’s no suitable replacement either. This isn’t going to bother too many people, but it does now mean that anyone with cutting edge FireWire audio gear (of which I know I’m among many) now needs a MacBook Pro if they want to go mobile and stay Mac.
   Apple can whine all they like about the improved audio performance on the MacBook, I ain’t listening.
   

2. 2)Refreshed iMacs
   The iMacs too have had a redesign, but it’s a much more iterative improvement than the unibody MacBook. In fact other than a few minor design tweaks like the edge-to-edge glass and the tapered stand. The only interesting differences are that Apple has opted to go with a 16:9 aspect ratio, with screen sizes of 21.5” or the monstrous 27” model, and that the new iMacs have a mini DisplayPort enabling you to use the iMac as a screen for your MacBook.
   The new iMacs also continue Apple’s shunning of FireWire 400, with only FW 800 ports on the rear.
   

3. 3)Refreshed Mac Mini’s
   This is where it gets interesting. Rumours of the Mac Mini’s demise have been circulating for about as long as the diminutive machine has had a place in Apple’s line-up. But the company has continued to offer minor hardware refreshes to keep it as an option and with the latest refresh has topped out the range with a whole new model; the Mac Mini Server. For £799 you can now buy a Mac Mini with two 500GB hard drives pre-installed with Mac OS X Server. That might not impress the non techies, but look at it this way; Mac OS X Server supports unlimited clients, Windows Server 2008 costs more than that on it’s own and only allows for up to 5 clients, forcing you to pay for extra licenses for additional clients. For small-medium sized businesses the Mac Mini Server is now a realistic option, something Apple never really had before.
   

4. 4)Improved Time Capsule and Airport Extreme
   Less obvious and overwhelming than the other stories, these products now offer improved range and up to 50% better performance.
   

5. 5)The Magic Mouse
   The Mighty Mouse is dead, long live the err... Magic Mouse. OK, it’s still a shit name, but I want one. I hate the Mighty Mouse, it’s crap, the scroll ball thing locks up after about a weeks use and never works again and I’ve developed RSI from using that damn piece of crap. The Magic Mouse on the other hand looks sexy, and comes with a multi-touch surface so I can scroll in 360-degrees with zero moving parts.
   

Mike