So, looks like at least 2 new Macs for the house... Getting the oldest daughter a 13" MacBook Pro and the youngest a Mac mini - the oldest daughter will have to pay back the difference when she turns 18; but she was planning to buy a notebook then anyway, so she is getting a much better notebook for her money than she would if she bought it herself...

Might upgrade my iMac in a month or two as well...

i hope that the kids enjoy them
since switching my kids wont use anything else …

what iMac are you considering ?

At the moment a 24"... I'll look at the specs closer to the time. I hope the 26" comes to nothing, to be honest.

I have seen 26" displays and they look horrible, they have the same resolution as the 24" models, which means the image is bigger, but uglier, because it looks more blocky. It would be fine for a TV, where you will be sitting further away, but for working on it as a computer, it just doesn't work (same as 22" compared to the 20.1" models).

If they use a 26" panel with the relevant increase in resolution, that is another matter.

I have the same problem with these b****y 24" 1080p TV/monitors! They ordered one for me at work. It is horrible to work with. It is great for sitting back and watching movies, but it looks awful when actually trying to work on it, compared with a 24" MONITOR. I'm sorry, I'm working on the darned thing, not trying to watch HD films! The vertical resolution is what is important.

Got the MacBook and mini - the latter is very heavy!

Having to install Snow Leopard on both now... Then MS OFfice and the other base software they need...

The girls love them. Jessica is a bit worried about whether the laptop bag she has is good enough for her beauty! She is worried that it might get damaged or scratched!

Given that my old Acer has been lugged around in the bag and it has a wobbly plastic cast and hasn't suffered, I don't think the MacBook Pro will have any problems.

She might be worried that it is not good enough, though I doubt it is the bags protective qualities that she is truly concerned about.

The new 27" iMac looks interesting. Nice high resolution!

When I got the official email from Apple, I saw 27" and thought "bugger, they're using a 27" 1920x1200 panel!" But when I got home and checked out the specs, it looks much better (2560x1440)!

The Core i5 version could very well find its way onto my desk - depending on what the costs are for moving!

I am going to look at the iMacs later but if the pricing is acceptable then I will get a couple.

Looks like someone at Apple didn't proof read the Learn More bit in the RAM options:



Ah well, I'd still like one. Or even better, a decent non-Mac Pro tower system with decent expansion options.

Just had a look at the BTO configurations and I noticed something I don't think I've seen mentioned anywhere at all. They've changed the Apple remote. It's not the white block you get with Apple TV's and used to get with iMacs. It appears to now be made of metal, and has the buttons arranged completely differently.

See here. It looks very swish. Wonder if it works with the Apple TV?

Update : Apparently yes it does; According to the Applestore - "Compatible with Apple products introduced in 2005 or later that have a built-in infrared (IR) receiver."

Applestore link

Jon

A friend has been umming and ahhing about his next Mac. We'd kind of sussed that a Pro was the way forward, but speccing the 27" iMac up a bit brings you into entry level Pro territory now, and to be honest, I think the iMac is the better choice at the moment. Hmmm.

clicky
Blogger points out that, at least in the US, you can get a 27" iMac for roughly the same price as a 30" monitor on it's own.

"It's like buying a nice monitor and getting a Mac thrown in for free".

Jon

There is a nice range of options. I am looking at two with different specs and that means I can opt for a cheaper second machine which is substantially cheaper than my main machine option.

I think the new iMac's will really damage sales of the Pro range. You can now get a quad core and the large resolution and edit your photos on that or do creative stuff without needing a pro.

Must admit I have used a very recent iMac with the dual core Core 2 processor and compared to my quad core PC (Q9650/Win 7) it was dog slow, so the new i5/i7 quads are a worth addition I think and I might pick one up rather than save for a Pro for work.

I would imagine it would only impact on the very low end of the Mac Pro range.