Here are your Apple rumors and news items for Thursday. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) introduces new MacBook laptops, the new Mac OS is up for a sneak peek and FaceTime hits App Store.
Apple Introduces New MacBook Pro Laptops: Rumors of Apple’s early 2011 plans were proven true on Thursday. The Cupertino, California, company introduced five new models of MacBook Pro — each one equipped with Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 processors. Past MacBook Pro models featured an NVIDIA graphics card, but after widespread failures, the company has shifted to AMD Radeon HD graphics. There are two 13-inch and two 15-inch models in addition to one 17-inch model that are priced at $1,199, $1,499, $1,799, $2,199, and $2,499 respectively. The low-end 13-inch model puts the MacBook Pro closer in price to the standard MacBook line, meaning that Apple could significantly grow MacBook Pro sales while simultaneously dropping price on regular MacBooks going forward.
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Preview Available for Developers: Consumers and businesses will have to wait until summer 2011 to get access to the latest version of Apple’s desktop and laptop operating system OS X Lion, but members of the Mac Developer Program got a taste of what version 10.7 has to offer on Thursday. Following the announcement of the new MacBook Pro line, Apple released a preview of the new operating system exclusively for developers via the Mac App Store. New features demonstrated in the preview include Launchpad, an organization tool for Mac apps, and Mission Control, a redesigned interface for viewing all active software running on a user’s device. Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing emphasized the influence of the iPad and iOS on Lion’s design in a press release for the preview, demonstrating again that Apple is moving fast to bring its handheld devices and its PCs closer in both brand and functionality.
Apple Releases OS X FaceTime on Mac App Store: Consumers looking to try FaceTime video chat on their laptops won’t have to purchase a new MacBook Pro. Apple released a 1.0 version of the software for its PCs on Thursday morning. The app costs 99-cents and can be purchased through the Mac App Store. The app only needs to be purchased by existing MacBook and MacBook Pro owners, with the software coming preloaded in future models.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.
