Step one: Find out if your Mac can handle it

Not all Macs are eligible for memory upgrades, or at least not ones you can perform easily at home. Some might already be equipped with their maximum supported memory, and some might have more difficult to replace memory kits, like the MacBook Air does, for instance. But in general, you can find out if your Mac could take on more memory by checking your system stats.

In Lion, this is easy. Go to the Apple menu, click “About this Mac,” and then click “More Info…” Then, click the “Memory” tab along the top and it’ll show you how much memory you currently have installed, and the capacity of each individual module. In my example, I have 4 x 4 GB modules installed on my iMac, which is the most this model officially supports. Many base configuration models of iMacs currently available ship with two slots free, as mine did before I upgraded.

To find out the maximum memory your model supports, you can do two things. First, click the link in that Memory information page that says “Memory Upgrade Instructions” to be taken to the relevant Apple support site for your computer. So long as you know when your computer was released, you can find all the information you need, including Apple’s maximum memory capacity for your specific model here. If you need to find when your Mac was released, check our guide for finding that out.

You can also take a second option, which is to visit OWC, find your Mac of choice under the “Memory” section and see what options the site provides. OWC actually offers kits that provide memory in capacities that often exceed Apple’s official supported specs, but will still work fine with your hardware.

Step two: Figure how much memory you need to upgrade

OWC is a great resource for figuring out how much RAM you need to purchase to upgrade. Navigate to the Memory section on the OWC homepage, then find your model of computer. Now, the site will provide you with a number of options for memory upgrades and replacements. OWC had basically done the thinking for you, so you can just click on a combo package greater than your current memory configuration and not worry about whether or not the modules will work with each other or your machine.

The other benefit of going through OWC is that they have very fair prices, and they even offer rebate pricing on the memory that shipped with your Apple computer. You won’t get much, but it’s more than you’d make by throwing your old RAM in the garbage.

Step three: Install the RAM

Following Apple’s installation guides is the best way to go about replacing your RAM. Here are links to the instructions for upgrading iMac memory, Mac mini memory, MacBook Pro memory, and MacBook memory. It’s not difficult and requires a minimum of tools, but you will need a small screwdriver, like one you’d use for eyeglasses repair, in order to replace memory on iMacs and MacBooks.

Step four: Enjoy considerable performance boosts

When I upgraded my 2011 iMac from its basic 4 GB of memory to 16 GB, it was definitely like getting a new machine. Things never grind to a halt anymore; I can run Photoshop alongside other demanding applications without major slow-downs; and my computer seldom requires an actual restart or power-down to get things moving smoothly again. The entire upgrade cost me less than $100, too.

If you love your Mac but find yourself less than impressed with its performance lately, a memory boost could be just the thing to put the spark back in your relationship.

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What is Bluetooth 4.0?

It’s the latest incarnation of Bluetooth, the wireless device-to-device technology that allows your phone to talk to headsets, car stereos, keyboards and other devices directly, without the need for a router or shared wireless network. The 4.0 version of the specification (also called Bluetooth Smart) introduces greatly lowered power consumption, thanks to a new way of maintaining a connection between devices without the need for a constant stream of data being transferred between the two.

Bluetooth 4.0 also contains the high-speed data-transfer specifications that were introduced with Bluetooth 3.0, which allows for speeds of up to 25 Mbps. The latest spec is backward-compatible with previous versions, so your iPhone 4S will still work with the Bluetooth 2.0 stereo headset you have, for instance, or with your Apple Wireless Keyboard.

What can Bluetooth 4.0 do for you?

Thus far, not much. Bluetooth 4.0 requires both sending and receiving devices to have the technology on board before it can really start showing benefits for users. As mentioned above, it works fine with devices using older versions of the spec, but it doesn’t get to take advantage of any of its power-saving features with Bluetooth 3.0 or lower.

The big benefit of Bluetooth 4.0 will come from peripherals, much like with Thunderbolt technology. Unlike with Thunderbolt tech, however, consumers can expect Bluetooth 4.0 accessories to launch with price ranges and use cases that are much more palatable to the average consumer. Thunderbolt, like FireWire before it, will at first be a cost-prohibitive high-speed data-transfer tech aimed at film and video pros; Bluetooth 4.0 plants the seed for a wide range of more-consumer-oriented applications.

Input, input, input

Bluetooth 4.0 will be most useful for the new crop of sensor devices coming to market that aim to provide your iPhone or computer with a wealth of external data to help inform special applications. Perfect examples of how the tech might be used include heart rate monitors, GPS sensors and environmentally aware devices, somewhat like the new Nest thermostat.

Such peripherals will be able to be powered much more efficiently than those using previous Bluetooth standards, which will make their promise of being set-and-forget devices more of an attainable reality. Bluetooth 4.0 peripherals powered by simple watch batteries will be able to collect and inform specialized applications on iPhones and other devices, allowing for a smarter and more integral connection between our lives and our devices.

One example of where Bluetooth 4.0 could come in handy is with the smart watch technology that Kevin Tofel has been following so closely. Theoretically, a smart watch using Bluetooth 4.0 would be able to get much more out of limited battery life than existing devices, allowing for a long-lasting connection that doesn’t require much attention from a user. Imagine the battery life of your current quartz wrist watch but with the ability to deliver notifications when your phone receives a text or call.

Whole-home devices

Bluetooth 4.0 paves the way for a future in which your MacBook Air, Mac mini or iPhone can passively monitor and keep abreast of everything going on in your house. Monitor the temperature of that roast you’re cooking, note when your solar array stops receiving direct sunlight, and have your cordless robot vacuum tell you when it needs to hit the charging station: All could be possible through future implementations of a low-power, direct-communication spec like Bluetooth 4.0.

That’s the long-term play that Apple has made with the 4S. Nice to see users get something that could pay dividends much further in the life of their product, rather than just another limitation that becomes a reason to upgrade in a year’s time.

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Macs retain higher overall resale values than many other PCs, but they don’t last forever. But how do you know when to act? What are the symptoms of impeding Mac death or obsolescence, and when is a good time to consider replacing an old Mac with a new one?  The following seven points should help you make an educated decision about whether or not to invest in one of the new MacBook Pros unveiled Monday, or any other new Mac for that matter.

1. Will not run OS X Lion (or Snow Leopard). In the past, if you had a Mac running an older version of OS X, you could keep it running for a long time without much issue. But iCloud’s minimum specs have changed that. Your Mac must have an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor to run Lion 10.7.2 which is required to use iCloud on a Mac. If you’re not certain your Mac meets these requirements, you can easily identify exactly what Mac you have and get the specs from there. Users hoping to update to iCloud from MobileMe will need a newer Mac, and those hoping to stay on top of what could become the core of Apple’s business will also want to upgrade.

Not everyone needs the convenience features of iCloud, but you should note that Apple has also stopped releasing security updates for older Macs as well.  To play it safe, you may need to have a Mac that can at least run Snow Leopard.

2. Battery no longer keeps its charge. While certainly not the primary reason to get rid of a MacBook that still works when plugged in, it’s a sign that you may be getting near the end of your machine’s useful life.  Apple does have a battery replacement program, even for MacBooks that do not user-accessible batteries, but the cost of replacing a battery can run anywhere from $130 to $180, and if your battery is past its prime, other system components might be nearing their end, too. It may be time to consider turning that laptop into a desktop, and get a new MacBook.

3. Most-used apps are sluggish. New software tends to get bigger and more demanding with time. With each new update comes a lot more features. These may not be features you need or care about, but sometimes they’re required in order to maintain compatibility with a particular file format. You can always try sliding back to an earlier version to preserver performance, but if apps you use time and time again are making your computer slow or unusable, it’s probably time to look for something new.

4. An iPad outperforms your Mac. It may surprise you to learn that the current iPad 2′s geek bench scores are about as high as the Mac mini G4′s scores from 2005. You could try to clean out your Mac, free up some hard drive space, or even add some memory or a solid state drive to help and improve performance. But at the end of the day, there is a limit to the gains in performance you can squeeze out of older hardware, and the cost of doing so might outweigh the benefit.

5. Difficult-to-replace component has failed. If you’re not comfortable replacing the internal components of you Mac yourself, service prices can become cost-prohibitive when compared to buying a new Mac.  You may also end up being very disappointed following a major upgrade when something else goes wrong, like a hard drive failure.  With MacBooks especially, when one part starts to fail, the rest are likely not too far from failing as well.

6. The Mac you want was just updated. Following the rumors about possible Apple product updates can become more obsession than hobby.  I have looked toward’s MacRumor’s Buyer’s Guide for years now in an effort to track down when a particular product is going to be updated.  The simplest rule to follow, however, is that if you need a new Mac, buy a new Mac. But if your need happens to coincide with a fresh product update, don’t hesitate.

7. You own a PC, but all your mobile devices are Apple. Like works best with like, and that’s particularly true of Apple products. Apple has a great guide to help with the transition from a PC to a Mac.  And with Apple’s Boot Camp, VMware Fusion or Parallels, you can keep on using Windows on a Mac if you like.

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Apple’s new MacBook Air and Mac mini are likely driving the increase in Mac sales, which NPD says are on track to deliver between 14 and 18 percent total growth year over year. That’s based on current numbers which put Mac sales at 22 percent greater than the same quarter last year, with only one month left to go in the three-month period. NPD’s numbers are estimates based on data gathered from retailer point-of-sale systems. It’s worth noting that NPD’s estimates are often under Apple’s final official tallies, in part because they don’t necessarily account for online sources.

Double digit increases in Mac sales at a time when other PC sales seem to be flatlining seems like an endorsement of Apple’s strategy, which involves pushing the envelope of what constitutes portable computing and also moving beyond physical disc-based media. It’s a vote of confidence that stands a good chance of encouraging Apple to pursue a similar strategy along its remaining Mac line, including MacBook Pro and iMac computers.

The flip side, as mentioned, is that NPD’s data suggests iPod sales are down 16 percent year over year currently. Munster notes this is actually less of a slide than most analysts predicted going into the quarter, and it’s probably not something Apple is too concerned with. Declines in the media player line are likely attributable to record increases in iPhone and iPad sales, which will be a much more lucrative opportunity for Apple going forward anyway.

Apple’s newest Macs could lead the company to a record quarter for Mac sales, which will be a significant victory for a company whose admitted focus is more on mobile devices. If Apple’s tablet efforts can slow down the competition from PCs while not affecting the growth of their own traditional computers, that’s about as much as Cupertino can ask for.

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Specs and stats

The Mac mini I’m reviewing here is the $799 model, which comes with 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, a 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and a dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics card with 256 MB of RAM. Connection options include 4 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, a Thunderbolt connector, HDMI, Ethernet, digital/analog line in and line out ports and an SDXC card slot. It also has 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, and the new low-power Bluetooth 4.0 specification.

The new Core i5 series processor pushes a lot of weight compared to previous generations. Running it through Geekbench revealed scores of 6902 on average in my tests, compared to 3627 for the Mac mini released in 2010 (higher is better). Geekbench measures the maximum theoretical performance, but those higher scores should translate to noticeable speed improvements in overall performance.

While all the new Mac minis are much better at CPU-intensive tasks, the $799 model should really excel when it comes to graphics. Thanks to the dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6630M card, which marks the first time the Mac mini has had a dedicated card (maybe made possibly by dropping the optical disk), tasks like video editing and gaming go more smoothly on this mini than on any before it.

Performance

For me, the new Mac mini is replacing a much older model (2007, the first Intel Core 2 Duo version) that acted as the nerve center of my home theater setup. Compared to that machine, the new Mac mini offers many advantages: The larger stock 500 GB drive means I can depend less on external storage; HDMI out provides a single cable connection option that doesn’t require any adapters when used with an HDTV; SDXC support means I should have no problem viewing home movies or vacation slideshows from the cameras of visitors; and Thunderbolt promises to eventually make it possible to use huge, fast external storage media libraries a possibility, thanks to devices like the Pegasus RAID array.

On the other hand, the new Mac mini does away with the built-in optical disc drive, so users looking to play back their DVD movies either have to pony up an additional $79 for the MacBook Air SuperDrive, or set about converting their existing media library. Personally, the DVD drive removal is a welcome change; I long ago abandoned physical media for the convenience and reduced clutter of digital purchases and rentals. But if you have an extensive DVD movie collection you aren’t eager to part with, look at Apple’s deals on previous-generation refurbished Macs for a media center PC that will better suit your needs.

If you’re looking to use the new Mac mini as a workstation or traditional PC, this update has a lot to recommend it. I found that — like the MacBook Air I reviewed last week — it deals well with the load caused by using multiple open apps simultaneously, including demanding apps like Photoshop CS5 and iMovie. What it doesn’t do as well as the MacBook Air is load apps quite as fast, or handle shutdown and startup with the same lightning speed. That’s due mostly to the spinning disk drive which the Mac ships with by default, but Apple does offer a (fairly expensive) SSD customization option.

There’s one area where the new Mac mini has quite a bit of unique niche appeal: it’s road-readiness. With just a couple of input devices and the Mac mini itself, which has just a power cord with no heavy and unsightly brick, it actually gives Mac notebooks a run for their money in terms of physical footprint. Frequent travellers could easily pack one for use with the HDTVs now common in most business hotel rooms. And if they want a device that’s a desktop at home and offers more screen real estate than a laptop on the road, it’s quite a bit cheaper than a MacBook.

Verdict

Apple’s newest Mac mini is the best yet, thanks to a lower price tag and processor updates that deliver big CPU performance boosts with even lower power consumption. If you’re looking for a fairly future-proof home theater PC, or a low-cost, moderately powered workstation that can follow you wherever you need to go, this is the Mac for you.

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Try this first

There are some good best practices to perform before running off and resetting your Mac at the first sign of strange behavior. This isn’t a step-by-step list; try each and all of the below separately when you’re having trouble:

• Quit (Command+Q) or even Force Quit (Command+Option+Esc) any and all running applications.
• Log off and then log back on to any and all logged on user accounts.
• Put the Mac to sleep and wake it up again.
• Restart the Mac.
• Shut down and unplug the Mac (and remove any battery if you have access) for at least thirty seconds before powering back on.

You may even have to press and hold the power button several seconds in extreme cases when your Mac is truly not responding or refuses to shut down and power off. But if you have tried all of this to no avail, then perhaps you do need to either reset your PRAM or your SMC.

Parameter random access memory

PRAM is used by OS X to store certain information that the system can access quickly. Macs will store settings like which startup drive to boot from, various display and video settings, startup speaker volume and even the DVD’s region settings. If you feel that you need to reset your Mac’s PRAM because of the issues you’re having, do the following:

1. Turn off your Mac. Don’t worry about disconnecting the power or removing the battery.
2. Turn on your Mac and hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys all at the same time (all four keys).
3. Keep holding down all four keys until you hear the startup sound for a second time.

If you do not hear the startup sound twice, then you most likely have not reset the PRAM.  If you find that your Mac is not retaining the information that is stored in PRAM when you perform a shutdown, then it might be time to replace your Mac’s main logic board battery.  This is sometimes referred to as the PRAM or Clock Battery. I hardly ever fully shut down and power off any of my Macs, and have yet to replace this battery on any Mac I have owned, so that should only be the culprit in very extreme cases.

System management controller

The SMC is an Intel-only feature.  There are so many symptoms that can potentially be solved by resetting the SMC that you’d think you would need to do this sort of reset all of the time. These include fans running out of control, lights not displaying correctly, the Mac does not sleep or wake properly, and just generally poor performance and high CPU cycles for no good reason. There are three ways to reset your SMC, based on what sort of Intel-based Mac you have:
Portable Macs with removable batteries

1. Shut down the Mac, unplug and remove the battery.
2. Press and hold the power button for five seconds before releasing.
3. Replace the battery (just put it back in), plug in the Mac and turn it back on.

Portable Macs without removable batteries

• Shut down the Mac.
• Ensure that the Mac is plugged into a power source.
• While the Mac is turned off, press and hold the Shift, Control and Option keys, as well as the Power button.
• Release all four keys at the same time (note: the Mac should not power on when performing this task).
• Press the power button to turn the Mac back on.

Desktop Mac Pros, iMacs and Mac minis

• Shut down and unplug the Mac.
• Keep the Mac unplugged for at least fifteen seconds.
• Plug the Mac back in and do not turn it back on for at least five seconds.
• Press the power button to turn the Mac back on.

This shouldn’t be considered a routine operation, like fixing file permissions in Disk Utility. It’s just something to keep in mind as a possible last resort solution to weird behaviors that your Mac starts to develop, which can often happen when you perform upgrades like installing OS X Lion, especially on older hardware.

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So the rumors were true. Apple — as reported earlier by many web publications — released the newest version of its operating system, OS X Lion this morning. It is a $30 4GB download from the Apple store. And unless you have a superfast connection – this is going to be one long download. However, if you are not in the mood to download and are looking to spend some of your money, Apple has released a slew of products that include OS X Lion.

Instead of recapping all its features, here are some of the articles about OS X from our archives:

• Mac OS X includes many small but significant changes.
• How OS X Lion leads to the next computing revolution.
• Ten new features in OS X Lion

The New Mac Mini:

It is 7.7-inches square and 1.4-inches thin. It has a compact aluminum design and comes in three different configurations with a choice to use one the latest dual-core Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics, or a quad-core Intel Core i7 powered server configuration. It comes preloaded with OS X Lion. It doesn’t have an optical disc drive and can include up to 8 GBs of memory, a faster 7200-RPM hard drive and a 256GB solid-state drive. It comes with Thunderbolt I/O technology for expansion possibilities never before available to Mac mini users. It starts at $599 but is not exactly cheap as you opt for the top end of the line.

The New MacBook Air

Apple today announced upgrades to its MacBook Air line-up of products. It is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models and uses Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, has a backlit keyboard and comes preloaded with Mac OS X Lion. MacBook Air also features Intel HD Graphics 3000 and offers up to 4GB of faster 1333 MHz memory. The new Intel processors make them twice as fast as the previous generation.

The New Apple Thunderbolt Display:

It uses the Thunderbolt I/O technology and it is 27 inches in screen size. It has a 16:9 edge-to-edge glass design and the display uses IPS technology with an ultra wide 178-degree viewing angle. The Thunderbolt Display includes a built-in FaceTime HD video camera for crisp video conferencing, a 2.1 speaker system for high quality audio, an integrated MagSafe charger to keep Mac notebooks charged, three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and a Thunderbolt port for daisy chaining up to five additional Thunderbolt devices. From the looks of it, this screen is made entirely for the Thunderbolt Macs. Unfortunately, if you have one of the old Macs, it is not clear if you can use this display. It is going to cost you $999 and will be available in next 60 days.

My  initial take: All these devices are great if you a brand new buyer, but they don’t seem too appealing if you are someone who owns the last generation of Macbook Air and wants to upgrade. I am mildly irritated by this and hopefully a conversation later with the Apple executives would bring some clarity.

Update: Someone on Twitter tells me that while the mini-Display ports are going to work fine with Thunderbolt adapters, it might be difficult for others like DisplayPort and DVI and HDMI.

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A new report from CNET claims that Apple will be upgrading its Mac Pro and Mac mini computers with the new high-speed I/O Thunderbolt port, and with Sandy Bridge processors. Similar upgrades have already been launched for the MacBook Pro and iMac lines, and one is rumored to be in the works for the MacBook Air, too. If these reports are accurate, all updates are expected to arrive by the end of summer at the latest, which would make Thunderbolt nearly ubiquitous on new Macs, with the exception of the basic MacBook.

Thunderbolt has lots of promise, but there’s a problem: there aren’t really any peripherals out there that use it yet. Apple seems poised to fix that, however, as a recent report by MacRumors suggests that we’ll see a host of Thunderbolt peripherals arrive alongside Apple’s Final Cut Pro X video editing application sometime this week. Apple could well use Final Cut Pro to jumpstart Thunderbolt by showing video pros just how much faster their workflows could be with super high speed data transfers.

But pro Thunderbolt hardware and peripherals with mass market appeal are two very different things. Cost will be a factor with the first wave of Thunderbolt hardware, but if Apple is aiming to have Thunderbolt present across its Mac lineup by summer’s end, I’d argue that we’ll see the first line of peripherals aimed at the average user by fall, too. Count on early entrants to consist mainly of adapters for use with older, more established tech. Adapters have the advantage of being cheap, and working with kit that buyers already have.

Thunderbolt can easily be adapted to work with other high-speed technologies like USB 3.0, and eSATA. Not only that, but it should be easy to make hubs that include these technologies along with older standards like FireWire and USB for docking solutions that truly cover all the bases. Adapters will make Thunderbolt a boon to consumers and accessory-makers alike long before dedicated Thunderbolt devices make the move from professional to consumer levels of affordability.

The real ‘headline’ updates of recent Macs have been Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt. Improved processors is a great addition, but Thunderbolt is the new feature that’s easier for most consumers to grasp. If Apple does get it on all shipping Macs by the end of the summer, we’ll see an accompanying tidal wave of third-party accessories that should help Thunderbolt prove its usefulness by the time fall rolls around.

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Option 1: The Mac Way

This is the most powerful and versatile option, but it’s also among the most expensive. You can get away with spending relatively little by using a Mac mini. The idea is to set up a Mac computer connected to your TV as a media centre. The Mac mini is perfect if you want to dedicate a computer entirely to this task, thanks to its small form factor and HDMI port. If you’d still like to use your computer as a computer, too, then getting a Mac notebook might be a better solution.

The benefit of using a Mac is that you have all of the power of a full desktop computer. That means you can browse the web, access Flash-based video sites (Hulu, network sites), and even play full-featured video games using USB or wireless game pads if you like. You can also use Boxee, XBMC or Plex (media player and organization apps) to make your Mac more easy to control and navigate with a remote in a home theater setting.

You can use Netflix on your Mac using the web interface, but there are better ways. Boxee has a Netflix app, for example, which makes it far easier to control. There’s also possibly a native Mac app in the works from a third-party developer, and Netflix itself might get in on that game when the Mac App Store launches next week.

• Hardware Required: Mac, HDMI or VGA cable (depending on which port your TV has available), Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter (if you’re using a Mac other than the Mac mini).
• Cost: $$$$
• Advantages: Full computer at your disposal, supports Flash.
• Ideal for: The advanced Mac enthusiast who wants to have it all.

Option 2: The iPad Way

Using an iPad to cut the cord is probably the easiest option to overlook, but it’s also among the simplest. It can even provide HD output via the dock connector-to-VGA peripheral, though using the Apple Component AV cable will only provide standard definition video.

The iPad is also limited in terms of content sources. Obviously, it won’t play Flash content, and not all apps provide video-out support. Hulu Plus is a notable example of one that doesn’t. Some very crucial ones do, however, like Netflix. If you purchase or rent most of your video content through iTunes, though, the iPad will work well for you.

Finally, remember that controlling your iPad while watching video through your home theatre system could be quite awkward, and the device will have to remain tethered to your TV if you don’t have an Apple TV to stream to. But the iPad is a good choice if you’d like to also be able to take your media with you and access it on the go.

• Hardware Required: iPad, Dock Connector to VGA Adapter, Apple Component AV Cable.
• Cost: $$$
• Advantages: Also a standalone portable solution.
• Ideal for: The infrequent TV-watcher who spends most of his/her time out of the house.

Option 3: The Apple TV Way

The new Apple TV is a great option for Apple cord cutters, since it’s small, cheap, and easy to set up. It provides access to iTunes rentals and Netflix, and it provides HD quality video (720p). If you’re not really amazing at using OS X, and you want a set-it-and-forget-it solution, this is the way to go. It’s even quite portable, since it’s so small and only requires two cables, as I’ve proven many times by taking my own when visiting friends and family.

Apple TV does have some downsides to consider. Unlike the Mac and iPad, there’s no way to browse the internet from the device, which could limit your content sources. In fact, as of right now, you’re only able to get video from Netflix, YouTube, and iTunes, unless you’ve stored your own content on a computer attached to your local network in an iTunes-friendly format. Flash video isn’t anywhere near an option, unless you go the jailbreak route. Also unlike the Mac and the iPad, you won’t be able to store any media locally on the device, so you can only watch what you can stream from other sources.

If you have an iOS device, AirPlay provides another reason to consider Apple TV. You can stream content from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (providing you’re using iOS 4.2) from your device to your Apple TV easily, although the type of content that can be streamed is limited to YouTube videos, local videos synced from iTunes, pictures and music.

• Hardware Required: Apple TV, HDMI cable, optical audio cable (optional).
• Cost: $
• Advantages: Portable, cheap, easy to add to an existing home theatre setup.
• Ideal for: Average Mac user who wants to primarily use Netflix and the iTunes store for content.

Any other tips or ideas for ditching the cable subscription with the help of your Mac and Apple devices?

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There’s a pretty big difference for those buying with Euros, however, as the price of the base 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor-powered Mac mini is now only 709 € ($993.80 USD), down from 809 €. The 2.66GHz Snow Leopard Server mini also got a price cut of 150 €, down to 999 € from 1149 €. In the UK, Apple instituted a £50 price reduction across the board, making the two Mac mini models £599 ($959.77 USD) and £879 respectively.

New pricing could be a reflection of the weak U.S. dollar, but if that were the only reason, Canada would definitely have been included, since its currency is doing quite well. More likely, the changes reflect a refining of the backend processes related to international retail that allowed Apple to keep its margins while offering consumers a break, or awareness on Apple’s part that it was pricing itself out of European and other markets, as stagnant growth worldwide for Mac market share would seem to suggest.

Whatever the reason, it does make the Mac mini a far more attractive option to international customers. The mini has always been the cheapest way to get into OS X, and now it’s cheaper still. I only hope that Apple sees overwhelming positive response to the drops in price, since maybe then we’ll see the same strategy applied to other offerings, too.

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What’s great about the update is the new case design, the HDMI port, and the speed bump in specs. The new mini lives in a smaller, brushed aluminum case with a twist off bottom that gives easy access to the RAM. No more pulling off the case with a putty knife. Apple has shown once again that it cares intensely about its products, and put its brilliant design into everything it does. Moving the power brick inside the case is another example of small moves that translate to a better user experience. The new mini is sharp and sleek.

Small Size, Small Value

But what’s not so great about the new mini is its value proposition when compared to an iMac or MacBook. The mini is now technically equal to a MacBook, with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 1066MHz front side bus, and 2GB of RAM. They both also use the same graphics card: an NVIDIA GeForce 320M.

The Mac mini used to be the affordable Mac, not cheap, but affordable, when it debuted at $499. Now at $699, it is a mere $300 away from a MacBook, and $500 less than an iMac. Once you throw in an Apple wireless keyboard ($70), a new Magic Mouse ($70), and a new 21-inch monitor ($190 from Dell), the difference between an iMac and a Mac mini is down to around $210.

Still, $210 is a decent amount of money, especially if you are on a budget… and really, who is not on a budget these days.

Specific Audience

The Mac mini appeals to a very specific audience. It was originally designed as a drop-in replacement for a desktop PC. Simply pull out your old PC, and plug your keyboard, monitor, and mouse into the new mini, and you are off and running. Home theater enthusiasts recognized the mini’s value as the digital hub, and began plugging it into their TVs. Technologists then started using it as a home server, a headless Mac to share their iTunes library and act as a file server. Apple’s done a great job paying attention to its customers, and has updated the mini to appeal to each of these groups. The mini is not for me, but I can appreciate how versatile it is. If you are in the market for an upgrade, the new mini looks solid.

Are you going to be buying the new Mac mini? More excited about the mini than iPhone 4? Sound off in the comments!

The improved device, which prior to today’s new iteration saw an update back in October of last year, now boasts a unibody aluminium case. The new casing is said to be 20 percent smaller than the previous Mac mini, yet despite this new model being more compact, the refreshed computer also manages to house the power supply internally. Apple also revealed that the new Mac mini is 25 percent more power efficient than previous models, with the device now using less than 10W while idle — a feat which, according to Apple, now makes the Mac mini the world’s most energy-efficient desktop computer.

A basic new Mac mini now starts from a base price of $699, with the standard configuration getting you a 320GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics chip, and an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor. If you are in need of a more powerful machine, Apple also has a higher spec configuration on offer: The $999 model will get you a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, and a 2.66GHZ chip.

Both $699 and $999 models have an integrated SD card reader, four USB ports and an HDMI-out port, a Mini DisplayPort jack and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Both of the new models can also be upgraded due to an easy access panel on the bottom of the device.

The updated Mac Mini is available now from the Apple Online Store.

There’s nothing a Mac bought a year ago can’t do today, and nothing a Mac bought today won’t be able to do a year from now, just not as well.

That’s the problem for those seeking to maximize the value of their next purchase. If one believes the hype from none other than Steve Jobs himself, Macs are going to “take Apple to the next level” in 2010, and who doesn’t want to level up with Steve?

But even without the hype, there are three–well, really, two good reasons and one forlorn hope–to wait a while before purchasing your next Mac.

While Steve Jobs just pronounced Apple a “mobility” company at the iPad event, it’s actually been one for awhile. More than two out of three Macs sold are laptops, and if you are in that majority you should definitely wait for Arrandale.

That’s the mobile CPU from Intel launched at CES under the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 variants. Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies for improved parallelization and increased speed on demand have resulted in double-digit performance increases without a decrease in battery life.

Regarding performance, the desktop Core i5 and Core i7 can already be found in the high-end iMac, which admittedly are quad-core versus dual-core for the mobile versions. Nonetheless, Macworld found the that the “2.66GHz Core i5 iMac is the fastest standard configuration Mac we’ve ever tested,” and can be as fast as Xeon-based Mac Pros.

This is the kind of upgrade worth waiting for, and the wait shouldn’t be long. The MacBook Pros and the MacBook Air were last updated in June, meaning they are due for an update even without significant new technology. Keep in mind the MacBook, last updated in October, may continue to use a Core 2 Duo for market segmentation purposes. Since the iPad is set for launch in late March, and companies like HP are already selling Arrandale laptops, expect an update within weeks, possibly even sooner.

There’s something else HP is selling, the Envy 15 laptop with USB 3, and that’s the second reason not to buy a Mac right now. USB 3 has transfer rates of up to 4.8Gbps, though real world rates won’t be nearly that high, but then USB 2 doesn’t reach its theoretical maximum of 480Mbps, either.

We can expect that USB 3 will be multiple times as fast as USB 2, which is the kind of benefit instantly recognizable to anyone downloading images from a camera or backing up to a USB drive. While there are very few USB 3 devices available today, that will change quickly this year.

As to when to expect USB 3 Macs, a recent rumor in DigiTimes suggested Genesys Logic is sampling device controllers for Apple now, a claim which the company denied. Whether there’s truth in the rumor or the denial, Apple is undoubtedly working on USB 3 for Macs. The new bus could conceivably be part of the next round of updates in the spring, but if not then expect USB 3 Macs in the fall.

Something not to expect this spring, and that is suspect this year, would be Macs with Blu-ray. Just last month, it was attributed to Steve Jobs that Blu-ray is still a “mess,” and that Apple is waiting until Blu-ray sales “take off.”

According to market researcher In-Stat, that could be about 2013, if by “take off” one means exceeding sales of DVD players. Unfortunately, the predicted adoption rate for Blu-ray in PCs is even worse. Metrics firm iSuppli projects that by 2013 only 16 percent of PCs will come with Blu-ray drives.

If, like me, you are waiting for a Mac mini with Blu-ray, you probably won’t be buying this year. However, for those who plan on keeping their next Mac for one to three years, a Mac mini with Core i5 and USB 3 can likely be had this year.

The same can be said for every other Mac, too. While 2010 may or may not take Macs to the “next level,” both Intel’s new Core processors and USB 3 are significant upgrades. That’s why if you need a Mac today, buy one, but if not, tomorrow is definitely worth the wait.

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Strolling the mall with my wife, I was looking for an excuse to visit the Apple Store, but instead I found a reason: the disappearing desktop.

“Where have all the desktops gone?” I asked her pointedly.

She looked inside the glass front and pointed. “They’re right there.”

“Well, yeah, but why are there so few? I need to investigate.”

She sighed. “Don’t buy anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied. “This is work. Anyway, no one in the know buys anything right before an Apple event.”

Well, not usually.

Inside, a quick count of Macs tallied just thirteen desktops, ten iMacs, two Mac minis, and a single Mac Pro. That contrasted with 36 Mac laptops.

If that disparity surprises, it shouldn’t. A look at a few other numbers tells the tale of the respective rise and fall of Mac laptops and desktops, and maybe what it means to you.

I asked a nice person in a brightly-colored shirt about the dearth of desktops, but he didn’t know anything, not even that there was a brightly-colored Apple event imminent. The invitations were privately sent out from far above the local Apple Store, and thus could not even be officially acknowledged below. That might explain from whence the store layout came.

Luckily, Apple must still divulge at least some information to the public, like Macs sold. Over the last decade laptop sales have been waxing, desktops not quite waning. While it is true desktop sales have seen some growth since the nadir in 2004, desktops have yet to match the sales record set in 2000. While that’s not exactly the end of the world, looking at models in percentage terms of Macs sold does seem a little more apocalypsish.

Those trend lines are no friend of the Mac desktop. For 2009, seven out of ten Macs sold were laptops, and in 2010 that ratio will likely rise to three out of four. While this may explain the single table of iMacs in the back of my local Apple Store, the question now becomes: is the Mac desktop doomed?

Steve Jobs once described Apple’s business model as an uncomfortable piece of furniture, a three-legged stool. What he was getting at is where the money comes from: Macs, iPods and the iTunes Store, and the iPhone.

This is Apple’s business model without the awkward furniture metaphor. Looking forward into 2010, the iPhone is surging, pulling along the iTunes Store, the iPod flattening out, and Macs are holding their own, or rather laptops are. In 2010, the desktop Mac will likely account for just a tenth of Apple’s net sales.

However, it’s important to remember Apple is a company that makes things, four major hardware product types, maybe five soon, but four now.

In 2009, desktop Macs, which include the Xserve, Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini had net sales of $4.3 billion on 3.18 million units. That works out to about $1,350 per desktop, and compares favorably with laptops at $9.47 billion in sales on 7.2 million units, around $1315 per laptop. There is no chance Apple is going to take that kind of money off the desktop anytime soon, but an increasingly portable world will continue to have consequences for desktop users.

I was there at Macworld Expo 2005 when the Mac mini was introduced, and five years later it looks pretty much the same, even the new server model sans optical drive. From the outside, the Mac Pro of 2010 looks a lot like the PowerMac G5 of 2003, even though one could arguably create a lighter, more portable mid-tower case with Intel inside. Not going to happen.

While internal changes are required, external redesign of Apple’s desktops would require R&D better spent on, say, a tablet. To that end, only Apple’s flagship desktop, the iMac, has seen, and will likely see, further refinement. From polycarbonate to aluminum and glass, to maybe a dock/slot for a tablet, the iMac has effectively become the desktop Mac.

If you are the Panera Bread iMac Man, you probably won’t notice, but for the rest of us desktop Mac users the future will pretty much look like the past.

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January 2010 will mark the four-year anniversary of Apple’s first Intel-based Mac, the MacBook Pro. With Snow Leopard officially dropping support for PowerPC Macs and the next version of iLife and iWork likely to do the same, a perfect storm is brewing where Apple can begin to really push OS X to maximize the potential of the Intel hardware it supports. 2010 looks to be a big year in terms of hardware updates from Apple; here’s our roundup of predictions on what’s to come.

MacBook Pro

Just like where it started four years ago with the first Intel Mac, the biggest and most exciting updates will happen to the MacBook Pro. The good news? With the classic MacBook seeing updates recently that peg its specs a little too close for comfort with its older brother, the new MacBook Pro update should arrive sooner rather than later.

In terms of processors, I predict Apple will adopt the mobile variant of the Core i5 and Core i7 quad-core processors currently found in the latest iMacs. Though these mobile variants, also referred to by their codename Arrandale, only feature two cores, they also come laden with Intel’s better-than-previously-integrated-but-not-quite-as-good-as-a-standalone graphics chipset. Rumor has it that Apple isn’t a fan of this implementation (as right it shouldn’t be, desiring a dedicated professional graphics card for its high-end portable). How this will shake out is still a mystery.

For the past three years, Apple has followed a steady trend of doubling both the entry-level amount of RAM and the maximum RAM that its high end portables can support. It’s a great tactic on Apple’s part as it combats only incremental performance gains with every new processor release. 2010 should be no different, with standard models of MacBook Pros shipping with 8GB of RAM with a ceiling of 16GB.

The big news for the MacBook Pros will be the inclusion of the first Blu-ray drive. It’s been a long time coming but Apple is ready to go for it and ready to do it right. Blu-ray Superdrives will be available as an option (if not standard) on the 15” and 17” MacBook Pros.

Taking advantage of the brilliant resolution of Blu-ray, the 15” MacBook Pro will also feature a gorgeous 1920 x 1080 resolution display, packing the same number of pixels as the new 21.5-inch iMac and the current 17” MacBook Pro. Of course, this also means the 17” will get a display bump as well. 2560 x 1440 seems like a bit of a stretch, but one can always hope, right?

In regards to storage, I predict we’ll see MacBook Pros starting with 500GB hard drives on the low-end 13” model and maxing out at 1TB or 1.5TB hard drives on the high-end 17” model. Before the year is out, the high-end models might even have an option for a 2TB drive.

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air, due to it’s ultra slim and lightweight profile, will only see modest updates in 2010. Processors will be bumped to 2.26GHz and 2.53GHz (up from 1.86GHz and 2.13GHz). Hard drives on the portable will see modest size increases to 250GB SATA and 256GB solid-state drives. The next iteration of the MacBook Air will also ship with 4GB of RAM standard. Though it will be difficult for Apple to upgrade the processors, hard drives and RAM while still maintaining a profit, the price point of the MacBook Air is in a sweet spot at the moment that Apple doesn’t want to disrupt.

As a completely outlandish prediction, I predict that Apple will also release a standalone external USB Blu-ray drive for MacBook Air users and legacy users who wouldn’t mind the accessory. Price point? I’m betting $299.

MacBook

Everyone’s favorite little portable recently saw an overhaul just a few months ago. For 2010, the MacBook specs will tend towards the current MacBook Pro offerings. Standard RAM will increase to 4GB (though this may remain the max for this model) and the portable will ship with either a 320GB or 500GB hard drive as standard.

Mac mini

The Mac mini will likely see modest processor increases (2.53GHz on the entry-level and 2.6GHz on the high-end) as well as 4GB RAM and 320GB hard drives standard. Build to order options will include 1TB drives and the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server will ship with two 1TB drives. I also predict that Blu-ray drives will be a build-to-order option as Apple is starting to recognize the importance of the Mac mini in the living room as a more robust alternative to the Apple TV.

iMac

The iMac saw a nice update in 2009 that shifted the aspect ratio of the displays from the Apple-familiar 16:10 to the more HD-familiar 16:9. As such, the entry-level iMac is capable of displaying 1080p video, if only there were a source to play it. Similar to the MacBook Pros, I also predict the iMacs will receive built-in Blu-ray drives on the high-end models, if not standard across the entire line. The iMacs will also see a shift towards the quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 chips reaching clockspeeds similar to the current Core 2 Duo iMacs (a little over 3GHz). A subsequent update later in the year could bring about even faster processors in the neighborhood of 3.2GHz to 3.5GHz. 8GB of RAM will become standard on these Macs with the ability to upgrade to 16GB if desired.

Mac Pro & Xserve

There is still life left in the Nehalem architecture as the Core i9 “Gulftown” processor will make its debut in these high-end Macs at some point next year. Manufactured on a highly efficient 32nm die, this six core processor will boost a clock speed of around 2.8GHz and outfit the Mac in both single and dual processor varieties. This essential “12-core” MacPro or Xserve will feature 8-10GB of RAM as standard and a maximum ceiling of 64GB of RAM. You don’t have to take my word for it though, just start saving pennies now.

The Elusive iTablet

And saving the best for last, we arrive at the iTablet. While many constantly peg Apple’s unreleased tablet as occupying the space between the iPod touch and the MacBook, I predict it is between the iPod touch and MacBook of 2010, not 2009. As such, I predict the iTablet to function like a Mac and run OS X. I predict the tablet to utilize an Intel Core 2 Duo processor around the 2GHz mark. Personally, I feel Apple will disappoint many if the device functions more like an iPhone (in terms of hardware specs, besting out the 3GS 600MHz processor with 256MB of RAM). While I wouldn’t expect the tablet to function as a workstation for heavy video rendering, Apple has shown a history of utilizing hardware that can pack a punch and really maximize the OS. I predict the tablet will feature between a 7” and 10” screen (personally I’m leaning towards the latter, despite rumor sites). The iTablet will also feature support for 802.11n for fast streaming of content like iTunes Extras across your local network, support for Screen Sharing for remotely administering other Macs and the ability to connect to an external display through a micro-DisplayPort connector. I also feel the iTablet will ship in two versions, differentiated by storage size (like every other Apple product ever) and feature a solid state drive like the iPhone and iPod touch. Though the iTablet may not feature a screen with high enough resolution for HD, I do believe it will support playback of HD video through an appropriate video out connector.

What’s Left?

Rumors of Intel and Apple co-developing LightPeak technology are becoming more commonplace and I predict we’ll see some announcement related to this in 2010. This high-speed optical connection might be essential to products like the iTablet that would benefit from its singular connection for power, data transfer, and HD video output. Or perhaps the technology could become employed in MacBook Pros, allowing use of one LightPeak connection to an iMac that provides power to charge the laptop, video signal carried to the iMac’s display and audio carried to the iMac’s internal speakers.

The white elephant still remaining in the room is of course Apple’s Display lineup. With a 24” LED display and a 30” display that barely beats the resolution of Apple’s new 27” iMac, I predict Apple will definitely be refreshing its display lineup. In particular, I expect the price of the 24” LED Cinema Display to drop to $699 and a new 27” LED Cinema Display, matching the same resolution as the iMac (remember, it’s 16:9, not 16:10) to arrive at $1299. I also predict Apple will introduce a new, high-end 32” LED display at $1799, the price point of the current 30” display.

All of these predictions are merely speculation, based on Apple’s history, rumor sites and published roadmaps from companies that Apple sources components from. While this article solely represents my opinion of what could be around the corner in 2010, I’d love to hear what you think or would like to see. Share a comment or two with your thoughts!

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However, contrary to rumors and wish-fulfillment on my part, Apple did not lower the price of the entry-level mini to $499.

On the low end, the $599 Mac mini has a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, up from 2.0GHz, and 2GB of RAM, up from a measly 1GB, and a 160GB hard drive, up from 120GB. You still get five USB ports and one FireWire, as well as NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a SuperDrive. The $799 model now has a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. So, same price, a little faster, more memory, a bit more storage on the low-end. It’s not much of an update to talk about, if not for the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server.

For $999, you lose the optical drive, but do get two 500GB hard drives (5400 RPM) on a Mac mini running OS X Server. The other specs match the $799 model. Essentially, for another $200 you are getting an additional 500GB of storage and OS X Server (upgrading the $799 model to one 500GB drive balances out against buying an external SuperDrive for the $999 model). But why?

Apple advertises this curious machine as a “simple” server “perfect for any small business or group,” but how many of those types of customers are going to drop a thousand dollars on a server? It seems like Apple missed an opportunity here, no doubt on purpose, to offer a media and backup server, an iServer for the rest of us. Of course, that would have been competing with the beleaguered “hobby” that is the Apple TV, so instead Apple has extended its overpricing of the Mac mini into the sever market.

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