Perhaps the highlight of the new MacBook Pro line (especially for professional users) is the introduction of the new Thunderbolt I/O standard. In the press release announcing the new machines, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller had this to say about the new tech:

Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.

Unlike what some early rumors predicted, the new MacBook Pros sport the same basic design as their predecessors, meaning aluminum and glass enclosures with a black bezel around the screen. All the new MacBooks also sport an Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated GPU, although the 15- and 17-inch models also offer discrete graphics, too. And all the revised Pro models also boast a new FaceTime HD Camera, which replaces the built-in iSight camera and offers full 720p quality video for FaceTime calls between the new Macs. SSD upgrades are also available for all options, in sizes ranging from 128 GB to 512 GB. Here are the specs for each individual model:

13-inch MacBook Pro

Configuration #1 ($1199)

• 2.3GHz Dual-Core i5 Intel Processor
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
• 320GB 5400 RPM HD
• Glossy 1280×800 resolution display
• SuperDrive 8x
• Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
• SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo Jack

Configuration #2 ($1499)

• 2.7GHz Dual-Core i7 Intel Processor
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
• 500GB 5400 RPM HD
• Glossy 1280×800 resolution display
• SuperDrive 8x
• Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
• SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo Jack

15-inch MacBook Pro

Configuration #1 ($1799)

• 2.0GHz Quad-Core i7 Intel Processor
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256 MB of GDDR5 RAM
• 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
• 500GB 5400 RPM HD
• Glossy or antiglare 1440×900 resolution display
• SuperDrive 8x
• Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
• SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo in/out

Configuration #2 ($2199)

• 2.2GHz Quad-Core i7 Intel Processor
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB of GDDR5 RAM
• 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
• 750GB 5400 RPM HD
• Glossy or antiglare 1440×900 resolution display
• SuperDrive 8x
• Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
• SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo in/out

17-inch MacBook Pro

Configuration #1 ($2499)

• 2.2GHz Quad-Core i7 Intel Processor
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB of GDDR5 RAM
• 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
• 750GB 5400 RPM HD
• Glossy or antiglare 1900×1200 resolution display
• SuperDrive 8x
• Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
• SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo in/out

All the above configurations can be customized with up to 8 GB of RAM, and all include a built-in battery rated for 7-hours of wireless web use according to Apple’s battery testing standards, which it revised to be more representative of real-world use when it introduced the MacBook Air.

So, who’s buying one of these?

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• 5 Companies That Ruled Mobile in 2010
• 5 Connected Consumer Companies to Watch in 2011
• 5 Connected Consumer Companies That Ruled 2010

Thinner, yes. But better?

I am one of the few, proud MacBook Air (MBA) owners in the world. Every article you’ve seen from me in the past was written on the petite beauty. In one last month, I wrote:

I’m only here to make a case that anyone that hasn’t used one should give it a shot and that Apple needs to throw some marketing dollars behind it so everyone else knows what we MacBook Air owners have known for a long time: It’s the best notebook Apple makes and it also happens to be the smallest.

This is exactly what Apple did yesterday, and yet, I was severely disappointed. It seems as if Apple is finally throwing marketing dollars behind the MBA, and I watched my Twitter stream as thousands of geeks’ heads exploded at how thin it is. But I felt a little weird reading this on my MacBook Air and thinking out loud, “I know. It’s been that way for years.” It’s thinner, yes, but not significantly. That’s the whole story in a nutshell.

Pricing & Marketing

On the whole, the reason Apple’s MacBook Air wasn’t a hit before now was price. Imagine the iPad started at $999. Fewer people would own one, and those that did and sang its praises it to friends would be immediately be greeted with the response that it was simply too expensive for a tablet. Basically, Apple just dropped the price. The MacBook Air of today is largely unchanged from what we had before, and that’s disappointing.

11.6″ Model Versus the Sony TZ (circa 2008)

Consider Engadget’s live-blog from Macworld 2008, when the Macbook Air was introduced. Steve initially compared the MacBook Air to Sony’s TZ series. His biggest gripe was that the processor speed maxed out at 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, and the display was only 11 inches.

The 11.6-inch MacBook Air is “too cramped” and “too slow” according to the Steve of 2008. To be fair, the Air isn’t the same as the TZ in every way. I haven’t used the new keyboard, but Apple claims it’s full-size and the body is still a bit thinner.

Let’s Talk Speed

Current MacBook Air owners won’t see a significant speed bump if they own the Revision C model (1.8/2.13GHz) released last year. In fact, not much has changed about the machine at all.

MacBook Air Revision C (Jun. 2009)

• 1.86 ($1499) or 2.13GHz ($1799)
• 3.0 Pounds
• 6MB of L2 Cache w/ 1066Mhz Frontside Bus
• 120GB HDD or 128GB SSD
• 2GB RAM (DDR3-8500 at 1066Mhz)
• 13.3-inch screen w/ 1280×800 resolution
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400 w/ 256Mb of VRAM (shared with main memory)

MacBook Air Revision D (October,2010)

• 1.86Ghz ($1,299) or 2.13Ghz ($1699)
• 2.9 pounds
• 6MB of L2 Cache w/ 1066Mhz Frontside Bus
• 128GB SSD or 256GB SSD
• 2GB/4GB RAM (DDR3-8500 at 1066MHz)
• 13.13″ screen w/ 1440×900 resolution
• NVIDIA GeForce 320m w/ 256Mb of VRAM (shared with main memory)

Of course, I’m only comparing the 13-inch models, but you’re getting a machine that’s basically the same speed with an option to add more ram and more storage,  plus a high-resolution screen which isn’t something I’d recommend to everyone. Some (especially those over 50) will prefer a lower resolution. Even I had trouble using a 17-inch MacBook Pro and eventually sold it.

What you are getting is a drop in price. Last year, a 2.13GHz machine with 2GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD would cost $1799. Today, that same machine costs $1699 with double the storage, and it’s only $100 to upgrade to 4GB of RAM.

Real World Performance

Will HD Flash movies on YouTube perform better? No. Will Photoshop CS5 filters apply faster? Maybe with a RAM upgrade. Nothing about this upgrade is impressive if you’re a current MacBook Air owner looking for more speed.

Why can’t Apple squeeze more juice out of this machine? Apple didn’t talk speed at all. They didn’t throw their famous “2x Faster” graphic up on the “buy now” page. Apple does tout the 2.9x faster graphics card, but I can guarantee you the Air released yesterday is only marginally faster than last year’s model, despite the introduction of the 320M, because that’s a video card using shared RAM, meaning the graphics performance goes down as you open more applications.

I was underwhelmed by today’s announcement, but the MBA was already a good notebook. I was hoping Apple would make it even better. It didn’t. “One more thing” was simply a minor evolutionary product refresh, and that’s too bad.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Mobile Operators’ Strategies for Connected Devicess
• Strategies for the Future of Digital Content Storage
• Company Profile: Apple

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Mobile Operators’ Strategies for Connected Devicess
• Strategies for the Future of Digital Content Storage
• Company Profile: Apple

Both models will share the aluminum unibody construction design, and a number of features, including Core 2 Duo CPUs, NVIDIA GeForce 320M GPUs, full-size keyboards, multi-touch trackpads (no button) and a FaceTime (not iSight any longer) camera.

The biggest internal change will be the use of solid-state storage across the lineup, which was a major rumor circulating about the new MacBook Air. The new storage system, which doesn’t appear to be upgradable, will have “instant on” capabilities similar to iOS devices, and be up to twice as fast as standard hard drives. This will also allow for a standby time of 30-freaking-amazing days.

Sporting an even more wedge-shaped design, the new 13.3-inch MacBook Air will have a backlit-LED with a resolution of 1440 x 900, making for a higher pixel density than the current MacBook Pro line. Only 0.68 inches at its thickest point, and 0.11 at its thinnest, it’ll be thinner than the previous MacBook Air. At 2.9 pounds, it’s also lighter than its predecessor.

In terms of battery life, it appears not even Apple can defy the laws of physics, as the new MacBook Air will only jump from five hours to seven hours under normal usage. However, Jobs said Apple is using a new method to test battery life that should produce more accurate results. Even so, battery life may be an issue with the 11.6-inch model, which is reported to get only five hours. However, that’s made up for by an even greater degree of portability, since the computer weighs only 2.3 pounds.

As for price, the new MacBook Air will start at $999 for the 11.6-inch model, the same price as the 13.3-inch MacBook. The new 13.3-inch MacBook Air will start at $1,299, $100 more than the low-end MacBook Pro. RAM is upgradable from the stock 2GB to 4GB for an extra $100. CPU speeds will start at 1.4 GHz on the low-end, 11.6-inch model, and go up to 2.13 GHz for an extra $100 on the 13.3-inch model. Here, many of the rumors, which asserted everything from 2GHz-plus Core 2 Duos to Intel’s Core i-series, were just plain wrong.

You won’t need to get an external optical drive to reinstall software with this generation of MacBook Air. Instead, Apple introduced a flash-based Software Reinstall Drive that ships with the computer. Just stick that into one of its two USB 2.0 ports, and you’re good to go. Other ports on the Air include a Mini DisplayPort, a MagSafe adapter, and a headphone jack.

Arguably, the CPU and battery life are probably the biggest disappointments in the new MacBook Air, but this is more than balanced by the aggressive pricing, at least for Apple, which appears to have no problems playing with the price divisions of its carefully segmented Mac portable lineup, and that may be the biggest change to come out of today.

When Steve Jobs said he believed “all notebooks will be like this one day,” (meaning no optical drives, flash storage, lightweight and small), you can bet that we’ll see the rest of the MacBook lineup take on these changes down the road.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Mobile Operators’ Strategies for Connected Devicess
• Strategies for the Future of Digital Content Storage
• Company Profile: Apple

The new form factor is quite small (only marginally larger than the shuffle, in fact, at around 1.5 inches square). The 1.54-inch TFT touchscreen boasts a resolution of 240×240, which should be plenty for showing off the album artwork or even getting a look at some of your favorite pics. It could also work well as fancy watch, as one Apple exec is planning on using it, according to Jobs.

Despite the presence of the touchscreen, the new nano is not without physical buttons. There’s a sleep/wake one on top, along with who physical volume +/- controls. Ports on the bottom include a 3.5mm headphone jack and the standard 30-pin dock connector.

Multitouch features include swiping to navigate the home screen, and to return from the home screen from anywhere. You can also swipe up and down to browse through lists, and rotate using the two-finger gesture iOS users are used to. Double-tap on photos to zoom, and touch and hold to re-arrange your home screen app icons.

Shake to shuffle, Genius mixes and playlists are also all included, as is FM radio with Live Pause. VoieOver is also included, as is built-in Nike+ support. As Jobs pointed out, the nano is probably the best option for those looking for a fitness-specific portable music device.

I probably shouldn’t even dare to dream, but if Apple eventually allows third-party devs to create mini-apps for the new nano, I’ll grab one in a second. It would make an awesome feature watch clipped to a wristband, though it would be even better with Bluetooth A2DP support for stereo headsets.

The new nano comes in seven colors, including a (PRODUCT)RED special edition, for $149 for the 8GB version, or $179.00 for double the storage capacity at 16GB.

Anyone getting one of these?

A mobile browser-based version of Google Voice already existed, but the new one is much more properly a web app than before, and is aimed squarely at providing a better Voice experience to users of Apple’s iPhone. Apple has staunchly refused to allow Google Voice dedicated apps into the App Store, despite earlier claims that Google’s own app had not been rejected, but was merely undergoing review.

That was in July. At this point, it’s fairly obvious that Apple doesn’t want the service on its device, and it’s looking more and more like AT&T isn’t even behind that particular decision, at least not completely. Apple and Google have been in the process of parting ways for quite some time now, as competition between the two industry leaders grows.

Short of reducing the capabilities of the iPhone’s mobile Safari browser, or actively blocking web-based content on the device, there’s little Apple can do to stop iPhone users from being able to access the new app. The app now shows transcribed calls in your inbox, and allows you to play them back. You can dial using a virtual keypad, and make either voice calls or send SMS that way. Google routes the call through your iPhone’s number first as a local connection, and people receiving the call will see your Google Voice number on their call display. Finally, you’ll receive notifications of new voicemail via SMS, including transcriptions of the calls.

There are a few things that the app cannot do, despite using the fancy magic of HTML5 for greater degrees of interactivity. It can’t pull from your iPhone’s contact list, as the original dedicated app could, but instead it provides contact management through a Google Voice address book that is cloud-based and can be accessed from whatever platform you happen to be using.

To access the new Google Voice web app, point your browser to http://m.google.com/voice. Due to Google Voice not yet being available in Canada, I haven’t been able to run this new web app through its paces yet, so chime in and let us know how it performs. Those of you who are using Voice might already be depending on VoiceCentral’s browser based solution for the iPhone. If so, let us know how the two services compare.

Related GigaOM Pro Research:

• Report: Google’s Mobile Strategy
• What Does the Future Hold For Browsers?
• Will Killer Apps Affect Which Handsets Consumers Buy?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• What Does the Future Hold For Browsers?

The Mini DisplayPort (mDP) standard is described as a smaller form factor of the DisplayPort connector itself. The smaller connector is aimed at devices like thin portable computes and add-in cards that need to support multiple display interfaces. Hopefully, display and display accessory makers will adopt the standard, reducing the need to purchase expensive Apple-branded adapters.

The new mDP is for Version 1, Revision 1a of the standard, though DisplayPort 1.2 including mDP is in the works, which will double the available bandwidth of the cable tech to 21.6 Gb/second. That would mean that multi-monitor support via a single cable would be feasible, as well as higher resolutions and improved color depth and refresh rates. 3-D displays necessary for demanding graphical applications could also be supported with the new version of the standard.

As a result of this new standard creation by VESA, we could see a flood of mDP-toting computing devices, or we could see very little change at all. As with FireWire, many computer makers might opt to skip mDP or DP in favor of more established technologies like DVI and VGA, since they are more widely available and don’t necessitate a change to manufacturing processes. The one thing mDP has going for it is its size, and makers of MacBook Air competitors will probably be the first to bite, if anyone does.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Along with new iMacs, Mac minis, mice and MacBooks, Apple also quietly unveiled a made-over Remote. It still does the same thing it always has, which is control you Mac or dock-connected iPod remotely, but now it does it with a different aesthetic and improved usability.

The new remote, as you can see from the picture accompanying this post, has an aluminum enclosure and black plastic buttons, borrowing a cue from the design of recent iMacs and MacBook Pros. Note also the button layout change. The Play/Pause button now resides beneath the directional/volume/skip radial button, a new neighbor for the Menu button. The positioning should be better for folks who use Front Row, in which they activate back/forward functions, but I think I prefer the old layout myself, being strictly a VLC guy.

I am happy about the change in the battery door location. You can now use a coin to swivel out the battery cover, sort of like you do on an Apple wireless keyboard. Much better than old bottom-loading batter drawer on the plastic model, which was prone to popping open and just felt generally unstable.

I’m surprised by Apple, which has demonstrated a clear distaste for buttons recently with the iPod shuffle and the new Magic Mouse. It’s only be a matter of time before the Remote gets redesigned as a touch-sensitive slap of nondescript solid aluminum, mark my words.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• What Google’s Honeycomb Means for Apple and Microsoft

Well, the Apple Store went down, and we waited with bated breath. And most of what people expected to see came true. One of those expectations was new iMacs, and Apple’s all-in-one desktops did indeed get a nice upgrade and redesign. That means you’re old hat, iMac which I’m typing this up on right now.

The new iMacs feature LED-backlit 21.5 and 27-inch widescreen displays, with a new edge-to-edge glass and seamless aluminum case design. It’s quite the sexy little get up, and it’s sure to turn a few heads. Also sure to turn heads is the introduction of quad-core processors to the iMac line, though the entry level model still sports an Intel Core 2 Duo processor by default.

In the official Apple press release detailing the new hardware, Phil Schiller focused on the LED-backlighting and the inclusion of the new Magic Mouse when talking up the new all-in-ones:

The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world and today we are making it even better. With brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we think customers will love.

The new displays feature 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution for the 21.5-inch, and 2560 x 1440 for the 27-inch, which mathematically inclined readers will note makes the aspect ratio for the screens 16:9. That’s good news for HD movie and TV show watchers, but the changed ratio might not excite web and print professionals quite as much. Still, as Apple points out, the display on the new 27-inch screen does provide 60 percent more working area, which is never a bad thing.

Graphics computing power also gets a boost in the new line. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated card is still around, but the ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete card is an option on the 21.5- and 27-inch model, while the ATI Radeon HD 4850 is reserved as an option exclusively available for the bigger computer. The new iMacs now have 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM standard, and the potential to increase that to up to 16GB.

As for storage space, you’ll get 500GB in the base 21.5-inch model, or 1TB in the mid-range 21.5-inch or top-of-the-line 27-inch versions. All drives operate at 7200 rpm. Of the four available models, only the most expensive 27-inch 2.66 GHz version offers a Core i5 chip, with an option to upgrade to the Core i7. All three of the other models offer the Intel Core 2 Duo processor operating at 3.06GHz. Four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800, and a brand new SD card slot are also standard on all models.

New iMac owners get a nice bonus when it comes to input devices, as wireless keyboards and the new Magic Mouse, which only comes in a wireless (Bluetooth) variety, are now standard with every machine. Apple is clearly doing its best to de-clutter your workspace, or at least to add to the perceived value of its machines, since the price points of the new models have not changed as some had suspected. The base models are priced at $1,199, $1,499, $1,699 and $1,999 respectively.

So long as you aren’t in the market for the $2,000 quad-core beast, you can order now from the Apple Store and your computer should ship in 1-3 business days. The Core i5 model isn’t shipping until “November,” according to Apple’s website, which is maddeningly vague. Attempting to upgrade to the Core i7 does nothing to remedy the situation, which doesn’t come as a surprise.

Finally, I spotted a new Apple Remote as an add-on option on the ordering screen. Not an iMac exclusive, but the little guy does get an aluminum makeover, with black buttons, and looks much fancier. Is it worth an additional $19 now? Not sure, but at least it matches the machine it works with.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

In the ever leap-frogging world of desktop virtualization for the Mac, VMware has announced that it will make its next hop (I won’t venture to say who’s ahead at this juncture) by the end of October…or the 27th, if you go by its blog. So in just a few weeks, version 3 of Fusion will be available for mass consumption. Some of the announced features are as follows.

The big news, of course, is Snow Leopard optimization, where Fusion jumps onto the 64-bit bandwagon. This should bring some interesting performance boosts to those who use virtualized environments heavily. As a regular Windows VM user (by necessity) I’m really looking forward to this!

If, on the other hand, you’re a Windows user stuck in a Macintosh machine, you’ll be glad to know that Fusion 3 is the first to support Windows Aero and Flip 3D features found in Windows 7. From my perspective, this is cool, but when I run Windows in a VM, it’s bare bones, and just for the program or two that I require. But I’m sure this capability will make some people quite happy.

There is also greatly improved graphics support. I’m not much of a PC gamer, and as such don’t follow these terms very much, so straight from the release, VMware Fusion 3 is the “first to support DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0 3D graphics and now adds support for OpenGL 2.1.” Sounds neat.

Presumably taking a cue from the competition, there’s “Switching Made Easy,” so that you can now migrate to OS X by converting your Windows installation to a VMware Fusion image, easier than ever before. (My guess is that someone will make it even easier if we wait a few more months. Rib-bit.)

And there are other optimizations, too, along with a nicely redesigned way of accessing the Windows Start menu without having need for the Task bar onscreen.

All in all, it sounds like a set of updates to an already solid virtualization platform. If you’re in the market for such a product, version 3 of Fusion will cost $79.99. If you’re a current paid user, an upgrade will set you back $39.99. I use both Parallels and Fusion (at work and home, respectively) and like both well enough. I’ve been using the Parallels 5 beta, and it’s pretty nice. But while I haven’t had the chance to toy with Fusion 3 yet, I’m quite intrigued, and will be getting the upgrade. If you’ve already invested in one camp or the other, I can’t say (yet) if jumping ship for the other would be a worthwhile investment. Check back later after I’ve got my hands on the updates, as I’ll try to put some perspective to this topic.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• VMware’s Cloudy Ambitions: Can It Repeat Hypervisor Success?
• A 2011 Infrastructure Forecast
• Measuring IT Energy, from Virtual Environment to Application