Apple announces high-res laptops and a smarter Siri.

Faster, thinner laptops with hi-res screens. FaceTime video chatting over cellular networks. And a smarter Siri.

But no upgrades to Apple TV — at least, not yet.

That, in brief, is what Apple will be rolling out to its users over the next six months. The company announced these updates, and a bunch of other significant if not surprising news, during a keynote presentation Monday kicking off its annual developers’ conference.

Here are the highlights:

Refreshed MacBooks

The most impressive new product announced Monday may be a new MacBook laptop with a high-resolution display that Apple says will contain 5 million pixels — 3 million more than an HD television.

“The new MacBook Pro is the most advanced Mac we have ever built,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The new “retina display” MacBook Pro measures 15.5 inches across and contains an Intel quad-core i7 processor. It will feature up to 16GB of memory and up to 768GB of internal flash storage, Marketing Vice President Phil Schiller told attendees. It goes on sale today.

Schiller said the new computer’s display — similar to the one in the company’s newest iPad — is the highest-resolution display of any notebook, or simple laptop, on the market. Users will get up to 7 hours of battery life, he said.

The laptop is about .7 inches thick and weighs less than 4.5 pounds — about the size and weight of a MacBook Air, he said. Prices for the new MacBook Pro will start at $2,199 for a model with 8GB of memory.

Schiller also unveiled other MacBook Pros without high-res displays but with processors he said will be 60% faster than current models. The 13-inch model will sell for $1,199 to $1,499, depending on storage, while the 15-inch will be $1,799 to $2,199. They start shipping today, he said.

Schiller also introduced MacBook Air laptops with faster, new-generation Intel core processors. Prices for the 11-inch MacBook Air range from $999 to $1,199 — $100 less than before — while the 14-inch is $1,199 and $1,499. They also become available today, which explains why Apple’s online store was down Monday morning.

There was no word Monday on retina-display screens for the MacBook Air.

“The products we make, combined with the apps that you create, can fundamentally change the world,” Cook told developers in closing the keynote. “And, really, I can’t think of a better reason for getting up in the morning.”

iOS 6 and Siri.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

About gadgetgiftblog

The one stop shop for all your gadget needs!

Leave a comment