Apple rumor round up: 15-inch Macbook Air, Face recognition coming to iOS, solar-powered iPhones

By Ricardo Bilton | July 27, 2011, 10:24am PDT

Summary

a 15-inch Macbook Air, solar-powered iPhones, and face recognition are all the stuff of the latest round of Apple rumors.

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Ricardo Bilton

Gloria Sin

Apple may have announced a bunch of new products last week, but that doesn’t mean the rumor mill has any intention of taking a rest.

Macbook Air goes Pro with 15-inch screen

Right on the heels of Apples’ recent Macbook Air upgrades comes speculation that Apple plans to release a 15-inch version of the notebook. This slice of heaven device is likely to add a number of the Macbook Air’s most significant features - the SSD and lack of optical drive, most notably - in a effort to become both thin and powerful. The lack of an optical drive is seen as particularly likely, considering Apple’s already-proven penchant to dispense with it in the effort to lighten up their devices.

Rumors point to the Macbook Air Pro (or whatever) seeing a release as early as this fall, putting it in direct competition with Intel’s Ultrabooks.

Would the move make sense? Definitely. In fact, it was a bit of a surprise to many that Apple didn’t release such a product with its announcements last week. A 15-inch Macbook Air would be the perfect formula for those who want a ultra-thin computer but who aren’t willing to sacrifice screen size to get it. Of course, the question is, can a thinned-out Macbook Pro maintain the same level of performance as the current line of Pro’s? Let’s hope so.

iOs saves face with face recognition

Last year Apple bought out Polar Rose, a Swedish company specializing in face recognition algorithms. Recent speculation, reported via 9-to-5 Mac, points to that technology making its way to iOS 5 in a significant way - as a public developer API. This means that any developer would be able to create applications based on facial recognition, a possibility that blows open the possibilities for the technology. Face-based authentication? That can happen.

An iPhone with the power of the sun

Echoing previous speculation that Apple is working on new forms of charging technology for the iPhone 6, recent rumors say that future Apple products could harness the power of the sun. Or at least that’s the story according to DigiTimes, which says Apple is currently in the evaluative stages for using solar panels in future products. The catch? Developing a usable form for the technology takes time, which likely means we won’t see a solar-powered iPhone anytime soon.

Previous round ups:

Apple rumor round up: New MacBook Air, Lion July 13th, iPad HD this fall, iPod Touch getting 3G

Apple rumor round up: iPhone 5 this September, hi-res iPad 3, Apple-branded televisions?

Apple rumor round up: iPhone 5 hard to make, wireless charging coming to iPhone 6

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MacBook Air and OS X Lion synergy: A big hurdle for Windows 8

By James Kendrick | July 22, 2011, 5:37am PDT

Summary

The synergy between these the new MacBook Airs and OS X Lion is powerful stuff, and demonstrates the big task ahead for Microsoft’s work in progress, Windows 8.

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James Kendrick

Unless you have been sleeping in a cave somewhere, you know that Apple released new MacBook Air notebooks and OS X Lion together. The joint release is significant because Lion is designed from the ground up to optimize the user experience on Apple hardware. The synergy between these Apple products is powerful stuff, and demonstrates the big task ahead for Microsoft’s work in progress, Windows 8.

OS X Lion has a raft of features designed to make working with a MacBook Air, even older MacBooks, as intuitive as possible. The ability to have lots of programs running and easily get to any one of them is already changing the way I work with OS X. The handling of the small notebook screen is pure genius, as is moving between programs occupying the entire display via simple touch gestures. The hardware and software have been written from the ground up to work together.

Apple hasn’t done this overnight, it has been laying the groundwork for this synergy for a while. It started by putting large touchpads on every MacBook, and carried it over to non-notebooks with the release of the Magic Mouse and Magic TrackPad. The groundwork for a touch optimized experience was laid even before the iPad hit the scene. The company had a good plan and has executed it well.

This is the giant hurdle Microsoft faces with the next version of Windows, not so cleverly codenamed Windows 8. The sneak peeks Microsoft has given us of Windows 8 show an exciting new direction for the platform. Windows 8 attempts to do what Apple has executed, making the OS work efficiently with the system in the user’s favor. What will determine how well consumers react to Windows 8 when released will be how easy it is to use, especially on notebooks. Windows 8 must find a way to handle smaller displays intelligently like OS X Lion, and bring touch (not necessarily the screen) into the equation.

This is a daunting task for Microsoft as a software company. The legacy of Windows is that by design of Microsoft’s business plan, it must work on a wide variety of hardware made by other companies; this is not a complication faced by Apple. Microsoft decided long ago to be a software company, and this is now a competitive disadvantage. If it has to compromise the user experience offered by Windows 8 to make it work on some hardware, it will not compare well with OS X. That is a simple fact of life in this competitive environment.

Computer users have evolved the last few years to expect systems to be easy, even enjoyable to use. In the early days of Windows we all expected things to be complicated, and keeping everything going properly required access to an “expert”. Those days are gone, folks now expect their computer to just work, and be intuitive at that. This is the biggest obstacle facing adoption of Windows 8, as it means the OS must work on whatever hardware Microsoft certifies it for, and run well.

I am optimistic about the next version of Windows, more so than with any version in a long time. I hope that Microsoft’s decision to broaden the scope of hardware that Windows 8 will service doesn’t turn into a bad decision. Apple’s ecosystem is getting better due to the limited hardware focus needed due to building everything internally. Windows 8 doesn’t have that luxury, and that may be an awfully big a hurdle to jump.

Related:

• Why my next laptop will be a MacBook Air
• First impressions of OS X Lion for mobile workers
• The 11-inch MacBook Air is the best laptop I’ve ever owned
• Apple (mostly) kills off the white Macbook
• Apple MacBook Air: The original Ultrabook gets even better
• Apple rocks China: Can it outrun counterfeiters?
• Apple’s corporate iPhone, iPad app strength bad news for rivals
• Apple Q3 a blowout: 20.34 million iPhones; 9.25 million iPads

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/macbook-air-and-os-x-lion-synergy-a-big-hurdle-for-windows-8/3403?tag=nl.e539

Is the next MacBook Air the perfect student laptop?

By Zack Whittaker | July 17, 2011, 4:34pm PDT

Summary

The upcoming MacBook Air — Apple’s netbook — could be the most cost effective, efficient laptop for the busy academic lifestyle.

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Zack Whittaker

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Looking at the expected specification of the upcoming revised MacBook Air, one can only deduce that, this multi-platform capable device could well be the perfect companion for students.

Though the specifications for the new MacBook Air have not been confirmed, it looks likely that it will include:

• Ultra-low voltage Intel Sandy Bridge Processor
• High-speed Thunderbolt ports
• Mac OS X Lion pre-installed
• Backlit keyboard
• 128GB/256GB solid-state hard-drive drive
• 4GB RAM

That alone is enough to make even the most die-hard Windows fan drool, surely?

I can tell you now, as soon as they are released — looking likely to be next week — I will be taking one for myself. As I look towards postgraduate study, I cannot think of anything better on the market to complement my studies than a dual-booting MacBook Air.

(Image via Flickr)

Netbooks are, despite my past assertions, perfect for the travelling, cross-campus venturing, busy and productive students.

For students, who are often on the go for many hours of the day, and find as a basic requirement for any portable device, the ability to run all day without the need to recharge, a netbook is perfect.

While iPads could fill this void, the need for a productive QWERTY-keyboard is necessary for those writing essays on the go. Though I have no doubts that the iPhone is ideal for short messages, even with a wider and larger keyboard, the iPad is still lacking luster in the student market.

I will make a bold statement and say: if the specifications are correct (and multiple sources are confirming this to be the case), then the new MacBook Air — even the 11″ smaller model — is the most powerful laptop for its size and weight on the market, now and ever.

The thing with laptops is that it takes only one hardware difference to change a product’s model number. It makes it confusing, frankly.

The new MacBook Air will be — as with the previous range of MacBook devices — in date and powering above other devices on the market.

Though it sounds somewhat academic — excuse the pun — to have a similar device with the same, or slightly better specifications, one knows that Apple will produce a certain level of guaranteed quality. It will neither hum nor hiss, and the fan will not whirr aimlessly nor shall the device become so hot on one’s lap that it decreases sperm count over time.

It just “does” what it does — with one major difference.

The dual-booting Boot Camp enabled Windows slash Mac OS X will fit both kinds of student: the Windows productive student, and the Mac OS X creative student.

The price, however, is one of a contentious issue.

With academic discount, at around $800 for an Apple-branded netbook, which will without doubt last you the academic year if not longer — may not be cheap, but is surely an investment for months down the line.

Whether or not you are an Apple fan, the MacBook Air could well be the most cost effective, efficient and sturdy solution for the busy academic lifestyle.

But hey — just my two cents at the end of the day.

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Updated MacBook Air now available: Starting at $999

By Zack Whittaker | July 20, 2011, 5:57am PDT

Summary

The new MacBook Air — the perfect student laptop — has been launched. Starting at $999, the specifications have been vastly updated.

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Vendor HotSpot

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The new and updated MacBook Air is now available around the world.

Starting at $999 for the U.S. market and at £849 for the U.K. crowd, the new MacBook Air comes with the technology we had previously expected.

Included in the updated specifications:

• Mac OS X Lion pre-installed
• 11″ and 13″ models available
• 0.11″ thick at its thinnest point — 0.68″ at its thickest
• 128GB/256GB solid-state hard drive
• 4GB RAM
• 5 hours battery life
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors
• Thunderbolt I/O technology
• LED backlit display
• Glass multi-touch trackpad
• Backlit keyboard
• Ultra-fast wireless-n networking

Released today, university students will be offered discounts to significantly reduce the costs of purchasing expensive-in-comparison Apple hardware.

Gallery
To see updated pictures of the new MacBook Air, the Mac mini, and Mac OS X Lion Server, head over to the gallery.

Students can expect to pay £730 through the Education Store, and U.S. students will find the costs to be knocked down to $949, according to the website.

Students are already taking to Apple more than Microsoft with the back to school offers. Though the advance of an Xbox 360 may be more expensive than Apple’s $100 credit on the Mac App Store, more students prefer the appeal of Apple hardware over Windows-based PCs.

MacBook Air’s could be the perfect student laptop. Small, slim and incredibly light, along with battery power to last a student all day and powerful technology to rival the majority of other up-to-date laptops, the only downside is seemingly the price.

Nevertheless, with academic discount and financing options available, the new MacBook Air could be seen more of an investment through college than that of ‘disposable hardware’ from cheap laptop PCs.

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