Bits 'n Bytes

I am excited about the new MacBook Pros announced during WWDC, Apple’s World-Wide Developer Conference.  I was waiting for this year’s keynote before ordering a MacBook.  I like the solid aluminum “unibody” — it looks nice and feels durable.  I was hoping that Apple might announce the pending release of Snow Leopard, the next version of the OS X operating system — I wanted to avoid spending an extra $129 to upgrade in a few months.

Well, not only did Apple announce Snow Leopard will be available late September, but Leopard users can upgrade for just $29 (or $10 if you buy your Mac after June 8th).  That’s a good deal and most Mac users should upgrade their systems.  But only if your Mac has an Intel processor — the old PowerPC systems will no longer be supported.

There weren’t many rumors about new MacBooks, but Apple upgraded their MacBook Pro line and reduced prices.   The 13″ aluminum MacBook is now categorized as a “Pro”.  It gets the LED-backlit screen, an SD slot and a FireWire 800 port — all desirable features that were missing on the previous model.  All MacBook Pros now get the illuminated keyboard which is probably not essential, but sounds like it could be handy.  There is still no express card slot, but Apple is probably right that most users will not need one.   All of the new MacBook Pros now have the non-replaceable batteries.  These are reported to offer great battery life and should not need replacement for years.

While I would love a large, 17″ screen, I don’t want to spend the money and I like the portability of the small 13″.  Apple also upgraded and lowered the price on the MacBook Air, but I do not want to give up the DVD and extra ports.  I am sure I will be ordering a new MacBook in the next few weeks.