With the launch of its OS X Lion operating system, Apple also updated their Macbook Air line of notebook computers. The thinnest and super powerful notebooks are now even faster. Here is a quick run down on the updated specs which matter most:

Intel core i5 & i7 processors:

The new airs come with Intel’s Sandy bridge based core i5 processors and also offer configuration options to upgrade to the more powerful core i7 processor. These processors are about 2 times more faster than their predecessors thus taking Macbook air’s performance to the next level.

Thunderbolt I/O port:

The new airs have the mini display port replaced with the super fast Thunderbolt port which supports data transfer up to 10 Gbps on each of its two channels. It supports high resolution displays and data devices over one small port.

Backlit keyboard:

Do not know why apple removed this from the 2010 edition of its Macbook air, but the most loved hardware feature is back in the 2011 edition! The in built ambient light sensor adjusts the keyboard’s backlit and display brightness according to the light in the room.

OS X Lion pre loaded:

Needless to say, the new Macbook Airs come pre loaded with Apple’s latest OS X, the Lion.

The rest of the specs are pretty much same:

• All flash storage options up to 256 GB
• Memory (RAM) upgradable to 4GB
• Up to 7 hours of battery
• SD card slot on 13.3” models
• Multi touch trackpad
• FaceTime camera

The price ranges from $999 to $1599 (depending on which model you choose and what customizations you do). These are now available on the online Apple store.

UPDATE: The price ranges from INR 56,900 to INR 89,900 in India.

Hardware Upgrades were

• Processor
  The 13″ inch have been upgraded to Core i5 Dual Core processor and
  15 and 17 inchers have been upgraded to Core i7 Quad Core processors with the new Intel’s Sandy Bridge.
• Graphics
  Intel HD Graphics 3000/ AMD Radeon HD – For 3x graphics compared to the old MBP.
• High Speed Thunderbolt ports
  The first laptops to have Intel’s LightPeak high speed data port which supports speeds upto 10Gbps
• HD Camera
  For the HD FaceTime goodness. For those with just a MacBook you can download the FaceTime application from the AppStore for 99 cents.

Available in the configuration

• 13.3-inch display, 2.3GHz dual-core Core i5, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB HD, Intel HD Graphics 3000 — $1,199
• 13.3-inch display, 2.7GHz dual-core Core i5, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HD, Intel HD Graphics 3000 — $1,499
• 15.4-inch display (1440×900), 2.0GHz quad-core Core i7, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HD, AMD Radeon HD 6490M  — $1,799
• 15.4-inch display (1440×900), 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 750GB HD, AMD Radeon HD 6750M — $2,199
• 17-inch display (1920×1200), 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 750GB HD, dual graphics processors with automatic switching (Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M) — $2,499

One thing that made me happy was that, for the first time Apple’s India website also showed the MacBook Pro models. The downside to this was that iStore Hyderabad guys were clueless about the upgrade (forget telling me the India prices – they’re not updated on Indian website yet).

Update 1st March 2011
MacBook Pro prices in India are out. They’re higher priced when compared to the US (the usual story). Price comparisons (converted to Indian Rupees) for the MBP models in different countries are below.

*All rates converted as per 1 SG$ = 35.5 INR and 1 USD = 45.11 INR

[Via BGR & Apple]

Now, the website FSCKLog managed to leak the specifications of the 13″ inch MacBook Pro. The noteworthy improvements are

• Intel’s Core i5 processor (Sandy Bridge) – 2.23 Ghz, 3MB L3 Cache.
• Thunderbolt port – which is Intel’s Light Peak Data transfer technology which supports speeds up to 10Gbps.
• Two 13″ inch MacBook Pro versions (this one is the entry-level one) and another one with better hardware. (Sandy Bridge line of processors?)
• Intel HD 3000 graphics (entry level graphics, don’t hope to do gaming on this) -
• SDXC Slot which supports memory cards up to 2TB.

Here’s another leaked picture of 13″ MacBook Pro showing the connect ports (you can spot the Thunderbolt port just beside the two USB ports). Also, Intel will be announcing the LightPeak technology on 24th Feb 2011.

I hope that the optical drive would be deprecated in this release, no one uses them anyway. So, some one defied Apple’s warning to open Apple’s Top secret shipment boxes after all.

Update 24/2/2011 – Oh how could we forget this. The MacBook Pro is also rumored to revamp the front camera, so HD Face Time.

Update2 24/2/2011 – The Apple Store is down as usual, happens when a new product is announced.

[Via BGR & FSCKLog]

For the very affordable price of $899, Dell Adamo Onyx gives you a 0.65 inch slender frame with a 13.4″ HD (720p) LED Display, an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz Processor, Full size backlit keyboard, 128 GB Solid State disk drive, 4 GB DDR3 RAM  and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition! Believe us, it’s a lot for an ultra-portable. Just for comparison a similar specced Macbook Air will cost you around $1400. Of course, that’s the future of the notebook industry so we won’t complain.

The bottom line is, if you are looking for a Windows based ultra-portable and don’t want the slow netbooks, this is a really good option.

[via Engadget]

In a much expected move, Apple has updated its Macbook Air line of notebooks and launched the infamous FaceTime application for Mac at their keynote event yesterday which was streamed live.

The new Macbook Air now comes in two sizes – 11.6 inches and 13.3 inches. Both have almost similar features:

With the exception of the SD card slot, almost all the features in both the versions are same. In addition to being more lightweight at less than 3 lbs, the new models are much more powerful and battery efficient. Plus, they look stunning! Check out some pics to drool over at the end of this post.

Apple has also launched FaceTime for all its Mac users. The software is currently in beta and is available as a free download at http://www.apple.com/mac/facetime/.

This will enable millions of existing mac users to make FaceTime calls to iPhone 4, iPod Touch and other mac users. The setup is hassle free with literally few clicks required to initiate a FaceTime call. You will need to register with your email address on the FaceTime server when you first launch the app. People can then use this email address to initiate FaceTime calls with you.

Here are some pics of the new Macbook Air to drool over: