Apple Intros Mac App Store, New MacBook Airs, iLife 11, OS X Lion

  • Share
  • Read Later

FaceTime

Apple’s FaceTime video chatting feature that was introduced with the iPhone 4 is now available to Mac users. You can videoconference between iPhone 4, iPod Touch, and Mac computers. The beta version is available today.

Mac OS X Lion

lion_app_store20101020

Mac OS X Lion will take popular features found in the iPad and integrate them into full Mac computers. Specifically, the iPad features multi-touch gestures, the App Store, home screens, full-screen applications, auto-saving applications, and applications that automatically resume where you left off.

Apple wants to bring these features “back to the Mac,” referring to the idea that Mac OS X was the basis for iOS (found on the iPhone and iPad).

Multi-touch will be possible using Apple’s new-ish Magic Trackpad. We won’t see touchscreen Apple computers.

The Mac App Store will be coming to Mac computers as well. It won’t contain all of the same apps found in the mobile app store, per se, but they’ll be as easy to download and install. They’ll also be useable on any Apple computers you own and will automatically update themselves. This is a mind-numbingly simple, yet ingenious idea. “We’ve taken everything users love about the iPad and brought it to the Mac,” says Apple.

There’s a new LaunchPad feature that shows all of your icons in a boxed grid like they’re arranged on an iOS device. You’re able to swipe left and right using the Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad to switch home screens.

Many apps will now be available in full-screen, as well. You can toggle between open full-screen apps and your desktop using multi-touch flicks.

Mac OS X Lion won’t be available until Summer 2011, but the Mac App Store will be open for the current version of OS X within 90 days.

One More Thing – New 13.3- and 11.6-inch MacBook Air

macbookair_hero20101020

“What would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?” wonders Steve Jobs. It’s the new MacBook Air.

It’s 0.68 inches thick at its thickest and tapers down to 0.11 inches at its thinnest, with a weight of 2.9 pounds. It features Apple’s unibody construction and sports a full-size keyboard and trackpad. The screen is 13.3-inches and features a whopping 1440×900 resolution. There’s also an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, NVIDIA GeForce 320m graphics, no optical drive, and no hard drive.

The new MacBook Air will use solid-state flash memory, which means 7-hour battery life using Wi-Fi and 30 days of standby time. It’ll also feature instant-on startup, as well.

Apple is also rolling out an 11.6-inch version weighing 2.3 pounds. It’s got the same specs as the 13.3-inch version, but with a 1366×768-resolution screen. Battery life is five hours while using Wi-Fi, with 30 days of standby.

The 11.6-inch MacBook Air will start at $999 for 64GB of storage. All models include 2GB of RAM and all are available today.

More on Techland: What to Expect From Apple’s ‘Back to the Mac’ Event Today

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. Next