Roaring Lion drowns out quiet MacBook and Mac Mini upgrades

by Steven Mostyn - Jul 21 2011, 05:25

While everyone else is busy rambling on about Apple’s latest OS upgrade (a.k.a. Lion), we thought you might like to know that Cupertino has also quietly overhauled its MacBook Air and Mac Mini hardware.

More pointedly, Jobs & Co. have rolled out new versions of their 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBooks, which now come with access to enhanced Core i5 and Core i7 processors, support for Apple Thunderbolt technology, a convenient backlit keyboard, and up to 4GBs of improved 1333MHz memory.

Apple’s basic Mac Mini desktop computer has been similarly tweaked, thanks to the inclusion of optional Core i5 and Core i7 processing solutions (Sandy Bridge), AMD Radeon HD graphics (6630M), and Thunderbolt connectivity.

On the downside, the new Mac Mini will arrive without a built-in optical drive, forcing prospective buyers into shelling out an extra $79 USD for an external SuperDrive should they require disc-based access.

Prices for the Mac Mini range from $599 USD through to $799 USD, while $999 USD will secure the Mac Mini server. The new MacBook platforms carry a tempting starting price of $999 USD. 

Meanwhile, the OS X 10.7 Lion operating system comes with some 250 fresh features, which include support for full-screen apps and multi-touch gesturing. Upgrade prices start at $29.99 USD.

“Lion is the best version of OS X yet, and we’re thrilled that users around the world can download it starting today,” enthused Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

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