The first really successful personal computer built by Apple was the Macintosh, which is known in the world of computing as the "Mac". 
Even though that particular computer has been out of production for several decades, most people, especially those of us who are largely ignorent of Apple products, still call most Apple computers, "Macs".
Unlike it's chief rival, Microsoft, Apple adopted a full-solution approach that included the computer, the operating system (OS) for the computer, and most of the software for the computer made inhouse by Apple. Microsoft made only the OS and much of the software and left the computer hardware to be made by other companies. Over the years, that distinction has been blurred somewhat. Microsoft now makes some hardware peripherals (e.g., mice, trackballs, & joysticks) and Apple has started marketing it's OS and other software to run on hardware made by others. The rivalry between the two companies has been helpful for consumers because each has caused the other to improve it's products to compete.
Apple has released a new OS, named "OS X Lion" (OS X 10.7) and we would love to hear reviews from our members. The new OS is available as a download directly from the company's App Store for $29.99. Downloads topped 1 million on the first day.
At the same time, the company released an updated MacBook Air laptop that is amazingly thin and light. It has dual Intel processors with speeds up to 1.8GHz (2.5x the previous generation), backlit keys, a Thunderbolt port that is 20X faster than USB2, and a Gigabit internet interface. It comes in 11 & 13 inch sizes and prices start at $999.
Also announced was a new 27" LED Thunderbolt Display that will be available within 60 days for $999. In addition to the new Thunderbolt interface (featuring 2 10Gbps channels), the unit can serve as a docking station for MacBooks and it has a cable available to recharge their batteries. The unit also contains a camera for video-conferencing; an ambient light sensor to control brightness; and HDMI, DVI, and VGA interfaces.
The updated Mac mini has the same processors as the MacBook Air, also sports the Thunderbolt port, and it has AMD Radeon HD graphics. The basic model goes for $599, but there is a quad core server model with a 6MB cache, two 500GB drives, and Lion Server OS available for $999.
If you have a question or comment about Apple Products, send it to the
club president.
