macbook

Apple news roundup: iPad Mini, new Macs

Tuesday's CNET Update has the breakdown of Apple's new hardware:

Apple shook up the tablet world (again) by revealing the iPad Mini at its press conference Tuesday. Apple also announced a new full-sized iPad and upgrades to its Mac computers. Today's Update video sums up all the new toys, but you can find more details on each product in the links below:

- iPad Mini: Starts at $330 for a 16GB Wi-Fi version, arrives Nov. 2. Preorder Friday. (4G version starts at $460, arrives Nov. 16)

- Fourth-generation iPad: Starts at $500 for 16GB Wi-Fi version, arrives … Read more

13-inch MacBook Pro dons a new Retina Display for $1,699

See CNET's full coverage of Apple's iPad Mini event

Retina-display loving Apple fans rejoice. Apple's rumored 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is here.

Apple announced the smaller version of its high-end laptop with the sharper-resolution Retina Display at its event today in San Jose, Calif.

Apple already offers a 15-inch version of the laptop with the Retina Display. And now it offers the same sharp screen for its smaller 13-inch sibling. The notebook also comes with the same dual Thunderbolt I/O connectors, as well as an SD card slot and HDMI out port found on … Read more

MacBook Pro 13 with Retina, Mac Mini specs leak online

Some last-minute leaks are making the rounds ahead of Apple's event today, and these involve the expected updates to the Mac Mini and MacBook Pro 13 with Retina.

9 To 5 Mac is reporting that Apple's refreshed Mac Mini models will have upgraded RAM options, as well as updated processors and storage capacity.

Here's the rundown of configurations, according to the site:

2.5 GHz dual-core, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard drive 2.3 GHz quad-core, 4GB RAM, 1TB Hard drive Server: 2.3 GHz quad-core 4GB of RAM, 2TB Hard drive

The site also had some details … Read more

The resurrected Modbook MacBook tablet gets a price

We originally reviewed the Modbook back in 2008, when it was a hand-built mod that took stock 13-inch white polycarbonate MacBooks, deconstructed them, and put them back together as bulky touch-screen tablets. Earlier in 2012, we learned that that original company had folded but the brand name was about to be resurrected by one of the first ModBook tablet's designers as part of a new company, called Modbook Inc.

The new Modbook was short on details, especially price and configuration options, when we first wrote about it in June. Today, the company has announced that it is taking preorders … Read more

Always On torture test giveaway: MacBook Air (slightly damaged)

... it only comes on when it's plugged in. Hey, but I'm pretty sure it's just a battery issue, so I bet it's a pretty easy fix, and you'll have yourself a really tough-looking MacBook Air! Me, I'd enter to win it, for sure. And it's not like it's our Nexus 7 or anything. That's coming later.

So, if you'd like to be the proud owner of the Always On Collector's Edition MacBook Air, just enter to win in the comments below! In our last giveaway, we proffered the iPad … Read more

CNET's Always On / Torture Test Giveaway

CNET's Always On / Torture Test Giveaway

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. YOU HAVE NOT YET WON. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Sponsor, Administrator and Prize Provider: CNET, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc. 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105.

Prize Provider: CNET, Always On … Read more

Apple trims prices on refurbished MacBook Airs

Consumers in the market for a MacBook Air can now save a fair amount of cash on a refurbished unit.

Apple has cut its prices on several factory-refurbished MacBook Air editions. A tour of the company's Refurbished product page reveals an 11.6-inch, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 model selling for $749, 16 percent off the normal price. This flavor offers 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage.

A similar version but with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage is selling for $829, a 17 percent cut off the usual price. And a 13.3-inch … Read more

Can you spot the Apple laptop?

The designers at Samsung and HP sure love Apple's laptop design philosophy, but the duo may want to take a step back next generation and innovate a little bit. CNET found several new computers from these companies that look just like an Apple MacBook Air. Can you tell which one is the real Apple product in the picture above?

Our more discerning readers might easily spot the differences between each of these devices, but Crave decided to make it a little more challenging by shrinking the pictures down a bit. Readers who participated in our guessing game on Facebook had a pretty easy time spotting the real Apple, but the pictures were also much larger. … Read more

Beware the allure of Apple's Retina Displays

Apple's Retina Displays are drop-dead gorgeous. But be careful what you wish for.

Like many, I got the third-generation iPad because of the 2,048-by-1,536-pixel-density Retina Display. And, like many, I didn't see a huge difference at first.

That was then. Now it's painful to pick up my Dell laptop with its 1,366x768-pixel 13.3-inch display and Windows 7 fonts (note: font-smoothing utilities go just so far).

And while my 11.6-inch MacBook Air fares better than the Dell (it packs the same number of pixels but into a smaller area giving it a higher PPI … Read more