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Hot news: Apple's fun new products unveiled

Hot news: Apple's fun new products unveiled

James Kim
Account in memoriam for the editor.
James Kim
2 min read
We're seated here at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, and the show has begun. Drumroll, please...
The first announcement is a new Mac Mini with either a single- or dual-core Intel chip inside. Steve Jobs claims it's two to three times faster than the G4-based Mac Mini and has an added Gigabit Ethernet, audio input and output, double the USB ports, and an IR port for the included remote control. Apple's Media Center-like app Front Row now comes bundled and includes an updated version of Bonjour, which will allow you to share audio, video, and images between all computers on a network. A new version of Front Row will be released this week, which will complement the Mac Mini's ability to hook up to a TV. The improved Mac Mini with Front Row and Apple Remote will be an amazing addition to the living room. Pricing is $599 for the Core Solo model with a 60GB hard drive and $799 for the Core Duo model with a 80GB hard drive.
Next: music. Apple CEO Steve Jobs reports 42 million iPods were sold in 2005--that's 78 percent of the market share for January. Hmm...it looks like we have some iPod leather cases here. Woohoo! They're high-end deals for the 5G iPods and the Nano, which should be available in mid-March for around $99. iPod for the home--now we're getting somewhere. Jobs has introduced the very elegant iPod Hi-Fi. It's a three-driver system with a universal iPod dock on top. It has a built-in power supply, so there's no power brick; it plugs right into the wall. It can also be powered by six D batteries. More specs: two 80mm midrange drivers, sealed acoustic suspension, integrated handles, and sealed resin enclosure, so there's no vibration. You can set the tone control and adjust the treble and the base, as well as set the screen to "large album art." It ships with Apple Remote, the same one that comes with the Mac Mini and the iMac. It costs $349 and is available today!
And that's it, folks.