This week’s Apple news was dominated by revised iMacs (in 21.5- and 27-inch versions with new touch-enabled Magic Mouse) and a new unibody MacBook (still polycarbonate body, though) as well as faster new Mac minis (see more coverage of the launch here). Gizmodo already has its review of the 27-inch iMac (image at right from their review), and Giz both likes what it sees (high-res display) and doesn’t see (less aluminum chassis). AppleInsider also reminds us that the 27-incher can be wall mounted, making it a great replacement for the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display.

CNet’s Crave posts some hands-on thoughts about the new MacBook (complete with video), calling it the “best version to date of it’s non-Pro laptop line.” Walt Mossberg calls the improvements to both the iMac and MacBook “evolutionary, not revolutionary,” but he is quite taken with the Magic Mouse. For more on the Magic Mouse, check out this review at Register Hardware.

• Speaking of the 27-inch iMac’s wall-mounting capability, The Apple blog wonders if this foretells the future of the Apple TV (i.e., its UI and functionality embedded with an HDTV/Mac).
• Pocket-lint features an Apple video for the new iMac and Magic Mouse with Jonathan Ive (and other Apple brand managers) talking about their design. Yes, it’s very market-ey, but I can listen to Ive’s voice all day.
• Apple also released new versions of its Airport Extreme wireless router and wireless Time Capsule backup devices (in 1 TB and 2 TB flavors) this week, with promises of “50 percent better performance and up to 25 percent better range.” Wi-Fi guru Glenn Fleishman explains how this is done with a new 3×3 MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antenna array (instead of the up-’til-now 2×2 standard).
• You may have heard that Windows 7 got officially released this week. Ars Technica reports that Apple will be providing support for the various flavors of Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate) by the end of the year.
• Speaking of which, Apple released a salvo of new Get a Mac ads to counter the Windows 7 rush, and Kara Swisher over at All Things D includes all three videos.
• The Mac minis got some decent speed boosts, but the most interesting wrinkle of this year’s crop of mini is a configurable version that includes the Snow Leopard Server OS. TUAW looks at the possibilities this brings for small businesses.
• While we’re talking servers, I’ve been considering some options for a Mac-friendly network attached storage (NAS) solution for our home media and home-based businesses (I do writing, my wife is an architect), and there have been a couple of new releases that have attracted my attention. Iomega recently added its lineup of ix4-200d NAS servers (available in 2, 4 and 8 TB sizes, and offers four drive bays for more storage), which seems to ably handle backup and media storage/streaming responsibilities based on these quick reviews from the UK’s Register Hardware and MacUser. Iomega also offers a smaller version (the ix2-200), with two drive bays and an interesting BitTorrent feature according to Cult of Mac.

  But I think I’ll be saving my pennies for the latest release of the HP MediaSmart home server (which I covered previously). Gizmodo has a review of the top-of-the-line EX495, which includes 1.5 TB of storage out of the gate (with the extensibility of four drive bays) and a dual-core Pentium processor (HP also offers the EX490 with 1 TB and a Celeron processor). Having a dual-core processor in a NAS server might seem a bit much, but Gizmodo notes it’s pretty handy for DVD conversion (a feature of the new MediaSmarts):
  
  

  In our tests, the EX495 was able to convert a DVD movie into a full resolution h.264 and a phone-streamable 300MB movie in about an hour and a half, give or take. Very useful for not sucking up your main machine’s horsepower to convert videos when you can just vomit them onto the network and have it be done by a slave machine.

  The MediaSmarts have also upped the Mac integration with improved Time Machine backup capabilities and (finally) a native home server console (instead of dealing with just a Web interface). At just a shade under $700, it’s definitely an investment, but one I think will work for our needs. I just hope it’s a little quieter than the HP MediaVault I tested out.

• I’m salivating at the prospect of this report from 9to5Mac of the BBC taking its iPlayer international, providing download purchase access to those living outside the UK. Currently, iTunes offers some BBC content such as Dr. Who, its spinoff Torchwood and Top Gear. But I’m a bit of a Beeb-o-phile and would love to get my hands on other shows that don’t get much exposure here in the States, like Spooks (new season coming up) or Master Chef.
• AppleInsider reports that an ad for the Android-powered T-Mobile myTouch 3G has inadvertently spurred sales for a steamy iPhone app that’s similar to one featured in the ad.
• Fast Company reports that Amazon is working on a native Kindle app for the Mac (it already offers one for the iPhone).
• Despite a jittery economy, Apple reported yet another record-busting quarter this week with a net profit $1.67 billion and more Macs (3.05 million units) and iPhones (7.4 million) sold than in any previous quarter (via TidBITS).
• And finally… my colleague Jeff Carlson provides a short-but-sweet video comparison of a 15-inch MacBook Pro, 20-inch monitor, and new 27-inch iMac:

–Agen G.N. Schmitz

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