Apple's Mac Makeover, 'Mountain Lion' Software Brings Mobile Features to Mac

Apple's Mac Makeover, 'Mountain Lion' Software Brings Mobile Features to Mac

By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook wants to make its Mac more like an iPhone.

In an interview at the company's headquarters here, Mr. Cook unveiled a new version of the company's Mac operating system that incorporates several features from the software that powers Apple's hit mobile devices.

Named "Mountain Lion," the new version of OS X is the clearest sign yet of Apple's belief that the mobile, laptop and desktop world are destined to converge - and that Apple wants to be a catalyst.

"We see that people are in love with a lot of the apps and functionality here," said Mr. Cook, 51 years old, pointing at his iPhone. "So, anywhere where it makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac."

Apple's moves come as fiercer competition among hardware makers is leading them to compete over software and giving consumers a familiar experience across various devices. That is leading to a convergence between different categories of devices that could have wide ramifications across the technology industry.

Apple also hopes to add luster to a business line that has momentum but little market share. Apple sold a record 5.2 million Macs in the quarter ended in December, up 26% from the same quarter in 2010. But Macs represented 5.4% of global PC shipments in the fourth quarter, according to IDC, up from 4.5% a year earlier.

By comparison, Apple's iPad leads the tablet industry in market share, and its iPhones frequently command the biggest slice of quarterly smartphone shipments.

Apple will start selling the new Mac software to customers in late summer. It made an early version of the software available to developers Thursday.

The updates will include Apple's messaging service, notifications app, gaming center, sharing features and integration with the company's online service iCloud - all pioneered for the iPad and iPhone, which use software known as iOS.

Mr. Cook said he already thinks of Apple's iOS and OS X operating systems "as one with incremental functionality." He said both laptops and tablets will continue to coexist, but he didn't rule out that the technologies could converge further.

When asked if Apple's iPhones, iPads and Macs might run the same microprocessor chips, he said: "We think about everything. We don't close things off."

Apple's OS X team had already started borrowing from iOS, last July releasing the "Lion" version of its operating system that adopted iOS features like advanced gesture controls - by touching the Mac's track pad, rather than a display screen - and the ability to view desktop apps as icons in an iPhone-like grid.

Now, Apple is going further, even changing the names of internally developed Mac apps to those of iPhone counterparts. The Mac's Address Book, for example, will become Contacts. iCal will become Calendar.

"We went through and just took a logical pass at what the user is going to experience using these products to make it all make more sense together," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of world-wide marketing, in a separate interview. "This is more than people expect."

With Mountain Lion, users will see the same notification screen that scrolls down on the iPhone by swiping their touchpads. The new software has deeper ties to other Apple products, such as iCloud, which Apple is integrating into applications and into the experience of registering a new Mac. A new security feature called Gatekeeper allows users to specify what kinds of apps can be installed on their computers, including an option to only install apps from Apple's Mac App store.

The new Mac software will also support a feature called AirPlay Mirroring that allows users to view what is on the screen of their iPhone or iPad and a television screen connected to a $99 Apple TV device. The technology is highly strategic for Apple, as it contemplates new video technologies for the living room.

Not all mobile features will make it to the Mac. Messrs. Cook and Schiller both said important differences remain, including the need for different touch interfaces on mobile devices, as well as more robust location services.

AirPlay, already available for the iPhone and iPad, has run into opposition from media companies worried about cannibalizing of traditional TV. Mr. Schiller said he doesn't believe media companies will have any issue with customers using it from their Macs. When asked if the Mac would get Siri, Apple's voice-activated virtual assistant available on the iPhone, Mr. Cook smiled and said he would leave the question to Mr. Schiller.

Mountain Lion comes as Mac has been a relatively small contributor to the company's record financial performance. As the company's revenue jumped 73% in the quarter ending in December, the percentage of its revenue from Macs fell to 14.2% from 20.3%.

Mr. Cook said the Mac remains an "incredibly important" part of the company and that it is already benefiting from the success of the iPhone, particularly in China, where Mac sales doubled last year. "They love the iPhone and so they then search out and look for the Mac."

While Apple banks on that halo effect, its competitors are trying to follow its approach. Microsoft Corp. plans to release a new version of its Windows operating system that has a new interface that supports touch-based commands and resembles its mobile-phone software.

"I don't really think anything Microsoft does puts pressure on Apple," said Mr. Cook, who said Apple is focused on building the best product and the pressure on the company is "self-induced."

Mr. Cook declined to comment on future plans for Mac hardware, calling the company "secretive" about such things. But he expressed pride in the company's MacBook Air laptop. "Now, you see the industry at large trying to copy it in some way, but they'll find that it is not so easy," he said.

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OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: More iPhone-Like Than Ever

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: More iPhone-Like Than Ever

BY ADRIAN COVERT AND SAM BIDDLE.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Mountain Lion, the next version of the Apple's OS X operating system, is formally in the works and will be on our computers later this summer. Most intriguing is that it will further blur the lines between iOS and OS X, bringing apps like Messages, Notes, and Reminders along with utilities such as Notification Center and - finally - AirPlay mirroring from your Mac.

Based on what Apple is revealing for now, many of the new features revolve bringing iOS functionality to the desktop. Not only do these new apps and features behave the same as their iOS analogs, but they seamlessly sync with those apps as well. Oh, and one other significant change: OS X updates are going to happen yearly now.

But let's take a look at what's new right now.

Messages

Messages will completely replace iChat, allowing you to trade iMessages with iOS devices (but don't worry, it'll still support AIM, Gtalk, etc.). FaceTime has also been integrated into Messages, further consolidating all of Apple's messaging platforms. This could be the end of the awkward divide between iMessage, iChat and FaceTime.

Notification Center

The OS X version of Notifications behaves much like the iOS iteration, witha full drop down menu and banner updates. From the looks of things, Notification Center is looking to completely and utterly upstage Growl, which has served as the de facto OS X notification framework for years.

iCloud

Much like Apple is going after Growl, they're also going after services like Dropbox in a more pronounced way. Specifically, you can now upload documents from Mountain Lion to iCloud. Anytime you make a change to the document, any device accessing the doc will see the changes. But according to The Verge, Apple still isn't giving access to an iCloud file browser to see everything you have in your cloud.

AirPlay Mirroring

Finally, we now have the ability to push our computer screens to our televisions (provided you have an Apple TV). Mirroring is limited to 720p resolution and stereo audio, but that should be fine for most. Sadly the feature seems limited to mirroring, and not pushing system (or app-specific) audio to AirPlay speakers or Airport Express, but it's at least a step in the right direction.

Reminders

The same Reminders app that came to iOS 5 is now coming to Mountain Lion. The GPS functionality isn't here - not that it would be entirely useful if it were - but you can search through your reminders, set due dates and receive alerts. They basically ripped the to-do list out of iCal and made it more robust.

Notes

Write down a few notes on the mobile Notes app, and they'll appear on your desktop. The desktop version, however, has a few new tricks. You can pin notes to your desktop (remember stickies before they got pushed into the widgets layer?). You can also drag and drop images into notes and send those off to other people.

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is a simple, preemptive security barrier for people worried about downloading malicious programs. Malware isn't much of a problem on OS X, but if you're worried, Gatekeeper will let you assign one of three set download levels: anything, Mac App Store only, or programs from trusted developers plus everything in the App Store. If something violates the security level you've set, you won't be able to install it. This should go well with the grandparents.

Twitter

Twitter is now built into OS X. Mountain Lion will let you, say, tweet photos and links directly from iPhoto and Safari, and every time you're mentioned or hit with a direct message, you'll get an automatic notification - no extra Twitter software needed.

Game Center

The iOS Game Center has always been a neglected backwater territory for Apple, so Mountain Lion is pushing it right onto your desktop. You'll get to plug into the same leader boards and friend-finding available on your phone, but now it's on your laptop! Hey! It's unclear whether just Mac gamers will be able to go at it with each other or if iOS is invited.

Share Sheets

You know that arrow icon on your iPhone? The one that you click to share photos from your albums? Now you'll be able to do that same thing throughout OS X apps, too: emailing your notes, uploading your videos, and tweeeeeeeeting will all be done from one handy icon.

Oh, and Apple says there are over 100 new features on the way as well:

Hundreds of new APIs give developers access to new core technologies and enhanced features within OS X. The Game Kit APIs tap into the same services as Game Center on iOS, making it possible to create multiplayer games that work across Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A new graphics infrastructure underpins OpenGL and OpenCL and implements GLKit, first introduced in iOS 5, to make it easier to create OpenGL apps. Using Core Animation in Cocoa apps is easier than ever, and new video APIs deliver modern 64-bit replacements for low-level QuickTime APIs. Enhanced Multi-Touch™ APIs give developers double-tap zoom support and access to the system-wide lookup gesture. Kernel ASLR improves security through enhanced mitigation against buffer overflow attacks.

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Apple unveils new Mac OS X Mountain Lion

Apple unveils new Mac OS X Mountain Lion

By Edward C. Baig.

When Apple launched Mac OS X Lion last July, it brought the Macintosh operating system ever closer to the experience folks had gotten accustomed to on the iPad and iPhone. Now, just seven months later, Apple today unveils OS X Mountain Lion, an early preview version for developers.

This ninth major release of OS X goes even further in bringing features common to the iPad and iPhone to the Mac. And when Mountain Lion hits, likely this summer, Apple plans to commit to a roughly 12-month release cycle for new versions of OS X.

This is a heady time for Apple's traditional computers. The Mac has outpaced PC industry growth for 23 straight quarters. And during the last quarter of 2011, Mac sales grew 26% year-over-year compared with the overall PC industry, which was flat.

Apple isn't providing pricing at this point (Lion cost $29.99) or a specific date when Mountain Lion will be uncaged for consumers. The operating system isn't even in its prerelease beta state. But as with its predecessor, Mountain Lion will be available as a digital download through the Mac App Store (and presumably preloaded on new Mac models available at the time).

I've had a chance to check out the early Mountain Lion build on a loaner MacBook Air. Highlights of what's coming:

* iCloud. Apple's cloud-based service, launched last fall, now has 100 million accounts. You'll be able to tap into the clouds to set up a new Mac with your Apple ID account credentials. A Documents feature will let you view, create and edit the same documents on your Mac as on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. In a cloud-based Document Library, you can organize documents into folders by dragging one on top of the other similar to the way in which you can create folders containing the apps you have on iOS devices. Apple is opening the technology to Mac developers so that various Mac apps can work with Documents in the cloud. But the feature was not built into the developer preview that I had access to.

* Messages. Apple's iChat instant messenger and chat service is being replaced by iMessage, the Mac version of a feature that arrived with iOS 5. The result: You can send messages to or from a Mac to anyone who has an iOS device. Conversations in iMessage are kept up to date across all your computers and devices. And you can send pictures, high-definition video and other attachments up to 100 megabytes in size. You can also send group messages and receive a "read receipt" that lets you know when a person has seen your missive. Through a typing indicator, you will know when the recipient is readying a response. There's also a FaceTime button within the Messages app that lets you launch a video call. And Messages works with the same instant-messaging services that iChat supported, including AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk and Jabber.

* Reminders and Notes. Other iOS 5 features come to the Mac. Reminders are a handy way to track your to-do lists. A built-in Share button inside Notes lets you share your note via e-mail or message.

* Notification Center. As on the iPhone or iPad, Notification Center is a central repository for calendar reminders, incoming e-mail, new messages and more. On those iOS devices, you can pull down notifications by dragging your finger from the top of the screen down. On the MacBook Air, I was able to make the Notification Center come and go with a new gesture - moving two fingers left across the trackpad after starting the gesture off the trackpad. If your Mac doesn't have a trackpad, there's a tiny icon in the upper right of the screen to click.

* Twitter. Twitter is now integrated through Mountain Lion. So in the Safari browser, Preview, Photo Booth and Quick Look, you can select Twitter to tweet from within the app. If you choose, you can add a location to your tweet.

* Game Center. Apple's social-gaming venue in iOS - there are more than 20,000 Game Center-enabled games in the App Store - is coming to the Mac.

* AirPlay Mirroring. If you have an Apple TV box on the same network as your Mac, you'll be able to exploit this to wirelessly stream whatever is on your Mac screen to a high-definition television connected to Apple TV.

* Gatekeeper. Through the years, Macs have famously avoided the scourge of viruses and malware that have plagued Windows PCs. But Apple is keeping up its guard with new security technology.

Apple promises a lot more, including much easier ways to share pictures, videos, links, documents and content within apps. And I'm sure you can expect a few surprises before the formal launch - Siri on the Mac, perhaps? For all of that, stay tuned.

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Apple OS X Mountain Lion: Top 15 New Features

Apple OS X Mountain Lion: Top 15 New Features

By Peter Pachal.

Apple just unveiled the next major upgrade to its core software, OS X. It's called Mountain Lion, and it's a doozy, bringing a lot of the features its customers use ever day on iPhones and iPads over to the Mac. Apple says Mountain Lion has 100 new features, from tiny details in the Safari web browser to wholesale changes in how instant messaging works.

Curious about what's different? The general public will have to wait until summer to download the release for themselves, but in the meantime you can explore the Top 15 most important new features in the gallery above. Throughout all of them, though, you'll find two distinct trends:

The continued migration of mobile features to the Mac experience.

iCloud playing a greater role on the Mac.

When Apple first unveiled Mac OS X Lion back in 2010, it was a paradigm shift for computers. Mobile technology had been - and still is - evolving extremely fast, and more fundamentally was becoming much more integrated with peoples' day-to-day lives. It only made sense to take the best features of mobile (full-screen experiences, integrated sharing, a launch center for apps, etc.) and bring them to the desktop.

Mountain Lion continues this transition. Apps familiar to iOS users get ported to the desktop, and most feature seamless syncing with their mobile counterparts.

Which brings us to iCloud. The cloud-syncing service introduced last year is playing a greater role in Mountain Lion, and so it should. Keeping track of what you're doing on which device is a task no one wants - much better to simply take the whole experience with you no matter what machine is in front of you. The new version of OS X brings that functionality to a ton more apps.

For all the new stuff in Mountain Lion, however, it's worth pointing out a notable absence: Siri. Apple makes no mention of its famous voice assistant in its overview of the new OS and has remained mum on why. Is it because Macs simply don't have the same system-on-a-chip technology that the iPhone 4S includes? The investigation continues…

In the meantime, please browse OS X Mountain Lion's many new features, and tell us which ones you're really looking for to (or could do without) in the comments.

In a twist, new Mac software now inspired by mobile operating systems

By Marty Gabel.

It used to be that we'd want our smartphones to be more like the laptops or PC computers we use every day. Originally, most of us were amazed that we could have at least some kind of computer within the palm of our hand. This is what Apple's iPhone and Android devices now provide, especially when running a huge variety of amazing and powerful apps.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook is now aiming for the opposite - he wants the Mac to be more like the iPhone, not the other way around. A new version of Mac OS X was unveiled (in fact, the company is dropping the whole 'Mac' moniker and going with just OS X) codenamed 'Mountain Lion.'

This next generation operating system, released to developers as a beta version, demonstrates further alignment between the smartphone and desktop world. In the article, Tim Cook is quoted as saying "We see that people are in love with a lot of apps and functionality here … Anywhere where that makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac."

Apps seem to be the, erm, killer app here, that's for sure, and it's clear that Apple is thinking of a future where the Mac computer OS X and the iPhone's iOS coexist far more intimately. While all kinds of devices will continue to be manufactured, and probably maintain their unique characteristics, we'll see far more similarities in the software look, feel and apps they run.

One new feature of OS X Mountain Lion is its AirPlay capabilities. Current Apple iPhone and iPad users may already be familiar with this technology. AirPlay helps make sharing content between devices, whether they be laptops, phones or 'smart' TVs, even easier. Now that that capability will be extended to all the hardware in Apple's arsenal we're likely to see even closer synergy between every device in the connected home or office.

Soon the app itself will be the key. Whether you're using it from a smartphone or a laptop is unlikely to be so important.

Mozilla offers Gaia UI first look, will reveal Boot to Gecko partners at MWC

By James Trew.

Mozilla surprised us last summer when it announced plans for its Boot to Gecko mobile OS. Now, it looks like the project has some industry support, with CTO Brenden Eich tweeting that the company will make a partner announcement at MWC this month. There are no details right now as to who might be involved, but given that developer support is already there (the operating system is based on existing web standards, after all), the hopes are that this could indicate vital operator, or even hardware manufacturer backing. Another encouraging development is the first sighting of the platform's Gaia UI, further suggesting the project might well meet its planned Q2 release target. It doesn't stray too far from the Android / iOS model that we're already familiar with, but give the source link a swipe if you want to see more.

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Apple Switching Back to NVIDIA Graphics for Upcoming Mac Pro Update?

Apple Switching Back to NVIDIA Graphics for Upcoming Mac Pro Update?

By Eric Slivka.

M.I.C gadget reports that it has received information from sources indicating that Apple is "close to finally updating" its aging Mac Pro line. As we detailed in a report last month, the window for a potential Mac Pro update is approaching as Intel prepares to launch its Sandy Bridge E Xeon processors and AMD is pushing out its new "Tahiti" family of graphics cards.

But M.I.C gadget reports that Apple may be planning to switch back to NVIDIA for its stock graphics options in the next Mac Pro instead of sticking AMD as on the current models. The move, which would line up with a rumored similar shift for the MacBook Pro, could open the door to improved performance on a number of applications such as those from Adobe that embrace NVIDIA's CUDA architecture.

Nvidia has their “Kepler” platform due out around the same time as Intel is making their changes, and our sources within the company indicate that they have chosen to have Nvidia lead the charge so to speak on the graphics front. This is good for all our compatriots who want to use the special graphics engine in Adobe products, as it supports Nvidia only, or for those who wish to do CUDA based programs as well, again only supported by Nvidia.

The report cites "rumblings" that Apple may be targeting a Mac Pro update "near the end of quarter three", although that timeframe may be subject to change. The report's definition of "end of quarter three" is a bit unclear, as that would equate to September as measured by calendar quarters or June as measured by Apple's fiscal calendar. But with Intel pushing out Sandy Bridge E chips in "spring" and NVIDIA reportedly launching Kepler in April, Apple would likely be able to follow fairly closely on the heels of those releases with a Mac Pro update if it elects to do so.

But curiously, the report also claims that Apple will be looking to jump directly to Ivy Bridge, Intel's successor processor family to Sandy Bridge, for the revised Mac Pro. Intel's Sandy Bridge E processors have seen significant delays but are now close to shipping, and it is unclear how Apple's Mac Pro plans would line up with any Ivy Bridge server chip plans from Intel.

Unfortunately, M.I.C gadget does not have a terribly accurate record on hardware rumors, particularly on the Mac Pro front where last year the site was one of those sources claiming that Apple would issue a mid-year Mac Pro update using a custom processor from Intel. So while a switch to NVIDIA for graphics cards in the next Mac Pro may make sense given the timeline for availability on NVIDIA's Kepler lineup, we hesitate to place too much faith in this report's claims for the time being.

Apple Asks Labor Group to Audit Foxconn

By Sajid Farooq.

Apple is showing some love to workers in foreign factories building its products -- just in time for Valentine's day.

The Cupertino company announced Monday that the Fair Labor Association will conduct voluntary audits of Apple’s final assembly suppliers, including its controversial contract factory Foxconn. Audits will be conducted at both the Shenzhen and Chengdu, China locations.

Apple said the audits are being done per its request, which is in line with CEO Tim Cook's statement two weeks ago to employees that said the company cares about all its employees and their well-being.

Cook has a long history with Foxconn. Late Apple CEO Steve Jobs sent Cook to the factory to conduct his own safety audits and to examine reports of employee suicides at the plant.

"We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we’ve asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers," Cook said in a statement Monday. "The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports."

Apple says it has conducted more than 40 audits since 2006 of its factories, including Foxconn. The company also puts out an annual report of what it fines, which is available online.

The labor association will interview thousands of factory employees and do an assessment of the work environment.

Apple reportedly squeezing supplier to stop building MacBook Air clones from Asus

By Katie Marsal.

Apple has reportedly asked Pegatron, one of its overseas device assemblers, to "choose sides" and stop producing the MacBook Air-like Zenbook from Asus, or else lose Apple's business.

Apple's apparent aggressive strategy with Pegatron was detailed on Monday by China Times (via Google Translate). It was said that Apple executives are upset because of the "high similarity" between the MacBook Air and the Zenbook from Asus.

It is expected that Pegatron will comply with Apple's demands, and Asus will move production of its thin-and-light Zenbook laptop to Compal or Wistron. That would allow Pegatron to continue production of Apple's hot selling MacBook Air.

The Asus Zenbook is one of a line of computers based on the "Ultrabook" specification spearheaded by chipmaker Intel. After the first Ultrabooks hit the market last year and saw soft sales, manufacturers began slashing prices to undercut Apple's MacBook Air.

Intel's Ultrabook class aims to bring "tablet-like features" to thin-and-light notebooks, but manufacturers have struggled to keep prices down. One report last year said that Apple's control of its overseas supply chain, particularly with respect to metal chassis, was a roadblock for PC makers.

Apple is so bullish on the success of its MacBook Air lineup that the company is expected to bring features from its ultraportable laptop to the high-end MacBook Pro lineup this year. AppleInsider detailed last week how a radical redesign of the MacBook Pro will make the company's 15- and 17-inch professional laptops look more like the MacBook Air.

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Why it's time for the 13-inch MacBook Pro to go away

Why it's time for the 13-inch MacBook Pro to go away

By Scott Stein, VIA:cnet.com.

October 2008. I remember eagerly buying Apple's newly designed and sleekly beautiful unibody MacBook. My son, now 3 1/2, was just born. The last presidential election was just wrapping up. "Avatar" hadn't even come out yet. The iPhone was in its second iteration. The iPad was still a year and a half away.

A long time has passed since, yet the 13-inch MacBook Pro, in terms of just sheer design, has barely changed at all. Sure, under the hood it's a completely different computer: fast Intel processor, Thunderbolt, integrated long-life battery, better screen. Yet, I can line up that 2008 13-incher (then just known as the MacBook) next to the latest 13-inch Pro and most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

One of the most popular pieces I wrote last year compared the 13-inch Pro with the 13-inch MacBook Air. At the beginning of 2011, the Pro had a clear advantage in terms of battery life and even performance. However, by midyear, the new Air had caught up. Its battery life and general performance, according to our CNET benchmarks, met what the Pro had to offer.

The Pro had a slight CPU bump at the end of 2011, but remains largely the same computer as the early 2011 model.

I've always been someone who leaned slightly toward the Pro as the laptop of choice, if one had to pick an all-around Apple computer. The reasons are few, though: the optical drive, which could be useful for some; the extra hard-drive storage gained by not adopting an SSD like the Air; and, well, that's about it.

I think it's time for the 13-inch Pro to go away, and I have a feeling 2012 will be the year it happens.

Apple products tend to lean toward simplification of a product line. There used to be three 13-inch Mac laptops: the white MacBook, the Pro, and the Air. Now there are two. I think that will drop to one. It should happen, for these reasons:

Few people use optical drives. Oh, I've defended the DVD drive for years. I remember when watching DVDs on my Mac was a huge deal. For installing software or importing CD music, it's handy--or, for making disc backups. OK, who am I kidding: I never use my DVD drive anymore. We're in an age where Netflix lives on my iPad. Simple streaming and large-capacity external hard drives and USB flash drives--plus, of course, cloud storage--have changed the equation. Plus, Apple doesn't seem too fond of optical drives--the Air lacks one, and so does the 2011 Mac Mini. If you need a DVD drive, buy an external one...or, get a larger laptop that has one.

The performance is equivalent. The Air, as we learned last year, really has almost the same performance as the entry-level Pro circa February 2011 (we didn't get a fall 2011 13-inch Pro for review, so we can't compare--but, the spec bump wasn't massive). The 13-inch Pro doesn't have dedicated graphics, just integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, like the Air. Battery life is the same. Yet, the Air is lighter. That matters.

This year's Ivy Bridge bump will make the Air even more powerful. Graphics and performance should see even greater improvements compared with the already-impressive 2011 Air, which could erase many concerns from power users. Odds are, the 2012 MacBook Air will feature the Ivy Bridge processors we're already glimpsing in this year's ultrabooks.

The 15-inch Pro seems due for a redesign, and it should be the new Pro. For higher-end graphics and maybe an optical drive, a 15-inch MacBook Pro should be where an interested Mac user chooses to go. Based on the new wave of high-powered 14- and 15-inch ultrabooks seen at CES 2012, my guess is that Apple will slim down the Pro while still offering high-powered graphics and pro-oriented features, making it a 15-inch "ultrabook plus" of sorts. That would leave the 13-inch Air to claim the sole spot as the heir to the MacBook, while the 11-inch Air remains the superportable laptop.

If hybrid hard drives are offered, then my one gripe about the 13-inch Air goes away. Some ultrabooks have begun offering hybrid hard drives, mixing larger-capacity magnetic storage with a small cache of SSD flash storage. The Acer Aspire S3 had one, and upcoming ultrabooks like the Samsung Series 5 Ultra will feature them, too. While SSD seems to be a more streamlined solution, hybrid drives can bridge the gap and offer 500GB capacities for laptop users until SSD flash storage prices can perhaps drop in the future. I don't want to live with only 128GB of storage on my laptop, and I'd rather not pay more for the privilege of 256GB. I think a lot of laptop customers feel the same way.

How would you feel if the 13-inch Air was Apple's only 13-inch MacBook? Sound off below.

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MacBooks for all-kind of: Ninth graders will get laptops next year

MacBooks for all-kind of: Ninth graders will get laptops next year

Monday, February 13, 2012 By Mollie Berg.

In September, among pencils, pens, notebooks and paper, a shiny new MacBook will be in each freshman's backpack, as SCDS becomes the first school in Sacramento to implement a 1:1 laptop program.

Additionally, the school will purchase two mobile iPad labs for the lower school.

The laptop decision results from the success of the middle school iPad program and months of decision-making, headmaster Stephen Repsher said.

Assisted by technology director Tom Wroten, Repsher made a formal presentation to the Board of Trustees in early December about the laptop plan.

So in January, when the board voted to approve the school's 2012-13 budget, the cost of new laptops for the freshmen and new iPad stations for the lower school were included. As a result, they "tacitly approved the technology initiative," Repsher said.

While Repsher and Wroten have not decided what type of MacBook will be given to the freshmen, they are considering the 11-inch MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro and are leaning towards the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air is $999 and the MacBook Pro is $1,199 (not including the 10 percent educational discount the school receives). Both prices don't include software, which will be installed in students' laptops.

However, the laptops will not cause a spike in tuition, according to Repsher. He pointed out that tuition has increased approximately 3.3 percent annually for the past few years, and the increase will be about the same this year.

"Many people are worried about the cost, but we have addressed that adequately," Repsher said.

"This is just a tiny part of our total (technology) budget."

There is technology funding available every year, Wroten said.

Giving laptops to freshmen is an example of taking advantage of this funding—just as the school would use the funding to update school technology like the library computers.

Steve Edwards, vice president of the Board of Trustees, said in an email that the board is "really excited about the program and (feels) the money spent is well worth it."

Although Repsher said that most parents are delighted with the new technology, some parents of next year's sophomores, juniors and seniors are disappointed that their children will not have laptops.

But providing laptops to all 135 high-school students would be too expensive, Repsher said.

Transition period

Wroten acknowledged that there will be a transition period when some students have MacBooks and some don't--just as there was in the middle school, when only the sixth grade received iPads.

"There's going to be an evolution," Wroten said.

The computers will be leased to the school, and at the end of the lease, the school will own them. The computers will likely be given to students when they graduate, Wroten said.

Throughout the lease period, the laptops will officially be owned by Country Day although students will retain "full control," Wroten said.

And full control means full control—the school will have no power to stop students from downloading illegal music and copies of textbooks.

"We can't restrict music specifically and we don't want to. However, it is illegal," Wroten said.

"I want students to take ownership of their machine—I don't plan on having a lot of restrictions. We (had restrictions) for the middle school because of how the iPad is designed and because they're younger," he said.

Nevertheless the school's "Acceptable Use Policy" ought to deter potential illegal downloaders.

Sue Nellis, head of high school, said that if illegal material is downloaded in a school computer, the school could get into serious legal trouble.

Legal issues aside, students like eighth grader Aidan Galati, who already has a MacBook of her own, are wondering what will become of their laptops.

According to Repsher, students like Galati will be given Macbooks, and will be expected to use their school laptops for the high-school curriculum.

But Repsher expects parents not to buy their high-school children laptops in the future.

Eighth grader Leslie Young, who will attend SCDS next year, doesn't have a laptop. Her parents, were "seriously thinking" about buying her one with the start of high school, and now her parents don't have to pay the extra expense, she said.

Eighth grader Manson Tung, who is not planning on attending high school at Country Day, said the laptop decision has increased his interest in SCDS.

"It's becoming a first-class education. My mom was really excited about it," he said.

Moreover, Repsher said, the school is planning on taking advantage of Apple's new iBook program, which allows students to download textbooks for about $15 apiece. The downloaded books not only cost less, but also provide interactive access to videos and links.

However, because many textbooks aren't in the iBook store, not all teachers will move to an electronic curriculum.

"We're not telling the teachers they have to change textbooks because it has to be online," Wroten said.

"If it arises that there are textbooks that are cheaper, more interactive, better all around and computer based, we hope they will move in that direction."

According to Repsher, another concern in the months of deliberation was creating a "steep learning curve" for teachers.

"We want (the laptops) to be something that enhances teaching—not something that reinvents it. Teachers are busy as it is," Repsher said.

So, on Feb. 8, the faculty started training on how to use the computers and their software.

Led by Cindy Kendall, a Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University, via webcast, an hour-long Webinar taught teachers how to integrate technology.

Laptop distraction

In addition to not being "laptop savvy," some teachers worry that they won't be able to see what their students are doing.

"It's up to the teachers to instruct the students on how they want to use the laptops in class," Repsher said.

Although math teacher Patricia Dias expects to take advantage of Geometer's Sketchpad and Google ToolBar in class, she worries that "math is most easily done with pencil and paper.

"It is (almost) impossible to take notes in a math class on a computer—I could teach them how to do it, but the fact of the matter is it's faster to do it with pencil and paper," she said.

"And if it's in paper I can see all the way back to the room and see if they're really doing math."

However, Dias said that it will be convenient to have the laptops on days she schedules projects.

Although history teacher Daniel Neukom doesn't plan on incorporating laptops into his class regularly, he does think that his curriculum will somewhat change.

Neukom also believes that the laptops will force teachers to be more vigilant. He said that he's already witnessed students using their laptops in a non-educational way during class with their private laptops.

Wroten is looking into turning the Internet off in certain classrooms to prevent students getting distracted while taking notes or testing.

Dias is also concerned about students being responsible for their own equipment.

Now, Dias said, students lose their Ti89 calculators or get them stolen.

"You put your bag down for 45 minutes while you're eating lunch and someone's messed with it because they can't find their own stuff," she said.

Also, she fears that strangers will come onto campus because they've heard that everyone has computers and know that teenagers aren't responsible.

Wroten, however, said that in the two years the middle-school iPad program has been in place, "somebody hasn't walked onto campus and stolen 30 iPads."

When a student inevitably does lose their laptop, their family will be left with the bill.

Middle-school students sign an agreement that says that if their iPads are lost or stolen, they must pay for them. The same program will be implemented in the high school, Wroten said.

The school is also considering purchasing an accidental damage warranty.

What's ahead

Wroten is unsure what to expect for the future.

"Three years ago we would talk in our technology meetings about what we were going to do. No one said anything about iPads," he said.

"Ten years from now technologically will be totally different."

But Neukom is a little more skeptical, perhaps because he's "seen other ‘miracles' of education in 40 years."

"(There were) new trends and new ideas that people thought would make big differences, but it doesn't happen very often," Neukom said.

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