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Posts tagged Mac
Apple unveils 12-core Mac Pro, new iMacs and LED Cinema Display
Jul 27th
In addition to a new range of iMacs and a super 27″ LED Cinema Display, Apple has unveiled a new Mac Pro line with up to 12 processing cores and up to 50 percent greater performance than the previous generation.
Featuring the latest quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors that will be of particular interest to video editors looking to acquire every inch of performance to cope with the latest full-spec HD video editing, the new machines feature all-new ATI graphics and the option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD).
New Apple Mac Pro seen here with Apple LED Cinema Display
According to Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, “The new Mac Pro is the most powerful and configurable Mac we’ve ever made.” He points out that, with up to 12 cores, the new Mac Pro outperforms Apple’s previous top-of-the-line system by up to 50 percent, and with over a billion possible configurations, customers can create exactly the system they want.
At the heart of the new Mac Pro’s performance are next generation quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors running at speeds up to 3.33 GHz. These multi-core processors use a single die design so each core can share up to 12MB L3 cache to improve efficiency while increasing processing speed. These systems feature an integrated memory controller for faster memory bandwidth and reduced memory latency; Turbo Boost to dynamically boost processor speeds up to 3.6 GHz; and Hyper-Threading to create up to 24 virtual cores. The Mac Pro now comes with the ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics processor with 1GB of memory and customers can configure-to-order the even faster ATI Radeon HD 5870 with 1GB of memory.
For the first time, Mac Pro customers have the option to order a 512GB SSD for the ultimate in reliability and lightning fast performance. With the ability to install up to four SSD drives in the system’s internal drive bays, the new Mac Pro can provide ultra high-speed disk bandwidth and random disk performance, two times faster than the average performance of a standard disk drive. Mac Pro also now features two Mini Display Ports and one dual-link DVI port. The additional Mini Display Port output allows customers to connect two LED Cinema Displays without an additional graphics card or adapter and the dual-link DVI port supports legacy DVI-based displays up to a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.
New 27-inch LED Cinema Display
Also announced by Apple today is a new 27-inch LED Cinema Display with 2560 x 1440 resolution and a claimed 60 percent more screen real estate than the 24-inch LED Cinema Display. Featuring a built-in iSight video camera, microphone and speakers, powered USB 2.0 hub, and universal MagSafe connector, the new LED Cinema Display is a potential companion for the MacBook family or a Mac desktop, and is available in the USA for $999.
Apple’s iMac product line updated
Apple has also updated its all-in-one iMac line with the latest Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors and powerful new graphics. Starting at £999 in the UK, the new iMac line is claimed to be the fastest ever with dual-core processor speeds up to 3.6 GHz, quad-core speeds up to 2.93 GHz and discrete graphics including the powerful ATI Radeon HD 5750. The new Magic Trackpad, with a smooth glass and aluminium design, gives iMac users the same intuitive Multi-Touch gestures that Mac notebook customers become used to and is available separately for £59 inc VAT.
Apple's new 27inch iMac
The dual-core Intel Core i3 and Core i5, and quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 processors feature an integrated memory controller to access the system memory directly, allowing the new iMac to take full advantage of its faster 1333 MHz memory. New discrete ATI Radeon HD processors deliver smoother, crisper graphics as required for 3D games, creative software and technical applications. The SD card slot on the iMac now supports the SDXC format to handle the latest high-capacity storage cards; these are particularly useful for AVCHD camcorder users wishing to import HD video clips for editing. Customers of the 27-inch iMac have the option to order a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) as a primary or secondary drive. The iMac SSD supports up to 215 MB/s data transfer rates for faster startup and application launch times.
More information: Apple.com and Apple.com/uk
Sony Bloggie: Mobile HD in a Snap
Jan 7th
The market for these compact and easy-to-use Mobile Snap camcorders was pioneered by the revolutionary Flip camera and caught other brands on the hop somewhat. However, despite their subsequently rushing out with comparable products it’s still an uncertain market – which perhaps explains why neither Panasonic nor Canon have bothered with it at all. So, will Sony’s latest multi-coloured “bloggie” range fare any better?
Mobile HD in a Snap: record yourself on the move with the Sony MHS-PM5 "bloggie"
Sony reckons it’s all about capturing the moment: “It’s the spirit of fun, spontaneous still and video shooting and sharing that comes alive with the launch of bloggie – a fresh concept in style-conscious, premium quality Mobile HD Snap Cameras by Sony”. That’s their words, by the way.
In February the bloggie makes its European debut with two new models, both of which are designed to make it very easy to grab photos and video clips for quick, hassle-free sharing on the web.
Like the Flip models whose success they are undoubtedly attempting to emulate, they’ll slip effortlessly into a pocket or bag and be right there when you need to capture that all-important moment when out with the family or up to no good with one’s mates on a Friday night.
Full HD MPEG4 video with the MHS-PM5/PM5K and MHS-CM5
Colourful, light and easy to carry, bloggie (as Sony affectionately calls the devices) is clearly a spontaneous way to share memories, update a personal blog with a bit of HD video or post to social networking apps while travelling. Just point and shoot: then walk into any internet café, hook up bloggie and upload your life using the camera’s embedded PMB Portable software.
Sony MHS-PM5 Bloggie HD Camcorder (Blue) Main panel
Both models are obviously designed with simplicity in mind; the MHS-PM5/PM5K and MHS-CM5 produce images of an effective resolution of 5MP (megapixels) in 1280×720/60p HD video resolution as well as offering Full HD 1920×1080/30p high definition. Note that this isn’t AVCHD; the video clips produced are primarily aimed at users who wish to upload their clips to online content sharing sites like YouTube, MySpace or Facebook so the fact that recordings are consistent with USA standards rather than European ones shouldn’t really matter too much.
However, with YouTube now facilitating 1920 x 1080p uploading, the Full HD option will attract a fair share of takers.
On-board SteadyShot image stabilisation cuts camera shake when you’re shooting handheld, and Face Detection will help to correctly resolve people’s facial characteristics – but note that these features are available only when shooting in the optional 720/30p shooting mode.
Styled in a choice of four colour finishes, the MHS-PM5/PM5K features a rotating lens that swivels 270 degrees to capture life from any angle: get down low, aim high or turn it around to record yourself.
The bright, high resolution 6.0cm LCD screen (pictured left) shows camera settings in the bottom half of the display while you’re shooting. When you want to see the results, turn bloggie horizontally and play back your clips and photos in landscape format.
The MHS-PM5K also includes a special 360-degree Video lens adaptor that lets you generate panoramic videos. To achieve this, users should slip on the adaptor and start shooting in 360 Video mode. According to Sony, bloggie captures panoramic video as specially encoded files that can be ‘unwrapped’ for PC viewing using supplied PMB software and the 360 Video Player application.
Sony MHS-CM5 Bloggie showing built-in flip-away USB connector
Featuring a pistol grip vertical styling that many people will be familar with, the MHS-CM5 boasts a high-quality 5x optical zoom lens, plus a swivel 6.2cm LCD screen that flips out for comfortable shooting and viewing.
Connectivity
After shooting, both cameras can be linked directly to a Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 PC or Apple Intel Mac using the built-in USB connector that tucks away into the camera’s body when not in use.
The embedded PMB Portable software launches automatically when bloggie is connected to the PC or Mac, allowing users to immediately view, select and upload clips to popular social apps and media sharing sites like Picasa and YouTube.
There’s no need to install any editing or file transfer software on the computer, making bloggie ideal for use in any internet café while travelling. Even an external charger isn’t necessary since the camera’s battery is automatically charged while it’s connected to a computer its USB plug.
The MHS-CM5 also sports an HDMI connector, enabling photos and Full HD clips to be viewed either on a Sony BRAVIA or other HD TV.
Upcoming Facebook content sharing update
The simple integration for sharing content on Facebook will also be available as a downloadable update to this software from April 2010 onwards. This complements the existing sharing capability with such sites as YouTube and Picasa Web Albums. With the new version, users will have the ability to share photos and videos on Facebook directly from PMB Portable software.
Availability
The bloggie MHS-PM5, MHS-PM5K and MHS-CM5 Mobile HD Snap Cameras are available from Feburary 2010.
