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The iPad and iPhone have hogged the media’s attention for months, but Apple is preparing to turn the spotlight onto its Macintosh computers in a press conference Wednesday.

Just what can we expect? Apple observers are exchanging whispers about new notebooks and a preview of the next Mac operating system. Here’s a quick rundown of what Apple is likely to unveil at the presser.

New MacBooks

Multiple independent publications received tips about major upgrades for Apple’s ultra-thin notebook, the MacBook Air. Rumor has it that the Air will come in two different sizes 13.3 inches and 11.6 inches and come with an even thinner unibody enclosure.

The internals could be even more interesting. AppleInsider claims the Air will include flash storage, which would theoretically enable extremely fast boot times and “instant-on” capabilities. Cult of Mac adds that the Air will have a bigger battery providing eight to 10 hours of battery life.

These rumors seem plausible given that a bigger battery would follow the trend of Apple integrating built-in batteries into its other MacBooks, which get about 10 hours of battery life. Flash storage and instant-on capability on a notebook would be a logical next step following the iPad.

Publications haven’t been tipped off about new MacBook Pros, but it’s likely we’ll see incremental upgrades for these notebooks as well: They were last upgraded about six months ago, and on average the MacBook Pro gets refreshed every seven months.

Mac OS X Lion

Apple’s press invite includes an image of a lion, so it’s fairly obvious part of the event will provide a sneak peek on the next-gen Mac OS codenamed Lion. Our friends at MacStories received a tip that OS X will abandon the current Aqua-based scroll bars in favor of iOS’s translucent black scroll bar, which disappears whenever you’re not scrolling.

Also, a “Quick Look” feature will enable you to get a pop-up view with some details about a file that you select with the Spotlight search tool, according to MacStories.

That can’t be all there is to it. We’re guessing that OS Lion will introduce features such as instant-on capability, and some significant performance boosts for the entire Mac family.

Wired.com will be reporting live from Apple headquarters Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. PT. Stay tuned for the news.

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Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Mark McClusky just got to spend a bit of time playing with the new line of MacBooks. Here’s what he had to say about his experinces:

On his initial impression: They’re really beautiful pieces of hardware. The milling eliminates the plastic gasket around the front — this makes a huge difference. The MacBooks now feel sturdy and super-solid, much more polished than the plastic version.

On the Macbook Pro: It’s thinner, yes, but in actuality, just a hair wider than my old (one year old) MacBook Pro.

On the displays: They’re very bright. Colors are vibrant and pop more naturally. 

On the line-up as a whole: They’ve now got the same design language across their whole line…iMac, displays, and notebooks — all with that black bezel. This is a very solid update, and a lovely design tweak. But there are no huge game changers here. They’ve galvinized a lead, and let’s face it: no one can trigger object lust like Apple. 

[Editor's note: Instead of waiting for review samples to become available from Apple we're going to just purchase a top shelf MacBook and MacBook Pro. Expect a set of reviews in a few days, Labbers.]

(Photos by Jim Merithew for Wired.com)

Posted under Gadget Reviews

I’m sure we’ve all had enough of the lofty rumors, thumb-sucking speculation and blurry spy shots of the upcoming Mac notebooks that Apple will announce Tuesday. Cult of Mac blogger and Wired.com editor Leander Kahney (who, uh, sits right behind me) stumbled upon a visual treat: Fanboy mock-ups of the new notebooks.

The images are courtesy of Miguel Suarez, who in the past did a pretty spot-on mock-up of the fourth-gen iPod nano before its official release. That’s some exceptional talent. Apple should hire this guy.

See also:

• Apple Teases New Notebook, Rumored Under $1,000
• Photos: Is This the MacBook ‘Brick’?
• Rumor Says That Apple Brick Will Be A Metal Brick
• Apple’s Brick: A Dual-Screen, Foldable Netbook?

Likely Feature List of New MacBooks [CultOfMac]

Photo: Elchinocudeiro/Flickr

Posted under Gadget Reviews