New MBP, OS & Canons
Tuesday, 09 February 2010
Is a new MacBook Pro imminent with a faster i7 CPU? A benchmark report for an unreleased Apple MacBook Pro using Intel's upcoming dual-core 2.66GHz Core i7 mobile processor was published online this week, suggesting a refresh to the professional notebook line may be imminent.
The Geekbench report was submitted on February 4th and subsequently spotted by a MacRumors forum member. It lists the model as a MacBook Pro 6,1, a previously unused MacBook Pro identifier, running an unreleased build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 labeled 10C3067.
More specifically, the chip that registered inside the unreleased MacBook Pro is the Core i7 M 620, which represents the highest-performance chip announced as part of Intel's new Arrandale mobile offerings last month, reports AppleInsider.
Mac OS 10.6 due a refresh, too: Apple has equipped developers with yet another build of its upcoming maintenance and security update for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard that includes a few changes from an earlier build distributed two weeks ago.
People say Mac OS X 10.6.3 build 10D548 was distributed alongside an enhancement and focus list nearly identical to build 10D538, which made its way to a small subset of developers last month, as AppleInsider exclusively reported.
MacNN says developers are now expected to focus testing on printing and iCal, beyond earlier concentrations on AirPort, QuickTime and video drivers. VoiceOver has been dropped from the concern list, and there are no known problems listed for the build. The last point may suggest that the build is on the verge of completion, though the new testing instructions may reveal extra bugs.
New RealPlayer beta: RealNetworks has released a beta of RealPlayer SP for the Mac, the latest version of the company’s free multimedia playback software.
The previous Mac version, RealPlayer 11, added the ability to download many Web videos (such as those from YouTube) to your computer using a companion downloader app. RealPlayer SP builds off that capability by now letting you convert those videos to to play on the iPod, the iPhone, and the Apple TV, as well as many other smartphones and media players. Macworld has more info.
New Canon PowerShots and EOS: New Canon PowerShots include a 14MP, 14X optical zoom SX210 IS. It has a pop-up flash, records 720p video and supports the newer SDXC card format and carries and RRP of NZ $749.95.
The camera will come in unusually bright black, gold and purple colors and should ship in late March.
The new SD3500 IS is focused on ease of use first with a 3.5-inch touchscreen and fewer discrete buttons than Canon's previous touchscreen efforts.
Two more conventional compact designs target the mid-to-entry range; the SD1400 IS and its budget alternative, the SD1300 IS.
The IXUS 210 IS has an NZ RRP of $699.95. The IXUS 105 IS is NZ $399.95 and will be available from late February. The IXUS 130 IS is RRP NZ$499.95 and will be available from May through Canon dealers nationally.
Canon also launched a new 'Rebel T2i' (that's the US name – pic). The successor to Canon's entry DSLR is called the EOS 550D in New Zealand. It shoots 18 megapixels and a full 30 frames per second at 1080p video (versus the 20fps of its predecessor), writes Electronista.
No word on the NZ price for the EOS yet, but it should all be on sale in March.
