Mac and accessories
- Mac Mini, consumer sub-desktop computer and server introduced in 2005.
- iMac, consumer all-in-one desktop computer introduced in 1998.
- Mac Pro, workstation-class desktop computer introduced in 2006, replacing the Power Macintosh.
- MacBook Pro, professional notebook introduced in 2006, replacing the PowerBook.
- MacBook Air, ultra-thin, ultra-portable notebook introduced in 2008.
Apple also sells a variety of computer accessories for Mac computers including the AirPort wireless networking products, Time Capsule, Thunderbolt Display, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, Wireless Keyboard, and the Apple Battery Charger.
iPad
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The Apple website home page,
featuring The new iPad.
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On March 2, 2011, Apple introduced an updated iPad model which had a
faster processor and two cameras on the front and back respectively. The
iPad 2 also added support for optional 3G service provided by Verizon in addition to the existing offering by AT&T. However, the availability of the iPad 2 has been limited as a result of the devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan in March 2011.
On March 7, 2012, Apple introduced the iPad 3, aka, "The New iPad". The iPad 3 added LTE service from AT&T or Verizon and an upgraded processor, the A5X.
It also added the Retina display originally found on the iPhone 4 and
iPhone 4S. The dimensions and form factor remained relatively unchanged
from the iPad 2.
Since the tablet launched in 2010, iPad users have downloaded 3 billion apps.
iPod
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The current iPod family, featuring
the iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod
Classic, and iPod Touch
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On October 23, 2001, Apple introduced the iPod
digital music player. It has evolved to include various models
targeting the wants of different users. The iPod is the market leader in
portable music players by a significant margin, with more than 220
million units shipped as of September 2009. Apple has partnered with Nike to offer the Nike+iPod Sports Kit enabling runners to synchronize and monitor their runs with iTunes and the Nike+ website. Apple currently sells four variants of the iPod.
- iPod Shuffle, ultraportable digital audio player first introduced in 2005, currently available in a 2 GB model.
- iPod Nano, portable media player first introduced in 2005, currently available in 8 and 16 GB models. The latest generation has a FM radio, a pedometer, and a new multi-touch interface that replaced the traditional iPod click wheel.
- iPod Classic (previously named iPod from 2001 to 2007), portable media player first introduced in 2001, currently available in a 160 GB model.
- iPod Touch, portable media player that runs iOS, first introduced in September 2007 after the iPhone went on sale. Currently available in 8, 32, and 64 GB models. The latest generation features the Apple A4 processor, a Retina Display, and dual cameras on the front and back. The back camera allows for HD video recording at 720p.
iPhone
At the Macworld Conference & Expo in January 2007, Steve Jobs revealed the long anticipated iPhone, a convergence of an Internet-enabled smartphone and iPod. The original iPhone combined a 2.5G quad band GSM and EDGE
cellular phone with features found in hand held devices, running
scaled-down versions of Apple's Mac OS X (dubbed iOS, formerly iPhone
OS), with various Mac OS X applications such as Safari and Mail. It also includes web-based and Dashboard apps such as Google Maps and Weather. The iPhone features a 3.5-inch (89 mm) touch screen display, 4, 8, or 16 GB of memory, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi (both "b" and "g"). The iPhone first became available on June 29, 2007 for $499 (4 GB) and $599 (8 GB) with an AT&T contract. On February 5, 2008, Apple updated the original iPhone to have 16 GB of memory, in addition to the 8 GB and 4 GB models. On June 9, 2008, at WWDC 2008, Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone 3G would be available on July 11, 2008. This version added support for 3G networking, assisted-GPS
navigation, and a price cut to $199 for the 8 GB version, and $299 for
the 16 GB version, which was available in both black and white. The new
version was visually different from its predecessor in that it
eliminated the flat silver back, and large antenna square for a curved
glossy black or white back. Following complaints from many people, the
headphone jack was changed from a recessed jack to a flush jack to be
compatible with more styles of headphones. The software capabilities
changed as well, with the release of the new iPhone came the release of
Apple's App Store; the store provided applications for download that
were compatible with the iPhone. On April 24, 2009, the App Store
surpassed one billion downloads.
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| iPhone 4S |
The phone includes an all-new design, 960x640 display, Apple's A4 processor used in the iPad, a gyroscope for enhanced gaming, 5MP camera with LED flash, front-facing VGA camera and FaceTime
video calling. Shortly after the release of the iPhone 4, it was
realized by consumers that the new iPhone had reception issues. This is
due to the stainless steel band around the edge of the device, which
also serves as the phones cellular signal and Wi-Fi antenna. The current
fix for this issue was a "Bumper Case" for the phone distributed for free to all iPhone 4 owners for a few months. In June 2011, Apple overtook Nokia to become the world's biggest smartphone maker by volume.
On October 4, 2011, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S,
which was released in the United States, Canada, Australia, United
Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan on October 14, 2011, with other
countries set to follow later in the year. This was the first iPhone model to feature the Apple A5 chip, as well as the first offered on the Sprint network (joining AT&T and Verizon Wireless as the United States carriers offering iPhone models). On October 19, 2011, Apple announced an agreement with C Spire Wireless
to sell the iPhone 4S with that carrier in the near future, marking the
first time the iPhone was officially supported on a regional carrier's
network.
Another notable feature of the iPhone 4S was Siri voice assistant technology, which Apple had acquired in 2010, as well as other features, including an updated 8 megapixel camera with
new optics. Apple sold 4 million iPhone 4S phones in the first three
days after its release, which made it not only the best iPhone launch in
Apple's history, but the most-successful launch of any mobile phone
ever.
Apple TV
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The Apple TV, in its most recent
revision
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At the 2007 Macworld conference, Jobs demonstrated the Apple TV, (previously known as the iTV),
a set-top video device intended to bridge the sale of content from
iTunes with high-definition televisions. The device links up to a user's
TV and syncs, either via Wi-Fi or a wired network, with one computer's
iTunes library and streams from an additional four. The Apple TV
originally incorporated a 40 GB hard drive for storage, includes outputs
for HDMI and component video, and plays video at a maximum resolution of 720p. On May 31, 2007 a 160 GB drive was released alongside the existing 40 GB model and on January 15, 2008 a software update was released, which allowed media to be purchased directly from the Apple TV.
In September 2009, Apple discontinued the original 40 GB Apple TV and
now continues to produce and sell the 160 GB Apple TV. On September 1,
2010, alongside the release of the new line of iPod devices for the
year, Apple released a completely redesigned Apple TV. The new device is
1/4 the size, runs quieter, and replaces the need for a hard drive with
media streaming from any iTunes library on the network along with 8 GB
of flash memory to cache
media downloaded. Apple with the Apple TV has added another device to
its portfolio that runs on its A4 processor along with the iPad and the
iPhone. The memory included in the device is the half of the iPhone 4 at 256 MB; the same as the iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 3G, and iPod touch 4G.
It has HDMI out as the only video out source. Features include access
to the iTunes Store to rent movies and TV shows (purchasing has been
discontinued), streaming from internet video sources, including YouTube
and Netflix, and media streaming from an iTunes library. Apple also
reduced the price of the device to $99.
Software
Apple develops its own operating system to run on Macs, Mac OS X, the latest version being Mac OS X Lion
(version 10.7). Apple also independently develops computer software
titles for its Mac OS X operating system. Much of the software Apple
develops is bundled with its computers. An example of this is the
consumer-oriented iLife software package that bundles iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, GarageBand, and iWeb. For presentation, page layout and word processing, iWork is available, which includes Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. iTunes, QuickTime media player, Safari web browser, and Software Update are available as free downloads for both Mac OS X and Windows.
Apple also offers a range of professional software titles. Their range of server software includes the operating system Mac OS X Server; Apple Remote Desktop, a remote systems management application; WebObjects, Java EE Web application server; and Xsan, a Storage Area Network file system. For the professional creative market, there is Aperture for professional RAW-format photo processing; Final Cut Studio, a video production suite; Logic, a comprehensive music toolkit and Shake, an advanced effects composition program.
Apple also offers online services with MobileMe (formerly .Mac) that bundles personal web pages, email, Groups, iDisk, backup, iSync,
and Learning Center online tutorials. MobileMe is a subscription-based
internet suite that capitalizes on the ability to store personal data on
an online server and thereby keep all web-connected devices in sync. Announced at MacWorld Expo 2009, iWork.com allows iWork users to upload documents for sharing and collaboration.
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