technabob » upgrade

rumornabob: new imac and macbook to be released “in the next several weeks”

lambert v. — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:30:26 +0000

Research firm Wedge Partners recently claimed that Apple will unveil updates to the iMac and the MacBook within “the next several weeks” (like what, 64 weeks from now?) The MacBook redesign “is likely to be limited,” (perhaps it’ll just be renamed to macbook. or MaCbOoK) while the new iMac will have a “thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges.” No word on specs though.

Wedgie Wedge Partners also thinks that Apple will have another round of price cuts along with the release of the new Macs, as a response to the impending release of Windows 7, Microsoft’s well-received OS, this October. Apple does follow a fairly regular hardware update cycle, so I guess the first part of the rumor is no surprise, but price cuts? Want. Maybe Apple will release a 13″ Unibody MacBook with a removable battery for $1,000. Hah! I wish.

What would you like to see in the next Macbook & iMac? What the hell does “organic design” mean? And what exactly does a “research firm” do? So many questions.

[via Tech Trader Daily via MacRumors]

xbox 360 pro 60GB price and release date announced

technabob — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:06:32 +0000

Microsoft today confirmed that it is preparing to release a new Xbox 360 model, the Xbox 360 Pro. The console will hit U.S. and Canadian stores in early August, and will be priced at $349. The new model triples the storage from the current Xbox 360 Premium to a much more usable 60GB, offering plenty of space for downloads from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Microsoft says it will discontinue the current 20GB 360 Premium, and has immediately dropped its price to $299 to make way for the new model. The 360 Arcade ($279/no hard drive) and the 360 Elite ($449/120GB hard drive), will continue to be produced, and there’s no word on price drops for those models.

[UPDATE: It looks like Amazon is already offering the Elite for just $399, a $50 cut].

No images of the new model have been revealed yet, but it’s thought that it will retain the familiar white design as the earlier models. (C’mon Redmond, isn’t it time for that svelte Xbox 360 Mini we’ve all been dying for?)

[Press Release]

xbox 360 ultimate in the works?

technabob — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:26:50 +0000

Is Microsoft getting ready to announce a new Xbox SKU? The guys over at Stuff.TV are reporting that the company is readying a new top-of-the-line console model called the Xbox 360 Ultimate.

Aimed squarely at Sony’s Playstation 3 high-end hardware features, the Ultimate console is rumored to include built-in HD-DVD playback, Wi-Fi, improved audio circuitry, a 65nm chipset, and a 320GB hard drive so you’ll have plenty of storage space for Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox IPTV service and other downloaded content. Perhaps my favorite part of the rumor is an improved cooling system that’ll allow for virtually silent operation — fan noise being one of my pet peeves with the current 360 series.

Stuff believes the Xbox 360 Ultimate will hit stores in Autumn 2008. Only time will tell if the rumors are true. Stay tuned.

[via eXophase]

game crazy reveals black xbox 360?

technabob — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:05:10 +0000

According to a user over in the Cheap Ass Gamer forums, a SKU popped up in Game Crazy store’s point-of-sale system for a new Xbox 360 model, listed as follows:

“GM-XBOX 360 (black/ 120GB) $479.99 NEW $439.99 USED.” It’s also listing a release date of 5/1/2007.

If this is true, it would put an end to the rampant rumors of the impending new model. There’s no word at this point if it includes any other new rumored features such as HDMI or a built-in HD DVD drive, but based on that pricepoint, I’d guess it’s just the bigger hard drive and maybe the HDMI port at most. With this information out on the street, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Microsoft fills in the details.

[via Kotaku]

(Photo shown is from an Xbox Black Case mod, not from the rumored Microsoft model.)