SAN JOSE, Calif. – A day after releasing record financial results, Apple rolled out a 27-inch display for the Thunderbolt interconnect, updated versions of its MacBook Air notebook and Mac mini desktop with Thunderbolt and an upgrade of its Mac OS operating system.
The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the first display and one of the first major peripherals to ship using Thunderbolt, a dual 10 Gbit/s bi-directional link developed by Intel and first used in February on an Apple MacBook Pro. Hedging its bets on Thunderbolt, the new display also supports Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800 and has three USB 2.0 ports.
So far, just a handful of other companies including Canon, La Cie, Promise and Western Digital have said they will ship external storage devices and cameras using the link. No other major OEMs have announced plans to use the technology.
The PCI Special Interest Group announced in June plans for a cabled version of PCI Express 3.0 aimed at similar applications as Thunderbolt.
The display also includes an integrated charger, an embedded Apple FaceTime camera and a 2.1 audio speaker system. It will be available in 60 days at a retail price of $999.
Apple also put a Thunderbolt port on new 11- and 13-inch models of its MacBook Air notebook. The systems also have two USB 2.0 ports, use a range of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and sell for prices ranging from $999 to $1,599 depending on configuration.
The company also planted a Thunderbolt port on two new Mac mini models using Intel Core i5 processors and selling for $599 and $799. The systems also sport four USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port and a FireWire 800 port.
In addition, Apple released Lion, the eighth version of its Mac OS, as a $29.99 download on its Mac App Store. Lion sports 250 new features including new multi-touch gestures, integrated access to the Mac App Store and integrated peer-to-peer wireless networking.
USB 2.0, MacBook Air, Mac OS, Mac Mini, Thunderbolt, Apple, Macs, Displays, Interconnects, FireWire, Lion Apple plants Thunderbolt in display, Macs
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