They’re here! Apple has unleashed not only Mac OS X Lion, but also their updated Mac offerings, including the Intel Core-powered Macbook Air and new Mac Mini.

Mac OS X Lion is available to download via the Mac App Store for $29.99 (that’s roughly Php1,300.00 based on current exchange rates). It’s a 3.49GB download, so depending on your internet connection, it might take a while to get this downloaded to your Mac.

The new Mac Mini, for its part, gets miniaturized even more as Apple gives the long-standing SuperDrive the boot, a change that might disappoint users planning to use the Mac Mini as a home theater PC. On the upside, its CPU did manage to get its long-overdue upgrade, and now comes equipped with a Thunderbolt port to complement its set of USB, Firewire 800, and HDMI ports.

Here are the Mac Mini specs and its SRP as posted over at the Philippine Apple Online store:

• Mac mini: 2.3GHz Core i5, 2GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000, 500GB storage                   Php30,990.00
• Mac mini: 2.5GHz Core i5, 4GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics, 500GB storage    Php40,990.00
• Mac Mini Lion Server: 2GHz quad-core Core i7, 4GB RAM, Dual 500GB 7200-rpm drives     Php50,990.00

Last, but not the least, we have the refreshed Macbook Air line. These too also now run on an Intel Core i5 processor, and just like the Mini, ships with Lion pre-installed. Apart from Thunderbolt, the new Air also now features a backlit keyboard (yeah, baby!) akin to its Macbook Pro sibling.

Below are the various Macbook Air models available and its SRP:

• MacBook Air 11-inch: 1.6GHz Core i5, 2GB RAM, 64GB storage       Php49,990.00
• MacBook Air 11-inch: 1.6GHz Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage     Php59,990.00
• MacBook Air 13-inch: 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage     Php65,990.00
• MacBook Air 13-inch: 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB RAM, 256GB storage     Php79,990.00

Core i5 not good enough? Well, good news as you can upgrade both the 11-inch and 13-inch models to a 1.8GHz Core i7 processor.

It’ll prolly take a few days (or weeks at the latest) for these new Mac treats to hit local stores, but for you guys who just can’t wait, these are all up and ready for order online.

So, how about it guys? Are you enticed to get a new Mac soon?

Allan David

Online, Allan’s got you covered as far as news (and some reviews every now and then) goes. Offline, you’ll see him either sweating it out in the badminton courts or dining out in one of the new restos around town. His favorite noodles: cold soba.

email: allan@technoodling.netwebsite: http://oasis1.wordpress.com