As expected, Apple today updated it’s best selling laptop, the MacBook Air, and its smallest Mac, the Mac Mini. In addition, the company released the latest version of its operating system, known as Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, for devices that are not iPhones, iPads or iPods.

The MacBook Airs now feature Intel i5 or i7 processors as well as better storage options, a Thunderbolt port and a backlit keyboard. The Mac Minis also feature i5 or i7, Thunderbolt and similar new specs bringing them in the line with the rest of Apple’s current hardware.

Here’s the specs on the new Mac computers:

• Mac mini Base model: 2.3GHz CPU with 2GB of RAM, and 500GB of storage
• Mac mini: 2.5GHz CPU with 4GB of RAM, and, 500GB of storage
• Mac mini server: 2.0GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, and two 500GB hard drives
• MacBook Air 11″: Base model: 1.6GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage
• MacBook Air 11″: 1.6GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage
• MacBook Air 11″: Built to order model: 1.8GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage
• MacBook Air 13″: Base model: 1.7GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage
• MacBook Air 13″: 1.7GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, 256GB of storage
• MacBook Air 13″: Built to order: 1.8GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, 256GB of storage

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It’s gold baby! That’s right, the next version of Apple’s flagship operating system for Macs has just gone Gold and been seeded to developers.

The next version, known as OS X 10.7 Lion, is now at build number 11A511 and the download is available immediately on Apple’s developer website. Of course, that’s only if you’ve paid your $99.00 to be an Apple OS X developer. If not, no Lion for you — at least not yet.

Due to this being the GM and barring any major glitches with it, we should expect it to be the final version before the update is released in the wild for everyone.

That launch will be sometime next month with the update being available in Apple’s Mac App store. It will cost $29.00, which seems pretty reasonable.

With today’s update to Apple’s Mac OS X software (aka Snow Leopard), it just may be the last one we ever see. With OS X 10.7 (aka Lion) set to ship in the next few months, Snow Leopard may end up finishing its life at version 10.6.8, which is the update number released today.

This update addresses the following:

• Enhance the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion

• Resolve an issue that may cause Preview to unexpectedly quit

• Improve support for IPv6

• Improve VPN reliability

• Identify and remove known variants of Mac Defender

The combo updater for 10.6.8 is available from Apple and is 1.01 GB. You can also get the delta updater by going to Software Update on your individual Mac.

For more information about the update, head on over to Apple’s website.

It was just a matter of time but according to reports, Apple has completed negotiations with all four of the major record labels including Warner Music Group, EMI Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment and signed contracts to enable their upcoming cloud music service to go forward. Contracts with the music publishers is reportedly set to follow on Friday.

The new service, which will be called iCloud, will be offered for a free period initially to people who buy music from Apple’s iTunes digital download store. This will allow users to upload and store their music and then be able to play it from a Web browser or Internet-connected Apple device such as an iPhone or iPad.

Even though the service will start out free, the company plans to eventually charge a subscription fee, about $25 a year, for it. Apple would also sell advertising around its iCloud service. So, $25 bucks and advertising? Kinda lame Apple.

Of course, the service is initially to store uses music on the cloud but you can clearly see Apple’s intent here is to eventually offer storage of TV, Movie and other digital content as well. After all, why stop at music when the real money to be made is with other tyopes of content?

With the service set to debut soon some questions have to be asked including how much storage will be included and how easy will it be to upload your iTunes library should you choose to do it. I don’t know about you but my iTunes is very large and it would take a long time to upload. With a large library like that I can’t quite see the utility of this service, especially when I can already sync my music and more to my iPhone and iPad.

I guess we’ll see how well it works, or doesn’t, soon enough.

In direct competition with Apple’s own App Store Amazon announced late yesterday the launch of its online store for Mac OS X applications. The store, which features downloads of over 200 different software titles and 51 different games, will go head to head with Apple’s own offering.

Programs such as Microsoft Office, Intuit’s QuickBooks and games such as Dragon Age: Origins and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are currently available. Customers can quickly purchase and download applications using their Amazon accounts, download the software and get to work. No need to wait for a box to arrive at your doorstep.

In addition, purchases are automatically backed-up in case customers need to reinstall the apps at a later date. This is a nice feature and saves customers from having to hassle with downloading again and also with backing up lots of software installers.

According to the online sales giant the “Mac Download store features an install-less download process where the customer gets just the product without any unwanted extras, making for faster and easier purchases. Plus, downloads are conveniently backed up in your Games and Software Library where you can download an unlimited number of times for personal use.”

In a not surprising move Apple has finally relented and admitted that there is actually a potential problem with the so called “Mac Defender” malware and has offered a fix on its support website. In case you haven’t been keeping up, Mac users have recently been targeted by a phishing scam that falsely claimed their computers were infected with a virus.

When redirected to an illegitimate website to deal with the “virus”, users were instructed to install “Mac Defender,” which was malware disguised as an antivirus application. Until recently, Apple had reportedly told its AppleCare support team to deny the problem exists and  “not remove or uninstall any malware” found on any computer.

But now the company has apparently changed its mind and decided to not ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Reportedly, between 60,000 and 125,000 customers had contacted Apple for solutions to this issue.

Maybe that’s why Apple decided it was time to acknowledge the problem publicly. We’ll probably never really know the whole story.

As with a lot of malware, this particular one relies on the user in order to be installed on a computer. Let this be yet another lesson, don’t believe everything you see on your computer and don’t just install something because something says you need it. Think about it first.

Click through for the removal steps as posted by Apple plus a video showing you what the malware looks like. Any Mac users out there have this problem? Let us know in the comments.

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As expected, today Apple updated its lineup of all-in-on iMac desktops with faster processors and improved graphics cards. In addition, the new iMacs now feature the Thunderbolt I/O port first introduced in the most recent MacBook Pro updates as well as the new Sandy Bridge chipset.

The new, improved, iMac comes in two 21.5-inch and three 27-inch models. Here’s the specs:

iMac 21.5″

• CPU: 2.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
• RAM: 4GB (2 x 2 GB)
• HDD: 500 GB or 1 TB hard drive
• GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6750M or AMD Radeon HD 6770M
• Other: Single Thunderbolt port, FaceTime HD camera, aluminum and glass design, IPS LED-backlit high resolution display, Mini DisplayPort, One FireWire 800 port, Four USB 2.0 ports, SDXC card slot, Slot-loading 8x • SuperDrive, Audio in/out, Gigabit Ethernet, IR receiver, 802.11 a/b/g n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and an Apple wireless keyboard with a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.
• Price: Starting at $1,199

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During the NAB show in Las Vegas yesterday Apple revealed the next generation of its Final Cut Pro editing software to the masses and while some may always fear change, in this case it looks like change is something to be embraced and celebrated.

According to Apple, the new FCP is “as revolutionary as the original Final Cut released back in ’99.” Sounds good, Take a look at some of the specs:

• Now 64-bit (about time)
• New UI
• Resolution independent playback system
• Handles up to 4K (good for you HD fans)
• Uses Grand Central Dispatch to utilize up to 8 cores (makes for fast workflow)
• Fully color-managed (ColorSync)
• Media ready for editing immediately (stabilization, audio and shutter correction, shot detection and preliminary color balancing automatically applied during ingest)
• Timecode-based keywording within clips
• iMovie-esque “smart collections” of clips, audio based on metadata, people in shot, etc.

Apple says Final Cut Pro X will be available in June for $299. That’s a really good price and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

It’s beginning to smell a lot like iOS as Apple today announced the dates for its Worldwide Developer Conference, which will take place June 6th to the 10th in San Francisco at the Moscone Center. The software-centric, annual event provides developers and fans a look at what Apple has in store for its operating systems and, as is sometimes the case, its hardware.

“At this year’s conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS,” said Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller. “If you are an iOS or Mac OS X software developer, this is the event that you do not want to miss.”

So, what can we expecgt from this event? Well, if tradition holds we should see a nice demo of the next generation of Apple’s iOS as well as a preview of the next version of Mac OS X, code named “Lion.” We should also see a preview of the next generation iPhone, which we will call the iPhone 5 for now. Although, there has been some speculation we might not see that last thing.

Whatever happens, WWDC is always a great time and often a perfect indication of what Apple has up their virtual sleeve for the next year. If you’re interested in attending, head on over to this website to pick up tickets.

Since last week I’ve been testing out the new Wi-Fi Finder App from Boingo. It’s been particularly handy the last day or so when, due to severe storms in LA and the apparently highly vulnerable Timer Warner infrastructure, my Internet went out and I was forced to seek alternative methods to connect and get my work done.

So, an application that’s purpose is to find and connect you to more than 325,000 hotspots (or more) should come in pretty handy in this situation. Not surprisingly, it did. The app was able to find several open Wi-Fi networks clost to my home that, if I wanted to, I could have connected to and used. It was also able to connect me quickly to a hotspot at a local Starbucks so I could get back online. All by launching one app and letting it do its thing.

But connecting you to hotspots isn’t the only thing this app does. It also boast these features:

• Connects to more than 325,000 hotspots from more than 125 network operators in 105 countries (I know, we covered that already, but its really cool)
• Connects to any open, free network that you may encounter
• Can determine the best available open network if more than one are present
• Can be configured to auto-connect to free networks

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Today Apple released the latest update to its flagship Mac operating system, OS X. This new update brings the software to version 10.6.7 and, of course, offers several “general operating system fixes” and enhancements to the core OS as well as other items.

As you can see from the image above, this update addresses issues associated with Apple’s “Back to My Mac” feature, which I’ve used quite frequently. It does have its quirks, to be sure, so hopefully those will be resolved with this update. Really, if they just fix the services ability to get through most routers without having to jump through too many hoops, I would be happy.

Other items addressed with this update include a fix to SMB file transfers and some minor App Store bugs. As this is an update to the core operating system of your Mac, it will require a reboot once it is downloaded and installed.

Also, its always a good idea to perform a full backup or make sure you backup is good before updating your Mac. But really, there’s no hurry to update at all unless you feel you would explicitly benefit from the fixes listed here. Why not let others do it first and see if there are any problems?

However, if you do update let us know how it goes and if you have any problems. Hit us up in the comments.

Today, as was expected, Apple unveiled their new initiative aimed at Mac OSX software developers and those wishing to purchase applications for their Macs in a way similar to iTunes and iOS apps. Dubbed the Mac App Store, it is part of the latest software release of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system which, when applied, brings Mac computers to version 10.6.6.

Here’s what Apple has to say about the update:

The Mac OS X 10.6.6 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. It also includes the Mac App Store, the best way to discover and buy new apps for your Mac. The Mac App Store, a new application you’ll find in the Dock, includes the following features:

• Discover Mac apps: Browse featured apps, top charts, and categories, or search for something specific. Read detailed app descriptions and user reviews, and flip through screen shots.
• Buy and install: Easily purchase apps with your iTunes account. Apps install in one step and are quickly available from the Dock.
• App updates: The Mac App Store keeps track of all your purchased apps and notifies you when free updates are available.

Among the apps being sold in the Mac App Store as of this morning are some made by Apple, including parts of the iLife and iWork suites and Aperture 3. These apps are available individually with prices ranging from $15 for iLife apps to $20 for iWork apps and $79 for Aperture.

The update is now available via Software Update so if you’re interested in this, fire up your Mac and get to updating. If you do, let us know your experiences in the comments.