Apple Polishes Mac Line, Conjures Up Multitouch Magic Mouse

The entire top shell of Apples new Magic Mouse is a multitouch surface, allowing users to scroll with flicks of their fingers. The whole mouse, too, is a button, so users can click anywhere. Clicking the top corner of ones choice opens a shortcut menu, and Magic Mouse can scroll in a 360-degree circle, making it easy to view all areas of a photo.

The iMac line now includes LED-backlit 21.5- and 27-inch widescreen glass displays that run straight to the edge of the aluminum enclosure. Each ships with a wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse. Pricing for the 21.5-incher begins at $1,199, while the 27-incher begins at $1,699.

The iMacs offer a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo processors starting at 3.06GHz and Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors that Apple says deliver twice the performance. The Core 2 Duo versions are now available, while the Core i5 and i7 quad-core models will begin shipping in November.

Apples MacBook now takes cues from the MacBook Pro and features a polycarbonate unibody design with a 1280 x 800 LED backlit display, a glass multitouch trackpad and a built-in seven-hour battery.

The 4.7-pounder was also given a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM a 250GB hard drive and Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. It runs Snow Leopard, the battery is said to last 1,000 charges and its priced at $999.

At 6.5 inches by 2 square inches, the mini offers a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR3 1,066MHz memory, a 160GB hard drive, five USB ports, FireWire 800, Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a SuperDrive for $599. For $799, the specs jump to a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive.

Apple calls the Mac mini the worlds most efficient desktop. Connectivity includes Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 a/b/g/n and gigabit Ethernet. For $999, Apple additionally offers a version configured with Snow Leopard Server, which features two 500GB hard drives for 1TB of storage.