In an expceptionally shrewd move Apple today launched a raft of new kit only 2 days before Microsofts release of Windows 7 including new iMacs, a new entry level Macbook, a new multi-touch wireless mouse and redesigned Mac Mini’s including one with Snow Leopard server !

Of most interest to the majority of people will be the Magic Mouse and the astounding new 27″ LED iMac. The Magic Mouse extends Apples multi-touch technology to the mouse, disposing of the roller ball for scrolling in favour of a mouse surface that is a multi-touch trackpad able to respond to most of the gestures possible on the MacBooks trackpad. Mac haters will no doubt love the fact that the device still sports no obvious buttons and will no doubt gloat over the apparent inability of the mouse to allow right mouse clicks, everyone else will quietly configure it to work exactly how they wish and revel in the usual Apple design beauty. Of course even amongst Mac fans the mouse has traditionally been something you either love or hate but personally I think this latest revision looks stunning and sets off the look of the iMac to perfection.

The new iMacs take the Apple desktop range to new heights and push the Power Mac further into a niche corner by delivering superb 21.5″ and a huge 27″ LED backlit screens, Core 2 Duo and Quad processors including the option of Intel i7 and the option to install a huge 16Gb of RAM. Apart from the internal specs the design of the iMac is largely unchanged from previous models apart from minor tweaks including a slight thinning of the aluminium stand, though you could clearly argue that the current design is still very much of the moment and therefore Apple have rightly not felt it necessary to mess with it.

The Mac Mini has received a performance hike with two new models sporting beefier processors and expanded memory and at the same time a DVD-less model complete with Snow Leopard Server has been launched, clearly an attempt to tempt smaller companies away from Windows server solutions. Finally a slightly slimmer and lighter white Macbook now receives a unibody casing ( ala MacBook Pro line ), LED backlight, a glass multi-touch trackpad and a 7 hour battery life wrapping off an impressive list of upgrades.

There is no doubt that the timing of these updates was planned to detract some media attention away from this weeks launch of Windows 7, though even the most fervent Mac supporter will have to admit that this week will inevitably be remembered for Microsoft’s new product launch ( though time will tell which is ultimately the most successful ! )

Apple have today released a software update for the new MacBooks which have been reported by many owners to exhibit problems with trackpad clicks not being recognised. This has been widely discussed on Apples forums and popular blogs and podcasts have covered the issue extensively. Leo Laporte has covered this on a number of episodes of MacBreak Weekly since upgrading to a new MacBook Pro.

Do you think if he could Steve Jobs would have the cable in the new Cinema Display photo air-brushed out ? It must be a real source of angst for SJ that there are still some parts of the computer that you cannot get rid of, like power leads and video connection cables…. But you can bet the engineers at Cupertino are working on this…

In reality the day is probably fast approaching when cables will become a relic of the early days of electronics, wireless power has been the goal of many teams of physicists and engineers around the world for years, and has been demonstrated in actual products on a limited scale on an increasingly regular basis over the last couple of years. It goes without saying I think that Apple will be watching developments in this area with keen interest, that is if they are not engaged in developments of their own.

Couple wireless power with Ultra Wide Band radio ( UWB ) for transmitting video signals and the next generation of Cinema displays will finally be able to lose the tethering cables and Apples marketing teams will be able to honestly show pictures how they would probably like to show them already, sans-cables !

Apple have today sent invites to selected journalists inviting them to a special event next Tuesday 14th October. The invites read “the spotlight turns to notebooks” in an unusually direct manner for Apple, whose events are generally entitled with thinly veiled hints at the actual subject of the day.

Still, this event has long been expected to revolve around new notebook announcements and this is one Apple blog that is actually hoping for return to previous “And One More Thing” style launches, having been more than a little deflated after the last couple of Steve Notes.

Clearly a product to wow the Apple faithful is well overdue as is a refresh of the aging Macbook lineup ( Macbook Air excepted of course ).

Personally I would like to see Apple attacking the growing Netbook market with a really price competitive sub-notebook, but I think this is probably not going to happen. More likely I think is a consolidation of the Macbook range with uniform aluminium casing across the consumer and Pro models, and presumably a lift in performance and specs at the same time.

Less likely potentials include the oft discussed tablet laptop, though with the advances in touch screens that the iPhone has brought in this always remains a distant possibility, and my personal hope for MUCH improved sound output which on the Macbook is weedy to the point of being ridiculous.

Looking forward to next week…. Cheers