Well, I'm finally in a position to start blogging again, and it couldn't be a better time as Apple held an event centred around their notebook range earlier today. So what did we see?

- Macbook Air updates
- New 24in LED lit Cinema Display
- New Macbooks
- New Macbook Pros

Here are my initial thoughts

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Macbook Air updates

The Macbook Air saw it's first updates, namely a new integrated GPU the NVIDIA 9400M, hard drive capacity increased to 120GB and solid state drive option of 128GB, and a new video connector. Price remains the same.

Overall a modest update, but the meatier graphics and larger storage will go a long way towards making the Air a more attractive notebook. It still has the same CPU though, so this is less of a speed bump and more of a fleshing out of what was already there.

New 24in LED lit Cinema Display

Now this is one of those things that is long overdue, in much the same guise as the iMacs, this new screen really looks the part in the photos. Also with the new cable for it, which can power a Macbook as well as it having a built in iSight, microphone and speakers, a very solid update. Some will argue about the glossy screen, but if the iMac is anything to go by, I'd personally be more than happy with this on my desk

New Macbooks

Now we're into the major updates. Apple has released new Aluminium and glass Macbooks, with a glass multitouch trackpad, NVIDIA graphics and other improvements. This thing looks awesome in all the photos, the specs look strong, and all round a worthy update. The bad news though, only the top end model has the backlit keyboard, and if you want one of these Macbooks you are looking at £949 or £1149. The good news? Well Apple are still selling the white plastic Macbooks at the new price of £719. This is a large price difference between models, however the white Macbook still has the Intel X3100 graphics, so if you want any chance of gaming on the go, £949 is your price.

Personally I really like the new look of the Macbook, but keeping it nearer to the previous pricing structure would have been a real killer blow. I think Apple may have only just missed a real chance here.

New Macbook Pros

Looking much the same as the new Macbooks, the 15in Macbook Pros now feature NVIDIA 9400M integrated graphics, and you can also get a 9600M discrete card in the Macbook Pro, meaning the two GPU's work via SLi meaning seriously meaty graphics performance. Other than that, much the same as the Macbooks.

Interestingly the 17inch still retains the look of the previous generation, and instead just got a couple of minor updates, perhaps the new design would be too costly on a 17in model? Some food for thought there.

Sadly though, you can only get the Macbook Pro 15in with a glossy screen, not a problem for me, but undoubtedly an issue for graphics designers, a potential slip up by Apple, but only time will tell.

Anyway that's my initial thoughts on the updates, check back though as later this week I'm going to head to my local Apple store and check out all of these products first hand, and report back on my hands on experience.