An Apple A Day
APPlE. Inc
iMac
Somewhat lost among the hoopla of the iPhone and the new-generation iPods, Apple Computer “quietly” introduced its newest iMac last month. This larger widescreen (20 or or 24-inch) all-in-one Mac is powered by a Intel Core 2 (2.4 or 2.8GHz) and comes loaded with an iSight web camera, built-in Wi-Fi wireless and Bluetooth, plus Apple’s newest iLife ’08 suite, which includes iTunes, GarageBand, iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb, and iMovie. CD and DVD playing and burning is, of course, standard with its SuperDrive. After you’ve loaded all that music on your hard drive, Apple is now offering up to one terabyte of optional disk space, with 250 GB of storage standard. Early reports claim the new iLife software is a memory hog, so the 1GB of standard memory/RAM is a welcome addition. This iMac sports a new glossy black frame around the monitor that makes the widescreen really pop. As with any Mac, you’ll pay a little extra for the Apple experience – the iMac starts at $1,200. Check out www.apple.com for all the details.
Dunlop
Hendrix Collector Series Picks
The Jimi Hendrix estate hasn’t missed an opportunity to exploit, err, expose Jimi to new audiences (Dude, have you tried his Liquid Experience energy drink?). In conjunction with a CD/DVD reissue of Hendrix’s Monterey Pop Concert debut in mid-October, Dunlop, makers of Hendrix wah, fuzz, and octavio pedals, have created some really cool Collector Series Pick Tins, each featuring a dozen classic celluloid picks adorned with legendary Hendrix album art. The picks are available in medium (Bold As Love, Are You Experienced) or heavy gauge (Band of Gypsys, Electric Ladyland). While we don’t fault Jimi’s estate for re-marketing his musical genius, we could do without the food products – give us more guitar accessories. List price is $9.50; you can learn more at www.jimdunlop.com.
Washburn
Baby Jumbo
It has been awhile since we heard from Chicago’s Washburn Guitars. That makes sense because they were making a baby, after all. The Baby Jumbo acoustic series is aimed at musicians who “enjoy the sound of a jumbo-body guitar but prefer a compact-sized instrument that is player and stage friendly.” Offered in both cutaway electric-acoustic and standard acoustic versions, the Baby’s body length has been compressed, yet it still offers body volume that generates a fuller, large tone that emanates from the bridge. Crafted with solid rosewood sides and back, along with an ebony fingerboard and bridge, it features a solid cedar top and gold Grover tuners. The cutaway electric version features a solid spruce top as well as Washburn’s BBand acoustic pre-amp system with both one-fourth-inch and XLR outputs. Adopting a baby ain’t cheap: The Baby Jumbo starts at $1,499. Visit www.washburn.com for more information.
– David Gedge
