The first and most anticipated update was the Mac Mini. The only change on the physical appearance is on the back. Apple has removed the DVI output and exchanged it for a mini DVI output as well as a mini Display output. They also exchanged the Firewire 400 for a Firewire 800 and added one more USB port for a total of five. The new unit has a speed increase, new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card (which we first saw on the MacBook and MacBook Pro), now handles up to 4GB of memory, larger HDD options, and now even more energy efficient. The starting price remains at $599.

The next update is the iMac, everyone’s favorite All-in-One desktop computer. The updated iMac has “Twice the memory and twice the storage” for the same price. There is now only one 20in option, and now two 24in options. The 20in starts at $1199 and the 24in models range from $1499 to $2199 starting price. The $1499 iMac will get you an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.66GHz, 4GB memory, 640GB HDD, the usual Super Drive, and the new 9400M graphics card. A mini Display port has also been added, and the Firewire 400 exchanged for a Firewire 800.

The top of the line Mac Pro now starts $300 cheaper, has Intels new Xeon “Nehalem” processor chip, a redesigned interior, and has the new mini Display output, in addition to a standard DVI output. Even though $300 is a lot off, the Pro still starts off at $2499, no display included. There is simply too much about the Mac Pro for me to list off, so visit Apple’s Mac Pro site to learn more.

The smaller updates include the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule, a new keyboard, and a speed bump to the 15in MacBook Pro. The two wireless devices now have dual band support, allowing them to use both the faster N network and slower G network simultaneously, keeping faster devices at top speed even when slower devices are on the network. It also adds a new “Guest Network” feature, allowing your friends access to the internet without access to your network. The default wired keyboard now is much more like the wireless keyboard, no numeric keypad. The wired keyboard with the numeric pad is still available and there is no price difference. The top 15in MacBook Pro and starting 17in MacBook Pro now have a starting speed at 2.66GHz.

You can see that there are many updates to Apple’s computer and accessory products, much of them were anticipated, some were a surprise.

Also since mid december, I’ve been dating Joshua. He’s been a great boyfriend, especially since he’s only known me since I’ve been unemployed. He’s been able to meet many of my friends, and even some of my family. And every single person has loved him. It’s been great, I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend. We both have made our weekly appearance at Cake and a Movie night together, as well as the Twitter Breakfast Bunch. As we got to know each other, he discovered that I’ve never watched Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, and he set out to change that. Whenever we have enough time together, we watch an episode or two, sometimes three. We have made it through season one and are making it  through season two now. I have become a fan.

Well, I think this will be a good entry for a quick update. I’m going to push myself to write a new post at least once a week. I will be writing a few entries about some new and updated Apply products following this. I look forward to everyone’s comments!

I’m going to enjoy as much time as I can with my family before making my journey back to Columbia on Saturday morning. I need to finish moving the rest of my stuff out of my apartment into Ryan’s apartment, which I completed almost all of it on Tuesday with the help of my dear friend Nicole. I have to be completely out by Sunday.

Sunday I will be going to St Louis to go see Jenny and spend New Years with her. I’m so very excited to be with Jenny on New Years. We’re going to have tons of fun, and Jenny has some new friends for me to meet, which is super exciting. Once all the fun is done, I must start job hunting. And I also need to get enrolled for classes.

In this last paragraph, let it be known that I am no longer a single or available man. As of Monday evening Josh and I are exclusive. He’s an incredible person, our connection has been amazing. I’m going to stop right there so I don’t jinx anything. I hope to continue to talk about him in my future posts.

So Wednesday was pretty much the same, except I was a little more productive. Today I submitted my application for a job at Apple. This is actually my second time applying there. I didn’t hear anything after applying the first time, so I submitted an application for another position. If I could afford to go with out a job for a little while, I would just quit my current job and then worry about getting another job later. Unfortunately I can’t. So right now I have to deal with my job and just be patient, painfully. So tonight I will make the drive back to Columbia and work in the morning at 8am.

New Years is coming up soon and looking for ideas of what to do. I want to spend the time with Jenny, Justin and Ryan. Jenny and I have talked a little about it, but I haven’t had the chance to talk to Justin or Ryan yet. We’ll see what happens.

The cold temperature has frozen a hose connected to a spout.

Last night Justin and I went to WalMart to get items for his photo shoot. We were going to be lighting tennis balls on fire and needed some lighter fluid. As we were walking through the store, Justin noticed that WalMart now has iPods in the Jewelry case. Odd.

While taking the picture we had a WalMart employee tell us, “No picture taken in the store.” Haha, luckily I already took this picture. We got the lighter fluid and left WalMart, picked up Ryan and went and took some pictures. You’ll have to go to Justin’s blog when he uploads them. The pictures looked so cool. Until next time!

“Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.”

I can’t express enough how extremely happy I am with Apple, AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and many other companies that have donated money to help the fight against proposition 8. This is the most costly ballot measure campaign in the country this year with $60 million raised total, for and against the measure. Between 2004 and 2006, 22 states had similar measures that all together totaled $34.1 million, so you can see how much attention this has received in CA. This is HUGE! Not only have companies donated money, but several individuals have as well. Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg, T.R. Knight, Dana Delaney, Eric McCormack, Pete Wentz, David Geffen, America Ferrara, Tony Plana and Ana Oritz have all either donated money or have helped defeat proposition 8. It’s extraordinary how much support has come from companies and individuals.

I encourage everyone that lives in California to go vote NO! on Proposition 8 and be sure to take 5 other people with you. If you don’t live in California, then talk to those that you know that live in California to go vote no and encourage them to talk to their friends about the proposition. This is not only a big initiative for California, but will make a huge impact for all of America.