The MacBook Air products received the expected hardware update and are currently shipping (in the US) with Haswell ULT processors. While the performance gains on the CPU side should be fairly marginal, the IGP upgrade is supposed to offer a considerable boost to graphic performance (a 40% gain was mentioned, though no measurement criteria was given to justify or explain the value). Another important effect of the hardware upgrade is a noticeably extended battery life, translated into 9 hours for the 11" MacBook Air and 12 hours for the 13" version, or what Apple called "all day battery life." WiFi was also upgraded to the 802.11ac standard. Both MacBook Air versions suffered downward price adjustments, with pricing for the 11" model starting at $999 while the 13" saw a $100 price cut, now starting at $1099.

Kanex, a leader of innovative Apple and iOS connectivity solutions for homes and businesses worldwide, today announced DualRole, a USB 3 Hub and Gigabit Adapter all in one solution. The hub portion uses the latest SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard for fast transfer speeds between devices and your computer. It has three extra USB 3 ports which enable users to connect more USB 3 devices such as hard drives, digital cameras, MP3 players and more. The Gigabit Ethernet adapter adds a Gigabit port to your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro with Retina display or any other USB 3 enabled computer and provides a fast and secure wired connection without hassle of Wi-Fi setup.

"We designed DualRole with MacBook travelers in mind," said Kelvin Yan, president of Kanex. "We know when on the road sometimes you need an Ethernet connection for Internet or network access or even more USB ports, which is why we combined both a hub and adapter into one small compact solution."

WD, a subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation, today announced that it has added the USB 3.0 interface to its line of My Passport for Mac portable hard drives and increased capacity for Mac computer users up to an unmatched 2 TB. Popular among students and other Mac users who take their digital content everywhere, the My Passport for Mac with USB 3.0 allows users to quickly and conveniently take advantage of the faster transfer speeds USB 3.0 provides when connecting the drive to their MacBook computer or MacBook Air computer with that interface.

While continuing to provide a sleek and slim design, the My Passport drive also has been a favorite among consumers and professionals who have safety and security at the top of the list of requirements for portable drives, which is why the My Passport for Mac includes password protection and hardware encryption features to protect content from unauthorized use or access. The My Passport for Mac drive is also compatible out of the box with Apple Time Machine for easy backup to further protect valuable files.

RunCore, the leading manufacturer of high-performance and rugged solid state drives (SSDs), today introduced their latest consumer-grade SSD for ultrabooks and MacBook Air, the Rocket Air SSD.

As moderns laptops are designed ever thinner and lighter to be more energy-saving and easier to carry, demand for improved storage performance is also increasing at the same time. In order to deliver both these advantages, the RunCore Rocket Air SSD is ultra-thin in size, yet provides superb performance. With its internal MLC flash and consumer-grade operating temperature, the RunCore Rocket Air SSD is particularly targeting thin laptops like ultrabooks as well as MacBook Air.

Today Logitech introduced the Logitech UE Air Speaker with Apple's AirPlay. Now you can stream uncompressed music from iTunes or an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch connected to your home's Wi-Fi network to a Logitech UE speaker that delivers high-quality audio with a big sound stage boosted by dual tweeters and woofers.

"There's a new breed of music fans whose iPad and iPhone devices are at the center of their listening activities," said Rory Dooley, senior vice president of music at Logitech. "We created the Logitech UE Air Speaker to give those people a great audio experience that combines effortless streaming with fantastic sound. With its stylish, modern design, easy setup and excellent sound, the Logitech UE Air Speaker looks and sounds phenomenal in any room in the house."

Apple is reportedly toying with the idea of a slightly bigger MacBook Air. This report comes in the wake of several others, pointing that the MacBook Pro of the future will look increasingly like the MacBook Air. Apple is considering this new, big MacBook Air to fully enter the Asia PC market, sources told DigiTimes. 14-inch notebooks are preferred more in the Asian markets, while European buyers, for instance, prefer 15-inch (or bigger) ones. The screen resolution of the new 14-inch MacBook Air is not known. The current biggest model in the series, the 13.3-inch one, packs 1440x900 pixels.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, confirmed at Macworld today its OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD is now available in a 480GB model size for the latest Apple MacBook Air 11.1" and 13.3" models which incorporate 6G (6Gb/s) data rate capabilities. The new Mercury Aura Pro Express 480GB model combines award-winning SandForce technologies and Tier 1/Grade A Toggle Synchronous NAND to deliver data rates up to 3x faster than factory 3G (3Gb/s) options and up to 8x the storage capacity of the factory's base 64GB SSD model. The new, built-in-the-USA Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD and other OWC Mercury SSDs will be shown in Other World Computing's booth #513, Moscone Centerl, at Macworld held in San Francisco this week.

Intel is planning to launch a new system-on-chip (SoC) processor derived from Atom, for network-attached storage (NAS) devices. NAS devices simple computers that connect hard drives directly to the network, where they are accessed by other computers. Over the years, NAS devices have added several functions, such as the ability to expand storage from external storage devices, the ability to perform simple tasks such as bit-torrent downloads, etc. To keep up with the growing need for compute power with these "super-NAS" devices, and to keep power draws low, there is a demand for low-power, low-footprint (small in size), and high-performance processing cores. This is one small but emerging segment that Intel doesn't want to concede to high-end multi-core ARM processors.

Sources told DigiTimes that Intel is working on an entire lineup of Atom processors for NAS devices, targeting various performance and power-draw segments. Intel is codenaming these Atom processors "Centerton". The chips are built on second-generation Atom architecture, and will be built on the 32 nm process. In related news, Intel also plans to roll out 22nm Silvermont-based Atom processors in 2013 and 14nm Airmont-based Atom parts in 2014, according to sources.

As Intel's Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors in the LGA2011 package inch closer to their mid-November launch, there is already hectic activity among manufacturers of related components such as motherboards, memory, and coolers. By now, a large section of the industry has engineering samples to help design and test their components. OCWorkbench was witness to one such pre-release setup on which a Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" (unknown model, could even be quad-core for all we know), overclocked to 4.92 GHz with a "regular" air-cooler. The chip was idling at 45°C.

Sandy Bridge-E, as we know, can be effectively overclocked by increasing its base clock (BClk). On this particular setup, the BClk was set at 120 MHz, with a multiplier value of 41X, and core voltage of 1.51V. The memory used was DDR3-2400 MHz with CAS latency of 10T. This is particularly encouraging, not just to enthusiasts on a tight budget, but also the cooling products industry in general. Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" retail boxes don't contain a cooling solution, and Intel has been showing off its branded closed-loop water-cooling solution (to be purchased separately) as something that's "recommended" for Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E". This gave many an impression that you need at least closed-loop water coolers for any hope of achieving decent overclocked speeds with these chips, and that perhaps these chips are bad overclockers in general. The likes of Xigmatek, Thermalright, Noctua, and Scythe can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

What happens when you mash up a CPU tower-type air-cooler with a water-block? You get PCCooler OC3 W120. This innovative cooler combines a tower-type air cooler design with a water block. First, there's a typical heatsink that has a polished copper base and heat pipes originating from the base, conveying heat to a aluminum fin stack; next, at the top of the stack are fittings that connect the cooler to a liquid-cooling loop. The water tubes pass through the aluminum fin stack just like heat pipes, before reaching the base of the heatsink. At the base, a micro-fin plate and block chamber makes direct contact with the heat pipes and the base below.

The aluminum fin stack holds one 120 mm fan to ventilate it. The fins are of irregular shape and are dimpled to increase surface area and turbulence. With its unique hybrid design, the PCCooler OC3 W120 can handle thermal loads of up to 500W. PCCooler OC3 W120 is made by Chinese company Shenzhen Fluence Technology, its products are exclusively sold in the Asian markets.

Noctua displayed a new low-profile, top-flow CPU cooler prototype, that's capable of low-profile mode with a height of just 66 mm, making it fit for certain slim form-factor ITX cases. The prototype uses a C-type top-flow heatsink, similar to the NH-C14, only much smaller, and thinner. It uses four heat-pipes to convey heat to a dense aluminum fin array. Unlike on the NH-C14, this prototype uses a dual-fan design in which the bottom fan is smaller. While the top-fan is a 120 mm Focused Airflow, while the bottom fan is a 92 mm NF-B9. The cooler can be run in dual-fan mode with both fans installed (cooler height will be 91 mm), or single-fan low-profile mode with the top fan removed (cooler height of 66 mm). A "high-clearance mode" with the bottom fan removed also looks possible.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced pricing and specifications for the Corsair Link Cooling Kit and the Corsair Link Cooling and Lighting Kit.

Corsair Link is a modular hardware and software system that provides comprehensive monitoring and control of PC cooling and lighting. The two starter packages announced today are complete solutions that allow customers to immediately enjoy the benefits of Corsair Link technology. Customers can then further expand their control with additional peripherals that offer Corsair Link connectivity.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user friendly designed PC components, today unveiled the SATA MX-KATANA Series SSD modules. Based on an innovative design, the sleek KATANA Series modules deliver an enhanced mobile computing experience with much faster application loading, ultra-fast data access, shorter boot-ups, and longer battery life of today's and future laptops and netbooks with new type low-profile SATA interface.

This series maintains the highest level of read and write performance though the life of the SSD. In addition, highly intelligent wear leveling design optimizes longevity of MX-KATANA series drives. This SSD module is the ideal upgrade option from standard storage of some popular notebooks like MacBook Air Rev.3.X series, making it a must have item for any serious notebook DIY enthusiast. The MX-KATANA drive delivers best-in-class read and write speeds clocking in at up to 275MB/s read and 225MB/s write along with the stunning maximum of 20,000 IOPS, low power consumption and superior durability (1.0 million MTBF) compared to rotating hard disk drives.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the Crucial Ballistix Active Cooling Fan, a snap-on proactive solution to decrease memory module heat by increasing airflow. The Crucial Ballistix Active Cooling Fan cools memory modules by eliminating 'dead spots' of airflow within the case. The fan is especially effective with water-cooled systems where internal airflow around the memory modules is often minimal. Watch a short video demonstrating how the Crucial fan increases airflow inside a computer case artificially filled with smoke. The Crucial Ballistix Active Cooling Fan is available globally today through select partners and online at Crucial.com.

"With higher densities of memory running fully populated in motherboard memory slots?along with faster speeds?performance systems demand additional cooling," said Jeremy Mortenson, Crucial senior product manager. "Whether you run your memory at stock speeds or push it to the limits with overclocking, temperature plays a critical role in reliability. The new Crucial Ballistix Active Cooling Fan can improve airflow and keep your memory running cooler."

Spire Corp today officially introduced their new high-end chassis. The Epoxi is a top of the line, sturdy and versatile PC Gamer case. Crafted from heavy-duty perforated steel panels guaranteed maximum performance and computing satisfaction. Every element of the case has been engineered to provide maximum cooling performance. Up to six large 12cm fans placed throughout the Epoxi ensuring unbeatable cooling. The meshed aluminum front panel allows unrestricted fresh air intake which is mandatory for todays extremely hot gaming components such as high wattage CPU and GPU.

The spacious internal design enables flexible assembly and sufficient room for the installation of water-cooling. The Chassis is pre-applied with rubber grommet holes for feeding the external water-cooling tubes. 11 removable front bezels accommodating 5x 5.25 inch drive bays and 6x 3.5 drive bays. Tool-free support enabling nice and easy installation of your drive devices. Two drive cages with direct cooling and tool free mounting for five hard disc drives provide massive storage capabilities. Anti-vibration mountings and application of cooling fans make this the affordable power machine you have been looking for.

Introducing a more personal, intuitive and entertaining computing experience for consumers, HP today unveiled the sleekly appealing HP TouchSmart310 PC, which features the most advanced version of the company's exclusive TouchSmart software to date. The company also announced the HP TouchSmart Apps Center for one-touch access to free and subscription-based applications, as well as the HP Omni100, which offers the performance users demand from a tower and monitor in an all-in- one design.

HP also is helping businesses make touch an integral part of the customer experience through relationships with American Airlines, ESPN and the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers. "Each generation of TouchSmart is a reflection of what HP has learned from its customers, complemented by the latest technologies," said James Mouton, senior vice president, Desktop Organization, Personal Systems Group, HP. "The TouchSmart PC's unique interface lets users do more than just basic computing - it acts as the anchor of one's digital lifestyle, encouraging creativity, organization and a truly immersive experience."

The Inno3D GeForce GT 240 had only just launched but it has already been given the i-Chill treatment with XStriker3. Uniquely designed for passive and active cooling solutions, the Xstriker3 was the first cooler specially designed for Inno3D i-Chill series - built to increase efficient air circulation for extreme gaming. Inno3D i-Chill GT 240 is built with top-notch quality, which includes faster core speeds; gold plated DVI+VGA+HDMI connectors that allows better signal quality; top quality OS-CON capacitors; aluminum ramsinks to stabilise memory; with full game bundles and 3 years warranty. Inno3D i-Chill GT 240 has reached over expectation and beats the Vantage performance scores in comparison to the reference speeds as shown in the below comparison table. It is equipped and built with top quality features to run a smooth game play.

The Apple Air was recently pushed out into the public. The public doesn't mind it, and for those who can actually afford it, it's quite a nice laptop. It's thin, it's light, it's powerful, and it's easy to use. However, an independent firm got curious as to exactly why the Air was so expensive, so thin, and so pretty. So, they took it apart, and promptly declared it was like nothing they've ever seen, in a very bad way. Beneath the glowering surface is an ugly interior, which uses unnecessary materials, and quite possibly keeps heat trapped inside. The official statement from the investigators:

Based on the results of our teardown project, we guess Apple is not paying much attention to both workmanship of the hardware design and comprehensive cost reduction. The company seems to have focused on aspects, where its expertise lies, such as external appearance, software and user interfaces.