The global financial crisis has now hit the retail technology sector with price increases to the latest Apple Macbook releases.

Apple announced their latest updates to the Macbook range at an invitation only event on Tuesday.

Anthony Agius is co-founder of MacTalk.com.au, a website dedicated to providing local news and information to over 17,000 Australian Apple users.

He says the falling Australian dollar has caused the price of the new products to increase dramatically.

“For Australians it means a significant price increase. Unfortunately, due to our flagging dollar, the pricing of the MacBook increased compared to previous models. In the USA, the MacBook pricing remained the same. Before this upgrade, the MacBooks were very competitively priced due to the Australian dollar doing so well.”

The increased prices could have significant impact throughout the market.

One of Apple’s key markets is education.

University students have been increasingly purchasing Apple products.

Many students already live tight budgets and may not be able to afford the cost increases.

However it seems some students still believe in the Apple brand.

Leighton Kuchel is a Griffith University design student.

He says that Apple computers are popular for students due to the success of the iPod and the new innovative designs.

“They have become more popular because of the iPod. I like the way they’re designed… Everything is thought out… and they can use Windows and Mac OSX on the same computer. Instead of buying two computers, you just buy one. Everything just works wonderfully.”

Apple has continued their trend of innovation with the latest release

A new refined manufacturing process allows Macbook enclosures to be made out of a single piece of aluminium.

This process greatly reduces weight and final thickness of the product.

The technology has already appeared in the ultra thin Macbook Air.

Apple Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, Jonathan Ive, says the refined process is a new way of thinking.

“Traditionally notebooks are made from multiple parts. With the new MacBook, we’ve replaced all of those parts with just one part—the unibody. The MacBook’s unibody enclosure is made from a single block of aluminium, making the new MacBook fundamentally thinner, stronger and more robust with a fit and finish that we’ve never even dreamed of before.”

Not only does the new manufacturing process mean lower manufacturing costs, but it will also benefit the environment.

Several key components have been made from recyclable materials.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs says one of the key features of the new design is its environmental status.

“Apple has invented a whole new way of building notebooks from a single block of aluminium. And, just as important, they are the industry’s greenest notebooks.”

The product announcements will most likely help improve Apples market position.

Apple’s PR department has been trying to focus the market back on its technology in recent weeks, after a blogger made false claims that Steve Jobs had been rushed to hospital suffering from a heart attack.

When the false report hit a popular CNN website share prices plummeted.

The market quickly returned to normal levels after the story was denied.

The reaction to the news shows how volatile the current market really is.

Shareholders have had plenty of time to prepare for such an event if it was to occur.

Rumours about Steve Job’s health have been around for months after he appeared slimmer than usual at a keynote event.

Anthony Agius says he doesn’t blame shareholders for being concerned, at one stage Steve will have to leave.

“Steve has been so crucial to Apple’s success however, that I can’t blame shareholders for being concerned about his impending departure (either due to retirement or death – one of them has to happen eventually!).”

For more news on the latest Apple Release check out the following websites.

• MacTalk – List of the New Macbooks and Australian Prices
• AppleInsider – Takes a deep look at the new Macbook features
• IFixit – Goes inside the new macbook
• Mac Rumors – takes a look at the accuracy of the rumours in the lead-up to the Macbook release
• CNET – have posted a detailed review on the new Macbook
• 9to5Mac - On MacBooks, Nvidia, OpenCL and Snow Leopard