So much awesomeness in one tiny cylinder

Activists in Saudi Arabia utilizing new media tools to call for change "face a repressive and intolerant government," and risk harassment as well as imprisonment, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). A report by the rights group, "Challenging the Red Lines: Stories of Rights Activists in Saudi Arabia," released yesterday, accuses Saudi authorities of "arresting, prosecuting, and attempting to silence rights defenders and to quash their calls for change." "Independent activists in Saudi Arabia have little to protect them from the repressive practices of their government," said Adam Coogle, Saudi researcher for Human Rights Watch. "It's time for other countries to break their silence and tell Saudi Arabia to allow independent activism." He couldn't be more right. Activists in Saudi Arabia - an absolute monarchy where dissent is little tolerated - have increasingly turned to social media sites to express growing frustration with the government. Online participation by Saudis has increased so much that the country now has one of the highest usage rates of Twitter in the world. And now, they can go about their sinful business on Apple's newest model of the Mac Pro, the high-end show horse of the company's desktop line. The new model goes on sale today, restoring some luster to desktop computers that have been overshadowed in recent years by the mobile revolution. In some ways the Mac Pro, which will be available for preorder on Apple's website and Apple stores, is like the fancy haute couture dresses that get walked down the runways of Paris and New York. At more than US$3,000, the sleek machine is more computer than most people need or can afford. And it certainly doesn't look like anything else on the market. It's a silver and black cylinder and stands just 25 centimetres tall. Packing a range of Intel Xeon processors, the new Mac Pro is more than twice as fast as its predecessor, released three years ago. And, starting at US$2,999 (with custom modifications that could push prices upward of $12,000), it's for a select group of power users like graphic designers, photographers, videographers, animators, and the like. The machine has been designed and manufactured in the United States, and it has six of Apple's Thunderbolt 2 ports, enabling up to 36 external devices to be attached. But don't just take our word for it - click here for the full lowdown on the new and improved Mac Pro.