Apple's new OS, Mac Mini and MacBook Air

Apple has unveiled its new, high-performance MacBook Air and Mac Mini models, as well as a new Thunderbolt-enabled screen, to coincide with the launch of its new operating system, OS X Lion.

The release of Lion was announced yesterday as Apple reported its quarterly earnings.

Today, Apple is roaring about the new models, in particular the new Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors, which Apple says offer up to twice the performance of the previous generation.

As for bells and whistles, both the MacBook Air and Mac Mini are compatible with the new Thunderbolt-enabled display, a 27-inch screen that includes a built-in camera and sound system, as well as an ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the screen's brightness depending on the amount of light in the room. This trick is also performed by MacBook Air's backlit keyboard.

The MacBook Air and Mac Mini, like all new Mac models, come installed with OS X Lion. Owners of previous Macs can download the new operating system from Apple's app store for $38.99.

Lion features over 250 new features from the previous operating system, Snow Leopard.