Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: apple, macworld, macbook | Themes: Software, Laptops and Notebooks
Macworld 2009, which kicked off yesterday, highlights Apple goodness with the likes of GarageBand, iMovie, iWork and more.
Although this will be the last year Apple physically attends the Macworld Conference&Expo, the company seems intent on leaving the scene with a bang. But for Apple consumers, the event holds an overcast tone with news of company CEO and co-founder Steve Job's current health. In fact, Jobs didn't even make an opening keynote this year. Apple's Senior Vice President Phil Schiller kicked off the whole event, revealing cool new features in iLive '09, iWork '09 GarageBand '09 and an utterly overhauled iMovie.
GarageBand '09
The latest version of GarageBand -an application included in Apple's iLife that allows users to create music and podcasts- is the first to make an appearance at Macworld, now featuring a built-in store that allows users to purchase lessons--aka "Learn to Play"--from popular artists for $4.99 each. The program comes packed with nine (free) basic lessons for guitar or piano enthusiasts, however once users want to learn a song, featured artists including Sting, John Fogerty, Colbie Callat and Sarah McLachlan come in and show how its done for $4.99 each lesson. The screen will actually show the frets or keys while the feature artist teaches the user through an instructional video. If there was a way for the music industry to make up for lost revenue, then this is it.
iMovie '09
Apparently, there are big changes with the latest version of iMovie; most of the aggravation stemming from the previous version will be non-existent. Theming will be more like iPhoto, allowing users to apply page titles, transition, and credit slides with ease. Someone even commented that iMovie '09 will be the Pagemaker (or rather InDesign now) of video editing. Now editors can apply effects directly to the timeline without rendering, such as adding instant slow motion or speed-up effects. Video stabilization is a two-step process (the first pass takes a while evidently), and the project library is easier to understand, and includes filmstrips of the iMovie projects. Other notable features included precision editing, drag and drop insert editing, dynamic theming, automatic video stabilization, and an audio only insert feature. Overall, Apple overhauled the entire program, with only the name staying the same.
iPhoto '09
Probably one of the coolest features in this latest version of iPhoto is the way the program can now identify distinct "faces." There's also GPS tagging (aka "Places"), offering users a map--licensed by Google Maps--with virtual pins showing where photos were taken (which would ultimately be one huge blob if you never leave the house like Marcus). iPhoto can even take the info one step further if consumer's camera (or iPhone) utilizes GPS technology, and can even pinpoint landmarks within the photo's area. Flickr and Facebook are also now supported, and will automatically upload pictures to either site. iPhoto also has the capabilities to export slideshows (Themes) to iTunes and sync to other Apple devices (iPod Touch, iPhone etc). The Themes portion can even detect and auto-position faces in shots to keep the center of attention focus in each slide.
iTunes Plus Offers DRM Free Music!
Apple today also announced a major update to iTunes, called iTunes Plus. The new online store will feature the same four major labels, but the kicker is that all music is now DRM free. This means that you can buy a song from iTunes, at the same quality, and be able to copy it and play it back on any device--iPod or not. The great thing is that the tunes are the same 99 cents price.
Here's the big shocker: eight million songs DRM free starting today. The announcement came just after an astounding performance by the legendary Tony Bennett, singing "The Best is Yet to Come." The song actually hits the right note, as Apple will have ten million DRM-free songs available by the end of Q1 2009. Starting April, Apple will offer three pricing tiers: $.069, .099, and 1.29. Apple also expanded the iPhone music store to both Wi-Fi and 3G services.
iWork '09 and iWork.com
The latest version of Apple's office tools -iWork- will incorporate new features into Keynote '09 including object transition features: a swing transition, object zoom, chart animations, and additional text transitions. Numbers '09, the suite's word processing application, received forty new templates, dynamic outlining, and a full-screen view. Pages '09 can also mail merge with the iWork's spreadsheet application, Numbers '09, which in turn now offers over 250 new formulas and functions. Schiller also said that Numbers '09 would provide users with new charts, advanced reporting options, trend lines, and table categories. Apple will also launch iWork.com, enabling users to upload documents and share them with colleagues or fellow workers, these can be viewed online or downloaded, and edited live online. The beta service launched today, however Apple will eventually migrate iWork.com into a fee-based service. The new iWork will cost consumers around $79 as a stand-alone product, or $49 if purchased with a Mac. It's also included in a $169 bundle that also includes iLife and the required Leopard OS. iWork '09 ships today.
Keynote Remote
Costing a mere $.099, consumers can download and install this application on iPhone (and perhaps iPod Touch) devices, and is mainly used to control and run Keynote presentations. Consumers can swipe to advance or return to the previous frame. Landscape Mode offers a preview of the next slide; Portrait Mode displays the notes. The Keynote Remote application works with any local Wi-Fi network.
More to come.
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Kinda sad to still be comparing Mac softare to Aldus Pagemaker, are we to believe there have been no significant Mac software titles since then? Hmm.... actually, now that I think about it, I guess there really haven't been any.
What was the last great Mac-only software to hit PCs? Surely not Safari, can't really imagine too many people were really hoping for that one to hit Windows. iTunes? No. The only people using iTunes on Windows are iPod owners. Quicktime? Talk about a crappy media player.
I guess this is why Apple likes to consider themselves a Hardware company, cause their software truly is insignificant.
Software upgrades with marginal improvements. Ipods with slightly rounded edges.
How DO the guys at apple keep coming up with new, creative, and innovative ideas every year?
They don't.
From article:
Apple will offer three pricing tiers: $.069, .099, and 1.29.
7 and 10 cent songs??? wow....
Plus I think Pages 09 is their word processor and Numbers 09 is their spreadsheet. They need to hire a better editor (i guess).
Am I the only one who things it's retarded that Apple _is not_ going to be coming to further MacWorld Expos? I imagine that if Intel were to say they wont be present at IDF or Microsoft pulling out from WinHEC people would scratch their heads and wonder what kind of disarray the companies must be in to do something like that...
Actually, Apple has said repeatedly that it considers itself a software company that also makes hardware to run it on, but that's beside the point.
What about software like Aperture, Final Cut Studio, Shake, Logic Pro, etc? They are all very widely used by professionals in their respective fields. Just because software is not ported to the PC doesn't mean its insignificant. Also, these software titles are part of the reason why Macs are so disproportionately popular in these fields, why would Apple port them to the PC?
Maybe, but considering Apple's 70+% share of the MP3 player market, thats a LOT of people. Besides, thats almost like saying the only people using Halo, etc are Xbox owners. Does that make Halo less significant? Is Microsoft going to port it to Wii (which has higher market share)? No.
Possibly, but unlike those, Apple does not run MacWorld, or have too much control over it at all. So, they could A continue to throw tons of money at and adjust their entire product schedule around a trade show, or B do like they've been doing more and more lately and simply say "we have a new product" and tons of journalists instantly fly to cupertino to cover it. Also, IDF is more the equivalent of Apple's WWDC, which is still going strong.
This is actually part of an ongoing trend among vendors of pulling out of trade shows. Apple isn't the only one, Adobe and many others are also leaving Macworld, NAB, etc. Its just not very cost effective, especially in the days of the internet. Companies very rarely even break even on trade shows, and the weakened economy isn't going to help matters.
I'm not saying I entirely agree with the decision, but it does make since from a business standpoint.
Possibly, but unlike those, Apple does not run MacWorld, or have too much control over it at all.
Perhaps I'm just a boneheaded pc user, but if not for apple's aggressive (aggressive enough to make piranhas seem like manatees) marketing, they wouldn't have such a religiously-devoted userbase. The majority of software also comes from Apple. Whenever I ask a regular mac user what he uses on his mac, he/she'll list all the different apple/adobe-made apps ... and firefox.
I'm just thinking that if apple won't be present to advertise yet another version of iphoto/itunes/iwhatever what will be the point of the expo? advertise the new claris works? showcase a 2-button mouse and claim that it's a brand new invention?
While its true Apple was the 'anchor' of the expo and made the keynote speech, there is much more. Lots of software/hardware companies attend and many make big announcements at macworld. Its almost like CES, but based around the mac.
You can go here to see some of the other non-Apple things at the expo:
http://www.macworldexpo.com/
...or here to see a lot of the non-Apple new products, etc. coming out of the expo:
http://www.macworld.com/
Kinda sad to still be comparing Mac softare to Aldus Pagemaker, are we to believe there have been no significant Mac software titles since then? Hmm.... actually, now that I think about it, I guess there really haven't been any.What was the last great Mac-only software to hit PCs? Surely not Safari, can't really imagine too many people were really hoping for that one to hit Windows. iTunes? No. The only people using iTunes on Windows are iPod owners. Quicktime? Talk about a crappy media player. I guess this is why Apple likes to consider themselves a Hardware company, cause their software truly is insignificant.
I use iTunes on Windows and I don't have an iPod.
Meh, people still care about Apple?
Can't wait for Hand Jobs to die so Apple can finally die.
I can't believe that anyone would actually wish for someone else to die for such a petty reason. What has Apple ever done to you? If you don't like them, ignore them.