Apple unveils new iMacs, updated apps
Editor's note: This is a blog that was posted live from Tuesday's Apple event. For a complete article with more information about the products announced today, click here.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced two new iMacs at the start of an event held Tuesday at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
The 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs are the latest editions of Apple's all-in-one iMac design. They are made from aluminum and glass, and come with a new keyboard. Both the new keyboard and the iMac itself are thinner than the previous edition.
Three new iMacs will be available immediately--two 20-inch models and one 24-inch model. The base 20-inch version will cost $1,199, and a more powerful 20-inch model will cost $1,499. The 24-inch model will cost $1,799, $200 less than the current 24-inch iMac.
Side view of Apple's new iMac and its accompanying metallic keyboard.
(Credit: Apple)But there's more to come. Stay tuned; Jobs is just getting warmed up and he's starting to talk about applications.
Update at 10:35 a.m.: Apple's second announcement involved iLife, the company's suite of multimedia applications. Apple is skipping right over iLife '07 to release iLife '08, Jobs said, calling the latest version "the biggest jump in iLife since we introduced it."
Jobs first walked attendees through iPhoto, the picture management application. The primary enhancement to iPhoto '08 is a new feature that sorts by events--it automatically sorts photos by date and can preview the photos in an event without opening the folder. Events can be "merged" or "split" as needed.
The new iPhoto '08 is designed to work alongside some new .Mac services also unveiled Tuesday. The .Mac Web Gallery can take photos directly from iPhoto and publish them to a Web page. It also syncs up with the iPhone so iPhone users can share their galleries or individual photos.
The Web gallery also incorporates the skimming feature from iPhoto '08, letting users preview photos in a given event or album without having to open the entire gallery.
Update at 10:53 a.m.: Apple will be releasing a completely new version of the iMovie application with the new iLife suite. Jobs said the new software came out of an Apple engineer's realization that he couldn't make a short 5-minute movie in less than half an hour using either iMovie or Final Cut Pro, Apple's high-end video editing application.
The new iMovie allows you to drag and drop movie clips from your library of videos into a new movie template. You can pick how long each individual clip will run, set transitions between scenes and upload those videos to your iTunes, the new .Mac Video Gallery or YouTube right from the menu selections.
These nine ports--audio, USB, FireWire, Ethernet and video--are on the back of the iMac's monitor (on the lower right corner if you're facing the screen).
(Credit: Apple)Jobs created a very short movie in just a few minutes--of course, he probably practiced first--in a demonstration for attendees. The application can process high-definition video from multiple sources.
Update at 11:13 a.m.: Jobs unveiled new editions of iWeb, iDVD and GarageBand, the remainder of the iLife suite. The iWeb and iDVD applications received minor updates, but one interesting one involved allowing iWeb users to sign up for Google's AdSense program in the Web site creation process.
Jobs also demonstrated a new feature in GarageBand called Magic GarageBand, which essentially lets you create a backing band for your own performance. There are several different themes, such as rock, blues, jazz and latin.
But Jobs then plunged into the new version of iWork, Apple's productivity suite. Keynote, the presentation application, comes with several new themes and better support for manipulating photos to serve as background for a slide. Pages, the word processing application, also received updated templates.
But the big part of the new iWork suite is a spreadsheet application called Numbers. Numbers is designed to work with Keynote and Pages, allowing people to drop in pictures, graphs and photos alongside spreadsheet tables. You can also import and export with Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet.
iWork '08 costs $79 and is available today.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
no ambient lighting, glossy screens make distracting reflections.
Most people I have talked to would rather have a traditional
matte display than a glossy one.
I hope Apple gets a clue and changes this decision (or at least
make the glossy screen an option), because I know I'm not
purchasing one with a glossy screen. I'll stick with my Core Duo
iMac with a decent matte display.
From what I understand these have glass screens. Maybe that is a
feature that would be good for a computer targeted in part for use
by youngsters who may damage current plastic screen designs.
Perhaps it is not truly glossy, but somewhere in between that and
what is considered matte. I am looking forward to checking out the
screens the next time I swing by an Apple Store.
I'll have to see for myself...
Pro and I really am glad I chose the glossy screen. I use it in all
levels of light, and I only have issues in bright sunlight, which is
trouble for the matte screen on my old iBook too.
But, that doesn't mean it's right for everyone, so an option would
make sense to me.
I wish I had glossy screens on my LCD's.
The Matte screens tend to dim things down a touch, they're harder to clean w/o damaging the finish (I can clean a smooth glass screen with nearly any chemical, or with a [i]razor blade[/i] if I have to)...
To top it off, viewing angles tend to be diminished with a matte screen.
Just my $0.02
/P
interesting. Unlike most people I really don't get very excited about
a somewhat thinner computer or a new style of keyboard. I do
know that some people are excited about iWork and iLife - i
personally don't use them so they don't matter a lot to me.
under your rock and read some sales figures.
And I believe they've said they'll ship OS X.5 in October. This
hasn't changed since they said the iPhone delayed development.
Once again, get out from under your rock.
Or better yet, stay there and stop wasting bits on your pointless
blather.
Well, though I thought the new iMacs were great I did feel a little disappointed with the presentation, until I started thinking a little more about what has actualy happened, for me as an investor. The integration between the iPhone and iLife and .Mac. The sharing features actually seem very powerful to me. I see Apple adding even more value to all their products together. The value isn't just the sum of the products, but something extra.
I can imagine being on a vacation taking pictures with the iPhone, then at night or instantly I can now transfer my images to my .Mac website, and instantly my friends, parents or others can follow what is happening in my life. It doesn't matter where I am, as long as I have the internet access from my phone. This is truly unique, as I have not heard of any other device or computer that can do this so seamless. It is of course possible if you hook your camera to your computer and then upload the images, but it is not as simple and easy.
So what I am taking home from todays event is more an idea of where Apple is headed with the integration between the iPhone, the Mac and the internet. Remember, the iPhone has only been sold for a good month now. Imagine what is going to happen opver the next year? I think it's going to be very interesting, and shows that in my oppinion the iPhone is a really breakthrough device!!!
You're kidding right. Just about any camera phone can send and post a picture to a flickr account or a blog, just with a simple MMS message. I'm sure this has been available for a few years now. Of course it finally is possible with a .mac account.
I love apple products (i use a macbook & iPods), but don't make it out that just because Apple finally catches up that it's "truly unique".
more people into the Apple "world". Even those who have never
used an iPod, iPhone or Mac may soon be seeing (and using) the
innovations of Apple by sharing and viewing photos through a
family member's or friend's .Mac account!
This is yet another Trojan horse Apple has created to bring people
into the Apple experience.
I am VERY impressed with their web gallery implementation! It's an
awesome interface and excellent way to share and collect photos
between family and friends!
It also adds actual value to the .Mac membership.
In fact for my last vacation I just took the memory card out of my digital camera put it in my windows mobile phone and uploaded over 100 photos my website overnight.
yours.
But the point was not that it can be done, but that it can be done
so seamlessly. No need for http, ftp, cgi, etc., attach to mms. You
hit the button to post it on the iPhone and it's posted. Nothing else
makes it that easy.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9756454-7.html
That's an interesting development.
This statement couldn't have made me laugh harder.....
Are you Serious???
DO YOU REALLY THINK iWORK will EVER be any threat at all to MS OFFICE??
How deluded are you?
Because that´s the main thing you do when buying an iPhone, an iPod, and all the portable media devices with NON user replaceble batteries [which is just nuts for a mobile phone].
Well the, thing is that there has always been the option for open office, which is free [and that is far less than the 79 bucks], and avaliable for Mac.
Use it, if you don´t want MS office. It works as well, and it does recognize and work with MS Office files. Period.
thing after touching the screen. It didn't feel exactly like plastic,
but not glass either. I didn't want to try and scratch it to determine
the material.
We may have to wait for someone tear one apart to see what is
inside.
Maybe it is transparent aluminum :)
Steve Jobs made.
Obviously they've outdone themselves once again with an
another beautiful product with the iMac, the glass and
alumimum / eco friendly, it's definitely got some class.
Then there was the iLife presentation, and the iWork
presentation... I thought it was a nice extra added touch that
most of the photos, video, keynote presentation had outdoor
themes, nature, enviromnental, everything was promoting
positive messages regarding the Earth.
And wow, I am extremely impressed with the upgraded iLife and
iWork apps, and let's not forget the web 2.0 experience they're
providing and 1 click photo publishing to the web with the .mac
membership!
Such a beautiful thing to see, Apple is a great company, way to
go Steve Jobs...
http://www.pisceandelusions.org
- Photos of disassembled iMac
- by Lee in San Diego August 9, 2007 7:23 AM PDT
- Not too much in the way of text, but some photos of the innards
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(39 Comments)and disassembly process http://www.kodawarisan.com/
imac_2007_mid/imac_2007_mid_01.html