iLife

Windows bundled apps: Can I get an update please?

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0400

Earlier today, I stumbled upon a hilarious send-up of MS Paint on YouTube. Without spoiling too much, I'll say that the video imagines what the world would be like if Paint was a high-end application for graphics professionals. While humorous, the video did get me thinking about Paint a bit--namely the fact that the application has remained essentially unchanged since it's introduction in Windows 1.0. Now, I'm not saying that I expect Microsoft to bundle a Photoshop-quality application in with Windows or anything--but can't we get something a little bit more advanced than Paint? I mean, you can't even resize an image without it getting horribly pixelated, for crying out loud! And in this day and age, there are relatively few folks around who aren't working with digital images in some capacity.

For me, the inadequate nature of Windows' bundled-in utilities was further underlined by Apple's announcement of iLife '08 this week. This year's models of iPhoto and iMovie look great and as usual, they're going to ship for free with every new Mac. Now, Apple has long made a name for itself as a company that sells all-in-one products while Microsoft has never claimed to offer much more than an operating system--I understand that much. But would it kill the folks in Redmond to update simple utilities like Paint, at least to the point where they're more than just a novelty?

I know what a lot of you are thinking right now: there's no shortage of free, open-source graphics apps on the Internet, why not download one of those instead? That's certainly a good point and for the average geek, that's always going to be the most cost-effective solution. But what about the average consumer? Folks are paying a lot for a copy of Windows these days--don't you think they deserve a few real apps along with their purchase? Write in and let me know what you think, perhaps we'll compile a list of built-in apps that we'd like to see in future versions of Windows. -Mehan

Apple unveils new iMacs, Mac Minis, iLife, iWork

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:59:53 -0400

In case you missed our online coverage yesterday, there was a whole lot of new product news at Apple's afternoon press event in Cupertino. Perhaps most exciting is the new iMac (pictured at your right), which has managed to shed a few pounds while gaining the expected Santa Rosa chipset and a svelte, anodized aluminum look. Surprisingly, the Mac Mini also got a speed bump, suggesting that the rumors of its imminent demise were greatly exaggerated.

On the software side of things, iLife, iWork and .Mac all got the update treatment, with new features like web-based photo/video galleries, a iPhoto-like movie library and improved integration with other Apple products seeing their debut. The most exciting news on the software front, though, is the addition of "Numbers"--an Excel-like spreadsheet app--to the iWork suite. That brings iWork one step closer to being a full-fledged Office competitor, even though we didn't get the rumored Google Apps integration that we were hoping for.

Apple also took the opportunity of yesterday's online store downtime to make a few stealthy changes to existing products without any public fanfare. First off, the Airport Extreme Base Station now has four gigabit Ethernet ports, making the device's ridiculous $179 price tag a little easier to swallow. Meanwhile, the Mac Pro got an optional PCI Express RAID card that supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 0+1, and Enhanced JBOD and promises as high as 304MBps of sequential read in RAID 0. Of course, it's gonna cost you--to the tune of $999 in any MacPro model. Finally, iPhones got a little over-the-air update during the Stevenote yesterday, waking up a few .Mac/web-gallery features that were previously unknown to exist in the little guy's OS.

For more on the new iMac, Mac Mini and software updates:
- check out our online coverage of yesterday's announcement

Breaking: Apple announces new iMacs, Mac Minis, iLife and iWork

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:35:11 -0400

At a press conference in Cupertino today, Apple unveiled a wealth of new hardware and software to members of the press. As expected, the fully redesigned iMac was announced, as well as the rumored new keyboards and .Mac and iLife updates. Apple surprised a few folks, however, with updates to the Mac Mini as well as the iWork suite, which now features an Excel-like spreadsheet program. Here's the full skinny on all the latest gear:

iMac

- New brushed metal and glass look

- Super-slim profile

- All new thin keyboard (see photo below)

- As expected, there are now only two sizes: 20" ($1199) and 24" ($1499-$1799)

- Intel Core 2 Extreme processors up to ~~2.4Ghz~~ 2.8Ghz

- ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics

- Up to 4GB of RAM, user expandable

- Up to 1TB of storage

- Glossy LCD display

- USB 2.0, Firewire 400 / 800, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11n WiFi

- 8x slot-loading SuperDrive, built-in iSight camera

- Available now

Mac Mini

- 1.83Ghz/2.0Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo

- 1GB RAM standard

- 80GB/120GB hard drive

- Up to 2GB RAM/160GB hard drive

- Includes Apple Remote, Front Row, iLife '08, Mac OS 10.4, DVI-to-VGA adapter

- $599/$799 base price

- Ships within 24 hours

New Keyboards

- Available in full size (wired, USB 2.0) and small (wireless Bluetooth) models

- New ultra-thin, anodized aluminum look

- Flat, MacBook-style keys

- Includes dedicated keys for screen dimming/brightening, Expose, volume and optical drive eject

- $49.99 wired/$79.99 wireless

- Available now

iLife '08

- iPhoto: "Events" for easy organization of photo albums, .Mac web gallery for photo sharing/publishing, iPhone photo synching

- iMovie: iPhoto-like library features, support for higher-rez video formats, video sharing via .Mac gallery, encoding for iPod/iPhone/Apple TV, encode/upload direct to YouTube

- Available now, $79.99

iWork '08

- New spreadsheet app: Numbers, supports Microsoft Excel import/export

- Keynote: new text effects and transitions, new themes, easier access to animation tools

- Pages: contextual format bar, built-in change tracking, improved compatibility with Microsoft Word, new document templates

- $79.99 ($99.99 family pack)

- Available now

.Mac

- Integrates with iLife '08

- Allows for creation of web-based photo and video galleries

- Supports direct iPhone synching of web galleries

- 10GB storage/100GB monthly transfer

- $99.95 per year

- Available this week

For more on the new Apple products:
- visit Apple's website
- and check out Engadget's hands-on with the new iMac and keyboard

Breaking: Apple announces aluminum/glass iMacs

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:59:53 -0400

Well, what did we tell you, huh? Apple's press conference is still going on as we go to press but we can tell you what we know so far: Steve Jobs has unveiled the new iMacs and they look sweet. Sporting a super-thin aluminum and glass design, the new machines will be available in 20" ($1199) and 24" ($1499-$1799) models. The new iMacs sport glossy LCD displays, Up to 2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme processors and up to 4GB of memory. Oh, and of course, that sleek keyboard that we showed you earlier (Jobs quipped to the audience at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, "You might have seen this on the web"). The new iMacs will be available starting today.

We can also tell you that a new version of iLife (including an overhaul of iPhoto) and an update to .Mac are also being announced, though it's too early to give you full details on those two...

Want more?
- check out our live coverage of the announcement (including photos of the new Macs), which will update throughout the day