My First Impressions

ByDon

It just was not the same to see a Macworld Keynote without Steve Jobs, but I thought that Phil Schiller did an admirable job of showing off the latest from Apple.

The top four innovations from my point of view were:

  1. iPhoto – the changes to iPhoto are simply astounding. It is the most advanced photo management system for consumers ever conceived. It will make your photo library more accessible, more manageable and more useful than ever before. iPhoto is reason enough all by itself to buy a Mac!
  2. iMovie – the new features in iMovie have me thinking about taking a video camera with my on my upcoming safari to Tanzania. The ability to manipulate your videos and the new tools introduced make video editing even within my capabilities.
  3. The Mac Box Set – The new package @ $169 of iWork, iLife and Leopard is a great way to get folks stuck back with Tiger finally into the modern age!
  4. DRM-free iTunes – YES, this will make managing your music library as easy as managing your photo library. It is a credit to Apple that the record labels have finally seen the light and dropped the requirement for DRM on music. Apple has demonstrated that they have the market for music no one else can touch.

Plus, I like a lot of the features in the new MacBook Pro 17-inch, especially the new battery. While I know some will complain about the non-removable battery, I am sure that it can be replaced by Apple Service Providers and with a 1000-cycle life and up to 8-hours on a charge, you do not have to carry a spare battery just to get through the day!

I was surprised to see Tony Bennett as the musical star at the end of the keynote but Artie was enraptured and applauded wildly.

Similar Posts

  • iWork '09: Keynote

    Featured updates:

    * Easily create sophisticated animations with *Magic Move.*
    * Add dramatic object and text transitions using *new visual effects.*
    * Visualize your data with *new styles and animations* for 3D charts.
    * Dramatically *reduce file size* without compromising quality.
    * Create dynamic flowcharts and diagrams using *connection lines.*
    * Choose from *eight new Apple-designed themes* (44 total).
    * *Open, save, and email Microsoft PowerPoint files* from within Keynote.

  • FEATURE OF THE WEEK | 01/09/09 – 01/16/09

    For several weeks we’ve known that AT&T would finally be introducing the iPhone in Vermont mid-January. The time is almost here. We’ve heard from various AT&T affiliates that the iPhone will be launched in Vermont next week. To commemorate this long overdue occasion, we’ve put all “iPhone 3G”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/iPhone_Accessories|Cases
    cases on sale. Every single one. They’re $5 – $10 off, or with a free FM transmitter.

    “You can see all iPhone cases by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/iPhone_Accessories|Cases

    We offer dozens of iPhone-compatible speakers, clocks, chargers, and FM transmitters as well. Most of these are listed “in the iPod Accessories category.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/iPod_Accessories

    Regarding iPhone 3G cases, I like the “Contour HardSkin in black.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag18611/ It makes the phone easier to grip, gives a shock protection, and is relatively low-profile.

  • New 17" MacBook Pro!

    At Macworld on Tuesday, Phil Schiller introduced a brand-new 17″ MacBook Pro. The new MacBook shares the revolutionary aluminum unibody construction offered on the MacBook and 15″ MacBook Pro. Other specs:

    * .98 inches thin
    * 6.6 pounds
    * The world’s lightest and thinnest 17-inch notebook
    * Features an LED backlit display, with 1920×1200 resolution. 700:1 contrast ratio, and 60% greater color gamut than the previous 17-inch display.
    * Apple says “This is the best display we’ve ever shipped in a notebook.”

    * 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Dual Core
    * 6MB L2 Cache
    * Up to 8GB memory at 1066 MHz DDR3.
    * Glass trackpad with four-finger gestures and multi-button support.
    * 320GB hard drive

    * Three USB ports
    * Mini DisplayPort for connecting to Apple’s new 24″ LED display
    * FireWire 800 (no 400!)
    * Digital audio in/out
    * ExpressCard slot.
    * Gigabit Ethernet
    * MagSafe power adapter (duh)

    * Built-in, non user-replaceable battery. This is an adaptive “smart battery” with built-in chips to maintain maximum charge and lifespan

    * The battery can last up to eight hours, is good for about five years, and can be charged 1000 times. It is also fully recyclable.

    * Battery life varies depending on graphics card used. With the 9600GT, battery life if seven hours. It is up to eight hours with the 9400M integrated graphics.

    * All told, this is three hours longer than the previous 17-inch MacBook Pro, equalling a 60% increase in battery life.

    * Also, for the first time with the new unibody MacBooks, Apple is offering an anti-glare option. It costs $50 more than the glossy display because the bezel has to be removed after it’s already assembled.

    * $2799.99

    “Click here to see this MacBook Pro on our website.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72891

    Available at the end of the month–reserve your now!

  • iWork '09: Pages

    Pages received a bunch of updates this time around, most notably:

    * *40 new Apple-designed templates* (for over 180 total).
    * A new *full-screen view* option so that you can focus only on your writing!
    * *Dynamic outlines* allow you to organize your ideas as they come.
    * *Mail merge with Numbers* makes adding addresses, names and more really simple.
    * MathType 6 and EndNote X2 (both sold separately) integration allows you to insert equations or bibliographies (respectively).

    As always, you can open, save, and email Microsoft Word files from within Pages.

  • iLife '09 Update: GarageBand

    At Macworld, Phil Schiller introduced a new version of GarageBand. The biggest new feature is called “Learn to Play.” It is designed to teach people to play instruments such as guitar and keyboards. You see the a representation of the instrument on the screen with a video of the instructor facing you.

    Celebrity instructors include Sting, Sarah McLachlan, John Fogerty, and more. Apple says “learn to play a hit song from the artist who made it famous,” which I think sounds pretty cool. Additional video lessons can be purchased from the new GarageBand store for $4.99.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    I am writing from my hotel room in San Francisco at Macworld. I just came back from the nearest Starbucks for a grande black eye before I get on the plane to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. I walked outside and everyone seemed to be all bundled up with down coats, gloves, etc. It was 50 degrees out! I was proud of my tough Green Mountain blood in my t-shirt.

    This has been a very productive Macworld, although I only had about an hour to look on the show floor. I have been in meetings, one after another, every day. It is these one-on-one meetings, the dinners and social events where business takes place that I will miss with the absence of Apple’s presence at Macworld.

    There was a lot of reminiscing and talk about how we will preserve this personal contact in an increasingly impersonal business world. Everyone seems to be very concerned (and rightfully so) about the economy, and I must have heard someone say they are just “biding time” about a hundred times.

    I am very excited about the iLife ’09 and the great bargain that the Mac Box Set represents. I was able to take a look at the new iPhoto and had a chance to talk to the designer/engineer from Apple. I had an important question: would the new facial recognition feature, Faces, work for dogs? Unfortunately, the answer was “no,” but he said that it was the most asked question thus far!

    I’ll give you a short report from the CES show next week as Geoff and I search the floor for some new products. We have a whole new set of meetings before I fly back home on Sunday.