iLife '09 New Features and Mac Box Set

Millions of cheers were heard ’round the world when Phil Schiller announced some of the changes coming to the iTunes Store. The main one: all DRM-free music, meaning that songs can be played and burned without restriction. The four major record companies (Sony, Universal, Warner and EMI) are all now on board with the change, which was crucial to feature songs without the “DRM”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management encoding.

Beginning today, over 8 million songs in the iTunes Store feature:

* No DRM restrictions
* Higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually unchanged from the original
* Same price for song downloads onto iPhone 3G over their 3G network

The remaining 2 million songs in the 10 million+ iTunes library will be available without the DRM restrictions by the end of March. According to Apple, they will offer a “simple, one-click option to easily upgrade their entire library of previously purchased songs to the higher quality DRM-free iTunes Plus format” for 30 cents per song or 30 percent of the album price. Sounds intriguing, but it could get expensive… I say choose your favorites wisely!

In April, songs will be available at three price points: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29. This will be dictated by what the music labels charge Apple for the above licensing.

“Read Apple’s entire press release here.”:http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/06itunes.html

iWeb also received minor updates for Macworld. In iWeb, it’s now easier to upload websites and website changes to MobileMe or to your own server via FTP with a single click. Like iWeb ’08, iWeb ’09 uploads only your changes when you publish, so you’ll enjoy quick site updates.

iWeb will now notify your Facebook friends when you update your site. Simply link any iWeb site to your Facebook account. Following an update, iWeb adds the changes to your profile, alerting your friends and providing them with a handy link. It’s now also easier to add web widgets to your site that update automatically.

iDVD didn’t appear to get any new features beyond performance and stability improvements. iMovie once again supports DVD chapter makers and titles for use with iDVD ’09, which is very welcome news.

“Learn more and pre-order iLife ’09 here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72885

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!

“Click Here to take our post-Macworld keynote survey!”:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ruYoNEgHQtJlmUhGxQtbtA_3d_3d

Some big changes were announced to the iWork suite of productivity applications at Macworld on Tuesday. Like iWork ’08, iWork ’09 includes Pages, Keynote and Numbers. Integration and sharing have been vastly improved across the suite, and it still offers excellent Microsoft Office compatibility.

The addition of iWork.com is huge. Much like Google Docs, you will be able to collaborate on projects by accessing your files online. Apple has not launched this yet in its full form, but it is available as a public beta once you have purchased iWork ’09.

In the following articles, you’ll find an overview of the highlighted new features. The Single User edition is available for $79.99 and Family Pack is available for $99.99. *Note that iWork ’09 includes all three applications which are not available for purchase separately.*

iWork ’09 will ship in the next week or so; reserve your copy below:

Single User Edition:
http://www.smalldog.com/product/72887

Family Pack:
http://www.smalldog.com/product/72888

“Read our full coverage of Macworld 2009 on our blog.”:http://blog.smalldog.com

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