With a new version of the Macintosh operating system called Lion, a super slim new MacBook Air, and updates to the iLife application suite, Apple CEO Steve Jobs hit the stage with a flourish at an October 20 press event.
At a crowded event featuring appearances by executives Tim Cook (who claimed that momentum on the Mac "has never been greater") and Phil Schiller, Apple unveiled several new products for the holiday season -- including a preview of the next version of the Mac operating system, called Lion.
"What's the philosophy behind Mac OS X Lion? Well that's where the 'Back to the Mac' thing comes from," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. With it, the company plans to bring many of the features developed for the iPhone and iPad to the Macintosh operating system, features such as multitouch, an app store, and full screen function.
With one-click downloads, auto-updates and free as as paid apps, the Mac app store will be a key part of the new operating system. And a "launch pad" feature will make it easy to organize and launch apps in the new version of the operating system.
With a characteristic "one more thing," Jobs went on to unveil a new version of the ultraslim MacBook Air, which tapers down to just 0.11 inches thick. The laptop comes in two models, one with a 13.3-inch screen and one with 11.6-inch screen. The new laptops will feature full-size keyboards and Intel Core 2 Duo processors.Multi-touch functionality is built into many new features -- notably Mission Control, a new view of the Mac desktop -- though support for the touch interface is limited to users with touch-sensitive trackpads or mice. Look for Lion in the summer of 2011, Jobs said.
"As interesting as what it has is what it doesn't have," Jobs went on to point out, announcing that the new laptop would not contain a hard drive. By going with flash memory (like that in an iPad or iPod), Jobs claimed that the new MacBook Air would be 80% smaller, two times faster, and more reliable -- and like an iPad, it would turn on instantly, rather than booting up as other computers do.
The new MacBooks will sell for between $1,000 and $1,600, and are currently available at Apple stores and online.
Jobs began the event by unveiling a new version of the iLife application suite, iLife 11. The suite contains a photo editor, a movie editor, a music maker, and more.
"I get to be the first to show you this great piece of software. I know a lot of you use it. This is the best version yet," vice president Phil Schiller said, joining Jobs onstage to unveil the software.
The iPhoto app includes new slideshow functionality with fun templates, a new fullscreen places view, and a new fullscreen view of all photo albums, including those from Facebook and Flickr. The software also lets users print out stylish greeting cards. The iMovie app contains new audio editing, new effects, a "people finder" that can detect faces, and more. The movie application features a new "Sharing" menu that lets you pump your videos out to various services and friends as well.
GarageBand, a neat part of the iLife suite designed to facilitate making your own music, features a new "Groove Matching" function that automatically corrects for songs that are off-rhythm. Xander Soren, the product manager who showed off the app, joked that this feature was incredibly useful.
"It's like a spell checker for bad rhythm," Soren said.
The iLife 11 application suite is available today as a $49 update for older computers; it's included for free with the operating system.
Apple also unveiled Facetime for the Macintosh, allowing you to make calls from a Macintosh directly to an iPhone or a newer iPod Touch. A beta version of the software is available at the company's website.
Analysts and experts widely predict that Apple will also unveil an updated version of the Mac operating system -- which is rumored to be called "Lion" -- and a new version of the ultrathin MacBook Air laptop.
The event, announced last week, suggested members of the press should "come see what's new for the Mac on October 20, including a sneak peek of the next major version of Mac OS X," according to the invite. The event began at 9am Pacific at the company's Cupertino headquarters.
The previous update to Apple's OS -- version 10.6, or Snow Leopard -- made its debut in August 2009.
An image attached to Wednesday's invite shows a cut-out of the Apple logo that is tilted in a way to show a lion behind it. Given that all previous versions of Apple's OSX have been named after members of the cat family -- Leopard, Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, Puma, Cheetah, and Kodiak -- Apple's next move might be Lion.
The last refresh of Mac laptops happened in May, when Apple updated its $999 MacBook linewith what essentially were the same parts as the MacBook Pro 13-inch. On the desktop front,Apple revamped its higher-end desktop lines in July, adding new iMacs, Mac Pros, and an LED Cinema Display.
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