Sunday, October 23, 2005

Apple Updates Two PowerBook Models
(October 19, 2005) Today Apple updated its 15" and 17" PowerBook G4s with upgraded displays, longer battery life and 8x SuperDrives that now burn dual-layer DVDs (the 12" PowerBook has not been updated and includes an 8x SuperDrive without dual-layer support). The two new models each feature displays with millions more pixels than before; the 15" PowerBook has 1,440x960 resolution (26 percent higher than before), and the 17" unit has 1,680x1,050 resolution (36 percent higher than before). In addition, each new laptop has 128MB of graphics memory and a DVI output that will run any Apple Cinema Display, including the 30" Cinema HD Display. Battery life has been extended to a maximum of 5.5 hours, an hour more than the previous PowerBooks. Rounding out the upgrades are built-in optical digital audio input and output, which means you can hook them up to 5.1 surround sound speaker systems. Optional configurations can give you a new 15" or 17" PowerBook with a 100GB internal hard drive running at 7,200rpm and up to 2GB of RAM. See www.apple.com/powerbook for more information.

• 12" PowerBook 1.5GHz G4 | 512MB RAM | 80GB Hard Drive | $1,500
• 15" PowerBook 1.67GHz G4 | 512MB RAM | 80GB Hard Drive | $2,000
• 17" PowerBook 1.67GHz G4 | 512MB RAM | 120GB Hard Drive | $2,500

Source: Apple Computer, Inc.

Apple Power Mac G5s Add Dual- and Quad-Core Processing
(October 19, 2005) Apple today announced its new Power Mac G5s with several enhancements, most notable of which are the new dual-core G5 processors. As a probable workaround for stalled G5 processor speeds, dual-core processors provide more power per processor. Two of the three new Power Macs include one dual-core G5, while the Power Mac Quad includes two dual-core G5s running at 2.5GHz each. In a series of processing tests using scientific and pro media applications such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop, Apple reported that the new Power Mac Quad was 39 to 69 percent faster than the previous high-end Power Mac, which included dual 2.7GHz processors. However, the Power Mac Quad does cost $300 more than the previous model.

Every new Power Mac G5 supports Apple's 30" Cinema HD Display out of the box and includes three open PCI Express expansion slots and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. New expansion options allow you to upgrade the Power Mac's RAM from the standard 512MB to a maximum of 16GB or to upgrade the graphics processor to an Nvidia Quadro FX 4500, which Apple has called the "industry standard for workstation graphics." The following models are now on sale. Go to www.apple.com/powermac for more information.

• Dual-core 2.0GHz G5 | 128MB VRAM | 160GB Hard Drive | $2,000
• Dual-core 2.5GHz G5 | 256MB VRAM | 250GB Hard Drive | $2,500
• Quad-core 2.5GHz G5 | 256MB VRAM | 250GB Hard Drive | $3,000

Source: Apple Computer, Inc.

Apple Introduces Aperture Pro Photo Software
(October 19, 2005) Calling it like Final Cut Pro for professional photographers, Apple introduced its Aperture software today. One of the program's biggest attractions is its fast, advanced workflow for digital images in the RAW format. Apple wants working with RAW images in Aperture to be as easy as working with JPEGs has been. The software sorts images in stacks based on the time interval between exposures, and you can spread out images in a tile format across a full screen and multiple monitors to sort through them. With a magnifying tool, you can zoom in on portions of images without panning across large files. Aperture features non-destructive image processing and includes a suite of retouching/adjustment tools, so you can modify images without creating additional files or destroying the original file. Aperture supports Tiger's Automator actions for simplifying the workflow, and you can launch images directly into Adobe Photoshop. A variety of color managed printing, book publishing and web publishing options are also on hand. To preorder Aperture for $500 and get more information, go to www.apple.com/aperture. Aperture should be available in November.

Source: Apple Computer, Inc.

Two New Photo Inkjet Printers from Epson
(October 11, 2005) Epson America, (www.epson.com) today announced two new additions to their photo printer line, the EPSON Stylus Photo R220 and the EPSON Stylus Photo R340. Both printers offer borderless for prints up to 8.5"x11", built-in capability to print directly onto inkjet printable CDs or DVDs, and a 6 individual cartridge ink system for cost-efficient printing.

The Stylus Photo R220 (estimated street price, $99) requires OS X 10.2.x or later and plugs into your Mac through a USB port. Offering resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 dpi, 4"x6" borderless printing in roughly 57 seconds, 120 sheet paper capacity (20 sheets of premium glossy photo paper), the Stylus Photo R220 is a remarkable value.

The Stylus Photo R340 (estimated street price, $199) offers some additional features including a 2.4" color monitor for convenient photo viewing; built-in memory slots for CompactFlash I and II, MultimediaCard, xD-Picture Card, Sony Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro and Duo, SmartMedia and Secure Digital memory formats; and PictBridge support making the R340 a valuable printer for any active digital photographer.

Source: Epson America

iTunes 6 Sells ABC Shows and Music Videos
(October 12, 2005) Only five weeks after announcing iTunes 5, today Apple announced iTunes 6, which is available now as a free download for Mac or PC at www.apple.com/itunes. The new version really only updates features to the iTunes Music Store. Most notably, it adds video download purchases for $1.99 each. The initial video content offering consists of more than 2,000 music videos, six short films from Pixar and five TV series from Walt Disney Company networks ABC and the Disney Channel. The television shows include "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Night Stalker," "That's So Raven" and "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody." Full seasons are available on a one episode per download basis and new shows will be available--commercial free--the day after they air on TV for the first time. All of the videos available on iTunes 6 are 320x240 resolution. You can watchthe videos on up to five authorized computers or the new iPods that play video, but they cannot be burned to CDs or DVDs.

iTunes 6 also adds customer reviews of music and the ability to give songs, albums or music videos as gifts to anyone with an email address. Finally, iTunes 6 includes a public beta of a "Just For You" section of the Music Store. This page offers music recommendations personalized for all users with Music Store accounts.

Source: Apple Computer, Inc.

Apple's Fifth-Generation iPods Include Video Playback
(October 12, 2005) Confirming rampant speculation, Apple unveiled its fifth-generation (5G) iPod today, and its most significant advancement is video playback on a 2.5", 320x240 color LCD. It will play the free video podcasts and $1.99 video downloads from the iTunes 6 Music Store, as well as other videos in the H.264 and MPEG-4 formats. These new models come in 30GB and 60GB capacities in either black or white. At 2.4", both 5G iPod sizes are slightly wider than the 4G iPod to accommodate the larger screen, but the 5G 30GB is 31 percent thinner than 4G iPods, and the 5G 60GB is ten percent thinner. The new iPods require iTunes 6 (included) and OS 10.3.9 or higher on a Mac. They will start shipping in about a week, but you can preorder them now at www.apple.com/ipod.

• iPod 30GB | 2.5" LCD | 4.8 ounces | 2.4"x4.1"x0.43" | $300
• iPod 60GB | 2.5" LCD | 5.5 ounces | 2.4"x4.1"x0.55" | $400

  Source: Apple Computer, Inc.

  New Apple iMacs Include Built-In iSight, Remote Control, Mighty Mouse
  (October 12, 2005) At a special Apple announcement today in San Jose, California the new iMacs stole the show from the the new video iPod. Two new models of the all-in-one, flat-panel computer were introduced, and both are thinner than the previous models. Not only that, but centered above the screen is a built-in iSight web camera for video conferencing with iChat AV. The iMac's iSight features improved specs from the original camera, and the iMac includes a new app called Photo Booth that takes quick pictures from the iSight with a variety of optional effects. These iMacs are the first Macs to come bundled with Apple's four-button Mighty Mouse, and they also come with a six-button remote control. This wireless remote is for accessing Apple's new Front Row media viewing software. Front row provides a full-screen menu for you to browse and play your music, movie and photo libraries as well as to play a DVD movie. Nearly all of the iMac's hardware specs have been enhanced as well. Both models include slot-loading dual-layer 8x SuperDrives, ATI Radeon X600 Pro graphics boards with 128MB VRAM and built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0. They are available now at www.apple.com/imac.

  • 17" iPod | 1.9GHz G5 | 512MB RAM | 160GB | $1,300
  • 20" iPod | 2.1GHz G5 | 512MB RAM | 250GB | $1,700

    Source: Apple Computer, Inc.