Apple held a press conference at their headquarters today, where they announced a new set of goodies for their Mac line of products. They called it "Back to the Mac," which really was a fitting title for the event. Read on for a summary of what was announced, as well as some links to more detailed info.
New Mac OS X: Lion
As expected, Mr. Jobs and co. unveiled "Lion," the next version of OS X. And Lion is all about
bringing the functionality of the iPad to regular computers. Hence the title of the event: Mr. Jobs made it clear that Apple wants to bring the features people love about the iPad, well, "back" to their Mac line.
This means that Lion will boast a multitouch interface--but with devices like a trackpad, not a touchscreen. Also, the new OS will support full-screen apps from a
brand new App Store for Macs (Snow Leopard users, you'll have access to this as well starting in 90 days). And of course, there are plenty of other changes that will be part of Lion, most of which integrate the iPad interface with the normal OS X experience we're used to on our Macs.
"When will it be available?" you ask? Not until next summer.
iLife '11
On top of Lion, Apple announced a
new version of iLife, its general software suite. And there are quite a few changes to everyone's favorite user-friendly media-editing programs. iPhoto now works in full-screen mode and has updated sharing, viewing, and printing features. iMovie offers updated audio editing, effects, and an edit-by-numbers "trailer" feature. And Garage Band gives amateur players some help with Groove Matching (auto-tuning for rhythm), Flex Time (enhanced editing), and built-in guitar and piano lessons.
Oh, and it's available today, free on new Macs, $49 for an upgrade.
New MacBook Air: 13.3" and 11.6"
Apple also announced a
refresh to its MacBook Air line today, again bringing some features of the iPad "back" to the Mac line. This time, it's in the hardware: like the iPad, the new MacBook Air models boast flash storage, meaning they are hard-drive free. They also have a new "instant on" feature.
They are available today, and here's the breakdown of the pricing:
- 11.6": $999 for a 64 GB model, $1199 for a 128 GB model
- 13.3": $1299 for a 128 GB model, $1599 for a 256 GB model
Face Time for Mac
Oh, and here's another iOS feature that's coming "back" to the Mac line. Apple released a beta version of FaceTime for Mac users today. Early reviews say
FaceTime on the Mac is pretty bare bones, but it will allow you to have a video conversation with an iPhone user.