Apple tree grows and thrives
Hardware: Apple continues to expand its product portfolio and lower prices.
Hardware Apple further expands its product portfolio and lowers prices On January 11, the publishing/creative community and the fan community, which has grown since iPod & Co, eagerly awaited Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote speech at Macworld San Francisco (MWSF). Lawsuits filed by Apple against the disseminators of what subsequently turned out to be "true rumors" caused a media stir in the run-up to the event. There was a reason for the nervousness: a whole bunch of new hardware and software products were presented at the MWSF. Hardware is becoming a lifestyleApple announced the new Mac mini, a low-cost computer that has been available to order since the end of January. The tiny square computer with a side length of 16.5 cm and a height of just 5 cm is the first Mac for the consumer market that is available without a monitor - and it is also the most compact and cheapest computer that Apple has ever offered. The Mac mini in the stylish aluminum housing is now intended to conquer this market more strongly, but is also aimed at Windows users, who for the first time can enjoy Apple's Mac OS X operating system for little money and with their existing peripherals (monitor, keyboard, etc.). This thrust is underlined by the iLife '05 software suite for creating and managing digital content (photos, films, DVDs and music).
However, while the price and performance data are right at first glance, there is a small gap in the equipment. The Minis are somewhat under-equipped. Only 256 MB RAM on both and a 40 GB or 80 GB hard disk on the larger model are rather poor and spoil the initial overall impression. Well equipped (1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard disk, Bluetooth and wire-less card), the smallest model quickly costs over 1300 francs - without monitor, keyboard and mouse, of course. The small size is also put into perspective because the power supply unit has been removed and has to disappear under the table.
So unsuitable for the graphics and advertising industry? Not necessarily. After all, a 1.25 or 1.42 GHz G4 computer for 699 or 829 francs including iLife is a real bargain and could turn out to be the ideal entry-level machine for some small(est) businesses. The Mini can be upgraded and expanded at a later date. The Mac mini is also ideal for editorial, text entry and workstations with similar requirements. Professionals and power users, on the other hand, will continue to turn to the PowerMacs. These computers, like many other Apple products, were significantly reduced in price shortly before the MWSF.
With the new iPod shuffle music player, which is based on flash memory and therefore does not require a hard disk, Apple has also satisfied the wishes of fans of the fashionable iPod music player. Compared to the models costing 139 (512 MB) or 199 francs (1 GB), the iPod shuffle is considerably cheaper and plays music tracks transferred via iTunes software in linear or random order - and therefore does without a display. Like its big brothers, the iPod shuffle can also be used as a data carrier. For this purpose, two selectable areas can be defined for music and data.
New, revised softwareWith iWork '05, Apple also presented a new software bundle that includes the completely renewed presentation software Keynote and the new word processing program Pages. The iLife software suite - also with the "'05" suffix - has undergone a major overhaul. The changes here range from the now possible transfer of uncompressed RAW image data to iPhoto and far-reaching improvements to the music recording and editing software GargageBand to the user-guided creation of movies within iMovie.
With the support of the high-definition format (HD) in iMovie and in the also renewed, semi-professional video editing package Final Cut Express, Apple is presenting a significant and trend-setting innovation. According to Steve Jobs in his keynote speech, this means that the professional HD video format is making its way to the Mac at home. However, it remains to be seen whether this will make 2005 the "year of HD video".
New PowerBooksApple also introduced faster and cheaper G4 PowerBooks at the beginning of February. The new computers are standard
The new models are equipped with 512 MB RAM, a faster graphics card, WLAN and Bluetooth 2.0 and feature two new patent-pending technologies: the "Scrolling TrackPad" is designed to make scrolling easier, while the "Sudden Motion Sensor" is intended to prevent a running hard disk from being damaged in the event of a fall. (jf)
Apple is targeting the consumer market with the new Mac mini.
Apple as a synonym for lifestyle.
Jürgen Franck
However, while the price and performance data are right at first glance, there is a small gap in the equipment. The Minis are somewhat under-equipped. Only 256 MB RAM on both and a 40 GB or 80 GB hard disk on the larger model are rather poor and spoil the initial overall impression. Well equipped (1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard disk, Bluetooth and wire-less card), the smallest model quickly costs over 1300 francs - without monitor, keyboard and mouse, of course. The small size is also put into perspective because the power supply unit has been removed and has to disappear under the table.
So unsuitable for the graphics and advertising industry? Not necessarily. After all, a 1.25 or 1.42 GHz G4 computer for 699 or 829 francs including iLife is a real bargain and could turn out to be the ideal entry-level machine for some small(est) businesses. The Mini can be upgraded and expanded at a later date. The Mac mini is also ideal for editorial, text entry and workstations with similar requirements. Professionals and power users, on the other hand, will continue to turn to the PowerMacs. These computers, like many other Apple products, were significantly reduced in price shortly before the MWSF.
With the new iPod shuffle music player, which is based on flash memory and therefore does not require a hard disk, Apple has also satisfied the wishes of fans of the fashionable iPod music player. Compared to the models costing 139 (512 MB) or 199 francs (1 GB), the iPod shuffle is considerably cheaper and plays music tracks transferred via iTunes software in linear or random order - and therefore does without a display. Like its big brothers, the iPod shuffle can also be used as a data carrier. For this purpose, two selectable areas can be defined for music and data.
New, revised softwareWith iWork '05, Apple also presented a new software bundle that includes the completely renewed presentation software Keynote and the new word processing program Pages. The iLife software suite - also with the "'05" suffix - has undergone a major overhaul. The changes here range from the now possible transfer of uncompressed RAW image data to iPhoto and far-reaching improvements to the music recording and editing software GargageBand to the user-guided creation of movies within iMovie.
With the support of the high-definition format (HD) in iMovie and in the also renewed, semi-professional video editing package Final Cut Express, Apple is presenting a significant and trend-setting innovation. According to Steve Jobs in his keynote speech, this means that the professional HD video format is making its way to the Mac at home. However, it remains to be seen whether this will make 2005 the "year of HD video".
New PowerBooksApple also introduced faster and cheaper G4 PowerBooks at the beginning of February. The new computers are standard
The new models are equipped with 512 MB RAM, a faster graphics card, WLAN and Bluetooth 2.0 and feature two new patent-pending technologies: the "Scrolling TrackPad" is designed to make scrolling easier, while the "Sudden Motion Sensor" is intended to prevent a running hard disk from being damaged in the event of a fall. (jf)
Apple is targeting the consumer market with the new Mac mini.
Apple as a synonym for lifestyle.
Jürgen Franck
