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Apple today released Aperture 2.1, which introduces an open plug-in architecture that makes it easy for photographers to use specialized third party imaging software right from within Aperture. Available today as a free software update, Aperture 2.1 includes the Apple-developed plug-in, Dodge & Burn, which adds brush-based tools for dodge (lighten), burn (darken), contrast, saturation, sharpen and blur. Over the coming months, third party software developers will deliver image editing plug-ins for localized editing, filters and effects, noise analysis and reduction, fisheye lens correction and more…
Posted in Main Item, News | No Comments »March 7th, 2008
Apple today previewed its iPhone 2.0 software, scheduled for release this June, and announced the immediate availability of a beta release of the software to selected developers and enterprise customers. The iPhone 2.0 beta release includes both the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) as well as new enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars as well as remote wipe, and the addition of Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private corporate networks.
Posted in Main Item, News | No Comments »February 28th, 2008
As reported yesterday, Apple’s iPhone software roadmap will be officially unveiled in March. Although it will not meet the company’s original February timeframe, Apple has sent out an invitation to a 10:00 iPhone focused event on March 6 at their Cupertino headquarters which will focus not only on an iPhone software development kit (SDK), but also much awaited enterprise functionality for corporations and also educational institutions. Additionally, the event is likely to cover future global availablity of the iPhone, which is currently only officially available in the US, UK and parts of Europe…
Posted in Features, Main Item, News | No Comments »February 26th, 2008
As expected, Apple today updated its popular MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook lines with Intel’s new Penryn chips, larger hard drives and 2GB of memory standard in most models. In addition, MacBook Pro includes the latest NVIDIA graphics processors, now with up to 512MB of video memory, and the new Multi-Touch trackpad featured in the MacBook Air. The new MacBook Pro features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo technology with up to a 2.6 GHz processor with 6MB of shared L2 cache; up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory and up to a 300GB hard drive, plus NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 512MB of video memory…
Posted in Main Item, News | No Comments »February 12th, 2008
Apple today introduced Aperture 2 (why it wasn’t announced at PMA several weeks ago isn’t clear), the next major release of its professional photo editing and management software with over 100 new features that make it faster, easier to use and more powerful. With a streamlined user interface and entirely new image processing engine, Aperture 2 also introduces new imaging tools for highlight recovery, color vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and RAW fine-tuning, and lets users directly post their portfolios on the .Mac Web Gallery for viewing on the web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV. Not only will the new interface appeal to iPhoto users (many of the key new interface have been adopted from iPhoto ‘08), but so will the new price of US$199…
Posted in Main Item, News | No Comments »February 5th, 2008
While there has been speculation over the last few days that Apple would match flash capacity offered with the iPod touch by introducing a more expensive iPhone model, a new higher capacity iPod touch has come as a surprise to most. The iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for US$499, joining the existing 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a whopping 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299. Both products are available immediately.
“For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world.”
Other than capacity, there are no other hardware changes that have been noted. So what does this mean for future device updates? It is expected that with the next full iPod touch revision late this year, the line will return to two separate models at the lower price points…
Posted in Main Item, News | No Comments »January 25th, 2008
While most have yet to see the MacBook Air in person, and those that have are yet to put it through its paces outside of the demonstration environment, a select few have been lucky enough to have had a chance to review the MacBook and see what its really made of. The big question is how much performance has been sacrificed in the process of cutting off the pounds.
One of the first out of the gate was The Wallstreet Journal’s Walt Mossberg who said that MacBook Air’s screen and keyboard were a pleasure to use and that the machine felt speedy, even with multiple programs running. Yep, that’s right guys, System 7 is upon us, the MacBook Air can officially multitask. Jokes aside, he does point out what many seem to forget: The MacBook Air may be perfect for many people who travel, but certainly not for all. Criticisms included the lack of a removable battery, common ports and the fact the screen is taller than the average sub-notebook may create potential problems for those trying to use it while flying if the seat in front of them is reclined. Additionally, he said that “in my standard battery test, where I disable all power-saving features, set the screen brightness at maximum, turn on the Wi-Fi and play an endless loop of music, the MacBook Air’s battery lasted 3 hours, 24 minutes. That means you could likely get 4.5 hours in a normal work pattern, almost the five hours Apple claims.”
A design triumph were the words of Newsweek’s Steven Levy who stated that “the gentle curves and the absence of protrusions make this an instant object of techno-lust, another notch in Apple’s belt of design triumphs. Most importantly, its diminutive dimensions pretty much evaporate the eternal quandary of whether or not to take your computer along with you.” While he praises the new multi-touch trackpad functionality, he also points that the port selection may be a negative for some users, as might the 80GB hard drive which isn’t huge if the MacBook Air is your only computer…
Update: Thank you to David Pogue for stopping by to let us know his New York Times review has been out for over a week. A summary of his thoughts has been added to the end of this article.
Posted in Main Item, News | 2 Comments »January 20th, 2008
Macworld is well and truly over now and this will be the last Macworld specific article until next year. Prior to the keynote, we published photos of the “there’s something in the air” banners around the Moscone Center and later filed our rumor roundup, which on the whole correctly predicted the launch of the MacBook Air (SSD was unfortunately not standard) and rental movies via and redesigned Apple TV interface. Over following days we reported on the keynote, gave you a hands on look at the new MacBook Air and tracked down an assortment of interesting products for our Best of Show Awards. Finally, we bring you a selection of photos taken during the expo.
Posted in Features, Main Item | No Comments »January 19th, 2008
With Macworld all wrapped up for another year, it’s time for us to announce our very own best of show awards. There were literally thousands of great products out there on the floor and it was really impossible to see them all. Macworld of course announced their awards at a ceremony at the expo on Wednesday and iLounge has also announced its selections. Some of ours overlap, while others are entirely fresh and new. Continue reading to find out who takes home a the prizes in our premier Best of Show Awards…
Posted in Features, Main Item | No Comments »January 17th, 2008
The Apple booth is busy, with most people heading straight to the MacBook Air demo models, so only a quick look at the product was possible. However, it was long enough for me personally to decide that this is the laptop for me. Up until now, I have put off buying a MacBook mainly due to the weight, so the first thing I did was close and lift it. It’s light, something the Apple employee demonstrating it to me was quick to point out. Many people look at laptops like the MacBook Air and can’t understand why anyone would pay extra for lesser specs simply for a weight cut. However, any student or traveller will tell you that weight is a very important factor when choosing a machine - the MacBook Air meets that requirement. It is a solid machine and will undoubtedly be a big seller over the next few months. Continue reading for more hands on photos…
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