The MACWORLD conference has officially taken place. This is why Apple is not particularly enthusiastic about the high-tech CES exhibition. Nevertheless, the world of MAC machines has always excelled over PC systems in multimedia and graphics tasks…
It began with a report from Apple on its achievements in 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2005, Apple’s revenue reached $5.7 billion, with retail sales alone accounting for $1 billion. During the recent holiday season, Apple sold over 14 million iPods. More than 42 million iPods have been sold since the device was first introduced, with 32 million of those sold in 2005 alone. At the same time, Apple also sold over 850 million digital music tracks and 8 million digital videos through the iTunes online store.
Next, Apple introduced an accessory for the fifth-generation iPod and iPod Nano, which allows remote control of the iPod and features an FM radio tuner. The price of this component is $49.
Apple continued to showcase the Aperture Photo editing tool and announced a free upgrade to the MAC operating system X Tiger, version 10.4.4, which includes many new features such as a Google search bar and several sports and news programs from ESPN.
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Steve Jobs |
The presenter, Mr. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, continued with the introduction of iLife, another major initiative from Apple, promising to provide consumers with even more conveniences. He also mentioned iPhoto, which includes services for buying, sharing images, greeting cards, books online, and iMovie for video editing. iPhoto and iMovie are part of iLife.
Along with iDVD, a program that allows the creation of DVD-quality widescreen videos and supports DVD burning, iChat, an online messaging program on the iPod will soon include these new services, transforming it into the most advanced multimedia entertainment device for the youth.
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Operating System X Tiger |
Additionally, Apple will release iWeb, which includes blogging services, templates for spreadsheets, documents, and online sharing tools. This is iLife from Apple, priced at $79. Mr. Jobs also introduced a new program called iWork, with upgrades for the Keynote and Pages tools, also priced at $79.
Currently, there are 1 million customers using Internet services on the MAC platform.
In the last 30 minutes of the conference, Mr. Jobs discussed the new MAC computers based on Intel chips. The new systems, iMac, will operate three times faster than the current Power PC systems, thanks to the dual-core power of Intel processors. Apple’s Rosetta translation software will ensure that programs from the Power PC, like Office, run smoothly on the new systems.
Finally, the Intel-based MAC laptop is said to have four times the power of the current PowerBook G4. The new laptop features Apple’s Front Row technology, allowing users to watch movies, listen to music, and view photos with a remote control. It is also thinner and includes an iSight webcam. The expected configuration includes a 1.67GHz processor, 512 MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, and CD/DVD burning capabilities, priced around $2499. These systems are set to hit the market in February.
Apple hopes that its collaboration with Intel will enhance the popularity of the Mac in the PC market. Historically, Macs have been seen as specialized systems with superior graphics processing and gaming capabilities. What benefits will this partnership bring to consumers? This remains a question waiting for time to answer…
For detailed information about the conference, you can refer here
