WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Tuesday updates of Apple's hardware, software applications and operating system as well as the introduction of new hardware based on Intel processors.
Speaking at the Macworld Expo conference in San Francisco, Jobs greeted a full capacity audience in his standard jeans and a black turtleneck, quickly citing record sales with a $1 billion quarter for the 2005 holiday season and $5.7 billion in total revenues for the quarter.
Record profits were boosted by 14 million iPods sold during the holiday season with Jobs citing the success of video sales through Apple's iTunes Music Store, which recently tied in with ABC and ESPN to sell condensed versions of the Bowl Championship Games as well NBC to release classic episodes of Saturday Night Live.
Apple's updated software included a major system update to Mac OS X 10.4.4 that can be downloaded and installed for free as well as the announcement of iLife 2006, its multimedia content editing suite of applications. iLife 2006, which will retail for $79 for a single user copy and $99 for a family pack (which allows installations on five different Macs) features updated versions of its iMovie HD video editing software, improvements to its iDVD authoring software, the inclusion of an editing component to its GarageBand audio editing software to allow for the easy creation of podcasts and a new program called iWeb. iWeb functions as a Web site layout editor, complete with templates, in which users can add photo albums, blogs, podcasts and then upload the finished site to a .mac Web space for others to view.
Other major changes within this suite included shared digital photo albums, or "photocasts," in the iPhoto digital image program. Once a photo album has been created and its images edited, users can share the album across the Internet and invite others to view the work. The album, which is hooked into an RSS technology, can change dynamically should the user change the images within it, and other users can subscribe to the album to be notified if changes have been made.
By far the most significant announcement of Jobs' keynote speech was the introduction of Intel-based hardware. Apple announced a forthcoming switch over to Intel's microprocessors last May, as opposed to their usual PowerPC processor line that has traditionally been offered by IBM and Motorola. In a dramatic entrance heightened by the release of dry ice and flashing light effects, Intel CEO Paul Otellini stepped forward onto the stage wearing a white clean room technical suit and carrying a platter of microprocessors. Both Jobs and Otellini stated that their companies were ready to work together and shook hands.
The transition, which carries with it change to Apple's programs, will require applications to be programmed as Universal Binaries, which run both on PowerPC and Intel hardware. Apple will allow users to "crossgrade" their professional applications such as Aperture and Final Cut Pro for a discounted rate of $49 to receive software compatible with the new Intel hardware. Major software firms such as Quark, makers of the industry-standard QuarkXPress page layout software, and Microsoft have promised that their applications will be ported over to the new Universal Binary Standard.
Apple's new hardware, an iMac G5 with an Intel Duo Core processor, is stated to be two to three times faster than the current iMac G5. The new machine will sport the same design, features and price points as the current iMac G5 units being sold. The iMac Dual Core is available as of today and can be ordered through Apple's Web site.
Billed as Steve Jobs' "One More Thing...", the final exciting announcement that typically accompanies a Steve Jobs keynote, Apple announced a new version of its laptop computer, which has switched titles from the PowerBook to the MacBook Pro. The new laptop, priced at $1,999 and $2,499, features an Intel Dual Core processor, a built-in iSight video camera, Front Row multimedia cataloging software, an Apple Remote control, ultra-bright display and is billed as four to five times faster than Apple's current top of the line PowerBook G4. The MacBook Pro will become available in February with Apple accepting orders through its Web site today.
As the keynote wound down, Jobs promised Apple's entire hardware line would transition to Intel-based microprocessors within the 2006 calendar year.
