Live coverage of Apple's address at PhotoPlus Expo 2005
We're here live at Apple's press event here at PhotoPlus Expo 2005. So far attendance is sparse — maybe about 25 journalists. We're just waiting for everything to go down, in the meantime they're playing Weezer, Gorillaz, and Beck over the soundsystem — you know, the usual hipster BS. This is Apple's third press event in seven weeks, you could definitely say they're on the warpath. For what it's worth, the Apple store has gone down, which means something'll probably be announced.
12:08pm - David Moody is on stage, promises a number of hardware and software announcements. Reviewing core professional imaging stuff: Core Image, Image Capture, Quartz Extreme, ColorSync, Automator.
12:10pm - Looks like we're getting right into it! Two new PowerBooks announced today, a 15-inch and 17-inch upgrade.
12:12pm - The 15-inch will get a new display with 1440 x 960 resolution; the 17-inch will get 1680 x 1050. Both will be 46% brighter than previous models, and both will have 22% better battery life.
12:14pm - Oh, and SuperDrive (DVD burners, that is) will be standard. Apple Cinema HD support is now built-in as well. Expect the 12-inch to retial now for $1,500, the 15-inch for $2,000, and the 17-inch for $2,500. All are available now.
12:15pm - Looks like the G5 isn?t out yet, too. They?ve bumped the L2 cache on new G5-based systems to 1MB, and added dual-core support (as expected) with dual velocity engines.
12:16pm - These chips will be used in the new dual-core Power Macs, which will support 16GB of 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM, and can rock up to 1TB of internal storage. They?ll come equipped with PCI-Express (finally!), and are being launched with four nVidia cards, including something in the way of a Quadro FX 4500. All four cards support the 30-inch Cinema Display, and you can add up to a total of four 30-inchers, now.
12:17pm - The product is called the Power Mac G5 Quad?that?s a total of four operating cores, 76.6 gigaflops. The Quad will be available in early November.
12:19pm - Now on to the Cinema Displays? new pricing on the 23-inch, down to $1299. The 30-inch will also get a price drop. That?s it for hardware!
12:24pm - Apple?s also introducing a new post-production tool for photographers today. It?s called Aperture. The idea is to make shooting in RAW as easy as shooting in JPEG.
12:31pm - They?re getting into the nitty gritty photo stuff now, which we?ll do what we can with. This is a tool obviously aimed at professionals; it?s got a virtual loupe for magnification, a virtual light table, and a free form space for mock-ups.
1:01pm - Aperture will be out next month, retail price of $499.
1:10pm - Looks like we?re all about wrapped up here. Thanks for tuning in everybody!
