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Gartenberg: "The Mac is back" and it's a business, not a hobby
Tech industry analyst Michael Gartenberg tells Mac fans not to worry about the future of their favorite platform in his latest column over on Macworld. Over the past year, there has been a lot of consternation about the future of Apple's traditional computing platform as the company has seemingly put most of its development efforts into iOS-based products, like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Following comments from Steve Jobs comparing PCs to trucks and mobile devices to cars, there was even speculation that Apple might eventually abandon traditional computers. However, Gartenberg says that unlike the original Apple TV, the Mac lineup is "a business, not a hobby." While the mobile devices now account for more than half of Apple's revenue, the Macs are still very significant, and perhaps more importantly, they're growing at a steady, rapid pace. Despite some functionality of the small devices that has found its way back into the Mac, the OS X and iOS devices remain very distinct. Each has capabilities that the other cannot manage, and won't for the foreseeable future. The lines are unlikely to converge as long as a keyboard and large display remain important for the completion of many tasks. iOS machines will probably outsell OS X in sheer volume, but it seems like the latter will remain available.
Switched On: The iPadification of Mac OS
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The title of Apple's recent Back to the Mac event turned out to have multiple meanings. The first was heralding a shift of Apple's event focus to the product that was once synonymous with the company. But it also had a more literal connotation, that traits associated both with iPad software and hardware would now be finding their way back to the Apple's computers. But the impact of this round trip could have different implications for hardware and software. Apple's new MacBook Air was cited as taking on traits associated with the iPad such as thinness, flash storage, longer battery life, and instant on. The new MacBook Air also dispenses with an optical drive, but so did the previous MacBook Air, and indeed so do nearly all netbooks and quite a few other "thin and light" notebook PCs. Most would agree that the new hardware choices produce desirable traits in an ultramobile notebook.
Found Footage: Back to the Mac in an incredibly great 104 seconds
Remember last week's Back to the Mac event where the stunning iLife '11 suite and the jaw-dropping new Macbook Airs were announced? No? Well if you missed it, Lockheed91 has saved you some time and reduced the introduction of the awesome new computers along with the amazing new releases of the incredible new iPhoto, the stunning new Garageband and the extraordinary new iMovie down to a remarkable 104 second adjective-fest. Take a look at this phenomenal (and really exciting) video after the break and see for yourself. [via Huffington Post]
The cracked crystal ball -- how the TUAW blogger predictions fared
Shortly before the Back to the Mac event on Wednesday, TUAW blogger Michael Grothaus compiled a list of predictions from the rest of the blogging staff. I thought it would be fun to go through the predictions and score our ability to foresee the future, giving each correct prediction a +1 score and every wrong prediction a -1 score. I gave the bloggers a zero if they suggested something, and then followed it up with a "not likely." How well did our predictions match reality? Check out the scoring on the next page -- just click or tap "Read More" to see who the true fortune-tellers were for the Apple event.
New MacBook Air shipping without Flash installed
Users are reporting that Apple's new MacBook Air models, announced yesterday at Apple's 'Back to the Mac' press conference, are shipping without Adobe's Flash player plug-in pre-installed. Traditionally, Mac computers have shipped with Flash preloaded - so users wouldn't have to worry about installing it. Now, new MacBook Air users will have to download and install the plug-in themselves, should they wish to view Flash content on the internet. It's not a biggie, but it does send a strong message. It is well known that Apple has concerns over the performance of Adobe's Flash plug-in, that's why Flash is not supported on iOS portable devices. Although Apple has made known it's qualms with Flash on Mac OS X in the past, this is the first move Apple has made on the Mac to indicate that it is distancing itself even further from Adobe's internet plug-in. Back in April of this year, Steve Jobs penned "Thoughts on Flash," an open letter explaining Apple's concerns over Flash and why Apple does not support it on its iOS devices. You can read the letter here, or for a fantastic summary by our own T.J Luoma, click here. At this stage, it's not clear whether all new Macs are shipping without Flash or if it's just the new MacBook Air models. Either way, Apple is sending a pretty clear message to web developers and consumers alike: they don't like Flash. [via AppleInsider]
Apple's 'Back to the Mac' event roundup
Oh dear, you missed it? Don't fret, we've got links for you. So many links. Apple was short on surprises at its intimate "Back to the Mac" event today, but that doesn't mean there weren't some interesting nuggets. Mac OS X Lion and MacBook Air lead the pack, but we find it's the little things that count, and they count even more in bullet point form. It's science! The liveblog Live from Apple's 'Back to the Mac' event Hands-on coverage MacBook Air (11.6-inch) first hands-on! MacBook Air (13-inch) first hands-on! MacBook Air: all substance, no Flash FaceTime for Mac hands-on: it works, it's rough New MacBook Airs come with Software Reinstall USB drive Product announcements Mac App Store for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 unveiled, coming 'within 90 days' Mac OS X 10.7 Lion announced, coming summer 2011 FaceTime coming to OS X, beta available today Apple announces iLife '11, $49 upgrade or free with every new Mac, available today Apple introduces 11.6-inch MacBook Air, available today for $999 Apple's new MacBook Air (update: video)
MacBook Air (13-inch) first hands-on! (update: video!)
We just spent some quality time with the new 13-inch MacBook Air, and it certainly seems like a worthy upgrade. It definitely feels significantly bigger than the 11-incher, and we noticed the function keys are standard MacBook size, as opposed to the shrunken ones on the 11. We also noticed that it was seriously instant-on -- we popped the lid open and closed several times while taking photos, and it was ready to go the second we opened it. We'll have more impressions and pics in a few, stay tuned! Update: Video after the break! %Gallery-105554% %Gallery-105559%
MacBook Air (11.6-inch) first hands-on! (update: video!)
Look, all we can tell you is that this is one of the tiniest, thinnest, most lust-worthy laptops we've ever seen. We're taking a deeper look at the device right now, but for the time being, enjoy the gallery below! Update: Video after the break! %Gallery-105548% %Gallery-105559%
MacBook Air: all substance, no Flash
Amusingly enough, you know what's missing from the new MacBook Air models? Adobe Flash Player. While preloaded on Apple's past hardware, out of the box here it just says missing plugin, with no click to install option. To be fair, Flash doesn't come standard on a lot of machines, even for Windows, but we wonder if past models will continue to ship out with Adobe's plugin, especially once OS X 10.7 becomes de facto. It's not like Adobe was feeling the love from Steve anyway, and you can still install Flash yourself -- we did, and are happy to report the Air plays 720p video great. We were too bandwidth-challenged at the time to try 1080p for real, so we'll have to let you know about that later.
TUAW TV Live: special 'Back to the Mac' early edition
As part of our continuing coverage of Apple's "Back to the Mac" event today, TUAW TV Live is starting a little bit earlier than usual so we can provide you with all the news that's fit to broadcast as soon as we can. Join me and my fellow TUAW editor Mike Rose as we discuss everything that went on at today's celebration of the Mac. How do you join in on the fun? From your Mac or PC, just go to the next page by clicking the read more link at the bottom of this post, and you'll find a livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. iPad users haven't been forgotten, either, as you can tune in to TUAW TV Live on your iPad! That link will send you to a non-Flash page, although you won't have access to our chat tool. And one final note -- if the show has started and you're seeing a previously recorded show instead of the livestream, you can always pop on over to ustream.tv/tuaw to join the show in progress.
New MacBook Airs come with Software Reinstall USB drive
What's a MacBook Air to do in the case of a software emergency without an internal or external optical drive? Well, Apple's thankfully considered that situation, and has included a Software Reinstall USB drive with both the 11-inch and 13-inch models. As a bonus, it also makes an attractive addition to a keychain or necklace. Update: We took some shots of the drive. It's a really small USB drive! Storage comes up at around 8GB, of which 7.5GB is used for the OS X and iLife installers. %Gallery-105594%
FaceTime becomes a desktop application
Facetime made its grand debut as part of iOS4 (specifically on the iPhone 4 hardware). It expanded to a nice user base once the fourth generation of the iPod touch was released. In today's event, it was announced that in the first four months of Facetime's existence, said user base grew to 19 million people. Now those 19 million people will be able to talk to all the customers of Apple Computer who actually purchased a computer! As of today, the beta for FaceTime will be available for computers as well. Steve did a quick demonstration of FaceTime with Phil Schiller who was on his iPhone 4, and it looked pretty smooth. So far the only notable piece of the announcement is what was missing: A Windows client, or at least integration with an existing messaging application. It is starting to look like iChat's days might be numbered, since we heard no mention of it and now the way forward appears to have a new icon.
Apple introduces 11.6-inch MacBook Air, available today for $999
Hoo boy, our tipster was spot on with this one, Apple's adding an 11.6-inch sibling to its newly redesigned 13.3-inch MacBook Air. It'll have a dual-core 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (upgradeable to 1.6GHz on the more expensive model), 1366 x 768 resolution, and a $999 starting price for the 64GB SSD model, with the 128GB version setting you back $1,199. It carries over the aluminum unibody construction from the 13-incher, along with the same 2GB or 4GB DDR3 RAM options and NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, but has to settle for a briefer 5-hour battery life. Full PR and Apple's first ad for this new hotness both await after the break.%Gallery-105542% Update: We've got our very first hands-on pictures with the new machine. Enjoy!
Apple's new MacBook Air (update: video)
Apple asked itself what would happen if an iPad and a MacBook Air "hooked up." Benefits from the iPad? "Instant on... great battery life, amazing standby time... solid state storage... and it's thinner and lighter." It's 0.68-inches thick at its thickest, 0.11-inches at its thinnest, and weighs 2.9 pounds (the old MacBook Air was 0.76-inches thick and weighed 3 pounds). Naturally, Apple is going unibody construction here, with one of those big new glass trackpads. They're also sticking with a 13.3-inch screen, running at a 1440 x 900 resolution (with an 11.6-inch "little brother" to boot). There's SSD storage, a 1.86GHz or 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo processor (the same ones available on existing MacBook Airs, apparently), GeForce 320m graphics, and 2GB of RAM standard. Apple says its new "more stringent" battery life tests offer 7 hours of "wireless web" and 30 days of "standby." Prices start at $1,299 for 128GB and $1,599 for 256GB of storage; they're available today. Be sure to check out our complete live coverage right here! %Gallery-105537%
Apple: Mac sales could sustain a Fortune 500 company by itself
One in five PCs sold in the United States is a Mac, making up 20.67% of U.S. consumer market share, and bringing in triple the amount of money the Mac has earned since fiscal year 2005. That's the amazing number that Tim Cook, Apple's COO, shared at the beginning of today's "Back to the Mac" conference. Other awesome numbers? Year-over-year growth is 27% for the Mac compared to 11% for the PC There are 600,000 Mac developers 33% of Apple's revenue comes from the Mac. That's enough to fund a Fortune 500 company on its own, and would rank 110th on the list (though it was made clear Apple has no plans to spin the Mac off) More than 75 million people have visited an Apple Store within the last business quarter The stores in China have the highest traffic of any Apple Store, signifying lots of potential in that company All very impressive numbers for Apple's traditional computing platform. iPhones and iPads are no slouches, either, of course, but the Mac is stronger than ever.
Live from Apple's 'Back to the Mac' event
Check back at the times below! 07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 02:00AM - Tokyo (October 21st)
Mac App Store for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 unveiled, coming 'within 90 days'
Given its success with the iPhone / iPod touch's App Store, we can't say an OS X version is entirely crazy -- and neither can Apple, who just announced such an App Store for its 10.7 release, Lion. Here's what we know so far: multi-touch gestures, app home screens, full screen apps. "Every app on the iPad is a full screen app," says Steve. Auto save, apps resume when launched. Don't expect on-screen multitouch, as Jobs is very much against vertical touching. "Touch surfaces want to be horizontal" -- you can all but kiss those touchscreen iMac rumors goodbye. Just like iPad, there's automatic installation, auto-updates, a 70 / 30 revenue split for developers, one-click downloads, and the license works for all personal Macs. The App Store itself is a standalone app that looks a lot like iTunes. Apps are automatically dropped into the dock after download. Expect it to hit OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard users "within 90 days" from today. And developers? Apple's accepting app submissions starting in November. Update: Apple's main site and developer site have been updated with App Store information pages, although there isn't much new to see beyond what was announced at the event. Update 2: From the looks of that image above, individual iLife and iWork apps will be unbundled in the future for separate purchase. We're also wondering if this is the end of Apple Family Packs -- volume licensing that lets you install one copy of Apple software on up to five Apple-labeled computers -- after hearing Steve say that Mac App Store apps are "licensed for use on all your personal Macs?" Check out our liveblog of Apple's Back to the Mac event right here. %Gallery-105529%
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion announced, coming summer 2011
As promised, Apple today offered a preview of Mac OS X 10.7, a.k.a "Lion," which Steve Jobs says has been inspired by the company's efforts with iOS. That inspiration has resulted in an expanded use of multitouch gestures (but not on a vertical screen), an emphasis on iPad-like full screen applications, and -- here's the big one -- an App Store for OS X (which will also be coming to Snow Leopard). Also new is the Launchpad application launcher, which will give you an iPad-like grid of icons and let you create iOS-style folders for applications, and the all-new Mission Control, which offers a unified view of all your open windows, open apps, and your dock. No exact launch date just yet, but Apple says Lion will roll out sometime in the summer of 2011 -- head on past the break for the full press release. %Gallery-105532%
FaceTime coming to OS X, beta available today
We just spotted the FaceTime logo, or a version of it, lurking in the OS X dock during Apple's iMovie 11 demo. New version of iChat with FaceTime compatibility? We'd put money on it. Update: It's real! It appears to be an all-new app, instead of a version of iChat AV. You use your Mac's Address Book and make calls right from the app. If your chat counterpart is in portrait or landscape the display automatically adjusts, and you can also go to full screen. Better yet? It's out today, in a beta form. Find out more in our hands-on. %Gallery-105525%
Apple announces iLife '11, $49 upgrade or free with every new Mac, available today
There you have it. Shockingly enough, iMovie, iPhoto, and GarageBand have all been modernized sufficiently to merit having their names appended with '11. iPhoto '11 is taking the early demo lead in the live event, with hot new slideshow themes. Gee, Steve, you're building it up nice and slow, huh? There are added Facebook and email sharing enhancements and new full screen modes that make it look a lot like ... an iPad app. %Gallery-105511% iMovie '11 will freshen up the audio editing options (finally!) and add "one step effects," a People Finder that identifies individuals in movie clips, and an apparently effortless movie trailer maker. Intriguing. The audio tweaks include per-segment sound levels adjustments as well as easy fade sliders, there are also additional new audio effects for people to play around with. 24fps video editing and output is now supported, allowing you to export more film-like trailers using the templates thrown into this new software. Good news on the upload front too, as direct sharing to Facebook and Vimeo has also been added.%Gallery-105516% Apple is adding FlexTime, Groove Matching, more guitar and amp effects, new piano and guitar lessons, and finally a "How Did I Play" feature to GarageBand '11. Groove Matching can be summarized with a quote from the Cupertino crew's Xander Soren: "it's like an automatic spellchecker for bad rhythm." As to "How Did I Play," that's a mixture of post-play analysis and a Rock Band-like live note monitor, which highlights in green the notes you strike correctly or in red the ones you miss. It works with both the guitar and piano.%Gallery-105523% iLife '11 is available today, as a free extra on new Macs or as a $49 upgrade on differently new Apple machines. Full press release is now embedded after the break.
