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iPhoto for iOS hits one million users
Apple told Jim Dalrymple of The Loop that iPhoto for the iPad and iPhone reached one million users within ten days of the launch. Dalrymple points out that these are actual users, not downloads, which could be inflated by one person downloading copies to multiple devices. If you're interested in iPhoto for the iPhone and iPad, but haven't purchased it, you can check out our hands-on review. iPhoto is available from the App Store for US$4.99.
Hands-on with iPhoto for iOS
Apple has released iPhoto for iOS, a $4.99 version of the consumer-grade Mac photo management app. While the Apple marketing gears it toward the iPad, it can definitely be used on the iPhone. This completes Apple's porting of the iLife apps to its mobile platforms, and it's arguably one of the strongest of these ports. For this review, we're focusing on the iPad. iPhoto doesn't take the place of Photos on the iPad but works alongside it. If you're familiar with iPhoto on the Mac, then this app won't be new. But, Apple has managed to make the existing iPhoto better and integrate it with bits and pieces of the abandoned iWeb to enhance sharing photos. At the core of iPhoto are photo manipulation tools that are managing to reach the same depth (on some levels) as the recently released Adobe Photoshop Touch. When you bring up an image to be edited, you can tweak it in several ways -- correcting exposure, fixing red eye, repairing minor areas, cropping and more. Pro-level fixes can be done with finger gestures, which adds an amazing amount of control. %Gallery-150174% Where iPhoto really shines is how these tools are presented to people who might not have that much experience with fixing photos. iPhoto for Mac has always made this easy, but iPhoto for iOS visually represents these tools in a way that even the most non-tech-savvy person could get it. This is an app I could hand my in-laws and they would be able to fix a photo. Rotating a photo is represented by either rotating your hand on the screen or adjusting a dial that lets you rotate and crop at the same time. Color adjustment uses common names rather than technical terms to address what you're doing. For example, in nature photos, you're adjusting "greenery" and "skin tones," which are easy to grasp. The most advanced tools are represented in a spectrum of paint brushes and tools that let you visually understand what you're about to do to your photo. The help menu is robust. For each tool selected, activating the help menu lets you know exactly what that tool does and how to use gestures to do it. While I am not a fan of Apple's Marker font, used in the help area, it gets the point across in simple terms. From iPhoto, you can export to various locations, but the most attractive option is the ability to create journals with photos. This is where some of the old iWeb comes in as you manipulate photos and arrange them on the screen, adding dates, quotes and more. It's not that customizable -- I'd like to see Apple throw in extra fonts and the ability to fine-tune pages a bit more -- but it does a good job at getting a basic album of images on iCloud. Yes, journal pages can be uploaded straight to iCloud, and you can share them via links with family and friends like the Mobile Me galleries of old. It makes sense for Apple to fold this functionality into iPhoto rather than break it out into a separate app. iPhoto is $4.99, and it's one of the very first apps that should be loaded on any iOS device. With Adobe Photoshop Touch more than twice the price and not as user-friendly (13 tutorials? Really?) this is perfect to have on any iOS device for tweaking photos. On the iPhone, I can see this giving popular apps such as Camera+ a run for their money. It requires upgrading your iOS device to iOS 5.1 before you can install.
Apple introduces iPhoto for iPad, updates Garage Band, iMovie and iWork
Apple's busy introducing a whole bunch of new apps to go along with its shiny new iPad, and iPhoto is near the top of the list. The "reinvention" of the iconic photo software will be available today for $4.99, and offers a plethora of features, such as bezel gestures, effects, multi-touch editing and direct beaming. You can also easily tweak white balance, exposure and saturation, and you can add geotags, notes and captions. Another highlight of the new iPhoto is the Journal, which allows you to pick and choose certain images to push to iCloud for web viewing. Interestingly, the announcement comes right on the heels of Adobe's competitive offering. To complete the circle of iLife at today's event, Apple announced significant updates to iWork, iMovie and Garage Band. iWork's refresh utilizes the new iPad's Retina display and offers 3D charts, and each individual app -- Keynote 1.6, Numbers 1.6 and Pages 1.6 -- will be ready for purchase today for $9.99 (or free, if you already have the apps). Next up is iMovie, available for $4.99, which now offers the ability to turn your HD movies into trailers and adds a few more advanced editing tools. Finally, Garage Band introduces a new feature called Jam Session, which lets you and three of your friends connect iOS devices together wirelessly and play together in real-time. Just as before, newbies can get the updated app for $4.99. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!
Apple discontinues most boxed software
Considering that the Lion release today (which has gone swimmingly) was a vote of confidence, Apple has moved to get most of its boxed software out of the Apple Store completely, sending a notice out to retailers to discontinue titles like iWork '09, iLife '11, Aperture 3, and most of GarageBand's Jam Pack addons. All of that software will of course be available on the App Store with a download, but Apple won't be keeping them in the actual retail store any longer. This follows Apple's actions earlier this year to remove a number of peripherals and retail games included inside Apple Stores. Much of the hardware is still available, and of course the games can be purchased with a digital download, but Apple seems to want to have its stores as clean and simple as possible. And who can blame them? Apple's latest strategy has been to narrow down product lines and streamline software purchases with an App Store model, and that's worked out just great so far. With Lion already a solid indicator that customers are ready to take to the Mac App Store when needed, there's little if any reason left to bother with actual boxes and discs any more.
iLife updates add full-screen Lion support, change iPhoto UI elements to match Lion
Today's earlier iLife updates are a sign that Lion is set to drop any day now. Not only do the updates add full-screen support to the iLife apps under the latest Lion Developer Preview release, they also tweak some UI elements of iPhoto to match the upcoming UI Finder elements found in OS X 10.7. The image shows a side-by-side comparison of the source list of iPhoto '11 (version 9.1.4) and iPhoto '11 (version 9.1.5). Both are running under Mac OS X 10.6.8. Gone are the colorful icons designating Events, Photos, Faces, and Places. They've all been replaced with grayed-out counterparts that mimic the look of the Finder's source list in Lion. The source list in iWeb has retained its color icons, though that's no surprise as iWeb (and most likely iDVD) has no future as part of the iLife suite and their minor updates today were solely focused on 10.7 compatibility.
Rumor: Steve Jobs says iWeb and MobileMe hosting are going away
Those of us with a vested interest in iWeb have been perplexed by the lack of interest shown by Apple in the former iLife web design app. Couple this with the pending demise of MobileMe on June 30, 2012, and that confusion turns into concern. MacRumors featured a post a few hours ago about an iWeb/MobileMe fan who was so concerned about the lack of iWeb love coming from Apple that the user sent Steve Jobs an email. In the email the iWeb user asked, "Will I need to find an alternative website builder and someone to host my sites?" The alleged response from the CEO of Apple: "Yep." iWeb's discontinuation wouldn't be completely surprising. When iLife '11 debuted late last year, the lack of a new version of iWeb frustrated a number of users. When iCloud was announced last week, there was no indication that websites created with iWeb and hosted on MobileMe would have a migration path to the new world of Apple cloud computing. There are many free website alternatives to a MobileMe-hosted iWeb site, such as WordPress.com, Blogger, Tumblr, and Posterous; paid options include Squarespace, Drupal Gardens and hundreds more. In addition, Facebook is an excellent alternative for both individuals or companies who just want to create a simple web presence to inform friends or customers of what's going on. If your needs are for a straightforward yet powerful WYSIWIG web authoring environment, both RapidWeaver and Sandvox deliver much of iWeb's power with more flexibility for non-MobileMe hosting. For those who still want to have their websites designed in iWeb and hosted somewhere other than on MobileMe, you might want to start looking for low-cost web hosting soon.
Buy individual iWork, iLife apps from the Mac App Store
Apple's iWork suite is a nice collection, but some users don't need all three apps. Fortunately, the Mac App Store lets you pick and choose between iWork and iLife apps. Starting today, you can buy and install only the apps you want for US$20 each. For iWork customers, that means Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Buy all three and spend $60. That's a savings of $40. Now some of you are probably saying "$40? But iWork '09 only cost $80? So if I can get them for $60, that's a savings of $20." Ah, but you are forgetting that the app you are buying can be used on all of your computers, meaning that you are really getting what used to be called the "Family Pack" which sold for $100. The Mac App Store also recognizes if you already own them, so you won't have to buy them again. Similarly, the iLife apps can be purchased individually. You'll find iPhoto or iMovie or GarageBand on sale for $15 each. That's a significant savings over the $80 for iLife Family Pack. There's one big caveat, however: you will not find iWeb or iDVD in the Mac App Store. Maybe they're coming later, but it seems more likely that Apple signified that they were cutting them lose when they were included in the boxed set of iLife but never mentioned during the announcement. Where is iWork '11? Several of us were surprised to see that iWork '11 is not on the Mac App Store. iWork '09 is, obviously, a few years old now and the Mac community has been anticipating a new release. the Mac App Store just seemed like it would be a good opportunity. Not yet, but hopefully soon. Just a reminder: there has never been Mac upgrade pricing on iWork or iLife, so if you buy Pages from iWork '09 today for $20 and iWork '11 is introduced next week, expect to pay full price for that upgrade. Caveat emptor. UPDATE: If you already own these apps but the Mac App Store doesn't recognize it, make sure they are up to date (iWork just had an update last night). After updating apps, restart App Store app and it should recognize they are installed.
iPhoto 101: How to delete photos
Whether your Mac contains a mechanical hard drive or an SSD, everyone needs more space. We're all used to dumping Finder's trash frequently to reclaim drive space, but what some of you might not know is that when you delete pictures from iPhoto, they remain on your computer since iPhoto has its own trash. If you've never done this, you may have hundreds (or for that matter, thousands) of pictures or videos in iPhoto that are just clogging up your drive. There are two ways to delete the iPhoto trash. One way is to just right click on the word Trash in iPhoto's menu bar, and select Empty Trash. The other, and possibly more telling way, is to single click on the word Trash in the menu bar. You'll be presented with all the unnecessary photos and videos along with the total number held in trash. On the top right is an Empty Trash button that will delete them completely. In both cases, you'll be presented with a warning message asking you if you really want to do this. Click OK, and you'll get back some space. If you've never done this, the amount reclaimed can be dramatic, but if you are in the habit of doing this, you won't get back all that much. I deleted 82 pictures, and my hard drive space increased from 97.23 GB to 97.26 GB. See how much you can get back. [via Lifehacker]
Apple pushes out yet another iPhoto '11 update
Following an update last week to fix data loss and corruption, this latest bug fix adds some additional print product options and fixes what Apple calls "overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues." The 9.1 update gives users photo calendars back, and adds some holiday card options. The first release of iPhoto '11 about 2 weeks ago caused some users to lose their photo libraries. That issue seems to have quieted down, but many users are very upset about how this new iLife app works. It's good to see Apple jumping on these issues quickly, although this latest iPhoto has been a rough ride for many users. The update is about 65 MB, and can be downloaded from the Software Update option under the Apple Menu. After you upgrade the app will rescan and update your photo library, so take a deep breath.
Review: GarageBand '11 is worth diving into
iLife '11 has a lot of goodies, but none impressed me more than GarageBand's new capabilities (although I am pretty enthralled with some of the new iMovie features). GarageBand has taken another step toward being a "prosumer" music-recording solution, while still maintaining its roots as a simple, dive-in-and-go application. I'm a Logic Studio user, and working in GarageBand can be a little awkward if you're used to more precision and flexibility. For a musical scratchpad with the ability to output a polished, professional track, though, GarageBand is aces. The latest updates make this even more true. Read on for my take on some of the highlights of GarageBand '11.
Apple releases update to fix iPhoto '11 bugs
Apple has released iPhoto 9.0.1 via Software Update. The update addresses issues that, in extremely rare cases, could result in data loss when upgrading a library from an earlier version of iPhoto. Indeed, many of our readers have complained of such issues and our own Mel Martin wrote about them in his review of iPhoto '11. The update weighs in at 33.87 MB and requires iLife '11 and Mac OS X 10.6.3 or later. You can also download the update here and read Apple's knowledgebase article here.
Review: iPhoto '11 is a very mixed bag
When iLife '11 was announced, I was quite excited to hear there was an update to iPhoto, and even more surprised to learn my local Apple Store had the software in stock the day after the "Back to the Mac" event. The feature list for the latest version of iPhoto is impressive, and since I do so much photography it seemed a no-brainer to get it. New features include: Full screen mode A direct link to Facebook for posting comments and pictures New slideshow templates New book designs Enhanced templates for emailing photos Letterpress Cards for sending to family and friends For US$49, with GarageBand '11 and iMovie '11 in the mix in addition to iPhoto, I was ready to buy iLife. Let's go over the changes, then deal with some of the ugly truths.
iLife, iWork apps to sell individually in Mac App Store
It seems that Apple will sell its iWork and iLife apps individually through the forthcoming Mac App Store. Some keen-eyed observers noticed hints during this week's demonstration, ElectricPig reports. During the demo, you could clearly see GarageBand, iMovie and iPhoto icons among the available apps. Indeed, the screenshot on the official Lion information page shows the same thing. It's impossible to see what the cost will be (we *think* it says $14.95), but the idea is interesting. Many users buy the bundle for one or two apps only (iMove and iPhoto, but not GarageBand for instance). An a la carte offering would prevent those shoppers from paying for an app(s) that they won't use. The Mac App Store will premiere for Snow Leopard users in about 90 days. We'll know for sure by then. [Via MacNN]
After iLife '11 analysis: Uncertain future for iWeb, no future for iDVD
Yesterday's announcement of iLife '11 brought some cool new features across the suite... well, most of the suite anyway. As many people have noticed, only iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band were updated. iWeb and iDVD got no love besides small code changes that make them compatible with the new iLife '11 apps. So, what does this mean for the future of the two apps? iDVD Sorry, iDVD fans, but the app is as good as dead. The last time iDVD got a major upgrade was back in 2006 with iLife '06. A year later, iLife '08 brought minor changes to iDVD, restoring some themes from the first two versions of the software. Since then, two versions of iLife have come and gone, but iDVD has not changed one bit. Back in 2003 or 2004 (I don't remember which year exactly), my group at Apple was in a meeting with people from the iLife team. One of the project managers threw out a question to us. He asked why iDVD was so essential to the iLife suite, which at the time also included iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie. This wasn't just a question he was asking us either -- it was one of the interview questions for programmers that were hired to work on the iLife suite. The answer: iDVD was essential because it wrapped a user's digital life up into one tidy package. Music, photos, and movies could be edited and burned onto a shiny disc for distribution to friends and family. As an interesting side note, the programming manager told us that no one on the iLife team ever got the question right on their first try.
Software updates: Aperture 3.1, Java Update 3, and ProKit Update
Three big updates just showed up in Software Update: Aperture 3.1, Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 3, and ProKit Update. Aperture 3.1 weighs in at nearly 375 MB. Aside from the usual improvements to "overall stability and performance," Aperture 3.1 brings compatibility with the brand new iLife '11 suite. There's also a whole host of bug fixes -- too many to list here, honestly. Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 3 is about 78 MB and updates Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_22. The ProKit Update "fixes issues with user interface software that is shared by Apple's professional applications," which includes Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Final Cut Express, Soundtrack, Logic Studio, Logic Pro, MainStage, WaveBurner and Logic Express. The specific issues this ~14 MB update addresses: -- Improves reliability for browsing iPhoto libraries in Aperture. -- Addresses cosmetic issue with appearance of disclosure triangles in Aperture. -- Fixes a problem in Logic Pro and MainStage where numeric parameters display incorrect information. All three updates are available via Software Update now, so fire it up.
iLife '11 announced, lacks mention of iWeb, iDVD
Apple announced iLife '11 today, available immediately for $49 for those wanting to upgrade an existing iLife suite, or free with the purchase of a new Mac. iLife features overhauls of iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband. Missing from any mention at the "Back to the Mac" event is the fate of iWeb and iDVD. They appeared in the row of icons, but no new features were announced. Apple's iLife site has not updated yet, and the Apple Store is still down, but as soon as we get more information we'll let you know!
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.
Apple support forums inadvertently leak 10/20 product announcements
All props to Polish blog spidersweb.pl this morning, as they did a bit of sneaky digging into Apple's support forums to turn up compelling evidence of some of the products we expect to see later today. Knowing that when the forum administrators create new support categories the forum URLs get sequential numbers, writer Przemysław Pająk got curious. Simply editing the address of the forum site to go past the most recent addition (the Apple TV, at #276) reveals a 'Reserved 10 20' forum -- aha! That alone is a fun discovery, but if you keep going as Spider's Web did, you will rapidly discover forums for iMovie, GarageBand and iPhoto '11, followed by a forum for 'MBA (Need Official Name).' Oops. If you have "new iLife" and "new MacBook Air" on your Keynote Bingo card, might as well start chilling the champagne now. You might also spare a good thought for the Apple Support forum administration team, which is almost certainly going to have a pretty lousy day at work. Also note the absence of iWeb and iDVD from the presumptive product line. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Apple.com reveals iLife upgrade, reaffirms MacBook Air refresh
Ah, it's good to see Apple can leak its announcements ahead of time just like the rest of the world. Overzealous forum mods on Apple's own site have been setting up Discussions sections for products to be announced at today's Back to the Mac event a little early, which has inevitably been picked up by some sleuthing souls over in Poland. A little bit of URL manipulation has revealed separate forums for a new iMovie '11, iPhoto '11, and GarageBand '11, all three of which are core components of the iLife suite, leading us to go ahead and presume that Steve Jobs will be discussing an iLife '11 later today. There's also confirmation of the new MacBook Air with an "MBA (Need official name)" forum emerging, alongside a mysterious "Reserved 20 10" destination. [Thanks, MM]
More evidence of iLife '11
Seems like we've been hearing about rumors of iLife '11 and iWork '11 for months now -- and usually all of them come from various Amazon sites around the world. Well, here's the latest one: today, 9 to 5 Mac discovered the German Amazon iLife '09 listing marking the ship date as October 20, 2010. This ship date has since been removed. However, if you check out the iLife '09 listing on the US Amazon site, you'll notice in the "More buying choices" box on the right side of the screen that Amazon is selling a version of iLife for $49.99 and that it will ship in "2 to 4 weeks." Can we put these two Amazon iLife hints together to infer that iLife '11 will be announced on October 20th and ship two to four weeks after that? Honestly, who knows. It's never been clear whether Amazon has any inside information about product releases or if they just update their product pages based on speculation. It is interesting however that the German site removed the October 20th date after 9 to 5 Mac reported on it, and that Amazon US currently offers iLife '09 at a 34% discount of $52.30, yet is also selling a version for $49.99 that ships in two to four weeks.
