Keynote thoughts by Ted Landau

The biggest announcement at the Macworld Expo keynote was the one that Steve saved for last: the new Intel-based MacBook Pro, the replacement for the PowerBook (does this mean that the eventual Intel-based Power Macs will be called Mac Macs?). The lack of a PowerBook G5 has meant that Apple's laptops have been lagging behind PC laptops for several years now. With the MacBook Pro, it look likes like Apple is ready to gain ground, if not take the lead.

The release of an Intel-based iMac is also noteworthy, because it is the first shipping Mac with an Intel processor. But to the average Mac user, it won't seem like that big a deal. It is identical in every way to the iMac it replaces, except that it is faster and some existing software (such as Virtual PC) won't work with it.

That's why, for my money, the most exciting announcements at the Keynote were the upgraded versions of iLife applications. GarageBand, in particular, got such a complete overhaul that it is hard to recognize it as the same program. With its built-in podcast-creating features, it instantly becomes the best program available for creating a no-hassle podcast. I suspect that iLife '06 will trigger a big upsurge in the number of people posting podcasts to the Web (unfortunately, most won't be worth a listen, but they will still be fun to create). GarageBand also has an intriguing new movie soundtrack feature that Steve did not even mention. I am also itching to try out iPhoto's new calendar-creation feature and its new photocasting photo-sharing option.

The new iWeb application similarly brings Apple's "easy but beautiful" approach to making your own Web site, whether it is for photos, movies, podcasts, or blogging. And, from what I understand via talking to people at the Apple booth, you can use the finished product not just with .Mac (as Steve demoed) but with any Web server (by saving the work to a folder and then uploading it, rather than publishing it to .Mac). Overall, very very sweet.

What was "missing" from the keynote were several things that were widely circulated on rumor sites as likely announcements: there was no new Mac mini with "living room" features (such as TV recording), there were no widescreen iBooks, and there was not update for the iPod shuffle. Does this mean the rumor sites were wrong? Probably not. I suspect it is just the timing that was a bit off. New iBooks are certainly coming soon (they'll probably be called MacBooks - without the "Pro" in the name), as is a new Mac mini. My guess is that they simply weren't close enough to being ready to ship for Steve to want to show them yet. But they are on the way. After all, every Mac is on schedule to be updated to Intel processors before the year is over, including the Power Macs. It's shaping up to be a great year to be part of the Mac world (especially if you bought Apple stock last year!).

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