inessential by Brent Simmons

01/07/02

MacWorld keynote notes...

***iPhoto

Apple announces iPhoto. It’s part of the digital hub thing. Plug in your camera, iPhoto launches automatically, iPhoto imports, creates thumbnails. Editing: cropping. Has a print command: special print panel for iPhoto designed to hide complexity of getting your printer settings best for printing photos.

“Digital shoebox” for storing and organizing picture files. Create virtual photo albums.

Make photos black and white.

You can choose the editing app, can choose Photoshop, for instance. It’s a pref setting.

Create slideshows with dissolves and music.

Create photo galleries on the Web, hosted by Apple, with just a few clicks.

Print contact sheets.

You can order prints of your photos directly from iPhoto.

You can order a hard-bound book of your photos. iPhoto includes a page-layout program for designing your book. Automatic layout. Six different book designs. Place your order without ever leaving iPhoto.

Books cost $29.99 and up. iPhoto itself is free. Available today.

***iBook

Price drops with existing models.

New 14 inch iBook. 600Mhz, under 6 lbs, combo drive. $1799. 256MB RAM. Available today.

***iMac

Good-bye to the old iMac.

New iMac designed to be the ultimate digital hub.

Flat screen. 15 inch LCD screen. Same viewing area as 17 inch CRT. No flicker. 1024 x 768. Millions of colors.

Now with a 700 or 800 Mhz G4.

SuperDrive. Read and write CDs. Read and write DVDs.

nVidia GeForce2 MX graphics. 5 USB ports. Firewire ports. Airport ready. Apple Pro speakers. Optical mouse. Etc.

All-in-one design. It looks like a half-sphere with an LCD screen sticking out of the top. You’ll have to see pictures.

The base is just barely taller than a CD case. Even the power supply is contained in the base. 10.5 inch diameter.

The screen moves, tilts, swivels, etc. apparently very easily.

Up to 1GB RAM.

Three models.

1. 700 Mhz G4 128 MB RAM 40 GB drive CD-RW. $1299.

2. 700 Mhz G4 256 MB RAM 40 GB drive Combo. $1499.

3. 800 Mhz G4 256 MB RAM 60 GB drive Superdrive. $1799.

Superdrive model available before end of month.

$1499 in February.

$1299 model in March.

Genentech has already ordered 1000 iMacs.

Reminds me a little of the computers in Terry Gilliam’s movie Brazil.

Here’s a photo and article about it.

That’s it, keynote over.