Apple unveils laptops, software

New Powerbook G4 models go on sale in a few weeks as does a bundle of popular Apple programs.

©Associated Press
January 8, 2003

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Computer Inc. introduced two lightweight laptops, including a 17-inch model with the largest monitor of any portable computer, and a software bundle for easier handling of digital videos, music and photos.

Speaking Tuesday to thousands of Apple fans at the Macworld Conference & Expo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced 12-inch and 17-inch versions of the PowerBook G4.

Jobs also showed off a new suite of software, iLife. The package of programs, some of which used to come as free downloads, will be bundled together for $49 beginning Jan. 25.

ILife includes updates of the popular iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes and iDVD programs, bundling them together so they interact. That means creative users can e-mail home videos with their favorite music playing in the background, or integrate still photos into video projects.

The newest iMovie also includes a feature called the "Ken Burns effect," named after the documentary filmmaker who produced PBS specials on the Civil War, baseball and jazz. The feature lets users pan across a still photo, superimposing text or motion.

"You can send photos and DVDs to your friends and family ... that will blow their mind, that are better than what they can get out of Hollywood," Jobs said to rounds of cheers from the crowd.

The 17-inch PowerBook G4, which weighs 6.8 pounds and is 1 inch thick when folded, features a backlit keyboard and ambient light sensors that automatically adjust the keyboard depending on whether the computer is in a bright or dark room.

Apple will begin selling it in February for $3,299.

A 12-inch PowerBook G4, which weighs 4.6 lbs, will be available in late January for $1,799. Both computers feature wireless connections that allow users to synchronize laptops with cell phones, handheld computers or other Apples.

ILife is a cornerstone of Apple's attempt to turn the home computer into a center of entertainment and creativity.

Apple executives hope iLife will boost market share of the Macintosh operating system, particularly the newest Mac OS X, and entice customers to switch from PCs using Microsoft Windows.

Less than 5 percent of computer users have the Macintosh operating system. Although many users praise Macintosh for its stability, programmers and engineers often develop software and hardware to run exclusively on Windows computers.

Alan Promisel, a research analyst for IDC in Framingham, Mass., praised iLife's $49 price tag, noting that Apple is one of the few companies able to impose fees on previously free products without a major customer revolt.

"It's another source of revenue for them, and it does position the company in the top tier of multimedia applications in one package on a computer," Promisel said. "But without a linchpin that causes people to switch to a Mac, I'm not sure it will really increase its market share."

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