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Wed, 17 Jul 2002

Apple announces .Mac services

Apple today launched .Mac, a new



suite of Internet services and software that provides Mac users with



powerful tools for their life on the Internet. .Mac features email service



with IMAP, POP or web-based access; 100MB of Internet storage seamlessly



integrated with the Mac OS X Finderü; and always-on hosting for



personalized homepages and digital photo albums that can be shared with



anyone on the Internet.

".Mac does what others have tried and failed to do-make Internet Services a



seamless extension of your computer," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "It has



never been easier to store, publish, share or communicate on the Internet."







.Mac introduces the ability to share calendars from Apple's innovative iCal



software with colleagues, friends and family members. To protect users'



personal information, .Mac includes McAfee's Virex antivirus software with



online updating, and Backup, Apple's easy-to-use solution for backing up



important data to CDs, DVDs and even automatically to Apple's iDisk



Internet servers.







Available immediately, .Mac's powerful set of sharing, protection and



communication tools include:







  • Mac.com email, a robust email service that includes 15MB of



    IMAP/POP mail storage, secure access to mail, virus protection and a brand



    new web-based interface;



  • iDisk, 100MB of Internet storage that is built into the Mac OS X



    Finder and also accessible from Windows or Linux machines;



  • HomePage, Apple's easy-to-use web site creation tool that allows



    users to publish an elegant web site in minutes;



  • McAfee's award-winning Virex anti-virus software to help users



    minimize the risk of viruses; and



  • Backup, a personal back-up solution that allows users to archive



    data to their iDisk, CD or DVD.







With the availability of Mac OS X version 10.2 "Jaguar," the next major



release of Mac OS X, .Mac Members will also be able to take advantage of:







  • Apple's new iCal calendar sharing application, that allows users to publish



    and automatically update family or group calendars to the web so group



    members can all keep track of upcoming events and activities; and



  • Mac



    Slides, a new service that lets users turn sets of photos into dynamic



    screen savers that can be accessed by other "Jaguar" users; when the owner



    makes changes to the set of photos, everyone's screen saver is



    automatically refreshed with the new images.







Pricing and Availability





.Mac is available immediately as a subscription-based service for $99.95



(US) per year. Existing iTools accounts will be transitioned to .Mac



accounts during a free trial period ending September 30, 2002. iTools



members as of midnight, July 16, who sign up for .Mac before September 30,



will receive a special introductory offer of $49.95 (US) for the first



year. New Macintosh customers can sign up for a free, 60-day .Mac trial



from www.mac.com. .Mac will be available through the Apple Store



(www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.







.Mac requires Mac OS X v10.1.3 or later; 128MB SDRAM; internal CD-RW or



DVD-R drive (to create CD or DVD backups); Netscape 4.7 or Microsoft



Internet Explorer 5 or later. iCal requires Mac OS X v10.2. The Virex



anti-virus software, Mac.com email, iDisk, HomePage and iCards features of



.Mac can also be accessed using Mac OS 9.







MacMegasite Spin: I feel that .Mac services are overpriced. It shouldn't cost more than $50/year and there should be a way to keep a free Mac.com email address.

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Apple introduces iTunes 3

Apple today announced iTunesü 3, a



major upgrade to its award-winning digital music software for the Mac



featuring Smart Playlists, a revolutionary new way to listen to your music.



iTunes 3 adds dozens of new features, including Sound Check for consistent



volume playback and support for audio programming from Audible.com. iTunes,



with more than 14 million copies distributed since its introduction, is



available as a free download to all Mac OS X customers and will be



included with Apple's ground-breaking iPodü digital music player.

Smart Playlists are playlists that automatically and dynamically update



their songs based on simple rules set by the user. For example, a user can



specify that a Smart Playlist contain every song by a given artist, and



when new songs by that artist are added to iTunes' music library, they will



automatically appear in this playlist. Or, a user can specify that a Smart



Playlist contain their 25 most-listened-to songs, which will be dynamically



selected based on the up-to-the-minute play counts for all the songs in



their iTunes library.







"iTunes 3 with Smart Playlists is a major leap forward in the digital music



revolution," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iTunes 3 and iPod provide the



easiest to use and most advanced digital music experience available, and



are setting the pace for the industry."







With its elegant user interface, iTunes was the first "digital jukebox"



application to take the complexity out of managing digital music, making it



fast and easy to encode MP3s, create playlists, burn custom CDs and store



an entire digital music collection on a Mac. iTunes seamlessly integrates



with iPod, allowing Mac users to easily transfer their entire digital music



collection onto their iPod in less than 10 seconds per CD.







In iTunes 3, Smart Playlists make it easy for customers to automatically



create mixes of their favorite songs from their music library based on any



criteria they choose-artist, genre, play count, release date and more.



These mixes can dynamically change and grow as the user's music library



grows. Smart Playlists work with iTunes' new song rating feature so that



users can identify their favorite music and have it automatically added to



a Smart Playlist for playback on their Mac or their iPod.







With support for Audible content, iTunes 3 allows Mac users to access a



broad range of audio programming over the Internet. Through Audible.com,



customers can choose from over 4,500 audiobooks and 14,000 other audio



programs, including national best sellers, classics and daily highlights



from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. With iTunes 3 and



iPod, Mac users have the flexibility to listen to Audible content whenever



and wherever they want. Both iTunes 3 and iPod also support Sound Check,



which automatically adjusts the volume of songs for a more consistent



listening experience.







Pricing & Availability





iTunes 3 requires Mac OS X version 10.1.4 or later and is available



immediately as a free download at www.apple.com/itunes.



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Apple Unveils New iPods

Apple today extended its lead in the



portable digital music market with the introduction of the next generation



iPodü, available in three configurations: a 5GB model that now starts at



just $299 (US); a 10GB model that is 10 percent thinner for just $399 (US);



and a new 20GB model that can hold 4,000 songs for just $499 (US). Both the



10GB and the 20GB models feature the industry's first solid-state touch



wheel for incredible precision, accuracy and durability, and include a new



Apple carrying case and wired remote. The new iPods will be available for



the first time to both Mac and Windows customers.

"The award-winning iPod now comes in models that are more affordable,



thinner and hold up to 4,000 songs in your pocket," said Steve Jobs,



Apple's CEO. "But the biggest news is that we're bringing the iPod to



Windows users, so they can join this amazing portable digital music



revolution."







iPod is the only portable digital music player with Auto-sync, an



innovative feature that automatically downloads an entire digital music



library into an iPod and keeps it up-to-date whenever the iPod is plugged



back into a Mac. With iPod's built-in FireWire port, a massive 4,000 song



library can be downloaded in just over 30 minutes verses the more than 13



hours it would take to transfer 4,000 songs with USB-based devices. The



iPod's battery provides up to 10 hours of continuous music and recharges



automatically whenever iPod is connected, using power supplied over the



FireWire cable.







For Mac users, the new iPod will include the new



iTunesü 3, Apple's award-winning digital music software.* iTunes 3 adds



dozens of new features including Smart Playlists that automatically and



dynamically update playlists based on simple rules set by the user, Sound



Check for consistent volume playback and support for audio programming from



Audible.com. With these new features, Mac users can easily transfer audio



programming and sound quality adjustments to their iPod to use wherever



they go. Users can now sync information back to iTunes to bookmark where



they left off listening to Audible programming, or to update song



play-counts or last-played dates for iTunes' Smart Playlists. iPod's new



digital clock adds the necessary time and date stamp to individual songs.







For Windows users, the iPod now works seamlessly with MUSICMATCH Jukebox,



the number one selling music software for PCs. iPod is the only MP3 player



to provide Windows customers with Apple's exclusive Auto-sync technology,



to keep their iPod automatically updated every time it is plugged into



their PC. Users also have the option to manually transfer individual songs



or playlists from their MUSICMATCH library to their iPod. iPod for Windows



will ship with MUSICMATCH Jukebox.







iPod for Mac or Windows comes with improved headphones that offer enhanced



bass response, smoother transitions and more accurate high-end sound



reproduction. iPod also features a redesigned and more portable thin



FireWire cable; 20GB and 10GB iPod models include a built-in protective



cover for the FireWire port.







Pricing & Availability





The new iPod will be available for a suggested retail price of $299 (US)



for the 5GB iPod, $399 (US) for the 10GB iPod and $499 (US) for the 20GB



iPod through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and



Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod for Mac will be available in early August



and iPod for Windows will be available in late August. Laser engraving is



available for $49 (US) and can include two lines of text with up to 27



characters per line.







All iPod models include earbud headphones, Apple iPod Power Adapter and



FireWire cable. 10GB and 20GB iPod models include carrying case and wired



remote; optional remote and carrying case are available for 5GB iPod



models. iPod for Windows also includes a 4-pin-to-6-pin FireWire adapter.



iPod for Mac includes iTunes 3; iPod for Windows includes MUSICMATCH



Jukebox software.







iPod for Mac requires Mac OS X version 10.1 or Mac OS 9.2, iTunes 2.0.4



and a Macintosh with built-in FireWire port. iPod for Windows requires a PC



with built-in FireWire or a Windows-certified FireWire card and Windows Me,



Windows 2000, or Windows XP Home or Professional.







*Some iPod features require a Mac and iTunes 3.



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Apple Introduces Mac OS X 10.2 (''Jaguar'')

Apple today introduced Mac OS X



version 10.2 "Jaguar," the next major release of Mac OS X featuring more



than 150 amazing new features and applications. "Jaguar" includes a new



Mail application designed to eliminate junk mail, iChat AIM-compatible



instant messenger, a system-wide Address Book, Inkwellü handwriting



recognition, QuickTime 6 with MPEG-4, improved Universal Access, an



enhanced Finderü, Sherlock 3 with Internet Services and Rendezvousü,



Apple's revolutionary home networking technology. Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar"



will be publicly available August 24 for a suggested retail price of $129



(US).

"Jaguar is light years ahead of Windows XP. There's never been a better



time to switch to Mac," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "With Unix at its



core, and the most advanced object-oriented environment ever, Mac OS X is



delivering more software innovation than our industry has seen in a decade."







"Jaguar" key features include:







  • enhanced Mail, with a breakthrough junk mail filter that gets



    smarter by studying the contents of messages as it's used, not just



    filtering emails based on keywords;



  • iChat, Apple's new AIM-compatible instant messaging application



    that allows users to instantly chat with their AOL and Mac.com buddies



    through a fun and easy-to-use interface;



  • a new Address Book that allows users to enter information just once



    and access it from other applications, a brand new interface with a quick



    way to search through contact information, smart editing, support for



    vCards, Bluetooth and advanced syncing with Apple's new iSync;



  • Inkwell, advanced handwriting recognition technology that is fully



    integrated into the text system so that all applications can take full



    advantage of it with an input tablet;



  • QuickTime 6 with support for MPEG-4, the new worldwide standard for



    creating and viewing the highest-quality audio and video content over the



    Internet and on wireless devices such as mobile phones and PDAs;



  • Universal Access with the ability to magnify the screen to see it



    larger, have highlighted text read aloud and use special keyboard commands



    such as mouse keys, sticky keys and slow keys;



  • an enhanced Finder, featuring a new quick file search from the



    toolbar for a better view of files and a faster way to locate them, and the



    return of spring-loaded folders;



  • Sherlock 3, Apple's all-new Internet Services tool that displays a



    personalized view of the information users access the most such as stock



    quotes, maps and restaurants;



  • Rendezvous, Apple's revolutionary home networking technology that



    enables users to quickly and easily link computers and devices instantly



    without any configuration via Ethernet, AirPort, FireWire, USB or



    Bluetooth;



  • Quartzü Extreme, which accelerates graphics performance by using



    the power of the Mac's built-in graphics engine to make the desktop more



    responsive and deliver seamlessly blended 2D, 3D and QuickTime content



    directly onto the desktop;



  • increased compatibility with Windows networks with SMB browsing and



    sharing as well as built-in PPTP VPN security, making it easier to share



    files, work with Windows documents and connect to a Windows network; and



  • a rock-solid UNIX-based foundation with significant enhancements



    including FreeBSD 4.4-and GCC 3.1-based developer tools, making Mac OS X



    the ultimate platform for UNIX users.







Pricing & Availability





Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" will be available beginning on August 24 through



the Apple Store (www.apple.com), at Apple's retail stores and through



Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $129 (US).







The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all



customers who purchase a new Mac system on or after July 17 that do not



have Mac OS X v10.2 installed. The Mac OS X v10.2 Up-To-Date package is



available for a shipping and handling fee of $19.95 (US) and includes the



Mac OS X v10.2 upgrade CDs and an updated Developer Tools CD.







Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" requires a minimum of 128MB of memory and is



designed to run on the following Apple products: iMac, iBook, Power



Macintosh G3, Power Mac G4, Power Mac G4 Cube and any PowerBook



introduced after May 1998.







Quartz Extreme requires a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX, GeForce3, GeForce4 Titanium



or GeForce4 MX card or any ATI AGP RADEON card. A minimum of 16MB VRAM is



required; 32MB VRAM is recommended for optimum performance.



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World's Easiest-to-Manage UNIX-Based Server Software

Apple today announced Mac OS X



Server version 10.2 "Jaguar" Server, the next major release of Apple's Mac



OS X Server software that combines the industrial strength of UNIX with the



ease of use of the Mac. "Jaguar" Server introduces more than 50 new



features, including powerful new NetBoot and NetInstall network management



tools, based on Apple's new LDAPv3 Open Directory architecture that



simplifies user and computer management for business, education and



government customers. As an active member of the Open Source community,



Apple has distributed Open Directory technology through the Darwin Open



Source Project.

"Jaguar Server is the world's easiest-to-manage UNIX-based server software



and unleashes the power of our new Xserve rack-mount server," said Philip



Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.



"Combining affordable hardware with powerful open-standards based software,



Xserve and Jaguar Server offer the perfect networking solution for Mac,



UNIX and Windows environments."







"Jaguar" Server key features include:







  • new NetBoot for booting multiple Macintosh systems from the



    network instead of their local disk drive for making operating system



    administration as easy as managing a single computer;



  • new Network Install for automating the installation of Mac OS X and



    application software directly from the network;



  • new Workgroup Manager, a powerful new management console that works



    with any LDAPv3 directory server to provide centralized management of



    users, groups and computers;



  • new Open Directory, an easy-to-setup LDAPv3 directory server with a



    secure built-in password server;



  • new QuickTime Streaming Server 4 and QuickTime Broadcaster, which



    captures and encodes QuickTime content in MPEG-4 for live streaming over



    the web;



  • improved file and print services including support for quotas,



    secure file transfers and NFS resharing via AFP;



  • improved web services including support for SOAP, XML-RPC,



    server-optimized Java VM, JSPs and Java Servlets; and



  • remote server management including the new Server Status Tool and



    support for SNMP.







Training & Certification





Apple offers system administrators, technical coordinators and developers a



complete line-up of courses for Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. Certification



programs and exams for system administrators and technical coordinators are



also available. Classes are offered nationwide at Apple Training Centers



and Apple Authorized Training Centers. For more information visit



www.apple.com/training.







Pricing & Availability





Mac OS X Server v10.2 will be available beginning on August 24 through the



Apple Store (www.apple.com), at Apple's retail stores and through Apple



Authorized Resellers. Mac OS X Server v10.2 10-Client Edition has a



suggested retail price of $499 (US). Mac OS X Server v10.2 Unlimited-Client



Edition has a suggested retail price of $999 (US).







Mac OS X Server v10.2 works together with Apple's powerful new Xserveü



rack-mount server hardware and is designed to run on Macintosh Server G4,



Power Mac G4, Power Mac G4 Cube, iMac, Macintosh Server G3 and Power



Macintosh G3 computers with 128MB RAM and 4GB of available disk space.



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Apple Unveils 17-inch Flat Screen iMac

Apple today unveiled its new top-end



iMac featuring a stunning 17-inch widescreen LCD that floats in mid-air,



allowing users to effortlessly adjust its height or angle with just a



touch. The 17-inch LCD flat screen iMac also features an 800 MHz PowerPC G4



processor, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics, a SuperDriveü for playing and



burning CDs and DVDs, and a large 80GB hard drive that can hold more than



six hours of video, 15,000 songs and 73,000 digital photos. The new 17-inch



iMac also includes Apple's amazing iTunesü, iPhotoü, iMovieü and iDVD



applications, making it the ultimate Digital Hub for digital music, photos



and movies.

"The best consumer desktop just got even better," said Steve Jobs, Apple's



CEO. "Having this gorgeous 17-inch flat screen floating in mid-air right in



front of you is simply breathtaking. There's nothing like it in the PC



world."







Designed around an ultra-compact base, the flat-panel iMac's spacious



17-inch widescreen LCD appears to float in mid-air, allowing users to



effortlessly adjust its height or angle with just a touch. At just one inch



thin, the 17-inch widescreen display has a wide aspect ratio of 16:10,



allowing users to watch DVDs in letter-box format, easily view multiple



windows at one time or enjoy the ultimate computer gaming experience. With



approximately the same viewing area as a 19-inch CRT, the new display has a



resolution of 1440 by 900 pixels-64 percent more pixels than the 15-inch



flat screen iMac.







Every iMac includes Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle



software, including the new iTunes 3 for organizing and burning digital



music, iMovie for creating digital movies and iPhoto for organizing and



sharing digital photos. The new 17-inch flat screen iMac also offers the



revolutionary SuperDrive and Apple's iDVD software to let users easily



create and burn their own custom DVDs that play in consumer DVD players.







The four-model iMac family features:







  • a 17-inch widescreen LCD or 15-inch flat screen display;



  • an 800 MHz or 700 MHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engineü;



  • two FireWire and five USB ports for fast, simple, plug-and-play



    connections to digital devices such as digital MP3 players, still cameras



    and DV camcorders;



  • built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and 56K V.90 modem;



  • an internal 18-watt digital amplifier for great stereo sound and



    Apple Pro Speakers on selected models;



  • a collection of productivity and entertainment titles including



    Quicken Deluxe 2002 and WorldBook Mac OS X Edition; and



  • Mac OS X version 10.2 "Jaguar," Apple's next-generation operating



    system.







Pricing & Availability





The new 17-inch widescreen LCD iMac is expected to be available early next



month, and the three 15-inch flat screen iMac models, with a new lower



price on the high-end model, are available immediately through the Apple



Store (www.apple.com), at Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized



Resellers. Pricing and further details of the four standard configurations



are listed below.







The 17-inch widescreen LCD iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,999



(US), includes:







  • an 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine;



  • DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive optical drive;



  • NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 32MB DDR memory;



  • 256MB SDRAM;



  • 80GB Ultra ATA hard drive; and



  • Apple Pro Speakers.







The 15-inch flat screen iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US),



includes:







  • an 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine;



  • DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive optical drive;



  • NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with 32MB DDR memory;



  • 256MB SDRAM;



  • 60GB Ultra ATA hard drive; and



  • Apple Pro Speakers.







The 15-inch flat screen iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,599 (US),



includes:







  • a 700 MHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine;



  • DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive;



  • NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with 32MB DDR memory;



  • 256MB SDRAM;



  • 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive; and



  • Apple Pro Speakers.







The 15-inch flat screen iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,399 (US),



includes:







  • a 700 MHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine;



  • CD-RW optical drive;



  • NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with 32MB DDR memory;



  • 128MB SDRAM; and



  • 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive.







Build-to-order options and accessories include additional memory, Apple Pro



Speakers, AirPort Base Station, AirPort Card and the AppleCare Protection



Plan.



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Apple Introduces iCal

Apple today introduced iCal, a new



calendar program with built-in Internet sharing that lets business users,



consumers and educators manage multiple calendars, share them over the



Internet and automatically keep them updated.

Users can "publish" their iCal calendars on the web, so colleagues, friends



and family members can "subscribe" and view them in iCal on their own Mac.



In addition, iCal can automatically check for updates to imported calendars



on a regular basis, so shared calendars are always up to date.







"iCal lets you see all the calendars that make up your life," said Steve



Jobs, Apple's CEO. "With built-in Internet sharing, iCal opens a new era of



wide-area calendar sharing between colleagues, friends, family and schools."







With iCal, Mac users can:







  • keep track of schedules, appointments and tasks, viewing activities



    by day, week or month;



  • manage and view multiple calendars at once from within one unified



    window to easily identify schedule conflicts or free time at-a-glance;



  • publish calendars on the web to share with colleagues, family and



    friends;



  • subscribe to other calendars to keep up with work schedules, family



    events, school events and more;



  • send standards-based email event invitations;



  • organize and keep track of activities with built-in To Do list



    management;



  • be notified of upcoming events on screen, by email or text



    messaging to a mobile phone or pager; and



  • quickly find any event, task or name entered into iCal using its



    lightning-fast search tool.







In addition, Apple's new iSync allows users to sync their iCal calendars



with the new generation of Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, PalmOS devices



and the iPodü for access to their most current address books and calendars



on the go.







Pricing & Availability:



iCal will be available as a free download this September and requires Mac



OS X version 10.2 "Jaguar." Publishing calendars on the Internet requires a



.Mac membership or a WebDAV server.



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Apple, Cingular & Sony Ericsson Deliver First ''Mac to Mobile'' Solution

Apple today introduced iSync, a



breakthrough product that synchronizes address books and calendars between



Mac computers and the new generation of Bluetooth-enabled GPRS mobile



phones, PalmOS devices and Apple's iPodü portable digital music player.



Apple also announced it is working with mobile industry leaders Cingular



and Sony Ericsson to offer Mac customers the first easy-to-use, integrated



"Mac to Mobile" solution.

"Cell phones are the world's most popular digital device, but up until now,



there's been almost no cooperation between them and personal computers,"



said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iSync lets users have the same up-to-date



address book and calendars everywhere-on their Mac and in their pocket."







"Cingular is thrilled to see Apple take the lead in bringing easy-to-use



mobile solutions to market," said Stephen Carter, president and CEO of



Cingular. "With a Mac, our customers using the new Sony Ericsson T68i phone



are at the leading edge of the mobile services revolution-keeping their



contact list and calendar up-to-date between their Mac and their phone,



sending and receiving text messages from their Mac, and surfing the web



with our new Wireless Internet Express Network."







"There is great synergy between Sony Ericsson and Apple in terms of how we



see new services developing for the consumer and in our commitment to make



applications easy to use," said Katsumi Ihara, president of Sony Ericsson



Mobile Communications. "Apple's approach to working with mobile technology



will scale well into the next generation phones that take on imaging, music



and entertainment functions, and we see many more ways that our products



can complement each other in the future."







iSync ensures that address books and calendars flow seamlessly from a



user's Mac to all of their digital devices and back. Rather than requiring



a separate synchronization application for each type of device, iSync works



with the latest Bluetooth mobile phones, PalmOS devices and iPod to keep



all these devices up to date. As a result, iSync users will enjoy seamless



mobile access to schedules and other crucial information on all the devices



they travel with.







Pricing & Availability: iSync will be available as a free download starting



this September and requires Mac OS X version 10.2 "Jaguar." A list of



iSync-compatible devices is available at www.apple.com/isync.



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RealBasic 4.5 Released

REAL Software announced today



the availability of REALbasic 4.5, the powerful, easy-to-use tool for



creating your own software for Macintosh, Mac OS X, and Windows. This new



version of the award-winning software includes dramatically enhanced



multimedia tools, powerful new graphics capabilities, substantially more



flexible database features, and more productive IDE.

"REALbasic 4.5 is, by far, the best version of REALbasic ever, especially



for Mac OS X users," said Geoff Perlman, President and CEO of REAL



Software. "We've combined what users have been requesting with the



technology we know we need for the future."







"The increasing adoption of Mac OS X and the growing number of applications



available for the platform presents a strong business proposition for



developers," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide



Developer Relations. "We're excited that REALbasic is creating such a



powerful tool for creating applications for all Mac developers."







New features and capabilities in REALbasic 4.5 include: new vector graphics



engine; over eighty new functions for QuickTime; more flexible and powerful



ListBox with resizable columns and drag-to-reorder rows; enhanced support



for Mac OS X; plus support for MySQL in the Professional Edition; and more.



Please visit http://www.realbasic.com/realbasic for additional



information.







Thousands of people worldwide have developed database systems, utilities,



productivity tools, and games using REALbasic. Whether in business,



education, or science - or just to have fun - anyone can use REALbasic to



create software. Programmers can share their compiled applications for use



with Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows 95 through



Windows XP. They can give what they make to anyone, create shareware, or



sell it commercially.







REALbasic pricing starts at $99.95, with upgrades starting at $29.95. REAL



Software offers academic and volume discounts. In addition to US English,



REALbasic is available in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and



Japanese.



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Apple eliminates free iTools services

Apple has eliminated their free iTools services, to be replaced by .Mac, which will cost $99 per year. What do you think? Should they keep free mac.com email services?

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MacWorld Expo keynote

Steve Jobs just finished giving the MacWorld Expo keynote. The focus was on software & web services, as well as several iPod related announcements... and one more thing.

Here are some of the hilights:







  • Jaguar (officially called Mac OS X 10.2) will ship August 24 for $129.



  • iTools will be discontinued Sept. 30 to be replaced by .mac, which will cost $99/year ($49 for the first year for current iTools users). iDisk will be increased to 100M with backup & anti-virus software added.



  • New iCal application allows you to share calendars over the internet.



  • Rendezvous (built into Jaguar): automatically discovers other devices over an IP network with no configuration necessary. Epson, HP, and Lexmark have all adopted Rendezvous and will build them in to their network printers. iChat supports Rendevous to automatically discover buddies on the local network.



  • Sherlock 3 featuring "Internet services for the rest of us." including movie theater search, yellow pages, stock tracking and more.



  • New mail & address book applications. Mail features sophisticated rules, improved searching, and intelligent junk mail filters.



  • Third party software announcements include Maya 4.5 from Alias|Wavefront, Warcraft III from Blizzard, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, and Real player for OS X.



  • iTunes 3, featuring "smart playlists" that let you automatically select songs by rating, number of times the songs have been listened to, age of recording, and many, many other categories. Added support for Audible.com. Only runs on Mac OS X. Available today as a free download.



  • iPod changes: 5GB model reduced from $399 to $299, 10GB reduced to $399. 10GB is about 10 percent thinner, with a new solid state scroll wheel that has no moving parts, and doors on FireWire port. Includes case & remote. 20GB model available $499 with the same features as the new 10GB model.



  • New iPod software adds many iTunes 3 features, including support for genre & composer, new browse features, and support for iCal calendars. iPod is now available for Windows.



  • New iSync application allows data synchronization between Mac, iPod, Palm devices, and cell phones via BlueTooth, FireWire, and USB. Lets you sync "Mac to mobile" as well as sync your laptop & desktop computer. Works with .mac services. Available for free download in September.



  • All applications available free or bundled with Jaguar.



  • iMac with SuperDrive reduced from $1899 to $1799 and 17" display model added.



  • 17" iMac features 1440 x 900 pixel display, Nvidia GeForce4 MX graphics. 800MHz G4, 256MB RAM, 80GB drive, SuperDrive for 1,999. Available in two weeks.




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