Fresh from Apple: New iMac, ’08 versions of iWork, iLife

Apple unveiled at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel last week an all-new iMac line featuring gorgeous 20- and 24-inch widescreen displays encased in elegant aluminum-and-glass enclosures.

The entire new iMac line features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and a new, ultra-thin aluminum Apple keyboard, built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing, and iLife ’08, making it the ultimate digital lifestyle desktop computer for both consumers and professionals.

The 20-inch iMac now starts at P67,390,  P29,700  less than the previous 20-inch model, and the 24-inch iMac starts at P102,690,  P23,700  less than the previous 24-inch model.

Redefining Apple’s signature all-in-one design, the new iMac integrates the entire computer system into a sleek aluminum enclosure for a striking, clutter-free desktop. An elegant glass cover joins to the aluminum enclosure to create a virtually seamless front surface.

The new iMac’s glossy widescreen displays provide incredibly crisp images, ideal for photos and movies using the all-new iLife ’08 suite of digital lifestyle applications that are included.

The new ultra-thin aluminum Apple keyboard is just 0.33 inches thin at its front edge, while a new optional (P4,190) Apple wireless keyboard boasts a compact design that, with Apple’s wireless Mighty Mouse, offers a cable-free desktop.

Packing professional performance into the convenience of an all-in-one design, the new iMac includes the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors running up to 2.8GHz with 4MB of shared L2 cache and up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory.

The iMac line features ATI’s next generation of graphics with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and the ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory. The new iMac now offers up to 1TB (terabyte!) of internal storage to accommodate a user’s growing library of digital photos, movies and music.

Providing the latest in high-performance connectivity options to quickly and conveniently transfer digital photos, music and video, the iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, delivering up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g; Gigabit Ethernet; a total of five USB 2.0 ports (including two on the new Apple keyboard); and one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 port.

The new iMac, with its stunning design, features highly recyclable and durable materials, including scratch-resistant glass and professional-grade aluminum. The power-efficient iMac also meets the stringent new Energy Star 4.0 requirements.

Every iMac also includes iLife ’08, the most significant update ever to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto and a completely re-invented iMovie, both seamlessly integrated with the new .Mac Web Gallery for online photo and video sharing.

The new iMac also comes with the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X version 10.4.10 Tiger, including Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth.

Also highlighted during the launch were separately available ’08 releases of Apple’s popular iLife and iWork. 

iLife ‘08 features iWeb ’08, with live Web widgets such as Google Maps that let users create even more dynamic websites, and GarageBand ’08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun and easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create great-sounding songs.

iLife ’08 requires Mac OS X version 10.4.9 or later, a Macintosh computer with an Intel processor, a PowerPC G5 or PowerPC G4, QuickTime 7.2 or later, a DVD drive for installation and 3GB of available disk space. iLife ’08 is now available for a suggested retail price of P5,090.

iWork ’08, meanwhile, is a significant upgrade to Apple’s productivity software suite featuring new versions of Pages and Keynote word processing and presentation applications, and introducing an innovative new spreadsheet application called “Numbers.”

Numbers introduces the concept of intelligent tables on a flexible canvass, a new approach that makes it easy to organize information, create calculations, analyze results and make spreadsheets look as great as they work.

Pages ’08 now features distinct modes for streamlined word processing and flexible page layout, a new contextual format bar and change tracking, while Keynote ’08 now includes text effects, transitions and themes that help users easily compose spectacular presentations, and Smart Builds with easy-to-set-up A-to-B animations that make impressive animations easy for anyone to create.

iWork ’08 retails for P4,790 and requires Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or later, a Macintosh computer with a 500 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 or Intel processor, 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended), 32MB of video RAM, QuickTime 7.2 or later and 1GB of available disk space.