Apple Continues To Expand Mac's New Media Tools

Media Tools for the Masses
Although the anecdotal evidence supports researchers and business people using the Mac, it’s still very much a consumer-friendly product. In January, Apple continued its release of unmatched consumer digital media tools with an update to its music and imaging suite, "iLife." Since its introduction, iLife ‘04 has been widely acclaimed. For example, writing for the Associated Press on February 9, Matthew Fordahl called iLife, "a convincing argument for the digital lifestyle."

Dozens of reviews have hailed the ease of use of the suite and, particularly of the newest application: GarageBand, a complete music composition and recording studio. With GarageBand, recorded performances, digital audio, and looping tracks can be arranged and edited like building blocks to create a song. Most reviewers are quick to note the 50 "software instruments," including a premium-quality grand piano, that can be played and recorded with any USB or MIDI music keyboard. Over 1,000 professionally pre-recorded audio loops, which come wit the standard package, can be combined to make complete songs or backing tracks.

And, for the amateur (or emerging professional) streaming media producer who has video content, iLife ’04 includes iMovie 4.0. The ability to import live video directly from an iSight camera is only one of several new features in this release of iMovie. Others include the parallel editing of multiple tracks, timeline-based trimming, and functionality that is commonplace in a professional studio application, such as Apple’s Final Cut Pro.

Getting the Price/Performance Right
Apple has worked diligently on the Mac’s performance--beyond the user interface--on features such as no-hassle networking and peripherals. The equation for most buyers (corporate or consumer) remains one of getting the most bang for the buck. To sweeten the pie, Apple has thrown in iLife and iChat AV as free applications (customers are expected to pay for services associated with their usage).

At this point in time, the company’s base personal computing products are priced 30% to 50% higher than equivalent Windows platforms. As the applications Apple offers increase in their capabilities, however, the price/performance point is getting more interesting all the time.