Apple media event to kick-off tomorrow at noon

[AppleInsider]

Apple Computer is scheduled to host a special media event tomorrow afternoon on Manhattan's west side, the third such event in less than six weeks.

According to sources, the Mac maker will utilize a small conference room inside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to unveil its latest professional Macintosh products. The event is slated to begin at 12:00pm eastern time.

In a digital invitation sent to the media late last week, Apple said: "Please join us for a special press conference on the eve of PhotoPlus Expo 2005 as we unveil Apple's latest pro innovations."

The invitation is jet black and sports a large camera lens as a teaser. Earlier reports had hinted that a significant photography-related announcement would accompany the introduction of new PowerBooks and dual-core Power Macs at the event.

PhotoPlus Expo is also being held inside the Javits Center, running from October 20th through the 22nd.

Earlier this week Apple's 15-inch and 17-inch PowerBook G4 models saw lead times extended to 3 to 5 business days at the company's online store. Likewise, all Power Mac G5 models are also showing increased wait times.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[cinder]

Powerbooks! Finally!

*prays for 1920x1200*

(1st!)

addendum: It'll also be interesting where this alleged photo app is positioned.
Whether it's at the Photoshop-lite level or directly in competition with Photoshop.

My guess is that it will be focused on photography manipulation and less on production photo-quality or pixel-based artwork.

[Lemon Bon Bon]

My guess is that it will be pro-level iPhoto. A way of managing your photo/art.

Something Photoshop is surprisingly poor at.

Lemon Bon Bon

[Chopper3]

Just spoke to a mate who has signed an apple nda, we're in for more disappointment I'm afraid. Minor speedbumps, bigger HDs on the PBs, nothing else sorry. Pretty-much just speed-bumps on the PMs as well, nothing of any real interest. Sorry. Guess they're holding all the cool stuff back for the intels

[cinder]

All I'm lookin for the Powerbook is a higher screen res.

if they don't upgrade that . . . I don't know what I'll do . . .

Probably die of sadness.

[vinney57]

iPhoto Pro to Photoshop as Motion is to After Effects, but not as Final Cut is to Premiére

[Hobbes]

Originally posted by vinney57
iPhoto Pro to Photoshop as Motion is to After Effects, but not as Final Cut is to Premiére

Well put.

[THT]

Originally posted by Chopper3
Just spoke to a mate who has signed an apple nda, we're in for more disappointment I'm afraid. Minor speedbumps, bigger HDs on the PBs, nothing else sorry. Pretty-much just speed-bumps on the PMs as well, nothing of any real interest. Sorry. Guess they're holding all the cool stuff back for the intels

Hmm... hard to believe Apple would waste precious media time on incremental updates. If it was minor updates, why not just do it like they've done past minor updates, Apple website and press release? Otherwise, Apple will fall prey to crying wolf syndrome.

[Jay Contonio]

It's gonna be the Vingle creative community =) That's why .mac sucks balls as they've been working on that more. Just a thought. HD based digital camera? meh.

[gugy]

agreed,
They wouldn't waste their time and press exposure if it is just a minor thing.

Dual-core PM
Small speed bump PB with better screens and larger hard drive.
Front Row for PM and PB
Iphoto pro version
new Cinema displays specs(price drops?) / larger than 30" display
Isight built-in on cinema displays

[sjk]

It's possible the event will focus on new/updated software, with any lackluster hardware updates done in the background (e.g. just announced on Apple's web site).

[the_snitch]

Originally posted by gugy
agreed,
They wouldn't waste their time and press exposure if it is just a minor thing.

Dual-core PM
Small speed bump PB with better screens and larger hard drive.
Front Row for PM and PB
Iphoto pro version
new Cinema displays specs(price drops?) / larger than 30" display
Isight built-in on cinema displays

they would never build isight into the cinema displays. webcams are not a pro feature, pros generally have their own equipment to deal with photography. I could see them release a new-spec iSight though, as the imac camera currently has better specs than the isight

[Robin Hood]

Originally posted by cinder
Powerbooks! Finally!

*prays for 1920x1200*

1920x1200 is just right on a 23 or 24" screen... on a 17" it's just too damn small! Okay, not saying they won't have that option in there, but I for one would never consider buying it.

[gugy]

Originally posted by the_snitch
they would never build isight into the cinema displays. webcams are not a pro feature, pros generally have their own equipment to deal with photography. I could see them release a new-spec iSight though, as the imac camera currently has better specs than the isight

Never say never! you might eat your own words tomorrow!

Apple wants to push ichat AV, that's why they did with the Imac. I think the same can be done for the displays to put the professionals on the same page. The camera is very subtle and elegant and would not distract the beauty of the current displays. It could be an option IMHO. some displays could have it others don't, so you don't end up with 2 cameras with you have dual monitors.
Also Ichat AV/Isight is a great tool for a professional that works remotely. I use it a lot with the companies that I work with. It's a great tool.

[sCreeD]

Originally posted by the_snitch
they would never build isight into the cinema displays. webcams are not a pro feature, pros generally have their own equipment to deal with photography. I could see them release a new-spec iSight though, as the imac camera currently has better specs than the isight

iSight HD (960x720? or 1280x720!?) Hmm. I'd buy that mighty quick, but I seriously doubt those CCDs are affordable just yet.

[speakster]

Actually, my mom works for Apple and she said that they're holding the press event to show the Eminem commercial again.

But seriously, this is a "smoke em' if you got em' moment" for Apple...

Anything closer to the Intel Mac release era would be forgotten.

[Ferali]

what would a "pro iphoto" have that iphoto doesnt? if it is just photo management, iphoto is great. the only thing i can see is giving it a pro interface.

[nagromme]

It's cool how Apple has a "secret" booth (real booth, not the hall for the noon event) at the photo Expo. Have they ever done that before, had a whole big both yet kept their name off the exhibitors list for an event?

Re iSight in pro displays... probably not--but Apple doesn't see videoconferencing as consumer-only, I'm sure. In fact, a business LAN is the perfect home for iChat AV + Bonjour.

[nagromme]

Originally posted by Ferali
what would a "pro iphoto" have that iphoto doesnt?

Thinner window title bars

(And more seriously... I suppose it needs faster performance for big libraries, but that would benefit anyone with a huge library, not just pros.)

I wouldn't mind seeing rapid image tweaking via Core Image--an example I hope Adobe will follow with the next (Intel?) PotoShop!

But I'm not a pro photographer.

[two]

PS3 running OSX with built-in iSight and blu-ray drive!
it could happen

[noirdesir]

Originally posted by cinder
Powerbooks! Finally!

*prays for 1920x1200*

From http://www.apple.com/quicktime/guide...endations.html :

For 1920x1080 (1080p) video at 24 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:

* Dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer

[the cool gut]

Originally posted by Ferali
what would a "pro iphoto" have that iphoto doesnt? if it is just photo management, iphoto is great. the only thing i can see is giving it a pro interface.

CMYK support, capturing directly from a tethered camera, RAW processing support, advanced colour correction, better labelling, PDF export, watermarking - wouldn't mind some kind of .Mac pro service with this, but that is probably further down the road.

There is really no clear leader in this area - iview and capture one aren't bad - but they are kind of shitty in a lot of ways. This should be really good.

[cinder]

Originally posted by noirdesir
For 1920x1080 (1080p) video at 24 frames per second:
QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X:

* Dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer

All that says is that you need a 2Ghz G5 processor to play full compressed HD video at 24fps.

Playing back HD quicktime does not have the same requirements as running an HD-resolution display.


Most of you would say the 30" cinema is too much screen real estate for you (it's even too much for me)
But you're not the target market. It's a professional video display.

1920x1200 or 1920x1080 isn't too much for a designer, like me.
Yes, it's small, but it's also much needed screen real estate for a portable design workstation, which I'm specifically after.

Most of the high end PC laptops have the same or similar resolutions in screens that are even smaller than the Powerbook's.

[Hattig]

Originally posted by cinder
All that says is that you need a 2Ghz G5 processor to play full compressed HD video at 24fps.

Playing back HD quicktime does not have the same requirements as running an HD-resolution display.

Especially if you utilise the hardware accelleration for HD video decoding that's been present on more recent graphics hardware, via CoreVideo I imagine.

I expect a 1GHz G4 + decent graphics chip could do 1080p. The problem is that when everything is done on the CPU you need a damn lot of processing power there, hence the above type of specifications.

[a_greer]

Originally posted by Ferali
what would a "pro iphoto" have that iphoto doesnt? if it is just photo management, iphoto is great. the only thing i can see is giving it a pro interface.

The server side -- the ability to sync with resources on a private server.

maybe the ability to change the color space on the fly if the image is raw.

re-designed, core graphics based thumbnail engine that can handle more than a couple thousand shots.

The ability to add water marks to photos for web publication, resale and so on

Colaboration (think version cue in adobe CS2)

there are loads of things...
(I am a sys-admin in training -- ask a photographer for more)

[cinder]

Originally posted by Hattig
Especially if you utilise the hardware accelleration for HD video decoding that's been present on more recent graphics hardware, via CoreVideo I imagine.

I expect a 1GHz G4 + decent graphics chip could do 1080p. The problem is that when everything is done on the CPU you need a damn lot of processing power there, hence the above type of specifications.

I think noirdesir was trying to tell me that the Powerbook couldnt handle having a 1920x1200 screen because it would require a more powerful processor just to display video, which is false.

a 1920x1200 video frame is completely different from one 'frame' that you see on your monitor and the processor does not touch the video signal.

(hence why your computer doesnt speed up or slow down when you change resolutions)

[kenaustus]

General feeling: Apple has recently had two "announcements" that got very good press and were a nice surprise for us. Steve J will not want this one to be a downer with small enhancements.

Best Bet: Dual cores in the PM range and some other tech goodies, but dual cores will get the press.

Worst Bet: Freescale finally delivering on the G4 dual cores like they said they would. If they do then screen resolution will take a back seat. If Freescale follows in the Moto tradition then it's a small bump - no bit deal and they better have some other goodies, like an improved screen and built in iSight.

Safest Bet: 10.4.3 released as it will be needed for the dual core PMs.

Software Bet: iPhoto Pro would be nice, but then Apple would need to include most features in iLife 06. I don't have a clue (other than a Photo Management app of some type) that Steve will pull out of the hat, but it will be something that will be demoed on all the new Macs in their display.

Farout Bet: EOL 12" PB, replaced with a 3 pound version (external SuperDrive) with a wide screen.

Sure Bet: I can afford anything announced if it's over $129 - and I'll need the Edu Store discount . . .

[noirdesir]

Originally posted by cinder
I think noirdesir was trying to tell me that the Powerbook couldnt handle having a 1920x1200 screen because it would require a more powerful processor just to display video, which is false.

No, no, not at all. I just hate it that on my current 1 GHz Powerbook I cannot even play 720p at more than 10 fps, dropping to 1 or 2 fps during fast movements.

I just find it slightly ironic for Apple to present an HD Powerbook with the fine print saying: This computer will not play HD-movies.

Following that line of thinking, it might not make sense to release a computer with a blue-ray drive if the computer could not decode HD-DVDs in real-time.

(Of course if Apple gets their act together and enables h.264 decoding in the graphics chip, all this becomes a mood point).

[a_greer]

Originally posted by noirdesir

(Of course if Apple gets their act together and enables h.264 decoding in the graphics chip, all this becomes a mood point).

I hope so! and I hope 10.3 makes it retro-active to mac mini...if it can play Wolfenstien ET at 30FPS + w/o a hiccup, then I dont understand how it can choke on a lil' old 30 second 720p clip

EDIT
QT 7.0.3 made a mark improvment, but hardware would be GREAT

[eekles77]

Nearly everyone is assuming that the photo-related product will be software. I don't see any mention of it being specifically software. I think photo-related hardware is just about as likely, such as a camera or some other product. I certainly wouldn't rule something like this out.

[a_greer]

Originally posted by eekles77
Nearly everyone is assuming that the photo-related product will be software. I don't see any mention of it being specifically software. I think photo-related hardware is just about as likely, such as a camera or some other product. I certainly wouldn't rule something like this out.

Maybe a "tablet" done different: Think of a WACOM pad with your PS document showing up on the LCD behind the clear sensor mat...think of the potential -- see what you draw while you draw!

Mac+windows (we will take anybodys money)

[@homenow]

Originally posted by a_greer
Maybe a "tablet" done different: Think of a WACOM pad with your PS document showing up on the LCD behind the clear sensor mat...think of the potential -- see what you draw while you draw!

Mac+windows (we will take anybodys money)

WACOM has it, and it is expensive...add in a computer to the LCD and you are looking at $3000 minimum. How many of these do you think Apple could realistically sell?

[a_greer]

Originally posted by @homenow
WACOM has it, and it is expensive...add in a computer to the LCD and you are looking at $3000 minimum. How many of these do you think Apple could realistically sell?

Well, I was saying a tablet, not a tablet computer...I was thinking of something that would work just like a wacom, I didnt know wacom had them already--I am a geek -- not a graphics guy

[@homenow]

WACOM has a 17" (aprox $1800) and a 21" (aprox $3000) tablet with a LCD screen built into it. Apple could possibly enter the market close to or slightly lower than WACOM, but I doubt it if they are going to offer the quality and response that WACOM does with "new" technolog to Apple.

[Corey]

Originally posted by eekles77
Nearly everyone is assuming that the photo-related product will be software. I don't see any mention of it being specifically software. I think photo-related hardware is just about as likely, such as a camera or some other product. I certainly wouldn't rule something like this out.

Aside from software & iSight's in new displays what could Apple have up their sleeve? Apple wouldn't just make a camera for the hell of it. They would only do one if they had some angle no one else has. That's why they don't sell Apple printers anymore.

The iPhoto store so designers can DL stock photo's? :-)

Also, if we are just getting a minor speed bump then I think new displays are unlikely. Besides, that would hardly be worthy of an event, especially after the last two shockers.

I'm still hoping for new PB's & PM's. For professional software reasons (photoshop, etc) the pro machines will need to be last to go Intel. The consumer grade software is largely Apple's and easier to convert.

Corey

[ChevalierMalFet]

I wouldn't hold my breath on the stock library. Most of photographers I expect would be at this type of show don't hold much love for most stock photography houses right now; especially the royalty free style houses. Easy-entry mass market stock houses tend to prey on new-to-market stock photographers or photographers that are already making money in other areas of the market.

[fieldor]

Well it will start European time 18.OO according to www.macgeneration.com.

have a quick (perhaps stupid) question, When I watch DVD on my Powerbook 15" does it automaticaly produce video in 480p or is it 480i or another format?

thanks for feedback

[ChevalierMalFet]

The source is 480i deinterlaced to technically 480p for playback; similar to how progressive scan DVD players deinterlace for HDTVs. You don't get the added resolution of 480p over 480i; but you don't get much in the way of scan lines either.

[sunilraman]

if the dvd you are watching is a movie, it is usually full 480p frames that you get... for example matrix revolutions dvd (NTSC) is stored as 720x480 pixels 24 frames per seconds, compressed with mpeg2. when played back on your powerbook, it takes this 720x480 pixels and "de-anamorphoses" it to around 800-something by 354-something for the 2.2+ cinematic widescreen thingy. special features on the matrix revolutions dvd, eg, making of this and that, that would be around 480i

[M1C]

powerbook with iSight they already have it appleinsider had something about a couple mnths ago, and after last week it is the logical step. Plus maybe a more pro photobooth and iphoto they don't have a big booth at a photo show to tell you about itunes 7 or new cinema displays and there is a camera lens on the invitation.