At Apple’s Back to the Mac Conference on October 20th, Steve Jobs addressed the Mac faithful at an event focused on Apple computers and software. The announcements weren’t all that surprising, but there was some exciting news for consumers and developers alike. The new Macbook Airs and a preview of OS X 10.7 stole the show.
First, we received a sneak peak of OS X. Lion, which will come with several interface changes, including ones that borrow heavily from Apple’s iOS–the mobile operating system of the iPhone and iPad.
We’ll also see the introduction of a Mac App Store within a few months, with the same 70/30 revenue split for developers in place at its iOS predecessor. Today, Apple has made available the FaceTime for Mac beta, which is only useful if you’re currently an iPhone 4 or iPod Touch 4G user.
Also updated on the software front is the iLife suite, titled iLife ’11. In it you’ll find an updated iPhoto app, Garageband, iMovie, and all of Apple’s other apps you’ve come to love on your Mac. Of course with the new Mac App Store, you will easily be able to add even more.
Of course, the major announcement was the introduction of two new Macbook Airs; one sporting an 11.6″ screen and one with a 13″ (like the previous Macbook Air). Both do away entirely with hard drives, opting instead for flash memory storage, which allows for instant-on capabilities. The Macbook Air has always essentially been a netbook, so if one compares it to say, a Dell XPS laptop, one’s bound to be disappointed. However, the technology used in these units is absolutely perfect for netbook standards.
The Back to the Mac conference was definitely an impressive day for Apple, which debuted its record-breaking numbers (260,000 iPhone activations per month; plus record amounts of Macs sold). If you were lucky enough to be invited on the 20th, you would’ve received breakfast, on Apple!
For the rest of us, we’ll have to enjoy iLife ’11, OS X. Lion, and the new Macbook Air.
