Apple Releases High-End Machines
Jan. 9 -- Apple released a slew of new products for high-end multimedia enthusiasts today at a conference traditionally targeted toward deep-pocketed professionals.
The star of CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco was, as always, the last product he announced: a new laptop computer sporting a 15.2-inch screen and featuring power usually found on desktop computers. Housed in a titanium case, the fast PowerBook G4 is only an inch thick and weighs slightly more than 5 pounds.
“The PowerBook’s an absolute killer product," said analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies. "That emerged as the hottest laptop on the market today."
Jobs also made several announcements connected to Apple’s new focus, to turn PCs into “digital hubs” for managing audio, video and electronic devices such as camcorders and CD players. The most impressive of these efforts was a new software program, iDVD, a free, easy-to-use program to make the ever-popular digital video disc available for home movies and slide shows.
“We decided to start 2001 with a bang,” Jobs said, admitting the past few months had been “challenging” for the Mac maker.
He also announced a March 24 release date for OS X, the eagerly awaited new Apple operating system based on open source UNIX-type technology.
"It appears that they will meet or exceed the expectations of the Mac faithful," said David Bailey, an analyst at investment bank Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. But "there doesn't appear to be anything that was announced today that would lure Wintel users over to the Mac platform," he said.
iDVD requires a new, $3,499 Power Mac to record DVDs, and the new Powerbook G4 Titanium costs $2,599. Such prices are quite competitive with other products in their class, but way out of the reach of average consumers. Consumers will have to wait another six months for upgrades to the inexpensive iMac line, analysts said.
"I suspect that [Apple's] big thrust into the consumer space will come out in New York in July when [Jobs will] bring out new products that are aimed at consumers for the third and fourth quarter," Bajarin said.
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