Apple has unveiled a new 17-inch MacBook Pro computer and announced updates to its iLife and iWork application suites.

 

January 7, 2009: Apple has unveiled a new 17-inch MacBook Pro computer and announced updates to its iLife and iWork application suites.
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features a revolutionary new built-in battery that delivers up to eight hours of use and up to 1,000 recharges for more than three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries. Made from highly recyclable materials and featuring a durable aluminium unibody enclosure and high resolution LED-backlit display, the latest MacBook uses the same glass Multi-Touch trackpad introduced with the new MacBook family in October. It also comes with the latest Core 2 Duo mobile processors and NVIDIA graphics card.
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes an ultra-thin, widescreen glossy 1920 x 1200 display with 78% more pixels than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and a 60% greater colour gamut that delivers desktop-quality colour in a notebook. Measuring less than 25 mm thin and weighing 2.99 kg, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook – and also the most powerful in the MacBook line. It is scheduled for release late this month and will be available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com.au), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers for a recommended retail price of A$4,499.
The ’09 version of the iLife suite features major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, and includes iDVD and an updated version of iWeb. iPhoto ’09 builds on the ability to automatically organise photos into Events by adding Faces and Places as new options for managing photos. iMovie ’09 provides new features such as a Precision Editor, video stabilisation, advanced drag and drop, and animated travel maps. GarageBand ’09 introduces piano and guitar tuition with 18 basic lessons and optional lessons from top artists. iLife ’09 is included with every new Mac purchase and available as a A$129 upgrade for existing users.
The latest version of Apple’s office productivity suite, iWork ’09, adds new features to support object transitions, menu and page navigation, document design, data management and calculation. It is available now through the Apple Store (www.apple.com.au), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers for a recommended retail price of A$129. Apple has also announced iWork.com public beta, a new service Apple is developing to share iWork ’09 documents online.
Full details of the new products can be found at www.apple.com.au.