Today marks yet another historical landmark day in Apple history. As if a third media special event within a month is not enough to wig out your typical Apple fanatic, these press briefings have introduced some of the most innovative new products to hit the market on ANY platform. At the top of todays announcements is a brand new application named Aperture. As you can guess, this is geared at the professional photographer. You could say that this is iPhoto on steroids to put it mildly. Some might go as far as to say that this is a Photoshop killer. I am here to tell you that this is not exactly the case.
This tool should be considered as a COMPLIMENTARY tool to Photoshop, and just another way to manage and work with your photos. This would be very similar to the relationship between Motion and Adobe After Effects. Where this app sets itself apart is that it can be your primary tool for managing your photography. Aperture picks up where Adobe has dropped the ball. This tool is geared to and dedicated to professional photographers. Adobe Photoshop is but a mere 1 click away from importing the image you are currently working on in Aperture, and when you are done, you can revert back to Aperture and your corrected image will be reflected on-screen within Aperture. VERY cool indeed. Photoshop is nowhere near being completely replaced by this product, but I would venture to say that this will definitely put a big dent in Adobe's universe and photographers will be taking notice in a major way.
The major upside here is that there is a huge population of photographers out there that for one reason or another, seem to have completely missed the boat on Apple. I have heard every excuse in the book, but it mainly boils down to the fact that most photographers I know are just plain 'ol cheap bastards. I am a photographer myself and just have too many buddies that have this common trait. Some of you out there are still running Photoshop 5 (you know who you are)! Your average photographer is so fixated on PRICE that they often overlook the value of what a proper machine would do to improve their workflow, time spent editing, quality of their work, customer satisfaction and overall bottom line. If you have a machine that is capable of increasing your productivity by a significant factor, that directly translates into more time spent in the field or studio, doing what you love most, taking pictures. That alone should be justification to get the proper tool for the job, even if it will cost you a little more initially. Well folks, the kicker to this story is that not only is a Mac the right tool for the job, it is also every bit as affordable as a PC configured in a similar fashion (if there is such a beast). I think this is going to make an awful lot of PC folks rethink their platform of choice. The benefits and advantages of a Mac these days is just too much to overlook for any professional in the new media industry.
That leads me into the next major announcement, the long-rumored QUAD G5. Yes folks, it's tru - Dual-Core Dual-Processor G5's have arrived. This is one SMOKIN machine. Up to 69% faster on some apps clocking in at a whopping 76.6 gigaflops of number-crunching madness. The sheer power of this machine is nothing short of astonishing. One thing you will notice is that the G5 line as a whole was revamped. ALL new PowerMac G5's are running Dual-Core processors. But only ONE is running Dual-Processors. So for those of you with a "more is better" complex, that means anything short of ordering the Quad will net you ONE processor in the box. Yeah yeah, I know...but having TWO just LOOKS so cool (and gives you über bragging rights) ! :-) And here's something to think about, we all know Steve Jobs would not have crossed over to an Intel architecture for the next generation G5 unless is was something that would stomp this Quad G5. The thought of a machine that can unleash a can of whoop-ass on this Quad G5 is something fierce. I for one am already itching and tweaking at the thought of it. If I actually have to wait a year+ to see that machine, I am going to need some serious rehab.
The last, but certainly not least of the major announcements is the revamped and improved PowerBook line. Most people are going to let out a big yawn and say "whatever". Yeah, it wasn't what everyone was hoping for, but we all know that a major announcement for this line is not going to happen until the switch to Intel happens. It's just a fact of life folks, lets cope with it for another year. If you need a portable machine TODAY, it isn't going to get any better than a PowerBook with a high resolution display. Let me say that again...High RESOLUTION, not HIGH DEF. Many people were predicting an HD display on the PowerBook, that did NOT happen. The display is spectacular, but not HD. So again, I don't think anyone in the industry has an HD laptop, so there isn't much room to complain, but you know us Apple peeps, we love to bitch about SOMETHING. :-) Sooooo Apple, can we go for a FOURTH announcement within the next month? Now THAT would be something spectacular.....Long Live the Newton! Did someone say Newton? Apple, are you listening? Hail Newton!
