Jobs: 2004 Will Be "Great Mac Year"

InformationWeek ^ | January 8, 2003 | Aaron Ricadela

[HAL9000]

With the 20th anniversary this month of the original Macintosh approaching, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs told MacWorld Expo attendees in San Francisco on Tuesday that 2004 would be a "great Mac year."

"Microsoft's copying us again--it feels great," said Jobs, who said 9.3 million Apple users--about 40% of the company's installed base--have upgraded to Mac OS X, the company's 3-year-old operating system. But Jobs didn't introduce any new desktops or laptops during his annual keynote address. Instead, he demonstrated a collection of new software designed to drive sales of Macs running OS X, and unveiled a lower-priced version of Apple's hit iPod portable music player.

Microsoft said it plans to ship Office 2004 for Mac in the spring and that it's also at work on a successor version. Adobe Systems and Macromedia on Tuesday also introduced new products for OS X. Apple also released Final Cut Express 2, a video-editing app. But the demo that garnered the most applause from Mac enthusiasts was GarageBand--home-recording software that's part of Apple's new iLife '04 bundle.

On Jan. 16, Apple plans to release a new version of iLife, which packages five apps: iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand, which lets users record live keyboard and guitar performances with prerecorded music loops, and play software instruments driven by USB or MIDI keyboards. A new version of iPhoto supports collections of up to 25,000 photos. The iLife '04 apps run only on Mac OS 10.2 and 10.3, and will be priced at $49. They'll also be included with new Macs.

Jobs said Apple has sold 30 million songs through iTunes since the online music store launched last April. Next month, the company plans to release in the United States the iPod mini, a smaller, less-expensive version of the iPod, which Jobs said has sold 2 million units. The $249 iPod mini, about the size of a business card and a half-inch thick, will come in silver, gold, blue, pink, and green; it will include 4Gbytes of storage, hold 1,000 songs, and run on Mac and Windows PCs. Apple plans to ship the player worldwide in April.

Apple also upgraded its entry-level iPod, which sells for $299, to 15 Gbytes of memory, from 10 Gbytes. The product also comes in 20- and 40-Gbyte versions.

For business customers, Apple introduced a version of its Xserve server with its latest 2-GHz G5 processor. It comes with 750 Gbytes of storage, the Mac OS X Server 10.3 operating system, and an unlimited client license, "just like Linux," Jobs said. "Unlike Linux, you can use it as a mere mortal." Xserve G5, which ships next month, will be priced at $2,999 for a single-CPU version, $3,999 for a two-CPU model, and $2,999 for a cluster-optimized version with 10 client licenses.

Apple also released a new Xserve RAID storage with 3.5 terabytes of storage capacity. For the first time, the system also works with Windows and Linux computers: It supports Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, and Red Hat Linux.

[HAL9000]

Prediction: On January 24th - the 20th anniversary of the Mac - Apple will make announce some new iMac models, perhaps with a new form factor, and a lower price for the entry-level models.

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[Fledermaus]

This headline made me think it was going to be another liberal bashing article on how the jobs in 2004 were going to be nothing but McDonald's hamburger flipping.

LOL

[GeronL]

floppy flippers?

[Fledermaus]

I think they've moved up to flipping CD's and DVD's!

[Prince Charles]

I can't wait to drop in to the local Apple store to snag a copy of iLife '04 and FCE 2. Awesome stuff.

[GeronL]

... and thats Freepy =o)

[HAL9000]

I'd like to snag a rack of the new G5 Xserves, with Xgrid and a RAID storage unit or two.

[Prince Charles]

Oh yeah. But I haven't figured out how to sneak those things into the budget just yet.

[KneelBeforeZod]

"Microsoft's copying us again--it feels great," said Jobs

hooray! a moral victory.

[jimtorr]

Not just a moral victory. Every time Microsoft copies Apple, M/S products improve. It's a victory for all of us.

Bill Gates has always been determined to keep up with the new technology Steve Jobs introduces.

Gates once derided Apple for spending so much money on R & D. Shortly afterwards he had M/S vastly increase spending on R&D. Before that, he had let Apple do his development work for him, which he then had M/S copy.

[randita]

Wonder what the new features in FCE2 are. I'm just starting to get decent working knowledge of the first version of FCE. Boy, is it superior to iMovie--wish I had bought and learned FCE sooner. It would have saved countless hours of aggravation with iMovie.

Anyone now if there is an upgrade version of FCE available for a cheaper price than a new version?

[Mamzelle]

I use both macs and pcs...

Think there'll be a new little iBook? I've been looking at them at CompUSA...

[KneelBeforeZod]

true... miscrosoft needs to get with it though.

just like japanese electronics used to be junk and then they kick butt over the junk US puts out (regardless of reason)

not to mention cars (also, regardless of reason) the japanese took something we were doing and kicked out butts with it.

as far as electronics go, its not a matter of price. US companies just seem to be CHEAP and greedy. Sony products cost more but people buy them beause they are better.

apple seems to have the myth of being better, but if you figure in that they wont do what most people want (also regardless of reason) they aren't better after all...

ie, no games for apple...that might be a chicken/egg argument, but so what, people will buy with what works for them, even if apple kool aid gang tells them the operating system isn't as good.

what I find so odd is that apple zombies like to talk about how 3rd party stuff doesn't work with MS stuff... like its MS's fault.

when "you" buy from Kragen/Penske/Etc do you expect the junk to be as good as the dealers factory parts??