Apple-developed suite of multimedia software applications

Jan 7, 2009 09:19 GMT  ·  By

The creation-based application suite comprising iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD has been updated to include some “major” enhancements, Apple says. Announced at yesterday's keynote presentation delivered by the company's SVP of worldwide product marketing, iLife '09 ships with every purchased Mac, while existing users can upgrade to the new version by paying an upgrade fee.

“iLife '09 features major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand, and includes iDVD and an updated version of iWeb,” Apple reveals. According to the company responsible for the Mac OS, iPhoto '09 builds on its predecessor's ability to automatically organize photos into Events by adding two new functions, namely Faces and Places. The duo assists users in organizing and managing their pictures.

As indicated by the Cupertino-based computer maker, iMovie '09 also builds on top of the super fast movie creation functionality introduced in iMovie '08. Using powerful new features such as the incredible new Precision Editor, video stabilization, advanced drag and drop, and animated travel maps, users are promised immense visual depth when creating a movie, be it family moments, or a school project.

Music enthusiasts and audiophiles using a Mac should be glad to hear that GarageBand '09 introduces a whole new way to help them learn to play piano and guitar with 18 basic lessons. Additional (optional) lessons are available from top artists such as Sara Bareilles, John Fogerty, Norah Jones, and Sting, Apple confirms. Artist Lessons cost $4.99 (US) each.

So, while iPhoto '09 lets you organize and search your pictures in new ways, iMovie '09  allows for the creation of a movie in mere minutes, addition powerful editing options for when you hit the Stop Recording button. GarageBand '09 shows you exactly how to play popular musical instruments and, just like iMovie, lets you record and edit your scores once you take your fingers off the guitar chords and put them on your Mac's keyboard.

iDVD can turn your home movies and slideshows into “gorgeous Hollywood-style DVDs,” Apple adds, while iWeb '09 allows bloggers to design, publish, and update their own sites with no HTML knowledge being required.

“iLife continues to be one of the biggest reasons our customers choose to get a Mac,” Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, explains. “With iLife '09, we’ve made working with photos, making movies, and learning to play music a lot more fun, and iMovie users are especially going to love the advanced but easy-to-use new features.”

iLife '09 will be available for $79 by the end of the month. The software will require Mac OS X 10.5.6 to run, as well as any Intel-based Mac, or a G4 with an 867 MHz or faster PowerPC processor. 1GB of memory is also recommended.