At the Macworld 2009 keynote address delivered by Phil Schiller, Apple revealed that iLife '09 featured major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. The multimedia-focused suite now offers new ways to organize and manage photos, create movies and learn to play music.

The past days have seen Apple releasing several updates for users of its iWork productivity suite of applications. Whereas iWork updates were aimed at users of iWork '08, the latest update from Apple needs to be applied to version '09 of its creativity suite, iLife. The Mac maker's Support section reveals that the latest GarageBand Update “improves overall stability and addresses specific issues with downloading lessons from the Learn to Play Lesson Store.” Apple specifically points out that GarageBand Update 5.0.1 “is recommended for all GarageBand 09 users.”

When announcing the new features included with the iLife suite, Apple revealed that iPhoto ’09 builds on its predecessor's ability to automatically organize photos into Events by adding Faces and Places. Apple has chosen these innovative ways to offer users easy organizing and managing of their photos using face detection, face recognition and GPS geo-tagging technologies. The new iMovie now adds a fresh Precision Editor, video stabilization, advanced drag and drop, and animated travel maps.

Finally, Phil Schiller revealed that GarageBand ’09 would introduce 18 basic lessons and optional lessons from renowned artists. The guides combine video instruction with animated notation and instrument views for a complete and interactive experience. GarageBand Artist Lessons are sold separately and are available directly through the GarageBand Lesson Store in select countries.

GarageBand '09 is part of the iLife '09 suite of applications. The suite is included with the purchase of any new Mac, and is available as a standalone product through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iLife costs $79 (US) and requires Mac OS X version 10.5.6 or later.

Download GarageBand Update 5.0.1 (Free)