Apple Ships Major Update for Aperture 2.0

Aperture 2.1 is now available, reports Jonny Evans of MacWorld UK. He states that this new update introduces “an open plug-in architecture that facilitates photographers in use of specialised third party imaging software from within the application.”

Available as a free software update to Aperture 2, Aperture 2.1 includes an Apple-developed plug-in “Dodge and Burn” This adds “brush-based tools for dodge (lighten), burn (darken), contrast, saturation, sharpen and blur.” Apple states that “Over the coming months, third party software developers will deliver image editing plug-ins for localised editing, filters and effects, noise analysis and reduction, fisheye lens correction and more.”

Evans states, “Through clicking on one or more images within Aperture, users can choose from a menu of installed plug-ins and apply specialised imaging operations to either TIFF or RAW images.”

Apple and key developers are working closely to bring the most frequently requested plug-ins to Aperture. Some examples offered on the Apple site:

“Nik Software’s Viveza plug-in, which lets photographers selectively control and adjust colour and light in their digital images;_ PictureCode’s Noise Ninja - advanced high ISO noise analysis and reduction;_Digital Film Tools’ Power Stroke, a simple, stroke-based interface to quickly mask and intuitively perform targeted adjustments;_ The Tiffen Company’s Dfx plug-in that provides an expansive suite of creative filters and effects;_ dvGarage’s dpMatte plug-in, a high performance chroma key tool for creating seamless composites, and the HDRtoner plug-in that enables the selection of multiple photos to create a single high dynamic range (HDR) image;_ Image Trends’ plug-ins that include Fisheye-Hemi to correct fisheye lens distortion, ShineOff which automatically removes shine from faces and PearlyWhites that automatically whitens and brightens teeth.”

Aperture 2.1 is available immediately as a free software update to current Aperture 2.0 users.

MacBook Pro Earns PCMag Editors’ Choice Award

The 15-inch 2.6 GHz Penryn-based MacBook Pro has earned a PC Magazine Editor’s Choice award. John Martellaro of MacObserver reports that it was its fabulous design elements, its speed and lightweight frame as well as the 15% longer battery life (compared to its Merom-based predecessor) which earned the award.

The reviewer, Cisco Cheng, was especially excited about the improved battery life, “The improved battery life is a direct result of the Penryn CPU’s deeper sleep states and its more energy-efficient processor core. The new MacBook Pro produced 3 hours 56 minutes on MobileMark 2007 tests, which is a significant jump from the 3 hours 10 minutes of the previous-generation MacBook Pro. That’s about a 15 percent improvement, which should be music to the ears of road warriors.”

MacBook Pro’s 1,440 x 900 screen is still unique on the market for using LED backlighting, which provides power-saving characteristics, longer life and a wider color gamut than their CCFL counterparts.

PC Mag ” also took the time to point out the Green nature of the Apple notebook, both in its manufacturing, free of brominated flame retardants and PVCs, as well as the power consumption. While more power efficient than competitors as well as the previous generation, its 16 watts in idle state didn’t quite earn the Energy Star 4.0 requirement [14 watts].”
Cheng, ran some benchmark tests on Boot Camp and Windows and reported that competitors like the “Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N and the Fujitsu LifeBook A6120, lagged behind the MacBook Pro (Penryn) on SYSmark 2007 Preview, CineBench R10, and video-encoding tests.” He also stated that the MacBook isn’t the first laptop with the Penryn processor, but it is “the most sizzling we’ve seen so far,” claiming that it was “tearing up performance tests”.
Cheng also states, “The MacBook Pro (Penryn) has an intriguing feature-the gesture-based touchpad, which debuted on the iPhone and later showed up on the MacBook Air. This pad, with its ability to manipulate documents and images by finger movements, is a welcome addition to the MacBook Pro line.”

In all, a thorough review touched every aspect of the new MacBook Pro, and saw much to be admired. Says Cheng, “I can’t think of any mainstream laptop other than the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Penryn) that does as good a job of combining fabulous design elements with top-of-the-line performance parts.”

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The New Apple TV: “A True Multi-Media Device”

Ryan Fass of Computerworld offers a two page review of what he calls “the new-and-better Apple TV” which is now an entertainment device in its own right, rather than a computer accessory.

Fass says that he found the menu structure in the original Apple TV “almost brilliant in its simplicity”, and this “take 2″ on the device only improves on the same. “Like the original Apple TV, Apple TV Take 2 includes and relies on Apple’s standard remote, the same one that Apple ships with current Mac models. The remote carries through that ease-of-use theme: It features only six buttons (up, down, right, left, pause/play/select, and menu). Apple has certainly figured out how to limit the confusion often associated with remote control devices.”

Users can now easily search and buy content including music, TV shows and movie rentals from the iTunes store directly from the Apple TV. Fass finds this “one of the most exciting new features”, with direct integration to the iTunes Store which makes it effortless to find and play the content you want.

Fass adds, “The integration of the iTunes Podcast directory is also well done. The Apple TV’s new ability to not only browse and subscribe to podcasts directly from your television, but also to browse and listen to individual episodes without having to subscribe to the entire series, is a major boon. It reminds me of the way we browse on-demand cable content or YouTube. For anyone who has yet to become a podcast aficionado, the Apple TV Take 2 stands to change their mind by making podcasts more like other forms of entertainment - and less like a subscription-based service.”

Fass says he’s been a fan of the Apple TV since the initial release, and now even more. “This is a device for multimedia content of all kinds and from sources ranging from purchases and rentals from iTunes to home photos and movies.” His one wish? More memory. His conclusion, however? “I have to say that the new Apple TV has more than lived up to my early expectations and truly blew away my previous experiences.” He states that Apple “has transformed it into both a spectacular entertainment device in its own right as well as an even better nexus of technology and entertainment.”

Apple’s “Get a Mac” Campaign Taking a Toll on Microsoft’s Reputation?

A report posted by Ina Fried in C|net News states “A new ranking of global brands shows Microsoft’s reputation sinking in recent years. Among the possible factors: Apple’s ‘I’m a Mac’ ads,” Fried states. “Microsoft lands at No. 59 in the rankings for 2007, down from No. 11 in 2004, according to the survey from CoreBrand released Wednesday,” Fried reports.

That the ads are in part responsible for Microsoft’s slide is suggested by James Gregory, CoreBrand CEO, “‘The effect of Apple’s ‘Hi, I’m a Mac’ advertising campaign may have taken its toll on Microsoft.”

The ads are very funny, extremely entertaining, and at the same time accurate. This much is true. But Fried demurs, “I don’t know how much stock I put into the study, or its thesis that Apple is to blame, but it is an interesting question. How has Apple’s rise affected Redmond’s overall image beyond just a few points of PC market share?” Fried is posing a different question there, and shifting the focus a bit. She continues, “When Apple occupied a smaller niche, it could be argued that what happened on the Mac side of things was less relevant to how Microsoft is perceived. But now that Apple has a larger role, is it affecting how Microsoft as a company is seen?” Isn’t Fried, perhaps too polite to put it plainly, simply asking the question, “Isn’t it inevitable that a quality company, like Apple, producing quality products and offering superior customer support will affect the way that a lower-quality company producing far-from excellent products and offering sub-standard customer support is seen?” Maybe this is putting words in Ms. Fried’s mouth?

One doesn’t have to dig out the meaning of the comments of MacDailyNews on Fried’s post. They pull no punches, and state, “While Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign certainly has its sting, perhaps an even greater factor is that the world is just finally waking up as they watch Microsoft do what it’s always done: labor to release derivative, junky products that were obviously inspired by Apple?” The rest of their questions become even more blatantly insulting…but the comment above gives you the flavor.

“Get a Mac” is a great ad campaign, and an even greater suggestion. And let’s face it, MacDaily News is right — this is a case of the consumer waking up to the difference in Apple quality and Microsoft’s lack thereof.

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