Fortune tech writer Brent Schlender praised the “cool new software” Apple introduced earlier this month at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. Fellow Fortune writer Peter Lewis has good things to say about Apple’s latest hardware, especially that 17-inch PowerBook G4.
Schlender said the products Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced in his keynote speech don’t “point Apple or personal computing in a radical new direction,” but show the company is keeping its promise to “make the Macintosh into the ultimate digital hub.” The writer called iLife the centerpiece of all the new software Jobs introduced. iLife is a bundled version of several updated applications (iPhoto 2, iMovie 3, iDVD 3 and iTunes 3) in a US$49 package due to hit stores this Saturday.
Schlender also praised Safari, Aple’s standards-based Internet Web browser.
When it comes to hardware, Lewis describes Apple’s 17-inch PowerBook G4 as a “showcase for advanced technology,” with its 1.3-megapixel LCD display, built-in SuperDrive, FireWire 800, AirPort Extreme, and fiber-optic keyboard-illumination system that automatically starts glowing when room lights dim. Though the laptop packs a lot of features into an impressively compact package, the 17-inch isn’t for the average road warrior, Lewis notes.
“Forget using this baby on a plane, unless you’re flying first-class,” he writes. “For road warriors who want a powerful but light and compact machine, Apple’s new 12-inch PowerBook fits the bill.”