MacRumors

One point of discussion about Apple's new keyboard is the absence of the Apple logo on the Command-Key of the keyboard. It seems it may not have been decided upon until late in the release (or reserved for international keyboards?)

Interestingly, Apple's Spanish site (and other international sites) has a photo of the iMac keyboard with the Apple logo still on the Command key. Apple's U.S. site shows the proper image.

Update: Apple has corrected the keyboard to reflect the "Command" labeled button.

With yesterday's product releases, we've seen the conclusion to several long running rumors.

iMac

We first heard of new iMac designs back in March of this year with Appleinsider claiming that iMacs would see "striking new industrial designs".

Meanwhile, we heard of possible "brushed aluminum" iMacs in June with initial predictions by ThinkSecret and 9to5mac suggesting a WWDC release. iMacs, of course, were not released at WWDC, but ThinkSecret and 9to5mac later pinpointed August 7th as the likely release date for the iMacs. 9to5mac added that the iMac keyboard would be "razor thin" with "media controlling functionality".

Appleinsider first described what was to be a new "super slim" external keyboard based on Apple's laptop keyboards. In what was the biggest leak in recent history, actual images of the iMac keyboard were leaked onto a Chinese forum in late July. Discussion of the keyboard generated the usual debate. Most significantly, however, this represents the first time Apple has let leaked images stand without any efforts to surpress their distribution.

iLife '08 / iWork '08

Very few recent rumors about iLife/iWork were available prior to their release. Many had expected these updates at Macworld San Francisco in January. [Update: ThinkSecret did have a number of reports from last year that contained accurate information: Pages 3, Keynote 4, iWeb 2, iWeb 2b ]

First indication that Apple would skip the '07 designation altogether came from Apple themselves with an accidental web description which revealed "Keynote '08". [Update: Appleinsider hinted at the '08 designation first in early July]

Of note, Thinksecret's early spreadsheet screenshot does appear to be from a preliminary version of Apple's spreadsheet application. Apparently, Apple has been planning "Numbers" for some time now. In June 2005, Apple applied for trademark protection for the "Numbers" name.

Finally, a last minute rumor from 9to5mac did pinpoint iWork '08 with spreadsheet for an August 7th release.

Summary... iPods Soon?

Based on their circulating rumors, it appears clear that newcomer 9to5mac.com has access to legitimate sources of information on Apple's upcoming products. They were the first to describe the use of aluminum in the new iMacs and also provided some accurate descriptions of the keyboard. Their reports weren't perfect, as they also expected that the 17" iMac would remain, and a few other inconsistencies.

Most useful, however, is that their predictions for upcoming iPod revisions now have more credibility. Their most recent report claimed that iPod nanos would use the shorter proportioned design as well as the leaked UI videos. More intriguing, they claimed that a full-screen touch iPod is coming at $299 and $399 price points. Though they initially expected an August 7th release for the iPods, they are now hinting at a September release.

Arstechnica reports that according to "trusted sources", Apple plans on introducing Movies and TV shows for iTunes UK in a matter of weeks.

According to Ars, everything is set up and ready to go and is "just a matter of flipping the switch".

No details on which shows or movies would be available.

Apple introduced a new built-to-order option for the Mac Pro... a PCI RAID card.

The Mac Pro RAID card offers improved performance and data protection to your Mac Pro system -- up to 304MB/s of sequential read performance in RAID 0. Ideal for video and creative professionals with demanding storage needs as well as for tower server applications, this hardware RAID option supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 0+1, and Enhanced JBOD. It has 256MB of cache and an integrated 72-hour battery for protecting the RAID cache. The card occupies the top PCI Express slot (slot 4) and connects to the four internal drive bays.

The build to order option adds $999 to the price of your Mac Pro and does not appear to be available separately at this time. It also listed as supporting Mac OS X only, so will not work with Windows/Bootcamp.

Apple introduced quite a few updates today, so we summarized them here to make sure you didn't miss any of them:

iMacs - brushed metal, with thin keyboard, up to 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme Processor. (unboxing, more unboxing)
iLife '08 - completely new iMovie and updated iApps (video tour)
iWork '08 - updated Keynote, Pages and new spreadsheet called Numbers. Downloadable demo available.
.Mac - personal domains, increased storage (10GB) and transfer limit (100GB), Web Gallery (example)
Mac mini - Core 2 Duo processors at 1.83GHz/2.0GHz.
Airport Extreme - now with Gigabit ethernet.
Mac Pro RAID - build-to-order RAID card for $999,..

Individual stories are linked above.

Apple has posted a quicktime video of today's event.

In Apple's press release for the iMac, they make a small note that the Airport Extreme has been updated to include gigabit ethernet.

Apple's 802.11n Airport Extreme base station had only included 10/100 Base-T ethernet, which had been a sore-spot in reviews considering all Macs now ship with Gigabit ethernet, and the theoretical wireless performance would outstrip the wired performance.

As of this writing, Apple has yet to update the product page for the Airport Extreme to reflect the change.

Apple quietly updated the Mac Mini today. Apple did not mention the update in any of its press releases today, and only acknowledged the update when asked during its question and answer session.

The update brings Apple's line to all Core 2 Duo processors, with a 1.83 GHz model and a 2.0 GHz model starting at $599. The new models will also feature Apple's newly released iLife '08 software. Other details are as follows:

- 1 GB RAM standard (up from 512 MB on entry model)
- 80 or 120 GB Hard Drives (up from 60/80 GB)
- Integrated GMA 950 graphics
- Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11g wireless + bluetooth 2.0 builtin

AppleInsider has said that the Mac Mini is heading towards discontinuance.

Due to the intimate setting of the press conference today, Apple elected to have a question and answer session with the attendees. Here are some of the notes of interest from that Q/A. For more complete coverage, please see sites with live updates from the event. Editor's Note: Q/A is paraphrased for brevity and readability

Q: Why aren't you participating in the "Intel Inside" sticker program?
A: We like our own stickers better. We love Intel, and we feel most people know that we use Intel processors. We'd rather customers not have to peel stuff off.

Q: What about the Mac Mini?
A: The Mac Mini is being refreshed today with faster processors.

Q: What about Apple TV?
A: Nothing about Apple TV today, but we'll have news regarding it soon.

Q: You have Multitouch on the iPhone. What about on the Mac?
A: It doesn't make a lot of sense right now on the Mac. We'd classify that as a research project.

As rumored, Apple released iWork '08. In addition to updated Keynote and Pages, Apple introduced a new application to the suite for spreadsheets called Numbers. iWork '08 is available today from the Apple Store (UK Store) for $79.

Keynote
-New text effects, transitions, themes
-Instant Alpha: take out the background of a photo
-Smart Builds: create your own animations

Pages
-Modes for word processing and page layout
-Contextual format bar
-Change tracking (compatible with MS Word)
-140 Apple designed templates

Numbers
-"Spreadsheets for the rest of us"
-Intelligent tables, readable formulas
-Can make gorgeous looking spreadsheets quickly
-Templates
-Import/Export Excel documents

A downloadable demo is now available for 30 days. Of interest, Apple's iWork Suite supports Open XML (Office 2007) documents.

Today Apple introduced iLife '08. The suite will ship on all new Macs starting today. Alternatively, the suite will be available to prior Mac users for $79. If you purchased your Mac on or after August 7th and did not get iLife '08, you can get it for $9.95.

iPhoto
-Events is a new way to automatically organize ever-expanding iPhoto libraries into events.
-Automatically hide/show photos based on star rating
-New Books and Calendars
-.Mac Web Gallery: Enhanced, web 2.0 photo galleries compatible with any browser. "Contribute from anywhere"... Allows you (or anyone) to add to web gallery from the internet or from the iPhone.

iMovie
-Completely new, designed to create a movie in 30 minutes or less.
-Video Library manages video source material
-Takes video from "any source" (HDV, still cameras that do video, AVCHD, etc...)
-Share menu includes support for exporting for iPod, iPhone, Apple TV. "Large resolution is better than DVD"
-.Mac Web Gallery and YouTube integration

iDVD
-"Professional Encoding"
-Better performance
-New themes

Magic Garageband
-Multi-take recording
-A way to experiment via auditioning multiple genres
-Visual EQ
-New Vocals Jam Pack

iWeb
-Web Widgets: live content from other sites
-Google Maps and Adsense
-My Albums: Simplify navigation by dragging your photo albums to a sleek, animated index page.
-Enhanced Photo Pages: Display up to 500 photos per album, complete with auto-pagination and viewing options.
-Theme Switching
-Personal domain name support

A Guided Tour is available.

Apple has also issued a few software updates for iLife '08:

iPhoto 7.0.1
This update to iPhoto addresses issues associated with publishing photos from an upgraded library to .Mac Web Gallery.
Front Row 1.3.1
This Front Row update provides for improved iPhoto compatibility.
Aperture 1.5.4
Aperture 1.5.4 is required for compatibility with iLife '08. This update is recommended for all Aperture users.

As rumored, Apple has updated its .Mac services suite.

In addition to Web Gallery, which was introduced as an integrated part of iLife '08, Apple is bumping up the standard storage size from 1 GB to 10 GB. The price remains $99 for a one year personal subscription. Family packs are available.

Update: More details are becoming available about the features of the .Mac update now that the event is over.

According to Apple's .Mac website, Apple will be rolling out the storage increases to current .Mac members over the next week. The transfer limit has also been increased to 100 GB of monthly transfer for regular .Mac accounts, and 200 GB for family packs.

Apple also announced the ability to use a personal domain address with .Mac. While Apple says they currently do not sell domain names, they provide steps to get your domain purchased at a domain registrar working correctly with .Mac.

Apple has announced new iMacs at its press event today. The iMacs start at $1199 and come in 20 and 24" form factors, as rumored, and will feature a more professional look.

Features:
-Up to 2.8 GHz Core 2 Extreme Processor
-Up to 4 GB Memory
-ATI Radeon HD Graphics
-Up to 1 TB Hard Disk
-Wireless 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0

Also, Apple indicated that the keyboard that was previously leaked is indeed the new keyboard for the iMac.

Word of the iMac redesign first appeared in March from AppleInsider, though ThinkSecret was later able to corroborate the story and provide an exact date of release.

The new iMacs are available from the Apple Store (UK Store).

Update: Appleinsider has posted an extensive gallery of images of the new iMacs.

Sony BMG released a unique iPod Game tonight called musika (iTunes link):

Your music, your game! musika is a groundbreaking music visualizer game for your iPod that taps into your song library to create original game play. Characters appear on screen with a wide variety of visual effects. If you see a character that's in the song title, hit the center button. Faster reactions will earn you more points and special icons can be hit for bonus effects.

The $4.99 game requires a 5th generation iPod. It is not compatible with iPhone.

While we await "media" coverage for Apple's announcement today, here's another option to explore...

With all the iPhone hype, there's been some notable criticisms and limitations, and if you are on the fence, there is at least one interesting alternative.

Helio.com offers an interesting phone called Ocean which they describe as "The ultimate mobile machine".

The Ocean offers a dual-slide design, providing both a traditional alphanumeric keypad as well as a full QWERTY keyboard. It also offers 3G network capability, MMS, video recording, built in flash, Google Maps with GPS and Instant Messaging capabilties -- all notably absent on the iPhone. The Helio costs $295.

Helio is clearly positioning the Ocean as an iPhone alternative with their comparison chart detailing the differences between the Ocean and iPhone.

Obviously Mac integration and web browsing can't compare to the iPhone, but if messaging is a high priority for you, the Ocean looks like a viable alternative.

The following sites will be providing live text (and in some instances, photo) coverage of the Apple Media Event.

Gizmodo
Engadget
SlashGear
MacObserver
Stuff.TV
MacNN
Macworld

The presentation begins at 10 AM Pacific or 1 PM Eastern (converter).

Apple is widely expected to release new iMacs at this Mac-focused event. Other less certain possibilities include iWork '08 with Spreadsheet and .Mac updates.

We will keep this list updated. We are providing SMS Updates for those unable to follow along on the web. Wired Gadget Blog