It’s the day after Apple’s product announcements, and observers are beginning to assess the releases. And there’s a fair amount to assess — a new, even lighter MacBook Air, an updated iLife suite, the promise of a new Mac applications store, and a peek at the next Mac OS X, Lion.
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Since Apple events are always preceded by a wide array of speculation, some observers are noting what Wednesday’s announcements didn’t include. A main point of speculation was whether the Cupertino, Calif.-based company was going to release a touchscreen Mac, allowing the venerable Mac line to build on the successes of Apple’s mobile devices.
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‘Like Your Arm Will Fall Off’
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Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said that, while Apple was borrowing from its mobile devices for the Mac, it’s clearly being judicious in what it borrows. One of the additions, as indicated in the Lion previews, is the extended use of gestural interaction through a touchpad.
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There may only be so far that Apple wants to port the mobile experience to its Mac product line. Greengart noted that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said touch is wonderful for short interactivity, like checking the weather while you’re in the kitchen. But, Greengart said, for longer interactions, Jobs has pointed out that, at some point, it begins to feel like your arm will fall off.
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Greengart said that, while the previous Snow Leopard OS was all about reworking the engine under hood and improving performance, Lion appears to be focused on user interface innovations on the desktop, such as different ways of working with documents.
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‘Premium Mobility Notebook’
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The new iLife ’11 suite provides a number of enhancements, including easier editing in iMovie, new ways to improve music playing and creation in GarageBand, and a range of ways to send photos from iPhoto to…