Today’s Macworld Expo keynote arrived on a wave of hype that was high even by Apple’s standards, cresting with the introduction of a 15-inch LCD iMac, iPhoto, and an iBook with a 14.1-inch screen. Did reality measure up? Jeff and Adam report from the scene. Also, we note the releases of Mac OS X 10.1.2, BBEdit 6.5.1, Nisus Writer 6.5, a Classic-only Internet Explorer 5.1, plus the availability of Combo drives in PowerBook G4s and the Microsoft Office X Test Drive.
PowerBook G4 Combo Upgrades Start 14-Jan-02 -- Consistent with our coverage of the PowerBook G4 Titanium's new Combo drive, Apple has announced the PowerBook G4 Combo Upgrade Program
Internet Explorer 5.1 Goes Classic -- In a welcome, though slightly unusual move, Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 5.1 - previously available only for Mac OS X - for Mac OS 8.1 through 9.2 as well, adding a few minor features and enhancing reliability
Mac OS X 10.1.2 Rolls in Fixes -- Shortly before the new year, Apple released an update to Mac OS X 10.1.2 via Software Update, building in a number of useful enhancements and fixes (and providing better release notes than for previous updates)
Free Microsoft Office X Test Drive -- Following up on its recent Test Drive version of Microsoft Word X for Mac OS X, Microsoft has announced a free Test Drive version of the complete Microsoft Office X suite of applications for Mac OS X, including Mac OS X versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage
BBEdit 6.5.1 Fixes Bugs, Adds Minor Features -- Bare Bones Software has released BBEdit 6.5.1, adding a number of small features such as support for JSP (Java Server Pages), modified keyboard navigation, interface tweaks, and minor scripting improvements
Nisus Writer 6.5 Adds Outlining, Document Manager -- Nisus Software joined in the holiday tradition of pushing big releases out just before the end of the year with Nisus Writer 6.5, a significant revision to the company's powerful word processor
I hope the noodles are soaking in preparation for a serious flogging of the people in Apple's PR machine. This keynote was perhaps the most hyped event Apple has ever done, making it sound as if the reports on the rumor sites were nothing compared with what Apple would announce
Along with the completely redesigned iMac and inflated iBook, the other big news from Steve Jobs's keynote today was iPhoto, a highly welcome, if painfully obvious addition to Apple's suite of free applications that by themselves go a long way toward differentiating Macs from garden variety PCs