Apple's 'Back to the Mac' Event: Live Blog
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1:35 PM/ET: Ubillos continues to illustrate the functionality of the trailer options. A new feature in iMovie will find not only clips with people, but clips with groups of people. A storyboard template actually helps you lay out the trailer so that it feels like a Hollywood creation.
1:32 PM/ET: Apple had new, original scores put together for iMovie trailers, and had the London Symphony Orchestra record them.... really. These are things you can do when you have $50 billion in cash and securities.
1:31 PM/ET: Now, Ubillos demonstrates video effects like instant replay, and a still frame set into action.
A fun feature: Movie trailers. Users can create movie trailers based on their videos. This includes fun fonts. You can include a movie name, date (fall 2010) and cast (Mom, Dad, etc.) and a studio.
1:28 PM/ET: iMovie is an app that has gone through some drastic changes over the past few years. Apple removed some functions that were in older versions, like audio editing — so in a sense, this is a more refined return to things users could do before.
1:26 PM/ET: iMovie is an app that has gone through some drastic changes over the past few years. Apple removed some functions that were in older versions, like audio editing — so in a sense, this is a more refined return to things users could do before.
1:25 PM/ET: Jobs begins by saying that the number one request after the last version was for better audio editing. The goal is to do sophisticated video editing really simply.
Randy Ubillos, the chief architect for video applications, is coming up to demo...
1:25 PM/ET: Schiller: Letterpress cards are a new option in iPhoto. There's a video in iPhoto that explains what they are. It explains how the cards are embossed.
This is a big step-forward in digital cards. With that, Jobs returns to the stage and say "I think that's awesome. This is why we do what we do. These letterpress cards - unlike anything we've seen a computer do before"
And with that, we're on to iMovie...
1:22 PM/ET: Schiller continues to diligently sort through the new features of iPhoto. Photo books have gotten a facelift. It's easier to lay out pages, and iPhoto automatically groups similar photos together.
Interesting to note that Shutterfly has been working on similar ways to make it easier to create photo books.
1:20 PM/ET: There is another view that allows people to see social networking enhancements around photos. Interesting to note: This is exactly the sort of thing that Apple would need to clear with Facebook ahead of time. Steve Jobs was apparently spotted meeting with Mark Zuckerberg over the past few days — maybe it was to get this all wrapped up.
1:19 PM/ET: Apple has also worked in a more convenient way to email photos. Select them, click email, and it creates an email that looks like an album with graphical enhancements. iPhoto creates and sends the email without the need for another application.
1:17 PM/ET: A new slideshow theme, "Places" blends a map and animated transitions with the photos themselves. A few more features: Album view pulls down photos from Facebook or Flickr. The reflections template pulls in photos in a format that feels like an animated photo album, with multiple photos per screen. The Holiday Mobile template swings photos across the screen like ornaments.
Schiller is having fun with the new options to the tune of some holiday songs.
1:13 PM/ET: Jobs: Now you can make iPhoto fill the whole screen. There is a full-screen map in the Places view, where you can see where pictures were taken.
1:11 PM/ET: He turns first to iPhoto... iPhoto has more full-screen modes, Facebook enhancements, features for emailing photos, new slideshows and books, letterpress cards and more.
Phil Schiller is up to demonstrate it.
1:09 PM/ET: The stores in China, interestingly are the highest trafficked of any of our stores, Cook notes. Closes by declaring that the momentum of Macintosh has never been greater.
...and with that, Steve Jobs is back on stage.
1:07 PM/ET: "Fueling the Mac momentum, one of the key things behind it, is this incredible push we've had in Apple retail" 75 million visitors in the last quarter, 2.8 million Macs, about 50% are new to the Mac.
1:05 PM/ET: Valve, a game maker, is bringing titles like Half-Life. Autodesk is bringing AutoCAD back to the Mac. "We've coveted this app for a long time," he says.
Cook then turns to the competition, citing the remarkable job Microsoft has done with the latest version of Office.
1:0 PM/ET: More stats on the strength of Mac sales... The Mac's share in U.S. retail in 20.7%, according to NPD's August numbers. There are 600,000 registered Mac developers now, growing at 30,000 per month.
1:03 PM/ET: The company trumpeting that it sold 3 times as many Macs as it did five years ago. The installed base is 50 million globally. Last quarter the Mac grew 27% vs. 11% for the PC market at large, and has been growing faster than the market for 18 quarters.
1:02 PM/ET: Cook: The Mac made up 33% of revenue last year... to $22 billion. To put that in context, the Mac company, if it were a standalone company — and we have no plans to do that — would be #110 on the Fortune 500 list (which ranks U.S. companies by revenue).
1:01 PM/ET: "We've got some fun stuff to share with you this morning" Jobs continues. Jobs says he'll let the engineers demo the stuff. He starts with the state of the Mac. Tim Cook is coming up to talk about that.
1:00 PM/ET: the lights have dimmed Steve Jobs has come onto the stage... "Good morning" says Jobs.
12:58 PM/ET: Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall, Tim Cook and other top-level Apple execs are taking their places up front.
Editor's Note: For the third time this year, reporters, analysts and the ever-faithful are gathering in Cupertino, California—home of Apple and where the company is hosting an event focusing on Mac computers.
As with most of Apple's events, this one has its secrets—and its teases—about what's to come.
Here's what we know before the actual event starts at 1pm ET: We got an invitation from Apple last week showing the company's logo opening like a door to reveal the image of a lion, with the words, "Back to the Mac."
Nearly everyone who got the invite is expecting to see some sort of new version of Mac OS X, the operating system that runs on the company's desktop and laptop computers.
Why? That Lion on the invite. Apple has named the various versions of OS X after big cats. The most up-to-date version is Snow Leopard, while other versions include Leopard, Tiger and Panther.
Well, that and the invite also read, "Come see what's new for the Mac on October 20, including a sneak peek of the next major version of Mac OS X."
The speculation will soon end when CEO Steve Jobs takes to the podium at 1pm ET. Jon Fortt is at the event and will be live blogging throughout its duration including as many images from the event as we get.
Questions? Comments? TechCheck@cnbc.comAnd you can follow Jon Fortt on Twitter @jonfortt
