Apple Introduces "Next Generation MacBook Pro" with 15.4" Retina Display, and you can't afford it.

Pricing begins at $2,199 for the base model with the Retina display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Ivy Bridge i7, 8GB of RAM, a NVidia GeForce GT 650M 1GB graphics card, and 256GB of flash storage. The Next Generation MacBook Pro begins shipping today.  Retina display; 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch.

Other notes from WWDC 2012 include:

• New Maps app with Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Real-Time Traffic, 3D Maps
• IOS 6 comes with Siri improvements, Facebook integration, Passbook, and the new Maps App
• Mountain Lion will arrive in July for $20 and feature Dictation, iCloud Tabs and Power Nap
• Small improvements in the “old” Macbook Pro and MacBook Air models
• A very minor quiet update to the Mac Pro Line with no Thunderbolt, or USB 3
• Apple also quietly discontinued the MacBook Pro 17-inch
• Introduced the redesigned AirPort Express

I’m surprised we did not see any updates to the iMac line.  Maybe they will surprise us this fall.

Apple releases Aperture 3.3 update

This version is released only a few weeks after 3.2.4

What’s New in Aperture 3.3

• New unified photo library for both iPhoto (v 9.3 or later) and Aperture; no import/export required; Faces, Places, slideshows, albums and web sharing work across both applications
• Support for AVCHD video has been added
• Aperture now lets you use camera-generated previews for faster browsing of RAW files immediately after import
• Highlights & Shadows tool has been updated to deliver higher-quality results and work with extended range data
• A new Auto Enhance button has been added to the Adjustments panel
• White Balance tool now includes Skin Tone and Natural Gray modes to simplify color balance
• Auto button has been added to the White Balance tool for one-click color balancing
• Set Desktop command has been added to Share menu so you can set a desktop background from within Aperture
• A new Manual option allows you to drag and drop projects to customize sort order in the Projects view
• New preference allows you to set the background brightness of the full screen browser
• Facebook, Flickr, and MobileMe albums are now displayed as thumbnails in the main window when accounts are selected in the source list
• Minor terminology changes, including “Original” instead of “Master” and “Info” instead of “Metadata”
• Source list includes a new “Recent” section, showing Last Import and recently-viewed projects
• Raw Fine Tuning is no longer displayed in the Adjustments panel by default
• Faces can now be named by dragging them from the Unnamed Faces browser to existing snapshots on the corkboard
• The Faces corkboard now includes a menu that allows you to set the order of face snapshots
• Newly designed monochrome source list and toolbar icons
• Addresses numerous issues related to overall performance and stability

Apple releases Aperture 3.2.4 update

It’s about time.  I was getting a little annoyed with this bug.  Any mods I did with external editors like PS or NIK, did now show up unless I changed the size of the image.  This was a 550MB update on my system.

What’s New in Aperture 3.2.4

• Improves stability on Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
• Addresses an issue that could prevent the Viewer from updating correctly after editing a photo using an external editor.

Included in Aperture 3.2

• Addresses compatibility with iCloud and iOS 5
• Resolves an issue that could cause the “Loading” indicator to reappear in the Viewer when cropping a photo
• Aperture now automatically relaunches into Full Screen mode if the application was in Full Screen mode when last quit
• Pinch-to-zoom gesture now automatically activates Zoom mode in the Viewer
• Left and right swipe gestures can now be used to navigate between photos in the Viewer
• Microsoft Outlook can now be chosen in Preferences as the application used by Aperture for emailing photos
• Fixes a problem that could cause Aperture, running on OS X Lion, to quit unexpectedly when using brushes to apply adjustments
• Loupe now correctly displays magnification levels between 50-100%
• Fixes an issue that could cause Aperture, running on OS X Lion, to display the incorrect color profile on externally edited images
• Import window now includes an option to delete photos from iPhone and iPad after they have been imported into Aperture
• The Lift & Stamp tool now displays the correct cursor icons when being used in Split View and Viewer only modes

 The updater can be downloaded here or via Software Update.

Nikon releasing new 24MP D3200 this month for $700

 

It is amazing how fast the megapixel race is climbing skyward. I don’t think most amateurs need 24MP, since most of the photos are never enlarged to more than 8”x 10”. Available in red or black color and only $700 with the 18-55mm kit lens. That lens probably won’t do the sensor justice though.

• 24.2 Megapixel, DX-format CMOS sensor
• Supports all Nikon F-mount lenses with a 1.5X crop factor
  • Autofocus is only supported on AF-S and AF-I lenses
• New Expeed 3 image processor
• 3-inch LCD display with 921,000 pixels
• Optical viewfinder has 95% coverage and a magnification of 0.8X
• 11-point autofocus system
• Full manual controls
  • ISO range of 100 - 6400, expandable to 12800
• Guide Mode walks beginners through various shooting techniques step-by-step
• Built-in flash plus a hot shoe (1/200 sec x-sync)
• Continuous shooting at 4 frames/sec
• Records Full HD video at 24 or 30 frames/sec with stereo sound and continuous AF (using H.264 codec); manual exposure controls available
• Stereo microphone input, HDMI output
• Optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter ($60) lets you send images to your Android smartphone (iOS support coming in Fall); user can compose photos (but not adjust any settings) and release the shutter remotely from your mobile device
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• Uses EN-EL14 lithium-ion battery, 540 shots per charge
• Comes in black and red bodies
• Ships in late April with the 18-55 VR lens for $699.95

Apple unveils an HD iPad - Just called "The new iPad" It's Resolutionary

The iPad 2 will be lowered to $399 for 16GB Wi-Fi model.  The Key features of the “new ipad” are:

• High-definition Retina Display
• New A5X chip with quad-core graphics
• 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics, shoots 1080p video
• 4G LTE models allow for connections to faster wireless networks
• Still offers the same 10-hour battery life.

iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPad will also be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands on Friday, March 16.

The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model.  

iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model.

Still no 128GB model, that is really a shame.

Canon announces the much anticipated EOS-5D Mark III

Go to the photo gear page for details.

Apple unleashes OS X Mountain Lion Preview

Just don’t call it “Mac” OS X.  Apple is dropping Mac from the name of OS X with the summer release of OS X Mountain Lion.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not that excited about my “Mac” operating system becoming more and more like iOS on an iPad.

Tim Cook seems to have a different opinion: “We see that people are in love with a lot of apps and functionality here,” said Mr. Cook, 51 years old, pointing at his iPhone. “Anywhere where that makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac.”

Aperture updated to v3.2.2

Aperture 3.2.2, a maintenance release of the pro photo management and RAW conversion software from Apple, corrects a Photo Stream-related bug.

You can leave your compact camera at home. iPhone 4s is that good.

Just went on a couple of trips, and all I had with me for pictures was my iPhone 4s and I did not miss having a stand alone camera.  My daughter had her Nikon S8200 compact with her, and for outdoor shots my iPhone was it’s equal.

Check out the iPhone 4s gallery here, or click on the picture above.

Updating my ipad to ios 5 took 4 hours

Just dowloading the update took over 3 hours and then the backup/restore part and then the verifying and the …. you get the picture.  Of course it’s my fault for wanting to have it on the first day of release when everyone and their mother, brother, uncle, sister etc want is too.  Earlier in the day I downloaded OS X 10.7.2 for my Mac Pro, and that took about 3 hours as well. 

Apple’s new data center really can’t take all this traffic, can it?  I hope all goes well with your updates.  Maybe you should wait a couple of days for the traffic to die down and you’ll probably download the updates in about 20 minutes.