Fisheye-Hemi plug-in now available for Aperture 2.1

Thanks to a new plug-in filter set from Image Trends, photographers can now quickly and easily correct hemispheric fisheye lens distortion without leaving Aperture. Enthusiastic about the new, Aperture 2.1 image editing SDK, Image Trends president and CEO Dan Sullivan announced plans “to offer PearlyWhites and ShineOff Aperture plug-ins within the next 60 days, with additional products to follow”. [May 19]

Apple scoops two design awards for iMac and iPhone

Apple won two highly-coveted “black” pencils at the prestigious D&AD Awards 2008, one each for the design of the iMac and the iPhone. The top award of a black pencil is notoriously difficult to achieve: “One of the things that makes D&AD credible is they won’t give an award if the work isn’t good enough”, said Jonathan Ive, the chief designer at Apple. “It is not about what is best that year, it is about an absolute standard”. Apple has won a total of six back pencils since 1999, which makes the company the most successful recipient in the event’s 45-year history. [May 16]

Pro Tip of the Week: Creating Live Links in Documents

Sometimes it’s useful to create a hypertext link within your documents. You might, for example, make a link that automatically opens a Safari web page when clicked, or one that generates a pre-addressed email message. Read our Pro Tip of the Week to find out how it can be done using Mac applications like TextEdit, Mail and Pages. [May 15]

Apple Executives to appear at WWDC 2008 Keynote

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. This year’s WWDC will showcase two revolutionary development platforms, the ground-breaking innovations of OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. [May 13]

Schoolkids net a Big Fish with iChat

Using iChat, pupils at Wallace High School held a unique event with award-winning author and scriptwriter Daniel Wallace, whose credits include Tim Burton’s Big Fish. “This amazing opportunity was made possible by the wonders of Apple’s iChat application”, explained David Cleland, Head of Moving Image Arts. “From our classroom in Lisburn we were able to enjoy an interactive workshop with Daniel in North Carolina. The full screen digital link up was the first time we have done something of this magnitude and I’m happy to say it was a great success”. [May 12]

iMac: "Proof that big computers can still be beautiful"

The technology experts at The Daily Telegraph are clearly dazzled by the updated iMac: “Faster processors mean that the company’s all-in-one design can now handle virtually anything, but their real appeal remains a triumphant combination of form and function”. That’s mighty praise indeed, but the acclaim doesn’t stop there. The paper adds that “it’s little wonder that Mac sales are nearly four times the rate of PC sales”. [May 9]

Motivating Students with Apple Technology

By adopting a comprehensive Mac strategy, Leigh Technology Academy is maintaining dramatic improvements in its exam results. “Ten years ago we were a failing school with poor exam results, doing little for the aspirations of our working class community”, says Mark Poulter, Head of Technology Strategy. “In that time we’ve transformed our exam performance, and use Apple tools to support our commitment to personalised learning. Students now see school as much more relevant to the outside world, teaching vitally important skills to help achieve their goals”. [May 9]

Pro Tip of the Week: Browse in Privacy with Safari

If you’re browsing the web on a public computer, it’s important to avoid leaving behind personal information when you’ve finished using it. Having your emails or bank account compromised is the last thing you need. Of course, if you use Safari, you have a number of ways to safeguard your privacy while browsing publicly. Read about them all in the latest Pro Tip of the Week. [May 7]

Nik Software ships Viveza plug-in for Aperture 2.1

Nik Software have announced that their eagerly awaited Viveza plug-in for Aperture 2.1 is now available for immediate download. Powered by U Point technology, the Viveza plug-in lets photographers make localised enhancements to brightness, contrast or colour without ever having to leave Aperture. “With the power and popularity of Aperture, we want our customers to decide how and where they edit their digital photos”, said Michael J. Slater, president and CEO of Nik Software. [May 7]

Heroes and House come to iTunes

The smash-hit TV shows Heroes and House are now available on the iTunes store, along with more great family entertainment from Universal. New episodes in Heroes Series 2 and House Series 4 (both currently airing) are available to download the day after transmission for £1.89 each, while for the first time two classic series from the Universal catalogue - Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and The Incredible Hulk - are available for £1.19 per episode. [May 6]

New iMacs "approaching the speed of the standard Mac Pro"

PC Advisor magazine has benchmarked the new, improved iMac and is impressed by the results — particularly with the high-end 24in model. “If you're a gamer, this could be money well spent”, writes James Galbraith. “The custom iMac was not only faster than last year’s build-to-order iMac at both our Quake 4 and Unreal Tournament game tests, but it also bested the standard configuration Mac Pro as well”. [May 5]

Pro Tip of the Week: The latest word on Word editing

A friend or colleague sends you a Word document and asks you to give her some feedback. Don’t have MS Word on your Mac? Not a problem. You’re running Mac OS X Leopard, so you have an application on your Mac that will let you open the Word document, edit it, then save it as a Word document again. What application could that be? Read the latest Pro Tip of the Week and find out. [Apr 30]

Meet the new iMac

Introducing the updated all-in-one iMac, offering the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. The ultimate all-in-one desktop computer includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache, a faster 1066MHz frontside bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models. And the 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06GHz Intel processor and the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics as options. Available immediately, the new iMac starts at just £799. [Apr 28]

Podcasting Drives Inclusive Education

Podcasting is delivering a double benefit at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex. Students can study their course content more effectively — via online podcasts, accessed in their own time via a virtual learning environment (VLE) — while teachers are able to free up precious classroom contact time to focus on their students’ key learning needs. “I call it ‘extending your classroom onto the web’”, says ICT Coordinator Richard Cooke. [Apr 27]

Leeds students in NIKE+ Running Battle

With a NIKE + iPod Sport Kit you can challenge your friends — or enemies — to individual or team Running Battles, such as the distance challenge being contested by students at the two Leeds universities. If you’re a student at either, visit the NIKE+ site to join the fun. Top performers will win NIKE and Apple gear, and more importantly, bragging rights. Any NIKE+ user can create their own challenge or join an existing challenge at nikeplus.com. [Apr 25]

Apple Reports Record Second Quarter Results

For its fiscal 2008 second quarter, which ended on March 29th, Apple posted revenue of US$7.51 billion (£3.8bn*) and a net quarterly profit of US$1.05 billion (£531.6m*). “We’re delighted to report 43 percent revenue growth and the strongest March quarter revenue and earnings in Apple’s history”, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. During the quarter, Apple shipped 2,289,000 Mac computers (representing 51 percent unit growth and 54 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter), sold 10,644,000 iPods, and reported quarterly iPhone sales of 1,703,000. [Apr 23]

Pro Tip of the Week: iCal, your powerful personal assistant

When you add an event to your iCal calendar, you can do much more than simply name it and specify a date and time. Like a good personal assistant, it can remind you of upcoming events, help round up others for meetings, and even ensure that you have essential files in front of you at just the right moment. Find out how you can tap into the power of iCal by reading the latest Pro Tip of the Week. [Apr 23]

Join us for the Final Cut World Tour

Join us in London on May 29th for a free, in-depth video seminar. Explore the world of Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server — including demos of real workflows used by leading production companies. Apple experts will give step-by-step demonstrations that reveal how each of these customers used Final Cut Studio 2 and Final Cut Server to achieve exceptional results. Spaces for the Final Cut World Tour are limited, so sign up today to reserve your seat. [Apr 23]

ITV programmes now available on iTunes

Enjoy the best in award-winning drama, comedy, entertainment and cult classics from ITV on the iTunes Store. UK customers can now download complete series of classic ITV shows like Cold Feet, Brideshead Revisited and Captain Scarlet. “We want to give viewers the opportunity to watch their favourite shows wherever they are”, says Dawn Airey, Managaging Director of ITV global content. “ITV has thousands of hours of classic content in the archive which we are bringing to a whole new audience via iTunes”. Watch out for more great additions coming soon on iTunes. [Apr 22]

Editing plug-ins and SDK for Aperture 2.1 arrive

Following the release of the Software Development Kit (SDK) for Aperture 2.1 — which enables third-party developers to create image editing plug-ins for Aperture 2.1 — the first wave of plug-ins are now available for download. These include the Dfx Digital Filter Suite from the Tiffen Company, and Power Stroke, Light! and Ozone from Digital Film Tools. Plug-ins from several other developers are expected shortly. [Apr 22]

* Figures based on currency exchange rates at the time of going to press; exchange rates are subject to fluctuation.

• Apple Executives to Showcase Mac OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone Development Platforms at WWDC 2008 KeynoteTue, May 13th 2008, 14:00 BST
• Apple Updates iMacMon, April 28th 2008, 13:47 BST
• Apple Reports Record Second Quarter ResultsWed, April 23rd 2008, 21:59 BST
• Apple Releases Final Cut ServerTue, April 8th 2008, 13:47 BST
• Apple Releases Aperture 2.1 with Powerful Image Editing Plug-In ArchitectureFri, March 28th 2008, 12:34 GMT
• Apple Releases Safari 3.1Tue, March 18th 2008, 12:46 GMT
• More press releases...