The big news at Apple's fall event today was definitely the new MacBooks and iPads, but there was some important app news buried in the hardware. Apple is continuing its trend of offering its first-party apps for free--the iLife suite [1] will be offered at no charge with new iPadsand iPhones. In addition, there will be some notable updates to these apps for everyone, new iDevice or not.
GarageBand has gotten a big update with an new UI, support for eight tracks, and more built-in instruments. Professional musicians sometimes don't use many more than eight tracks, so this is pretty impressive for a mobile app. The new instruments also plug into a new AI drummer feature. The different personalities will play along, taking a slightly different approach to the track you're mixing. Apple showed off a few of these at the event, saying more would be available through a $4.99 in-app purchase. The basic features of this app are still free to all iPad users.
Apple's iMovie video editing app has also gotten a complete overhaul with an iOS 7 interface. It has picture-in-picture, speed adjustment, and full timeline controls. This featureset is especially handy for video shot with the iPhone 5S and its new 120fps slow-motion mode. This app is $4.99 for anyone not getting a new iDevice.
The iPhoto app for iPad is getting a smaller, but still notable update. It now has photo books, which allows users to order printed versions of their photos. This app will still have all the editing features as before and will be $4.99 for users who don't upgrade to a new iPad or iPhone.
All the iLife and iWork apps are also being updated to 64-bit, which will take advantage of the processing muscle of the Apple A7 ARM chip. This is the processor being used in the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and new iPad Mini. Combined with the offer of free iWork apps announced last month, Apple is throwing in a lot of cool software when you get a new iDevice.
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