Bryan Adams coming next month
Special Correspondent, The Hindu
Bangalore: Rock musician Bryan Adams returns to India on a two-city tour in the first week of February.
His concert in Bangalore will be on February 5 at Palace Grounds, the day after the Mumbai show.
Performing along with a band, Bryan Adams will enthral crowds here with non-stop classic hits from his new album, the career-spanning collection, Anthology.
With 10 Grammy Awards, 12 Platinum hits around the world and album sales exceeding 55 million copies, Bryan Adams also holds multiple records for music albums sold in India with number one status across generations and genders, going by music store figures.
Having toured India on two previous occasions, Bryan Adams has a large fan base here. He was in Indian for the first time in 2001 to promote his album Best of Me and followed it up with the India Tour 2004, which included shows in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
In India for the third time with his aptly titled Third Time Luck tour, he is expected to sweep his loyal fans off their feet with his greatest hits so far.
Read more at : Bryan Adams coming next month
Sunday, January 22, 2006
'Black' bags ten Apsara awards
'Black' bags ten Apsara awards
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Mumbai, Jan 22: It was a 'Black' night at the second Apsara Film and Television Awards held here last night, with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's tale of relationship between a teacher and deaf-blind student running away with all the honours, bagging ten awards in all, including best film.
Rani Mukherjee bagged the best actress trophy for her portrayal of a deaf-blind girl in `Black', Amitabh Bachchan won the best actor for his role as Debraj Sahai in the same movie, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali won best director. Black also won four awards in the technical category including Best Cinematographer for Ravi Chandran.
Among the award winners were Abhishek Bachchan who won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Mani Rathnam's `Yuva' and child actor Ayesha Kapoor who bagged the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her portrayal as the young Rani Mukherjee in `Black.'
The Awards, organized by the Film and Television Producer Guild of India took into consideration films released in 2005 and 2004 and also honoured veterans of the film industry for their contribution over the years.
In the music category, Shaad Ali's `Bunty Aur Babli' was the clear winner, winning as many as four awards including Best Music Director for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Best Lyricist for Gulzar (Kajra Re), Best Choreography Vaibhavi Merchant (Kajra Re) and Best Singer (Alish Chinai for Kajra Re).
Newcomer Vidya Balan and director Pradeep Sarkar won best debut for `Parineeta'.
Both actor Dev Anand and producer-director B R Chopra were honoured with lifetime achievement awards while media tycoons Pranoy Roy of NDTV and Aroon Poorie of the Today group were also given lifetime awards for outstanding contribution to television. (Agencies)
Read more at : 'Black' bags ten Apsara awards
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Mumbai, Jan 22: It was a 'Black' night at the second Apsara Film and Television Awards held here last night, with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's tale of relationship between a teacher and deaf-blind student running away with all the honours, bagging ten awards in all, including best film.
Rani Mukherjee bagged the best actress trophy for her portrayal of a deaf-blind girl in `Black', Amitabh Bachchan won the best actor for his role as Debraj Sahai in the same movie, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali won best director. Black also won four awards in the technical category including Best Cinematographer for Ravi Chandran.
Among the award winners were Abhishek Bachchan who won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Mani Rathnam's `Yuva' and child actor Ayesha Kapoor who bagged the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her portrayal as the young Rani Mukherjee in `Black.'
The Awards, organized by the Film and Television Producer Guild of India took into consideration films released in 2005 and 2004 and also honoured veterans of the film industry for their contribution over the years.
In the music category, Shaad Ali's `Bunty Aur Babli' was the clear winner, winning as many as four awards including Best Music Director for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Best Lyricist for Gulzar (Kajra Re), Best Choreography Vaibhavi Merchant (Kajra Re) and Best Singer (Alish Chinai for Kajra Re).
Newcomer Vidya Balan and director Pradeep Sarkar won best debut for `Parineeta'.
Both actor Dev Anand and producer-director B R Chopra were honoured with lifetime achievement awards while media tycoons Pranoy Roy of NDTV and Aroon Poorie of the Today group were also given lifetime awards for outstanding contribution to television. (Agencies)
Read more at : 'Black' bags ten Apsara awards
Pakistan lifts ban on films from India
Pakistan lifts ban on films from India: Report
The Hindu News Update Service
New Delhi, Jan. 22 (AP): Films from India's prolific Bollywood movie industry _ officially banned for decades in Pakistan but still watched by millions there _ have become legal, a news report said on Sunday.
Pakistan outlawed public screenings of Indian films in 1965, the year the nuclear-armed neighbor countries fought the second of their three wars.
But now, both countries are working hard on a sweeping peace process.
The Times of India newspaper quoted Saeed Rizvi, President of the Pakistan Film Producers Association, as saying the Indian film ban has been lifted.
``The censor board on Friday deleted the words `Indian artiste' and `Indian director' from the guidelines, which had earlier prevented release of films of Indian actors and directors in Pakistan,'' he was quoted as saying.
Authorities in Pakistan could not immediately be reached to confirm the report.
India's Hindi-language film industry, dubbed Bollywood, is the world's largest by viewership and the number of films it churns out each year.
Millions around the world watch the exuberant song-and-dance features, even in countries where Hindi isn't understood.
Even during the ban _ and despite a half-century of bitter rivalry between the two countries _ Indian films are hugely popular in Pakistan. Illicit copies are easy to find.
Pakistani cultural products are legal in India, and Pakistan's poetry, songs and television dramas are widely popular there. Several Pakistani poets and singers are superstars in India.
The first Indian film to be shown in Pakistan with formal permission will be the 1984 romance ``Sohni Mahiwal,'' a joint venture between a Russian and an Indian company, Sunday's newspaper quoted Rizvi as saying.
He said the decision could lead joint Pakistan-India film projects.
``We have wanted this to happen for a long time. With this notification, things definitely look bright or our industry,'' he was quoted as saying.
Read more at : Pakistan lifts ban on films from India
The Hindu News Update Service
New Delhi, Jan. 22 (AP): Films from India's prolific Bollywood movie industry _ officially banned for decades in Pakistan but still watched by millions there _ have become legal, a news report said on Sunday.
Pakistan outlawed public screenings of Indian films in 1965, the year the nuclear-armed neighbor countries fought the second of their three wars.
But now, both countries are working hard on a sweeping peace process.
The Times of India newspaper quoted Saeed Rizvi, President of the Pakistan Film Producers Association, as saying the Indian film ban has been lifted.
``The censor board on Friday deleted the words `Indian artiste' and `Indian director' from the guidelines, which had earlier prevented release of films of Indian actors and directors in Pakistan,'' he was quoted as saying.
Authorities in Pakistan could not immediately be reached to confirm the report.
India's Hindi-language film industry, dubbed Bollywood, is the world's largest by viewership and the number of films it churns out each year.
Millions around the world watch the exuberant song-and-dance features, even in countries where Hindi isn't understood.
Even during the ban _ and despite a half-century of bitter rivalry between the two countries _ Indian films are hugely popular in Pakistan. Illicit copies are easy to find.
Pakistani cultural products are legal in India, and Pakistan's poetry, songs and television dramas are widely popular there. Several Pakistani poets and singers are superstars in India.
The first Indian film to be shown in Pakistan with formal permission will be the 1984 romance ``Sohni Mahiwal,'' a joint venture between a Russian and an Indian company, Sunday's newspaper quoted Rizvi as saying.
He said the decision could lead joint Pakistan-India film projects.
``We have wanted this to happen for a long time. With this notification, things definitely look bright or our industry,'' he was quoted as saying.
Read more at : Pakistan lifts ban on films from India
CNN.com - Bolivia's first Indian president sworn in - Jan 22, 2006
Bolivia's first Indian president sworn in
Leftist Morales vows to 'change history' but 'without vengeance'
Sunday, January 22, 2006; Posted: 4:00 p.m. EST (21:00 GMT)
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- Coca grower-turned-President Evo Morales vowed to end discrimination against Bolivia's Indian majority and lift this Andean nation's poor out of misery by tapping profits from abundant national gas reserves, as he was sworn into office on Sunday.
A fierce critic of U.S. policies who helped lead violent street uprisings that toppled two predecessors, Morales raised a clenched fist in a leftist salute to become Bolivia's first Indian president.
He defiantly declared that his election marks the beginning of the end to hundreds of years of oppression against Bolivia's impoverished Indian majority, recalling that just decades ago Indians had no place on segregated sidewalks.
"I wish to tell you, my Indian brothers, that the 500-year indigenous and popular campaign of resistance has not been in vain," Morales said, promising his government would move to squelch discrimination dating to the Spanish conquest in 1520.
The 46-year-old son of a poor peasant farmer, Morales vowed in his inaugural speech that his socialist government, now embarking on a five-year term, would reshape Bolivia, as he lashed out at free market economic prescriptions, calling them a failure in attempts to end chronic poverty here.
"The neoliberal economic model has run out," Morales loudly declared after taking up the red, yellow and green sash in the colors of the Bolivian flag.
Thousands of Aymara, Quechua and other Indians, many in brightly woolly caps and ponchos, cheered along with leftist sympathizers, miners and students on the cobblestone plaza outside Congress. Firecrackers boomed, and some Indians blew long, wailing notes on cow horns.
Morales recalled past decades of harsh discrimination as something akin to apartheid-era South Africa, adding "Bolivia seems like South Africa" when reviewing some of the most violent chapters of race relations.
Tieless in character with his informal style, the former opposition leader vowed his leftist Movement Toward Socialism would be stubbornly independent, steering clear of any outside influences.
While he has said his government would welcome warm relations with the United States and other nations, he vowed he would not "submit" to any outside powers.
As part of a more nationalistic and leftist agenda, he also said he would move ahead with plans to consolidate control over Bolivia's abundant natural gas reserves and also convoke a constitutional assembly later this year to answer Indian demands for a greater share in power at all levels of society.
Nonetheless, he said his government would rule "with all and for all" and would not seek revenge for the past. He also reiterated promises to respect and protect private property.
Mobbed by supporters as he entered Congress for his inauguration, he wore an open-necked, button-down shirt and a thin brown-and-beige scarf affixed to a dark suit jacket.
Morales is widely seen as part of Latin America's shift toward the political left, but whether he will maintain free-market policies or take a more radical path remained a question.
He held a meeting Saturday with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon and was to talk Monday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
"I would like to thank the representative of the United States, Mr. Shannon, for his visit," Morales said. "He visited me in my humble home to express his wishes to strengthen diplomatic relations."
"Starting with the government of the United States and concluding with the [Cuban] government of Fidel Castro, we have international support."
Critics have charged U.S. President George W. Bush with being inattentive to Latin America's tilt to the left this decade while campaigning against terrorism and guiding U.S. military intervention in Iraq. During Bush's presidency, several Latin American nations have elected leftist presidents wary of free-market policies.
Sunday's inauguration attended by 11 national leaders, including left-leaning presidents Nestor Kirchner of Argentina, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Ricardo Lagos of Chile.
"Chavez! Chavez!" the crowd shouted uproariously as the Venezuelan, whom Morales said he openly admires, strode past blowing kisses.
Spain's crown prince also attended the ceremony, but Castro, a top invitee, sent his vice president.
Outside, Walter Villarro was among 2,000 of miners dressed in their trademark helmets and black leather jackets who also turned out as unofficial guards in solidarity with Morales. He and other miners are counting on Morales do revive an industry that has been stagnant for years in Bolivia, despite big metal reserves.
"Power is in the hands of the Bolivian people for the first time," Villarro said.
A potentially prickly subject in U.S. relations with Bolivia is the production of coca, the raw material for cocaine.
Poor Bolivians traditionally chew the leaf to combat hunger and the effects of altitude, and Morales has said he wants to expand the acreage allotted for coca in Bolivia while cracking down on the international cartels that traffic the plant.
Shannon has said that any increased cultivation could provide an opening for traffickers to expand.
Outside the inauguration Sunday, Aymara Indian Zenoino Perez, wearing a leather cap adorned with feathers, played a reed flute as about a dozen of the people from his village of Toro Toro far from La Paz.
"We've been discriminated against for 500 years, but now we have Evo and a government that will represent us," Perez said.
Read the full article at : CNN.com - Bolivia's first Indian president sworn in - Jan 22, 2006
Leftist Morales vows to 'change history' but 'without vengeance'
Sunday, January 22, 2006; Posted: 4:00 p.m. EST (21:00 GMT)
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- Coca grower-turned-President Evo Morales vowed to end discrimination against Bolivia's Indian majority and lift this Andean nation's poor out of misery by tapping profits from abundant national gas reserves, as he was sworn into office on Sunday.
A fierce critic of U.S. policies who helped lead violent street uprisings that toppled two predecessors, Morales raised a clenched fist in a leftist salute to become Bolivia's first Indian president.
He defiantly declared that his election marks the beginning of the end to hundreds of years of oppression against Bolivia's impoverished Indian majority, recalling that just decades ago Indians had no place on segregated sidewalks.
"I wish to tell you, my Indian brothers, that the 500-year indigenous and popular campaign of resistance has not been in vain," Morales said, promising his government would move to squelch discrimination dating to the Spanish conquest in 1520.
The 46-year-old son of a poor peasant farmer, Morales vowed in his inaugural speech that his socialist government, now embarking on a five-year term, would reshape Bolivia, as he lashed out at free market economic prescriptions, calling them a failure in attempts to end chronic poverty here.
"The neoliberal economic model has run out," Morales loudly declared after taking up the red, yellow and green sash in the colors of the Bolivian flag.
Thousands of Aymara, Quechua and other Indians, many in brightly woolly caps and ponchos, cheered along with leftist sympathizers, miners and students on the cobblestone plaza outside Congress. Firecrackers boomed, and some Indians blew long, wailing notes on cow horns.
Morales recalled past decades of harsh discrimination as something akin to apartheid-era South Africa, adding "Bolivia seems like South Africa" when reviewing some of the most violent chapters of race relations.
Tieless in character with his informal style, the former opposition leader vowed his leftist Movement Toward Socialism would be stubbornly independent, steering clear of any outside influences.
While he has said his government would welcome warm relations with the United States and other nations, he vowed he would not "submit" to any outside powers.
As part of a more nationalistic and leftist agenda, he also said he would move ahead with plans to consolidate control over Bolivia's abundant natural gas reserves and also convoke a constitutional assembly later this year to answer Indian demands for a greater share in power at all levels of society.
Nonetheless, he said his government would rule "with all and for all" and would not seek revenge for the past. He also reiterated promises to respect and protect private property.
Mobbed by supporters as he entered Congress for his inauguration, he wore an open-necked, button-down shirt and a thin brown-and-beige scarf affixed to a dark suit jacket.
Morales is widely seen as part of Latin America's shift toward the political left, but whether he will maintain free-market policies or take a more radical path remained a question.
He held a meeting Saturday with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon and was to talk Monday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
"I would like to thank the representative of the United States, Mr. Shannon, for his visit," Morales said. "He visited me in my humble home to express his wishes to strengthen diplomatic relations."
"Starting with the government of the United States and concluding with the [Cuban] government of Fidel Castro, we have international support."
Critics have charged U.S. President George W. Bush with being inattentive to Latin America's tilt to the left this decade while campaigning against terrorism and guiding U.S. military intervention in Iraq. During Bush's presidency, several Latin American nations have elected leftist presidents wary of free-market policies.
Sunday's inauguration attended by 11 national leaders, including left-leaning presidents Nestor Kirchner of Argentina, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Ricardo Lagos of Chile.
"Chavez! Chavez!" the crowd shouted uproariously as the Venezuelan, whom Morales said he openly admires, strode past blowing kisses.
Spain's crown prince also attended the ceremony, but Castro, a top invitee, sent his vice president.
Outside, Walter Villarro was among 2,000 of miners dressed in their trademark helmets and black leather jackets who also turned out as unofficial guards in solidarity with Morales. He and other miners are counting on Morales do revive an industry that has been stagnant for years in Bolivia, despite big metal reserves.
"Power is in the hands of the Bolivian people for the first time," Villarro said.
A potentially prickly subject in U.S. relations with Bolivia is the production of coca, the raw material for cocaine.
Poor Bolivians traditionally chew the leaf to combat hunger and the effects of altitude, and Morales has said he wants to expand the acreage allotted for coca in Bolivia while cracking down on the international cartels that traffic the plant.
Shannon has said that any increased cultivation could provide an opening for traffickers to expand.
Outside the inauguration Sunday, Aymara Indian Zenoino Perez, wearing a leather cap adorned with feathers, played a reed flute as about a dozen of the people from his village of Toro Toro far from La Paz.
"We've been discriminated against for 500 years, but now we have Evo and a government that will represent us," Perez said.
Read the full article at : CNN.com - Bolivia's first Indian president sworn in - Jan 22, 2006
Saturday, January 21, 2006
25,000 for a cup of coffee
25,000 for a cup of coffee
Shobha Warrier, Rediff.com January 21, 2006 | Photographs by Sreeram Selvaraj
A dosa for Rs 25,000. And coffee for the same price.
The price may seem unbelievable, but there will be takers because both items on the menu have been prepared by a film star called Madhavan.
The actor displayed his culinary skills while inaugurating Planet Yumm Ascendas, the first 24/7 food mall in the IT corridor of Chennai.
Unlike most stars, he arrived on time, looking at his watch the minute he stepped out of his car. It was 11.30 am, the exact time announced by organisers.
After cutting the ribbon and making visits to the first few stalls in the mall, he stepped behind a hot stove, chef's cap on his head and a spoonful of batter in his hand. He looked ill at ease in his role of Guest Chef, although the experience of acting in films like Nala Damayanthi and Ramji Londonwale must have helped!
Madhavan made not one, but two dosas, and both came out extremely well. The minute they were ready, it was auction time.
The crowd was over-enthusiastic and the price kept climbing, settling finally at Rs 25,000 and paid by Mahalingam from London. Madhavan added another Rs 20,000 to the amount, which was being collected for The Banyan, a home for abandoned, mentally challenged women.
The star's next stop was the Qwiky's Coffee shop, where he made a cup of coffee and autographed the cup. Once again, it fetched Rs 25,000. Madhavan also helped auction a painting by Thotta Tharani for Rs 1 lakh. 45 minutes later, visibly happy, he left the mall. Without stopping for coffee or a dosa!
Read more at : 25,000 for a cup of coffee
Shobha Warrier, Rediff.com January 21, 2006 | Photographs by Sreeram Selvaraj
A dosa for Rs 25,000. And coffee for the same price.
The price may seem unbelievable, but there will be takers because both items on the menu have been prepared by a film star called Madhavan.
The actor displayed his culinary skills while inaugurating Planet Yumm Ascendas, the first 24/7 food mall in the IT corridor of Chennai.Unlike most stars, he arrived on time, looking at his watch the minute he stepped out of his car. It was 11.30 am, the exact time announced by organisers.
After cutting the ribbon and making visits to the first few stalls in the mall, he stepped behind a hot stove, chef's cap on his head and a spoonful of batter in his hand. He looked ill at ease in his role of Guest Chef, although the experience of acting in films like Nala Damayanthi and Ramji Londonwale must have helped!
Madhavan made not one, but two dosas, and both came out extremely well. The minute they were ready, it was auction time.
The crowd was over-enthusiastic and the price kept climbing, settling finally at Rs 25,000 and paid by Mahalingam from London. Madhavan added another Rs 20,000 to the amount, which was being collected for The Banyan, a home for abandoned, mentally challenged women.
The star's next stop was the Qwiky's Coffee shop, where he made a cup of coffee and autographed the cup. Once again, it fetched Rs 25,000. Madhavan also helped auction a painting by Thotta Tharani for Rs 1 lakh. 45 minutes later, visibly happy, he left the mall. Without stopping for coffee or a dosa!
Read more at : 25,000 for a cup of coffee
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Naked News breaking in Japan market | Reuters.com
Naked News breaking in Japan market
By Julian Ryall, Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:46 AM ET
A view of Naked News' website. Naked News, which features anchors and reporters who disrobe during newscasts, launched its take on current affairs in Japan Tuesday. REUTERS/Handout
TOKYO (Hollywood Reporter) - Naked News, which features anchors and reporters who disrobe during newscasts, launched its risque take on current affairs in Japan Tuesday.
Beneath a banner proclaiming Naked News as "The program with nothing to hide," Sunrise Corp. CEO Takuya Uchikawa described the service as "a unique concept for the Japanese market."
Sunrise, which specializes in sales of goods and services via the Internet, and Naked News owner eGalaxy Multimedia have set a target of 10,000 mobile subscribers in the first year.
"We would not have dared to come to Japan unless we were convinced that there was a definite market, and we now see there is a massive market here, we have a partner that understands that market and the technological skills to provide an enjoyable product," eGalaxy Multimedia Inc. CEO David Warga said.
Since making its debut in Canada in 1999, Naked News has become available via the Internet, television and mobile phones in North America, Australia and Europe.
"We believe there is a huge untapped market for the right kind of information if it was properly packaged," Warga said. "So we created a news-entertainment program in which women, and later men, informed while removing their clothing."
The service initially will be news that is provided for Naked News' existing markets but with Japanese subtitles. The plan is eventually to produce content in Japan that will appeal to a larger percentage of the population.
Another area being tested concerns the degree of nudity of the presenters. Initially, newscasters will strip to their underwear, but Uchikawa indicated that he hopes to be able to see how far Japanese obscenity broadcasting laws can be bent before they are broken.
Canadian-born presenter Lily Kwan has been peeling off her work clothes for five years and described the experience as "liberating."
"I love being able to go out onto the streets and take my clothes off," she said. "While we have been in Tokyo, people have been very surprised to see us with no tops on, but they're very happy and interested in talking to us."
For more details read :Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
By Julian Ryall, Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:46 AM ET
A view of Naked News' website. Naked News, which features anchors and reporters who disrobe during newscasts, launched its take on current affairs in Japan Tuesday. REUTERS/Handout
TOKYO (Hollywood Reporter) - Naked News, which features anchors and reporters who disrobe during newscasts, launched its risque take on current affairs in Japan Tuesday.
Beneath a banner proclaiming Naked News as "The program with nothing to hide," Sunrise Corp. CEO Takuya Uchikawa described the service as "a unique concept for the Japanese market."
Sunrise, which specializes in sales of goods and services via the Internet, and Naked News owner eGalaxy Multimedia have set a target of 10,000 mobile subscribers in the first year.
"We would not have dared to come to Japan unless we were convinced that there was a definite market, and we now see there is a massive market here, we have a partner that understands that market and the technological skills to provide an enjoyable product," eGalaxy Multimedia Inc. CEO David Warga said.
Since making its debut in Canada in 1999, Naked News has become available via the Internet, television and mobile phones in North America, Australia and Europe.
"We believe there is a huge untapped market for the right kind of information if it was properly packaged," Warga said. "So we created a news-entertainment program in which women, and later men, informed while removing their clothing."
The service initially will be news that is provided for Naked News' existing markets but with Japanese subtitles. The plan is eventually to produce content in Japan that will appeal to a larger percentage of the population.
Another area being tested concerns the degree of nudity of the presenters. Initially, newscasters will strip to their underwear, but Uchikawa indicated that he hopes to be able to see how far Japanese obscenity broadcasting laws can be bent before they are broken.
Canadian-born presenter Lily Kwan has been peeling off her work clothes for five years and described the experience as "liberating."
"I love being able to go out onto the streets and take my clothes off," she said. "While we have been in Tokyo, people have been very surprised to see us with no tops on, but they're very happy and interested in talking to us."
For more details read :Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Wired News: New Intel Macs Scream, Jobs Says
New Intel Macs Scream, Jobs Says
By Leander Kahney, 11th January, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs took center stage at Macworld on Tuesday to introduce the first Macs based on Intel chips six months ahead of schedule: a speedy, flat-screen iMac and a slim, high-end notebook with a new name -- the MacBook.
Looking trim and fit in his trademark jeans and turtleneck, Jobs told the enthusiastic audience that the new machines are two to four times faster then the Macs they replace, which are based on PowerPC chips from IBM and Motorola.
"These things are screamers," he said.
Both machines are based on Intel's "latest and greatest" dual-core chips, branded the Intel Core Duo, Jobs said. He said each core in the new chips is faster than the G4 or G5 PowerPC chips they replace.
Available in February, the MacBook Pro will replace Apple's high-end PowerBook G4 notebook. Jobs said the new Intel model is four times faster than the PowerBook G4 it replaces. The slim, "1-inch thin" notebook features a 15-inch screen, built-in iSight video-conferencing camera and remote control. It also has a new magnetic power adapter that detaches easily when the power cord is yanked on, preventing accidental falls. The MacBook Pro will sell in two configurations: a 1.67-GHz model for $2,000 and a 2.1-GHz model for $2,500.
The new iMac, available now, has the same features, design and price as the machine it replaces, Jobs said. What's different? The new model delivers two to three times the speed, Jobs said.
To introduce the new machines, Jobs was joined onstage by Intel CEO Paul Otellini, who was jokingly dressed in a "bunny suit" -- the clean-room garb Apple once used to mock Intel's lagging performance. It was a sly joke that got a hearty laugh from the crowd, which seemed more subdued than in recent years.
A witty new Intel advertisement, which claimed Apple was setting Intel chips free from the drudgery of PCs, got the biggest response. Jobs played the ad twice.
The Intel machines are six months ahead of Apple's announced schedule -- previously, Jobs said Intel Macs would debut in June 2006.
Jobs said Apple will transition its entire product line before the end of the year, updating the hardware month by month.
Rick LePage, president of Macworld, said the new hardware looked good.
"The thing that's going to sell like crazy are the new MacBooks," he said. "Apple's going to sell every one of those they can make."
Jobs made no mention of the living-room set-top boxes based on Intel's new Viiv hardware platform, which many pundits had expected.
Earlier in his speech, Jobs said Apple had sold an incredible 14 million iPods during the holiday quarter, and has moved more than 42 million iPods to date.
Jobs also demonstrated a new version of Apple's iLife software suite, which now includes a new iWeb application for building websites and a "photocasting" feature in iPhoto that allows easy and automatic sharing of photographs over the net.
For more details read : Wired News: New Intel Macs Scream, Jobs Says
By Leander Kahney, 11th January, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs took center stage at Macworld on Tuesday to introduce the first Macs based on Intel chips six months ahead of schedule: a speedy, flat-screen iMac and a slim, high-end notebook with a new name -- the MacBook.
Looking trim and fit in his trademark jeans and turtleneck, Jobs told the enthusiastic audience that the new machines are two to four times faster then the Macs they replace, which are based on PowerPC chips from IBM and Motorola.
"These things are screamers," he said.
Both machines are based on Intel's "latest and greatest" dual-core chips, branded the Intel Core Duo, Jobs said. He said each core in the new chips is faster than the G4 or G5 PowerPC chips they replace.
Available in February, the MacBook Pro will replace Apple's high-end PowerBook G4 notebook. Jobs said the new Intel model is four times faster than the PowerBook G4 it replaces. The slim, "1-inch thin" notebook features a 15-inch screen, built-in iSight video-conferencing camera and remote control. It also has a new magnetic power adapter that detaches easily when the power cord is yanked on, preventing accidental falls. The MacBook Pro will sell in two configurations: a 1.67-GHz model for $2,000 and a 2.1-GHz model for $2,500.
The new iMac, available now, has the same features, design and price as the machine it replaces, Jobs said. What's different? The new model delivers two to three times the speed, Jobs said.
To introduce the new machines, Jobs was joined onstage by Intel CEO Paul Otellini, who was jokingly dressed in a "bunny suit" -- the clean-room garb Apple once used to mock Intel's lagging performance. It was a sly joke that got a hearty laugh from the crowd, which seemed more subdued than in recent years.
A witty new Intel advertisement, which claimed Apple was setting Intel chips free from the drudgery of PCs, got the biggest response. Jobs played the ad twice.
The Intel machines are six months ahead of Apple's announced schedule -- previously, Jobs said Intel Macs would debut in June 2006.
Jobs said Apple will transition its entire product line before the end of the year, updating the hardware month by month.
Rick LePage, president of Macworld, said the new hardware looked good.
"The thing that's going to sell like crazy are the new MacBooks," he said. "Apple's going to sell every one of those they can make."
Jobs made no mention of the living-room set-top boxes based on Intel's new Viiv hardware platform, which many pundits had expected.
Earlier in his speech, Jobs said Apple had sold an incredible 14 million iPods during the holiday quarter, and has moved more than 42 million iPods to date.
Jobs also demonstrated a new version of Apple's iLife software suite, which now includes a new iWeb application for building websites and a "photocasting" feature in iPhoto that allows easy and automatic sharing of photographs over the net.
For more details read : Wired News: New Intel Macs Scream, Jobs Says
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