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Apple showed a new version of its iLife package Tuesday at the Macworld Conference & Expo, now taking place in San Francisco. iLife is a suite of software programs included with a new Mac, and provides tools such as iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb and iDVD. The newest iLife requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

One of the 'Biggest Reasons' To Get a Mac

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who recently announced that he suffered from a "hormonal imbalance" and would not attend this year's Macworld, said the iLife suite "continues to be one of the biggest reasons our customers choose to get a Mac."

iLife '09 offers new features in all of its constituent programs. In iPhoto '09, a feature called Faces utilizes facial recognition to identify people in pictures, who can then be named and automatically identified across photos. Users can then search by face names or browse with the Faces View.

Places allows iPhoto users to organize their photo collections by place, using either a map that a user can reference and manually tag to a photo, or geotags that automatically import GPS information recorded by many digital cameras.

There is also better integration with social-networking sites, more themes, and other added features. iPhoto lets the user publish to Facebook, for instance, and any name tags added on Facebook can be synced back into iPhoto.

iMovie had been the Rodney Dangerfield of movie editing, never quite earning the respect of video editors. Jobs noted in particular the "advanced but easy-to-use features" in iMovie '09, which tries to address some of the issues about the app's capabilities.

The latest version offers a Timeline View, improvement of dragging and dropping, more control over audio, automatic video stabilization, dynamic titles, animated travel maps, picture-in-picture, green screen, and instant previewing of new video effects. A new Precision Editor...

In yet another move to get Apple's iPhone into more retail outlets, Best Buy on Tuesday became the first retailer to offer refurbished iPhone 3Gs at stores nationwide.

The news follows two similar moves in December. That's when AT&T began offering refurbished iPhone 3Gs even as Wal-Mart inked a deal with Apple to sell brand-new iPhone 3Gs at a $5 discount at its stores.

"The refreshed iPhone is a great example of the depth of our offering, and clear evidence of why Best Buy is the best place to purchase a mobile phone," said Scott Moore, vice president of marketing for Best Buy Mobile. "Where else can you get everything you need to make sure your phone can be utilized to its fullest?"

Best Buy's Best Service

Best Buy Mobile stores are now selling the 'refreshed' iPhone 3G at $149 for the 8GB model and $249 for the 16G model. Consumers are required to sign a two-year service contract with AT&T. By contrast, new iPhone 3Gs currently retail for $199 for the 8GB model and and $299 for the 16GB model at Best Buy Mobile.

With the purchase of a refurbished iPhone, Best Buy Mobile customers are guaranteed what the retailer calls Complimentary Walk Out Working. Best Buy promises customers won't leave the store without multimedia and smartphone setup and personalization -- such as e-mail and data transfer -- ensuring that the phone is operating as intended.

Even though the phones are in like-new operating condition -- they were returned during a 30-day trial period and refurbished -- Best Buy also offers extra protection. In addition to a full one-year standard warranty on the refurbished iPhone 3G, customers can also purchase a two-year Geek Squad Black Tie Protection service plan.

Apple's Ambitious Goals

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Despite this Macworld being Apple's last, despite Apple CEO Steve Jobs not delivering the keynote address, and despite efforts at a silent protest during the keynote, the show went on with great success. Apple had a lot to announce and Philip Schiller, vice president of worldwide product marketing, took his time on stage to announce new products and services.

One new product is a 17-inch MacBook Pro. The laptop features a new Nvidia chipset and is considered the world's lightest notebook at 6.6 pounds and the thinnest at .98 inches. The MacBook Pro comes with the same seamless aluminum case the company has used in its notebook computers, an LED display that supports 1920x1200 pixel resolution, and improved viewing angles.

Energized Apple

One major change in the updated MacBook Pro is a battery that is expected to last eight hours on a single charge for the 9400 M and seven hours on the 9600 GT. It can be recharged 1,000 times instead of 200 to 300 times for other notebooks.

"A seventeen-inch Mac is not mainstream, but if you are in the market for that product, that's a nice upgrade for the features and value," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of mobile strategy at Jupitermedia, who is at Macworld.

While Apple considers the new battery innovative, Gartenberg said it may be controversial because the battery is not removable. "This battery has a life span of five years, you will never have to replace the battery, you don't need to carry a battery, and still users who have grown accustomed to having a replaceable battery may not like the change," he said.

The battery may be a pain for some users, but others may like that it is environmentally friendly. Apple engineers developed a technology called Adaptive Charging to do this. A microchip on the battery...