What’s Next In The iLife Suite?
Once upon a time there was a little bundle of software called the iLife suite. It contained iTunes, iMovie and iPhoto. Each application was unrefined, buggy and fairly basic, but they all showed quite a bit of promise. Further down the road iDVD was added making the suite even better and yet Apple still wasn’t done. Foregoing the “i” moniker they created GarageBand grafting it onto the iLife package and, amazingly enough, making an awesome product even better. That is where we are today but what does the future hold?
If Apple were to improve this product line (and there is no reason to think they won’t) what will they add next? After some consideration I have come up with several likely applications that could one day make into mix. Here is my list:
Animator ~ A very simple program that allows the user to create basic animation in the style of say Pixar. Now everyone will be able to create their own talking fish or courageous toys. This would be a very cool piece of software to add to their stable. Additionally it could be billed as a low cost way to make your own animated films (in conjunction with iMovie and iDVD).
iBrush ~ Think of this application as a cross between Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw. This application would allow one to retouch photos with more features than iPhoto currently offers while lacking the complexity of Adobe’s offerings. Additionally one could use it to create simple web graphics or enhance a digital image. This would be a good application to include if Apple decided to go after Photoshop and the rest of the high end digital image crowd.
Site Builder ~ This is the one I think is most likely to make it to market. An easy to use website creator that would fill the void between free stripped down site creators and programs like Dreamweaver. I am sure that lots of people would like to make their own sites but have no idea how. If they use a free site builder from one hosting site they might be unaware of how to move those pages to a new site. Likewise Dreamweaver and Indesign might be out of their budget. So, Apple enters with an easy to use website design program that seamlessly integrates photos from iPhoto, movies from iMovie and sounds from GarageBand, sounds like we might have a winner.
As the switch to Intel draws closer I am sure that Mr. Jobs is going to want to have something new to show to the crowd before the main event so why not make it a new iLife app? I for one would welcome any addition for the simple reason that it would make the package more attractive thus making an Apple computer more attractive. And isn’t selling more computers what this is all about?
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Am I the only person in Macdom who doesn’t like iPhoto? The rest of the iApps are very nice, but I was using iView Multimedia Pro long before iPhoto came out and I find its capabilities outshine those of iPhoto.
I agree about the need for something like Site Builder. I was disappointed by the lame HTML export capabilites of Pages, and didn’t take a shine to Rapidweaver (I tried the free demo). Has anyone any comment on Freeway Express?
how about iFreakingrule, a program to make folks like me feel good about all the really bad iMovies and Garageband songs we make?
It’s called the Apple PR dept, and it works 24/7 to make you feel good just for having a Mac. You aren’t a drone like the rest of them. You’re smart, productive, and gosh-darnit, people like you!
Am I the only person in Macdom who doesn’t like iPhoto?
Honestly, I just don’t see the point. Maybe I just don’t hate my family or friends enough to subject them to a slide show of my latest trip to Catalina. And for photo editing, I use Photoshop.
I will say, however, that Garageband is awesome. I also use iTunes, although I don’t know if that counts as part of the iLife package.
If Apple were to improve this product line (and there is no reason to think they won’t) what will they add next?
Good iApp ideas James, but not sure they all fit in iLife, which is a suite of multimedia applications. Possibly iAnimate could, but border line. iLife is a suite to get the most out of your external media creation tools - cameras, DV Cams, musical instruments.
iWork would definitely be where I’d expect to see iBrush
And iWeave? Not sure which product line it fits in. Maybe would be provided with .Mac
I’d like to see a paint/draw program in iWork.
In iLife?? Dunno, can’t think of anything missing from the multimedia experience.
What external media creation tool isn’t catered for yet?
oh okay - iTunes doesn’t quite fit into that definition. I’ll have to think about it…
iFinance - there doesn’t seem to be any quality personal finance software for the Mac. Quicken is a weak and bastard version of the PC software and none of the others I’ve tried seem robust. When I switched, this is the ONE application I’ve found wanting on the Mac. There are a lot of people who use their computers primarily for Quicken/Money. Lets give them the flexibility to switch.
I do agree that iPhoto’s html tools are pitiful at best. They are great for when you are getting started, but once you have a substantial collection of photos it gets iffy at best.
As for iFinance I think that is an awesome idea. Let Apple do what the financial application space what it has done for the music manager space.
Chris: iTunes doesn’t work with any external media creation tools, but if the definition is slightly widened to external media tools, then the iPod fits in and iTunes is there to manage it.
I think it’s funny how people bash iPhoto. The fact is, you plug in pretty much ANY camera you want and it works. And it’s great for organization and viewing of photos. I think it’s a great program because of that, the crappy HTML tools and all the other trinkets are not really that big of a deal.
Anyways, this article isn’t about the bugs or errors of iPhoto.
Although I doubt there will be additions like the ones mentioned to iLife ..... I think iBrush could be added to iLife, but not likey. The animator program is unlikely for 3D, maybe for 2D, but 3D is really hard to animate easily. A program like that will come in a couple years maybe.
My bet it that they’ll expand the programs they have.
I really think Apple should do something like iTunes for movies. I find it hard to oraganize my movies, Apple could make a killind with a movie organizer/viewer, but I assume that if they make a movie store, that app will not be included in iLife, it’ll be a free downlod.
iFinance: I worked for a bank… and believe me - people just don’t want to know their finances. Very little market, for very little people.
I think that Apple needs to make each iApp into best of breed. Similiar to how iTunes is now, iPhoto, etc. will need to be the best (they currently aren’t, as others have noted)
A free alternative to Pages would be nice. And some kind of personal organizer, like Ical except not crappy.
I think they’ve got media covered, with the exception of a draw/paint tool that James mentioned earlier.
Oh and let’s not forget iPorn.
sadam,
I like the idea of an easy to use finance tool. Quicken is way to much for many people and it would be nice to have something simple for a change.
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Beeblebrox,
iPorn? What, are you tired of making your own movies and decided you and the wife needed something easier?
Apple needs to make a Mac OS X version of Visioneer’s Paperport. A great management system for PDFs and other documents is what’s sorely missing on the Mac. DevonThink is close but misses the boat on several things.
We can manage music, movies and photos… but we have nothing to get us closer to a manageable paperless office.
While the ideas here a pretty good, I think most of them are too small in terms of audience.
In iLife, Apple has shot for the big stuff that most of us (with the so-called “digital lifestyle”) have - music, family photos, home video… Garage Band is probably the most niche product of the group. So, if anything were added to iLife, it would likely be related to something most of us use.
Also, now that Pages and Keynote are bundled, you have to wonder what might end up with them instead of iLife. A MacPaint-esque tool comes to mind, but would that be bundled with iLife or Pages? The rumored “Numbers” app would most certainly be part of the office suite with Pages.
A Quicken/Money solution would make the most sense, but as another mentioned, the target audience may not be large enough… and it would have to be fully featured enough to beat Quicken at its own game (not that Mac Quicken is all that great to begin with).
I think we’re stuck with what we got until after Apple bulks up its office suite.
You know, I like iCal. It integrates with Address Book and Mail VERY well.
iPorn? Hahaha. Well, considering that like 95% of the internet is made up of pornography, maybe someone should make that.
But if they had a movie organizer couldn’t you just use that and iPhoto to manage all your porn? Does iPhoto not let you drop in any ol’ image? (I don’t use it because I won’t buy a digital camera until they start at like 5 megapixels for $100.)