by Mishra Planeswalker

Created on: October 21, 2010

While many people have come to only think of Apple as a hardware manufacturer, owing chiefly to the recent success of their iPod, iPhone, and iPad product lines, Apple continues to produce a vast array of different software applications for their own line of Mac computers.  These programs are targeted at a diverse range of end users, from simple productivity software to professional multimedia applications.  

First up is Apple’s iLife suite.  iLife comes free with every mac, and new editions can be purchased for around $50.  iLife comes with several different applications, each which are extremely powerful compared to their PC-based alternatives.  

For the aspiring photographer, iLife includes Apple’s signature photo-management software iPhoto.  IPhoto allows users to create albums of photos, view slideshows, tag friends and family, and everything else.  What’s more is that iPhoto has an interface where you can create your own collection of pictures get them printed and shipped to you in a book format.  Never before has managing a collection of pictures been so easy.

 If you’re more into the musical side of things, iLife boasts GarageBand, a powerful audio editor that doesn’t require any musical talent in order to make beautiful music.  GarageBand has a plethora of virtual instruments and loops that you can mix together to create toe-tapping beats, as well as an excellent interface for editing your music.  Combine this with the potential to record your own voice and music, and you’ve got a way to become the next internet pop sensation. 

For those who enjoy the interplay of visual and aural media, iMovie is a great tool for the  starting movie maker.  A clean interface and array of different effects make iMovie a fast and easy way to create professional-looking movies.  A cut above the rest of the free movie making software, iMovie has the power to create memorable videos that could’ve come straight from Hollywood. 

For those who are more business-minded, iWork provides an inexpensive alternative to Microsoft Office.  Retailing at only $79, many Mac users opt to use Apple’s office suite to make their documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.  

Pages is the iWork version of Microsoft Word.  It provides a sleek interface with an abundance of tools and templates that you can use to make any sort of document your heart desires.  

For the mathematical and financial gurus out there, Numbers provides a similar function to Microsoft Excel, allowing users to make spreadsheets, tables and graphs.  

The 3rd part of iWork is Keynote, and alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint.  This program is light years ahead of the Microsoft equivalent, as it provides an immense a number of additional effects which make your presentations simply jaw-dropping.   

ILife and iWork are two of the most powerful suites of Mac software, and they are becoming almost a necessity for modern Macs.  Whatever your passion, Apple has probably made a program for it.  

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