Apple Introduces Photo Booth, FaceTime, iMovie, GarageBand for iPad 2
Posted 03/02/2011 at 1:49pm
| by J.R. Bookwalter
If you’re planning to grab an iPad 2 when they’re available on March 11, Apple will have you covered with some new software included with the device. The popular Photo Booth software from the Mac will make its debut on the iPad 2 as part of iOS 4.3, as well as a big-screen version of the company’s iOS-based iMovie and GarageBand.
On the heels of introducing the iPad 2 in San Francisco on Wednesday morning, the company updated the public on some of the goodies coming with iOS 4.3 and some enhanced software for the second-generation tablet now that it comes with both front and rear cameras.
First up is Photo Booth, an iOS port of the popular software bundled with camera-equipped Macs which allows real-time effects, just like the desktop version. “The iPad 2 is so powerful that we’re looking at nine live video streams at once,” Apple’s Scott Forstall explained during a demo of Photo Booth at the media event.
FaceTime is naturally the second software bundled with iPad 2, after making its debut with last year’s iPhone 4 prior to be carried over to the iPod touch and Mac. FaceTime on the iPad 2 offers a full-screen view of incoming video calls, and of course calls between other FaceTime-equipped devices.
While FaceTime and Photo Booth are part of the free iOS 4.3 update available on March 11 (which will also include the original iPad, GSM-based iPhone and third/fourth generation iPod touch), Apple will also be rolling out iMovie for iPad.
iMovie for iPad takes advantage of the iPad 2’s larger screen and built-in cameras to offer precision editing, multitrack audio recording, new themes and the ability to share your videos in HD (via AirPlay to an Apple TV as well as to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and more), all with a single universal app that also works on the iPhone 4 and iPod touch. The refreshed iMovie app will also be available on March 11 for only $4.99.
Finally, as widely rumored, yet another component of Apple’s iLife suite will officially come to the iPad 2 on March 11 with GarageBand, a $4.99 scaled-down version of the music-making app compatible with the Mac version.
Among GarageBand for iPad’s many talents are touch-based instruments (including grand piano, organ, guitars, drums and bass), guitar amps and effects, eight-track recording and mixing, more than 250 loops and the ability to e-mail an AAC version of your song when you’re finished.
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