Many, many, people will be watching the Super Bowl tomorrow. Some watch just for the advertisements. That includes us — but as an added twist, theiLife will be at the computer, looking out for the Apple ads and providing a real-time count on the site. Apple is known to run ads during the Super Bowl — particularly special ads (read 1984 or iTunes+Pepsi). If there’s a new Apple commercial, we’ll be first reporting on it. Watch the game and check the site in case the bathroom calls and you miss this year’s Apple special. Coverage starts at 6:18PM, EST.

2007 was the year of the iPhone. 2008 might turn out to be the year of multi-touch.

Multi-touch is the core of the iPhone- without it, the iPhone is just a piece of hardware running OS X. With the introduction of the MacBook Air and the multi-touch trackpad, Apple has ushered in a new way of interfacing with our computers and may change the era of computing yet again.

No stranger to the GUI and innovative input devices, Apple has re-defined our ways of interacting with technology. In 1983, Apple pioneered the mouse and the Graphical User Interface (GUI) with the Lisa, and later the Macintosh. A culmination of technology from Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Labs), the way we interacted with computers was changed forever.

Ever since then, we are still interacting with computers in relatively the same way. Trackballs were introduced shortly after the mouse, for specialty or mobile use. In 1994, Apple began to ship trackpads in replacement of trackballs on PowerBook models- the first company to do so. To this day almost every laptop now has a trackpad. Besides these small refinements, there has been no technology truely breaking away from the mouse.

Multi-touch, however isn’t going to replace the mouse either. It is simply enhancing the interaction with the user to make things easier and more intuitive. For example, zooming into a picture would require going to a menu and zooming in, clicking a button or hitting a key command multiple times. On a multi-touch trackpad, that translates to pinching your fingers together in the desired direction. Reading a webpage, and want to go back? Simply swipe your fingers back.

The potential of multi-touch is almost endless, and it is only natural that Apple is now integrating it into their laptops. For those familiar with two finger scrolling found on current Apple laptops- it is hard to go back. Over the coarse of this next year, we will definitely see multi-touch make its way into more of Apple’s products. We should also begin to see other manufactures follow the lead and integrate multi-touch into their products, be it laptops, cameras, cell phones or GPS devices. This has potential to change the way we interact with technology- just try comparing the experience of the iPhone to some Windows Mobile devices!

Technology is continuing to integrate itself into our lives deeper and deeper- and continues to become less and less obtrusive. For example, the Nintendo Wii shattered the gaming industry by creating a remote like controller that can become a baseball bat, crossbow or steering wheel depending on the game. Surprise- the Wii is the currently the best selling ‘next-gen’ console, shipping over 20 million units in one year. Apple changed the cell phone industry forever with the iPhone and has since sold 4 million in almost 7 months.

Multi-touch is here to stay, and so is a new standard for technology. People are fed up with clunky interfaces and complicated devices. Apple has been a large part of this movement, first with the iPod (and iTunes), now with the iPhone and multi-touch. Even Microsoft has developed a multi-touch interface, named “Surface” that will come out later this year. 2008 will most certainly bring large growth of multi-touch devices and with that: a new way of using technology.

We were drawn to the Macally booth by a prototype iPhone Keyboard. Upon further inspection we found details were light- no one could fully answer our questions. All the products on display in the booth were “non working prototypes”. Very interesting product, never-the-less. Check out the video for the full interview!

This is a throwback from 2003, the 10.3 Panther Introduction video. It has been added to The Daily iLife podcast today, which you can subscribe to in iTunes or watch here.

The introduction movie for 10.3, OS X Panther played after a successful install.

Hi, I’m Matt Hamilton, and I have joined theiLife.com as a contributing writer. I am a first-year at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation College of Engineering, and I have been paying much attention for many years to first the Apple Corporation and later the new web start-up boom we currently find ourselves in. Mainly, I’ll focus on how new developments in both the Apple and overall technology sphere affect me and my colleagues here in New York City, but also general advancements and controversies in the technology and web industries. The first topic for me is how Apple and other technology products help out college students. To me, one of the best tests to determine whether a product is actually useful or necessary and fashionable is if college students use it, or really want it. Full article after the jump!
Read more…

The iLife Podcast – Epoisode #3: Macworld Wrap-up

Show notes after the jump. Read more…

We me the guys from the Polar Bear Farm on Monday night. They were coming out of the Moscone West while we were waiting on line. The next day, we paid them a visit, downloaded their software for the iPhone- which is awesome. We brought out the camera and asked them a couple questions about the software and the impending port for the SDK.

As you might recall, I wrote a series of articles on major Macworld rumors in the week leading up to Macworld. You can review them here: MacBook, iTunes and iPhone.

You’ve heard the story of our Macworld experience. You’ve heard about the new products. Our Macworld 2008 coverage is sadly coming to an end- its time to see how I scored with the rumors.

I organized each rumor by a Verdict (brief explanation), What To Expect (actual prediction) and What is Possible (things that could happen). Now with the Keynote over, I’ll go back and grade myself. All new commentary in bold.
Read more…

When we first saw the McAfee booth in the West hall, staffed with one person, decorated with a banner of the McAfee logo, we just couldn’t resist the temptation of asking why they were at Macworld. Apparently they are still counting viruses from dating back to OS 6 so- you should invest in their protection.

This is a continuation of Macworld Show Floor Part I, Macworld Keynote Part I, Part I and, Macworld Registration Part I and Part II.

And then it was Thursday! Did I mention that the week really flew by? After exploring the entirety of Moscone West on Wednesday, we crossed the street and explored Moscone South on Thursday. Starting from the corner, with the mobile Best Buy store, we walked down every isle and visited every booth. Like I explained yesterday, Moscone South had bigger names and less iPod Accessory vendors- which was nice.

We walked around, again talking with exhibitors about their products- which ranged from obscure to some we use everyday. It is great to meet and interact with the people behind products you use every day- which is an experience technology can never replace. This is why conventions like Macworld and CES continue to thrive in this age of the internet.

Highlights from the South Hall were getting to use the new Apple products weeks before they became available to the general public- the MacBook Air is incredible; and the AppleTV upgrade seems promising. Belkins booth was a large house with interactive displays of their products, a band (pictured below) and a gaming room equipped with members from the PMS gamer clan. The Microsoft Blogger Lounge was popular and offered a nice resting point with free refreshments (pictured below). The Mobile Best Buy was pretty cool- they brought a 53 foot tractor trailer onto the floor and sold only Apple products with some accessories and a live DJ. We barely covered the floor in the one day, by the time we reached the other side, booths were already closing.

On Friday we split the day into two parts- finishing up coverage between both the West and South Halls. We did the West hall first, ate lunch and walked over to the South hall. We were trying to make the best of the remaining hours in Macworld, especially because the Expo closed at 4PM instead of 6PM to allow the exhibitors to pack up. We ended up talking with the engineer of VMWare until almost 6:20, so walking around amongst the Exhibitors packing up was interesting- everyone was scrambling to take things apart!

In conclusion, our trip to Macworld was incredible! We met new people, talked to developers, designers, journalists and more- you cannot replicate the experience from your computer. Going to Macworld has always been a dream of mine, and now it may become a tradition! Our first year, first in line- hopefully one of many more to come.

Pictures after the jump. Read more…