EMedia Live Looks Back On 2003 & The Mac

by , 4:00 PM EST, January 2nd, 2004

The parade of 'Year in Review' articles continue to dot the news as everyone offers his or her view of what they think were the important events of 2003. Ars Technica, for example, recently posted an in-depth review of Apple that you really should read if you haven't already; it pretty much covers all the highs and lows of Apple in 2003, and offers some intriguing insights into what may be in store for 2004.

We found another review, however, that we also think is a must read, but from a different point of view. Stephen Nathans over at EMedia Live has penned a piece that we think is well worth a few moments of your time. It's a poignant romp that may trigger a few personal memories of your own, whether you're a Mac user of not. Here's a bit of the article titled, Reeling in the Year that does relate to Apple products:

Most visibly, 2003 brought a spate of software releases in the digital studio space—Final Cut Pro 4, Premiere Pro, Liquid Edition, Vegas 4, Encore, DVD Studio Pro 2. But 2003 wouldn't have been such a banner year for software solutions if it hadn't been for a sea change in enabling hardware. The single most significant technological development of 2003 was the emergence of mainstream multiprocessor personal computers. It began with the hyperthreaded (HT) Pentium 4, a single-processor chip that isolated processor-intensive tasks (in HT-optimized tools) like video effects rendering so effectively you'd think they were faking it. (Which, in fact, they were.) Following closely behind the HT P4 was Intel's Xeon dual processor, which delivered a "true" dual-chip system for a price that's beyond the general computing mainstream, but now well within the range of the creative professional.

Shortly thereafter came Apple's dual G5, a system of genuinely frightening power. And if Apple's market share remained some cause for concern, who could resist their razzle-dazzle with the G5, Panther, and an armful of Editor's Choice-winning tools (the juiced FCP 4 and spruced DVD Studio Pro 2).

The mention of Apple products really is almost a sidebar to the rest of this well written piece and we highly recommend that you stop by EMedia Live and read the full article.

The Mac Observer Spin:

What a great piece. It got us thinking all sort nostalgic thoughts that go well beyond 2003; and we agree; the G5's power is frightening.

Reeling in the Year