Apple freshens Mac line as well as iLife and iWork software

It didn't command nearly the attention of the iPhone. But Apple made news Tuesday that is sure to please the Mac faithful and perhaps help woo converts from Windows.

CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a striking line of widescreen iMac computers, encased in aluminum and glass and starting at $1,199 for 20-inch models and $1,799 for 24-inch versions. "The cooler they can make their products, the reality is that more people are going to switch," says Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

Jobs also showed off the iLife '08 family of applications (free on new Macs, $79 at retail), featuring "major new versions" of iPhoto and iMovie software.

For example, iPhoto makes it easier to organize and find images by grouping them into "events" such as birthdays and weddings.

IMovie has been redesigned and simplified. Apple says you can make movies in minutes instead of hours and ...