This week in Apple: Macworld 09, MacBooks, and DRM's demise

It was a wild week in the world of Apple, as Macworld Expo '09 kicked off Tuesday with Apple's final exhibition at the show. Apple may have made waves with its withdrawal, but the week was all about announcements, like the new 17-inch MacBook Pro, Apple's major iLife and iWork software updates, and the rumors of DRM's demise that have been greatly exaggerated. Let's recap Ars' biggest Apple stories of the week.

Company may have spilled Mac mini beans. SeeFile Software says the latest version of its digital media assent management software supports "new Mac mini hardware." Oh really?

First! 14-year-old already in line for Macworld '09 keynote. The first person in line for tomorrow's Macworld keynote is a 14-year-old from Santa Barbara named Nick. The Ars team grilled Nick on his expectations for tomorrow and why he would wait almost 27 hours to see Phil Schiller on stage, and he set us straight.

Getting naked with DRM-free iTunes upgrades: the details. The iTunes Store migration to DRM-free tracks isn't due to finish until April. You might want to slow down and wait to see how this change pans out before you upgrade, though.

Apple, labels both win with DRM-free iTunes, tiered pricing. Apple has apparently crafted a compromise with the major record labels, dropping DRM and introducing tiered pricing.

First impressions of unibody 17" MacBook Pro. The Ars Macworld team had the chance to check out Apple's new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro immediately after the keynote. Here are some photos from the Expo floor along with our initial impressions.

Whither iMac: unfulfilled keynote predictions and rumors. Although the Macworld Expo '09 keynote did bring us new iWork and iLife releases, as well as a 17" MacBook Pro, there are quite a few rumors and predictions that didn't come true.

EFF: DRM-free iTunes is good, but DRM from Apple ain't dead. The Electronic Frontier Foundation applauds Apple's move to eliminate DRM from some 10 million iTunes Store tracks within just a few months. However, the organization is reminding us that this is only one facet of DRM that Apple is involved with, and there's still a long way to go if the company wants to ditch copy protection altogether.

Time Machine Lessons: Deborking your Mac. When it comes to recovering your system or even migrating to a new machine, Time Machine can be your best friend. Here are a few lessons we learned recently.

Mac Box Set: the overlooked gem of the Keynote. The new Mac Box Set: a great deal out of an otherwise tame Macworld Expo keynote.

iLife Up to Date: when $3,000 isn't enough. Apple launches iLife Up to Date program for those of you who just can't wait for their new hardware.