Lower iTunes prices were Apple's only nod to the recession - and an oblique one at that - as record labels have been asking for years to set varying song prices.

Rather than an inexpensive new Mac to lure budget-conscious buyers, Apple's top marketing executive, Philip Schiller, unveiled at MacWorld a new US$2,800 Macbook Pro laptop with a 17-inch screen and the sleek aluminum casing the company debuted with the super-thin MacBook Air.

new version of software

He also unwrapped new versions of two software packages for Macs, including the iLife multimedia programmes.

For instance, iPhoto '09 can recognise faces and sort photos based on who is in them. GarageBand '09 includes videotaped, interactive music lessons given by Sting and other musicians.

Apple added more professional video-editing features to iMovie '09.

Apple's answer to Microsoft Corp's Office productivity suite, called iWork, also got a makeover, including zippy new ways to add animation between slides in the Keynote presentation software.

Apple also unveiled a 'beta' test version of a website for sharing documents, iWork.com.

Unlike Google Inc's online documents programme, however, Apple's version does not allow people to edit documents in a Web browser.

Apple said the thin new 17-inch aluminum-cased MacBook Pro, which joins an existing 15-inch model, will start shipping at the end of January.

biggest twist

Perhaps the biggest twist is the laptop's battery, which is designed to last longer on each charge - up to seven or eight hours - and work after more charges than older batteries.

But like Apple's iPod and the super-slim MacBook Air, the battery will be sealed inside and the owners won't be able to remove and replace it themselves. Instead, they will have to spend US$179 to have an Apple store expert swap in a new one.

Steve Jobs' decision not to attend MacWorld sparked a new round of fears that the CEO, a survivor of pancreatic cancer who has seemed gaunt in recent appearances, was in worsening health.

To put the questions to rest, Jobs said Monday he is getting treatment for a hormone imbalance that caused him to lose weight and urged Macworld attendees to relax and enjoy the show.

And after the Tuesday keynote, in which nothing purely new was disclosed, the company's decision to substitute veteran salesman Schiller for master showman Jobs seemed even less questionable.