Apple iLife '09 is the most impressive collection of consumer media applications on the market and represents a solid – if at times, subtle – step forward.

As it did with previous versions, Apple is bundling iLife '09 on all new Macs, so the more relevant question is not how good iLife '09 is, but whether the new version merits upgrading to for existing iLife users.

If you are an iLife '06 user and your system can run Mac OS X 10.5 smoothly, iLife '09 is certainly a significant step forward, but if you are happy with iLife '08 then it definitely becomes a harder sell.

iMovie upgrades

It is apparent that Apple itself is trying to figure out where to take iLife, so much so that the most upgraded component in the suite – iMovie – is compelling only because features that were removed have returned. Nonetheless, if you're a videoediting junkie this latest version of iMovie will be a good reason to upgrade.

iPhoto has several useful enhancements but nothing is a showstopper. If this is where you spend most of your iLife time you may choose to forego the new version.

iDVD is literally identical to the '08 version, while iWeb '09 offers very little in the way of new features and remains a relatively simple and restrictive tool for building a website. GarageBand has a more polished interface, but its biggest feature – the music lessons – are only likely to appeal to a limited user base, especially since they require an Intel Mac with a dual-core processor in order to work.

Finally, there is the matter of cost: Apple offers no discounts to owners of earlier versions, so whether you are running iLife '04, '06 or '08, the '09 version will cost you the same £69. For homes with multiple Macs, the value proposition is better, as £85 buys you the Family Pack with rights to install the software on up to five different Macs.