Why no native option to Powerpoint?

[FSonicSmith]

I bought my first Apple a month ago, a 17" MacBook Pro. I am a lawyer (boo, hiss) that does a lot of two to four day long jury trials (we call the area of law "insurance defense work"). I see opposing counsel do very impressive powerponts during their opening statements and closing arguments in which graphics, photos, and even film clips of expert witness testimony is interwoven seemless, and go figure, I want to do the same.
I DO have Office for Mac (and I also have Bootcamp and Windows XP and MS Office enabling me to run my Mac as a PC) and therefor can go the MS Powerpoint route if I must, but I am totally at a loss to understand why Apple does not have it's own competitive software version/alternative to "powerpoint". Isn't Apple the undisputed king of multimedia and graphics capabilities? Is the concept of slide shows and easy flexible cutting, pasting, and blending of scanned images, text, graphics, and movies so inherently business-oriented that it should be the exclusive domain of MS? I wouldn't normally think so, but it sure seems to be true.
My 13 year old son, who has much more computer savvy than I, tells me that I theoretically could do the same things using IPhoto. But, my thick guide, "Mac OS X Tiger, the Missing Manual" by David Pogue seems to have nary a word on the whole subject which leaves me, again, scratching my head.
And and all suggestions are welcome. Should I forget about IPhoto and use Powerpoint for Mac, should I instead use my Mac as a PC and use MS Powerpoint for Windows, or should I do use another program entirely?

 

[Blue Velvet]

Keynote...

http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/

 

[j26]

Keynote.

You allow film clips of witness evidence in the US? How the hell can that be cross examined?
Here it has to be viva voce (except in VERY limited circumstances).

If there's a statute that permits it, could you send me a link. I'm very interested in this one for my evidence classes.

 

[dukeman]

Keynote or Office for Mac has powerpoint.

 

[rogersmj]

I've done a lot of PowerPoint presentations in my time, but last December I prepared and gave my first KeyNote presentation.

Holy. Crap.

What a wonderful piece of software. Amazing. Intuitive. I had a stunning presentation prepared in just one day, and it kicked the pants off of my competitors (who were using PowerPoint). It looked so professional, such smooth transitions, such subtle yet powerful appearance. So much easier to integrate media than PowerPoint. Of all software in all categories, KeyNote is one of the best executed pieces ever, in my opinion. Get it.

 

[FSonicSmith]

You allow film clips of witness evidence in the US? How the hell can that be cross examined?
Here it has to be viva voce (except in VERY limited circumstances).

If there's a statute that permits it, could you send me a link. I'm very interested in this one for my evidence classes.

The film clips of witnesses can not be used in lieue of live witness testimony (or videotape for certain types of experts, namely doctors) and though we have no evidentiary rules, statutes, or common law on the subject (yet), film clips of witnesses would probably be objectionable during opening statement. In closing argument, however, one is allowed to summarize evidence that came in previously, and so short film clips of witnesses are generally allowed.

I have often wondered where the line should be drawn though. What if a lawyer decided to play back a ten minute clip of a witness? I suspect it would be within a Judge's discretion and that most if not all decently level headed judges would sustain an objection to such a long clip as needlessly duplicative.

I also think that with time, we are going to see rules, at least at the local level (meaning local rules specific to the Court in question) on powerpoint type presentations including a requirement that all slides be shared with opposing counsel at some point in advance of presentation so as to permit objections before the presentation is made. After all, as any good trial lawyer knows, it is hard to unring a bell.