Steve anounced new Xserve G5 (2G or 2x2GHz), FinalCut Express 2, MS Office 2004, iLife '04 (iPhoto 4, iMovie 4, iDvd 4, iTune) and GarageBand, a new part of the iLife family.

Jam Pack is an additionnal $99 pack for GarageBand adding more virtual instruments, loops, amplifier models and effects.

Apple updated its low-end iPod model from 10G to 15G still prices at $299.

Apple also introduced iPod Mini , a mini 4G iPod sized like a business card, featuring Firewire and USB2. iPod Mini will ship from february in multiple colors for $249.

Live from San Francisco, Apple has just introduced GarageBand, entry level music production software -- a genre long-missing from the Mac platform. The software is being demoed by John Mayer (with the admission that he's "a guitarrist," hence playing only in C). You can use GarageBand as a 64-track audio/MIDI sequencer, loop-based tool (a la Soundtrack, complete with 1000 pro-quality loops), or simply take advantage of it as a 50-instrument virtual instrument. Export to iTunes bounces directly into a special iTunes playlist. The software instruments sound absolutely gorgeous. GarageBand is integrated into iLife for US$49, free with new Macs. (!!)

Here's the moment you've been waiting for: M, the algorithmic composition software developed by defunct Dr. T's and not seen by many since leg warmers were in fashion, is coming to OS X, courtesy Cycling `74. Okay, that's probably not the moment you've been waiting for, but if M is on OS X, I think we can safely say the OS X transition is coming to a close, and it'll be a chance for many to discover this delightful program. The moment you probably HAVE been waiting for: Pluggo for OS X, bringing with it the ability to create infinite plugins in Max/MSP and to load up your OS X plug-ins menu with an obscene number of odd (and useful) effects. California developer Cycling hasn't stopped there: there's also Sustained Encounters, the first Cycles audio library, plus Mode plug-ins announced at Messe. It's like Christmas for OS X audio. Enjoy.

It's Macworld time again, so you know what that means -- an even bigger show for Mac music, the NAMM, is looming just around the corner. And this is going to be a NAMM of "Blasts from the Past" -- long awaited apps arriving on OS X. First up: Propellerheads' legendary (and still unequaled) app for chopping up beats for tempo warping, ReCycle. ReCycle should be a great companion to Reason on OS X, for newcomers who haven't discovered this software. Check the site below if you're already a user to join the public beta and get ready for more from NAMM. Also promised is a "Reason Education Pack" (I'll let you know what that is), and some "surprises." We'll be watching.

Oxford Semiconductor will announce a dedicated FireWire audio controller at Macworld Expo 2004, the company announced today.

The new Integrated Circuit (IC) will be launched and demonstrated at the show. It is compatible with FireWire400 and FireWire 800 connections and offers eight digital audio output channels.

The product (the OXFW970) can be used to build high-quality surround-sound systems for Macs and PCs. It uses the bandwidth and quality-of-service attributes of FireWire to overcome the limitations of USB multi-channel audio solutions and removes the need for PCI-based soundcards.

The company says its FireWire audio controller can receive and process 32-bit audio data sampled at up to 48kHz at a streaming speed of up to 100MB/sec. FireWire's power-carrying capability also means that the speaker configuration does not require the use of external power supplies.