Steve Jobs doesn't lack talent, and he's got a nerve too. Indeed the introduction of the Mac Mini and the iPod Shuffle on Tuesday shows that the Apple founder undoubtedly gives his company the greatest change in policy in its history. The challenge is as much nice as it is daring. And it is about winning back the customers left to Windows for too long, with two products that are both nice and cheap. The concept is both simple and brilliant, since it is about making the most of the trade's success put under the spotlight that was created by the success of the iPod, to sell a computer, the Mac mini : and Apple expects it to become, like the iPod, a leading product, an icon, a social phenomenon. What's more, when it offers a computer that is quite powerful and neatly designed, equipped with a user-friendly software suite, at an absolutely unbeatable price, Apple pulls for good the rug out from under his detractors, who thought the prices of the computers belonging to Cupertino limited its development. So, as usual, Apple innovates, produces nice and powerful machines and for the first time, the prices are within the general public's pocket.

And yet, though this challenge is nice, it is a risky one.

Celemony Software is now shipping Version 2.6 of its audio software 'Melodyne'. The emphasis is upon numerous improvements in the handling of keys and scales, editing of diatonic and chromatic notes — with far more musical results from both correction and transposition operations, enhanced compatibility with Apple Logic 7 and DP4.5 and better pitch recognition.

Registered Melodyne users can now download the new update free of charge.

We can read in Digitimes.com that Taiwan maker Asustek, which currently produces iBook notebooks for Apple, will also start shipping iBook G5 notebooks to Apple in the second quarter of this year. It also seems that Quanta computer will start shipping new Powerbook G5 in the second quarter of 2005 too, and will ship 30 or 50,000 units/month to Apple.

Cyndustries has announced a custom modular synthesizer built around the new Apple Mac mini. The Cynthia Macintosh is a combination of Mac mini with a touch-screen controlled liquid crystal color video monitor. The Cynthia Macintosh is available only by special order.

More info on Cyndustries web site.

Edirol announces that the R-1 portable wave/mp3 recorder is now shipping. Since its announcement, the R-1 has been refined to version 1.03 offering compatibility with 4 Gb Flash Cards.  The R-1 is a mobile recording device offering direct storage to Compact Flash (CF) memory, 24-bit effect processing, and operation from 2 AA batteries. The R-1 is equipped with two hi-grade electret mics, external line and mic inputs.

Edirol R-1 is now shipping and costs $550.