FXpansion announces the release of BFD Converter. This little utility application allows users of BFD to import sounds from Toontrack's Drumkit From Hell Superior and Custom & Vintage. The BFD Converter application creates new BFD-format sounds from the Toontrack data installed on your hard disk.

BFD Converter is available for Mac OS X and costs $45 or 35 euros. Please note that you must own BFD and the Toontrack libraries in order to use BFD Converter.

Apple announces that, beginning today, the MacBook Pro also offers the new glossy widescreen display as a CTO option on both the 15-and 17-inch models at no additional cost. New MacBook Pro range and costs :

- The 15" 2 Ghz MacBook Pro ships now at $1,999.00
- The 15" 2.16 GHz MacBook Pro ships now at $2,499.00
- The 17" 2.16 Ghz MacBook Pro ships now at $$2,799.00.

And that's time to say good bye to the 12" MacBook Pro...

The very-long-awaited Intel-based MacBook, which was slated for January, then March, then April is now shipping on the AppleStore. Apple announces that the new consumer laptop, successor of the old iBook now features :

- The 1.83 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,099 (US), includes: 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness; 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor; 667 MHz front-side bus; 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB; 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor; a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950; Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);built-in iSight video camera; Gigabit Ethernet port; built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port; one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog; Scrolling TrackPad; the infrared Apple Remote; and 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

- The 2.0 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), includes: 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness; 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor; 667 MHz front-side bus; 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB; 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm.

- The 2.0 GHz, 13-inch black MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes: 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2, 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor; 667 MHz front-side bus; 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB; 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm.

Loop wizards and software authors from Collective.co.uk have posted a new look for their delay/looping Audio Units plugin Augustus Loop. The design of the new skin is a little more traditional than the original, and is available as a free download from the site. Users are encouraged to submit their own replacement graphics for consideration.

Augustus Loop is authored for Mac OS X and is available as a Universal Binary.

Ueberschall announced updates to version 1.0.1.3 for Elastik Instruments Series. This update fixes Loop eye graphic bugs, "inactive ports" bug, and other minor bugs. New versions will also be available for Liquid Instrument Series The Voice Vol.1 (end of July), Liquid Instrument Series The Voice Vol. 2 (end of June) and Liquid Instrument Series Horn Section (beginning of June).

The Elastik Instruments Series for Mac AU, VST, and StandAlone versions are now Universal Binaries.