Today's Tiger Preview showed us the next gen Mac OS X built especially for 64-bit processors. There'll be a new search engine called Spotlight, a better iChat AV with party mode and Dashboard - a bit of a rip off of Konfabulator (one of the few third-party apps I actually use every day).

NewApple Cinema Displays out today. Ooh look! 30 inches!! Nearly four million pixels! The perfect compliment to your G5.

The UK iTunes Music Store has sold 450,000 tracks in its first week and 800,000 across Europe. That's 16 times more than OD2. Peter Grabriel is polishing his sledgehammer as we speak.

Just as I was wondering when we were going to hear anything about the redesigned iMac, AppleInsider post a rumour. It looks like it will be powered by a 2GHz G5 housed in a 'pizza box' behind the LCD screen. it all sounds a bit too obvious to me. Too many competitors have gone for this design (especially with tablet PCs), but if Apple can make it sexy enough, who knows?

As I was trawling the internet for past Apple adverts (I'm putting together my first iMix) I came across this little beauty. A super fast... super quiet... super computer, in an eight... inch... cube. With a Hendrix soundtrack. Why didn't it sell? (OK, OK. It was too expensive). Must. Bring. Back. Cube.

Apple have disclosed details of the upcoming iPod device for BMWs. The adapter can be installed in 2002 or later 3 Series, X3 and X5 SAVs, Z4 Roadsters and MINIs with compatible audio configurations.Strangely, when hooked up, the iPod is hidden away in the glove compartment. There's also a TV ad.

Go to: iTunes Music Store Launch to watch the webcast of last week's monumental event.

I'm not going to say much about the deal between BMW and Apple as reported in Bloomberg.com I'm tired of blogging about all this new iPod stuff. I want to be blogging about the new Mac for the home. The one you can (wirelessly) plug into your TV and record like a TiVo. The one that's a monitor-less, budget of the failed Cube. The Mac that will really make a difference to our lives. The true digital hub for the home. C'mon, Jonathan Ive must have one in his sketch book somewhere.

Today I was quoted in Macworld UK - iTunes poll: It's spend, spend, spend I'm the 'one reader' saying "How much I spend on iTMS will always depend on how good the product is. The more rare tracks and exclusives the better, but I'd always prefer to buy something on CD."
Well last night (after a few hours browsing) I managed to find a few exclusives to my taste and the music off the Audi 'Hendrix' ad that I've been after for ages. It was quite simple really as all I had to do to set up an account was log in using my .Mac account. I've created an iTunes playlist into which I can drag potential purchases (just like a wish list on Amazon). All it takes is one drunken night and I'll be buying them all in one foul swoop.

Macworld UK's minute by minute report of the Euro iTMS event tells us that the store holds 700,000 songs and more than 5,000 audiobooks which will increase very soon. Steve Jobs, who presented the new Store in Billingsgate, East London, let slip that his favourite soundtrack is Mary Poppins (how gay?) and let rip at Napster's subscription-based service. An in-car iPod device was also ear-marked for later this year. Alicia Keys then took the stage and played a tribute to the late, great Ray Charles with a rendition of 'Night and Day'. Alicia is one of the many artists that have release exclusives on the iTMS, others include Anastasia, Ash, The Beastie Boys, Beginner, Black Eyed Peas, The Corrs, Jamie Cullum, The Cure, The Darkness, Arielle Dombasle, Bebel Gilberto, Herbert Groenemeyer, PJ Harvey, The Hives, Indochine, Norah Jones, Keane, Bob Marley, George Michael, Eddy Mitchell, Moby, Pascal Obispo, The Pixies, Rosenstolz, Seeed, Snow Patrol and Mano Solo. Airport Express was also demonstrated and penciled in for a July launch. I'd better start saving now.

European Music Store Now Open!
MacNN: "As expected, Steve Jobs this morning introduced iTunes for Europe in Germany, France, and the UK at the London Music Event. Apple says it has 700,000 songs from all five labels, including 12,000 classic tracks, 'dozens of Indies', and exclusive tracks. Apple will offer music song for purchase (via download) for 99p".
It all looks a bit empty compared to the American store, but it is here at last. Hallelujah!

Macworld UK has proof that we are about to enter a new age. iTMS posters are cropping up all over London. Excited yet? I'm wetting myself!

Think Secret have a rumour that Apple are on the verge of bringing out a new range of re-designed displays including a HD 30-incher. Neill won't be please. He's just had a display delivered along with his 15-inch PowerBook.

iTunes 4.6 Update. iTunes 4.6 includes support for playing your music wirelessly using AirPort Express with AirTunes. It also includes a number of other minor enhancements. It's an 8.4MB download.

Picture: ©Apple

As many predicted, Apple has revealed the new range of PowerMac G5s today. God knows how they're going to fit a liquid cooling system into a G5 PowerBook. We'll have to wait and see. Just don't expect one this year.

I managed to get hold of a copy of the invite to the European iTMS launch party. Click here to see it in detail.

Details of the new G5s appeared momentarily on the Apple website today. All models will have liquid-cooled, dual-processors (up to 2.5GHz) and an 8-speed Superdrive. Cool. Quite literally (laugh now).

Think Secret have revealed details of the upcoming G5 PowerMacs. "Sources expect the company to offer three dual-processor configurations with 2.5GHz, 2GHz, and 1.8GHz PowerPC G5s, as well as an entry-level single-processor 1.8GHz model. While it was previously thought that the updated Power Macs would top out at 2.6GHz, these four models are currently believed to represent the speed-bumped product line.
The highest-end G5 configuration, at 2.5GHz, will include dual 1.25GHz frontside buses and will reportedly ship with an ATI Radeon 9600 XT graphics card (128MB); the other models will include an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra card (64MB). Both graphics cards will provide dual display support."

Rolling Stone Magazine's 50 Moments That Changed The History of Rock n Roll includes the invention of (yes you guessed it) the iPod. "I never used to see people walking around listening to music on the streets,' said (balding vegan) Moby. 'Now everywhere I go, I see the iPod’s white headphones." It's in there with Elvis Presley at Sun Studio in 1954 and the death of John Lennon in 1980. Well. Is the iPod really that important? After all, it wouldn't be there without the mp3 explosion. Perhaps that's in there too. I'll have to check.

Security Update 2004-06-07 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. This update includes the following components:
DiskImages, LaunchServices, Safari, Terminal.
Mac OS X will now present an approval alert when an application is to be run for the first time either by opening a document or clicking on a URL related to the application.

Picture: ©Apple

Apple launch AirPort Express. It's a traveling mini airport basestation that plugs directly into a socket for sharing a single broadband connection (up to 54Mbps). The device also has a USB socket for wireless printing and a sound output for connecting to a stereo. Using what looks like an iTunes plug-in called AirTunes, you can wirelessly stream music from your Mac. And it's only £99! Ummmm. My old 1st Gen Graphite BaseStation is showing it's age now. Goddammit! Sucked in again! That's something else I might have to buy. Curse you Apple!

Christopher Breen and Adam Engst have discovered that you can access the music files on your iPod using the Omniweb browser. Just drag the iPod icon onto the browser window. See this US MacWorld Mac 911 Weblog for the whole story.

European iTunes Music Store to launch next week! Apple have sent out invites for a special music event for the press and media on the 15th. The invite reads: 'The biggest story in music is about to get bigger'. Hopefully it won't be the launch of a bigger iPod. Think of all those free downloads and iMixing we've been missing out on.

Airport Extreme Driver Update. This software update provides improved AirPort Extreme wireless networking software and is recommended for all customers with an AirPort Extreme enabled computer. It enhances networking reliability during certain memory intensive operations.

Picture: ©Apple

Some helpful chap at a printers has leaked some sexy internal close-ups of a (supposedly) new G5. They're from a future service manual. It must be pretty fast - just look at the size of that heatsink! SeeAppleInsider

One-Handed Typists Rejoice! The FrogPad is a mobile keypad with a innovative 20 full-size key layout optimized around the most frequently used characters. The reckon it's quite easy to get used to. The bluetooth version can be used with PDA, PCs, mobiles phones and they all come in a variety of colours, there are also left and right hand versions. Why not type as you, er... pick your nose?

MacMinute: Toshiba drive paves the way for 60GB iPod It Looks like a 60GB iPod could be on the cards in the next upgrade. Toshiba have upped the capacity of the 1.8inch drive used in the 'thin, white duke'.

Even more .Mac Treats!: "The stream of .Mac updates continues with a new support site and a brand new learning center. Also, check out our latest member benefit: a free download from O'Reilly Publishing!"

Apple Euro music license win signals mid-June launch? | The Register. This story says that Apple have secured the music deals it needs to launch the iTunes Music Store over here. Some worry that they may have been a smidgen too late because of last week's launch of Napster. But considering most of Napster's music is encoded as Windows Media Audio (.wma), they should have nothing to worry about. These files don't play on iPods unless you convert them to either .m4a, .mp3, AIFF or WAV files (which can lead to a deterioration of sound quality).