News Archive for 01/02/04

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OS X Requirements page added

02/04, 11:15am

OS X Requirements page added

Sean Laurence noticed that Apple has added a Mac OS X Requirements page, which lists Mac OS X-ready Macs and states that 128 MB of RAM and 1 GB of disk space is needed for the installation. Not surprisingly, processor upgrades in Power Mac G3 systems are not supported. (more OS X news at osx.macnn.com)

Apple product ship dates slipping?

02/04, 4:55am

Apple product ship dates slipping?

Apple is currently quoting 7-10 weeks deliery on its high-end 733MHz Power Mac G4 systems from the Apple Store, while others indicate their orders from early January have been delayed as well. Lower-end 466- and 533-MHz digital audio Power Mac G4s appear to be in good supply at resellers and at the Apple Store, which quotes a 1-day delivery time for standard configurations and 10-days for BTO dual processor 533MHz configurations (which have already shipped to some). Readers, however, note that PowerBook G4s, which began shipping in limited quanities earlier last week, were not shipped to some who were promised tracking numbers by Feb 3 in a note from the Apple Store. (Apple's first-come-first-serve policy may not have been strictly enforced, according to a few readers in our forums.)

DVI-to-ADC converter box from Gefen

02/04, 4:25am

DVI-to-ADC converter box from Gefen

Gefen, Inc.'s ex·tend·it DVI-to-ADC converter box extends any ADC (Apple Display Connector) device up to 18 feet away using a DVI cable for extension, allowing older DVI-based G4 machines to connect to newer ADC-based Apple monitors. The converter is expected to ship in 6 weeks, according to the Website (pricing not available). It requires a $50 ADC-to-DVI Adaptor (M-F) when used to extend ADC-equipped Macs. (Belkin recently confirmed that it was working on a VGA-ADC adapter and was gauging interest in a DVI-ADC adapter as well).

Bitzhead adds direct USB support

02/04, 4:05am

Bitzhead adds direct USB support

Bitzhead last week posted an update to its software analog synthesizer for the Mac, Retro AS-1 2.1.1 and its software sampler, Unity DS-1 2.1.1--both of which add direct USB support for Roland PC 300 USB MIDI keyboard. (Version 2.1 of each application added multiprocessor support for dual processor G4 machines.)

Sound Sculptor 2.4.3 supports OS 9.1

02/04, 3:55am

Sound Sculptor 2.4.3 supports OS 9.1

Sound Sculptor II 2.4.3 brings Mac OS 9.1 compatibility to the $30 commercial-quality sound editor with overdubbing capabilities: It plays 8 tracks of stereo sound with precise control of volume and pan; records sounds in mono or stereo with input gain control; and includes a multi track mixer, which has level meters and controls.

Tascam USB digital audio controller

02/04, 3:50am

Tascam USB digital audio controller

Tascam's US-428 digital audio workstation controller now offers compatibility with MOTU's Digital Performer and now ships with Bias' Deck LE multitracking software for the Mac. The company promises to ship a Mac version of Steinberg Cubasis AV software in Spring 2001 with its $600 USB controller. (Tascam also recently made a new version of its Tascam US-428 v2.00 driver available, which provides support for MOTU Digital Performer in addition to Digidesign's ProTools, Cubase VST, and other applications.