Apple's new Sound Manager3.1 adds two new audio codecs, signifi-
cant performance increases on the Power Macintosh, better inte-
gration with QuickTime and asynchronous alert sounds. Sound
Manager 3.1 now supports the IMA and uLaw compression formats
providing 4:1 audio compression particularly good for 16-bit CD sound and QuickTime. The uLaw 2:1 format is often used in telephony applications and on the Internet as the encoding format for ".au" sound files. QuickTime 2.1 (already released for Windows and coming soon for Mac) uses these new audio codecs. Now including native PowerPC code, Sound Manager 3.1 offers four to seven times better performance on Power Macintosh computers. It also supports asynchronous alert sounds that won't tie up your Mac. Sound Manager 3.1 can be found at all online sites that are licensed to distribute Apple software, including http://www.apple.com.
   
In July, eWorld introduced version 1.1 of its client software and
added World Wide Web browsing capabilities. While there was to
be no charge for the software, users had to pay for time spent
downloading the package. Overwhelming early demand for the new
software apparently led to very slow download times and many irate
eWorld "citizens". eWorld management moved quickly to apologize and
to offer a credit for time used in downloading the new version. Management also promised that in future, customers will be able to access a free area for such downloads.
  
On August 2, Apple announced an upgrade plan for owners of the
original QuickTake 100 digital camera. The upgrade includes the
full enhanced feature set of the Quicktake 150, including improved
image quality, double the photo storage capacity, a close-up lens, three AA lithium batteries and Apple’s PhotoFlash 2.0 software for Macintosh. The $199 (US) upgrade is available in both the United States and Canada. Interested QuickTake 100 owners can purchase the upgrade by calling (800) 399-5111 with their Visa or MasterCard handy. Customers must then ship their QuickTake 100 cameras, via Federal Express, to the appropriate upgrade center. The newly updated camera will be returned within two weeks.
 
On July 14, Apple finally debuted its long-awaited MPEG Media System for 630, 5200 and 6200 series Macintoshes. The user installable card provides full screen, full motion video and 16-bit CD quality sound for under $300 US. The MPEG Media system ships with several MPEG CD-ROM titles, and comes preinstalled in the new Performa 6230CD system.
  
In conjunction with the July 14 US debut of the Performa 5200 and
6200 series Macintoshes, Apple has introduced a Performa edition
of its LC 630 DOS Compatible. The Performa 640CD DOS Compatible
sports a processor daughter card (based upon Apple’s previous DOS
Compatible efforts) featuring a 486DX2 66MHz processor. Like its
older sibling, the Power Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible, the
Performa 640CD DOS Compatible ships with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 preinstalled and permits the simultaneous operation of both operating systems. The Performa 640CD can be equipped with multimedia options such as the Apple Video and Apple TV/Video cards, and can accommodate an Ethernet networking card in its Communica- tions Slot. The Performa 640CD DOS Compatible ships with a 500MB IDE hard drive, 12MB of RAM (expandable to 52MB), an internal double-speed CD-ROM drive, a 15” Multiple Scan Display and an external 14.4k modem. The unit sells for approximately $2300 US.
 
Recently named Apple Fellow Guy Kawasaki (see News) has "unofficially" announced the creation of a series of new Web pages at Apple. The pages will give developers and companies a chance to let the Macintosh community, as a whole, learn about their products. Although the pages are not currently linked to anything, they are up and running on the Web at http://www.info.apple.com/dev/thirdparty/third_party.html.
  
On July 11, Apple Computer announced the availability of the
Newton Toolkit 1.5 and Newton Book Maker 1.1 for Macintosh
computers. The updated Newton Toolkit features a new Newton-
Script compiler and code profiler that permits the optimization
of code for higher performance Newton applications. The Newton Book Maker is now sold as a separate product and facilitates the creation of travel guides, electronic books and reference manuals by non programmers. The enhanced Newton Toolkit 1.5 is priced at $299 (US), while the Newton Book Maker 1.1 sells for $199 (US). Customers who already own the Newton Toolkit can upgrade for $99 (US) and receive both the new Newton Toolkit and Newton Book Maker. The products are available immediately, and can be purchased by calling APDA at (800)282-2732 in the US, (800) 637-0029 within Canada, or (716) 871-6555 internationally.
