Along with Logic Studio, Apple has introduced a new version of Logic Express, Logic Express 9. I’ve used Logic Express 8 for about 14 months, and I absolutely love it. It was a perfect step up from GarageBand. I found it relatively easy to use and very powerful. Logic Express looks to be even better, and still affordable at $199.99.

Regarding Logic Express 9, Apple says:

bq. __”Record, edit, and mix your music on a Mac using the new Logic Express 9. Open your GarageBand files and get right to work, or start from scratch with a new composition. Logic Express 9 is a guitar player’s dream, with Amp Designer and Pedalboard, two new plug-ins that re-create the sound of legendary amps and stompbox effect pedals. You can build your own amp model and try any combination of stompboxes. An improved set of music creation tools makes it even easier to capture and develop your musical inspirations. Use the new Flex Time tools to easily manipulate audio timing and tempo. And make music right out of the box with over 100 instrument and effect plug-ins from Logic Studio.__”

*Logic Express Top Features:*

* Perfect for capturing and developing your musical inspirations.
* Seamless compatibility with GarageBand files.
* Flex Time features that make editing audio timing and tempo easier than ever.
* More than 70 studio-quality effect plug-ins, including vintage and modern compressors, delays, reverbs, and more.
* New Amp Designer plug-in to help you re-create the sound of 25 legendary amps and 25 speaker cabinets.
* New Pedalboard plug-in with an assortment of 30 virtual stompbox pedals inspired by the classics.
* 36 software instrument plug-ins, including the Ultrabeat drum synth and beatbox, ES2 synth, and EXS24 sampler.

If you’re a musician who uses GarageBand, you must “read this excellent GarageBand vs. Logic Comparison on Macworld.com”:http://www.macworld.com/article/141775/2009/07/logic_studio_garageband.html While the focus is on Logic, much of this also applies to Logic Express.

“Click here to see Logic Express 9.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74234

“Click here to see the upgrade from Logic Express 6, 7 and 8 for $99.99.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74235

Today Apple released a major update to Logic Studio with more than over 200 new features and enhancements. The new version includes Logic Pro 9, MainStage 2, Soundtrack Pro 3, Compressor 3.5, and WaveBurner 1.6.

Apple says Logic is for “guitar players, live performers, and all musicians who record, edit, and mix their own music.

The center of Logic Studio is Logic Pro 9, which makes it easier than ever to create your own compositions. Produce and play nearly any sound imaginable with a huge collection of effects, instruments, and loops, including the new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins. Use MainStage 2 to perform live with the instruments, amps, effects, and sounds you used to make your tracks. Logic Studio also comes with applications and utilities that expand your creative options into audio post-production and mastering.

Logic boasts:

* Flex Time lets you manipulate audio timing and tempo like never before.
* Build dream guitar rigs with the new Amp Designer and Pedalboard.
MainStage 2 with new Playback and Loopback features let you take your Mac to the stage.
* Inspire your music with more than 1,000 instruments.
* Everything musicians need to write, record, produce, and perform on a Mac.
* Logic Pro 9 for do-it-yourself musicians to write, edit, record, and mix their own compositions.
* Shape your sound using more than 80 studio-quality effect plug-ins, including vintage and modern compressors, delays, reverbs, and more.
* New Amp Designer to help you re-create the sound of 25 legendary amps and 25 speaker cabinets.
* New Pedalboard with an assortment of 30 virtual stompbox pedals inspired by the classics.
* 20,000 royalty-free Apple Loops from all the Jam Pack collections.
* Soundtrack Pro 3, a streamlined audio post-production application for film and video.

The U.S. retail price of Logic Studio is $499.99. Current owners of Logic Studio or Logic Pro can purchase an upgrade for $199.99. Current owners of Logic Express can purchase an upgrade for $299.99. Upgrades are available only for retail versions.

“Click here to see Logic Studio.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74231
“Click here to see the Logic Studio Upgrade from Logic Pro 6, 7, or Logic Platinum or Gold 5, 6.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74232
“Click here to see the Apple Logic Studio Upgrade from Logic Express 6, 7, or 8.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74233

If you’re a musician that uses GarageBand, you must “read this excellent GarageBand vs Logic Comparison on Macworld.com”:http://www.macworld.com/article/141775/2009/07/logic_studio_garageband.html

In Tuesday’s Q3 earnings announcement, Apple crushed the street like King Kong crushes bananas. Apple earned $1.35 per share, up nearly 12% year over year (having earned $1.19/share in Q3 2008).

The company generated $8.34 billion in revenue, booking $1.3 billion in profit. Apple now has over $31 billion in cash on hand (up $2.2 billion for the quarter). This was the best non-holiday quarterly revenue in Apple’s history.

While Apple cut prices on MacBooks and iPhones in June (as much as 10%), gross margins were still up to 36.3%, compared to 34.8% the year-ago quarter.

Sales of iPhones and Macs (especially MacBooks) led Apple’s growth.

* Apple shipped 2.6 million Macs during the quarter, a 4% increase over the year-ago quarter.
* According to Macworld, 1.75 million of those Macs were notebooks. That’s up 13 percent from the 1.553 million notebooks sold last year-ago quarter.
* Tim Cook reiterated that Apple’s goal is not to build the most computers, it’s to build the best computers.
* Quarterly iPhone unit sales reached 5.2 million, a 626% increase from the year-ago quarter.
* Apple hopes to have iPhone in China “within a year.”
* International sales accounted for 44 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
* Apple sold 10.2 million Pods during the quarter, which was a 7% unit decline over the year-ago quarter.
* Despite the overall decline in iPod sales, Apple noted that sale of the iPod touch are still growing.
* Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO, said “We expect traditional MP3 sales to continue to decline over time as we cannibalize ourselves with sales of the iPod touch and iPhone. But we still have a great business which we believe last many, many years, and we will continue to manage well.”

It was rumored that Steve Jobs would participate in the conference call, but chose to send a prepared statement instead:

bq. __”We’re making our most innovative products ever and our customers are responding. We’re thrilled to have sold over 5.2 million iPhones during the quarter and users have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications from our App Store in its first year.”__

Tim Cook, Apple’s COO (and acting CEO when Jobs was out on medical leave) noted that “The Mac has now outgrown the market a staggering 18 out of the last 19 quarters.”

Almost 20% of Fortune 100 companies bought 10,000 or more iPhones while some corporations and government organizations bought 25,000 or more iPhones. Tim Cook noted “We think we’re at the tip of the iceberg with what the iPhone can do with business customers.”

Regarding the future, Apple’s guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 (which is actually the current quarter as of this writing) includes expected revenue of $8.7 billion to $8.9 billion and earnings per diluted share of $1.18 to $1.23. Apple is forecasting an increase in Mac sales during the back-to-school shopping season. It’s worth noting that Apple is notoriously conservative with its future estimates.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is valued at $135 billion. That makes it the tenth most valuable company in America and 19th worldwide.

“Read this article for a slightly bearish opinion of Apple’s stock price future in the Wall Street Journal.”:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124821056118269783.html

“Click here to read Apple’s press release on its third quarter results.”:http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html

“Click here to listen an audio webcast of Apple’s conference call discussing Q3 – 2009 financial results.”:http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq309

“Click here to read Macworld’s in-depth converge of this matter.”:http://www.macworld.com/article/141829/2009/07/appleq309.html?lsrc=top_1

_Dear Friends,_

It’s Kali, writing for Don this week while he and Grace are cavorting down South on their latest motorcycle journey. It’s been an exciting week due to the surprise upgrades to Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio and Logic Express.

Ed has covered the upgrades to Final Cut Studio 3, Logic Studio and Logic Express 9 in-depth below, and he’s a great one to write about them because he’s our resident video specialist and has extensive experience with the software.

To see what Final Cut 3 is capable of, “view it in action here.”:http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/in-action/

We’re offering an instant $100 rebate on Final Cut 3, along with some other goodies, as well as an instant $25 rebate on the Final Cut Studio 3 Upgrade–all with free shipping. (Scroll down for more.) Other big news? Apple has also once again returned huge numbers in their Q3 earnings announcement.

We also have been hard at work tweaking our mail server so that we can be sure that Kibbles & Bytes is delivered to you in a timely fashion (and just once)! We apologize to those of you who have gotten duplicates in the past week. If you have any further issues with delivery, please direct your emails to the “Contact Us” link in the footer of this newsletter.

If you would like to read past copies of Kibbles & Bytes, click below to view our archives:
“Kibbles & Bytes Archives”:http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/

Read on for all of the exciting product updates and more!

This week we have great offer on a Small Dog Refurbished 4GB iPod nano 3G in silver. This is the square iPod nano that came out before the current rectangular version. The iPod nano 3G can play music, videos, podcasts, some games, and is compatible with the Nike+ Sport Kit.

We’ve bundled it with an arm band, screen protecter, and car charger, all for only $89.99. “Click here to see this.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag19317

Small Dog’s Apple-certified technicians test and bring the product to current specifications. iPods carry a 90-day Small Dog Electronics limited warranty come complete with all accessories (unless otherwise noted).