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It was released by Apple, that iTune was the #2 music retailer in the US. Any sports fan knows that #2’s are never remembered, as people can barely remember the loser of the Superbowl the year prior. While iTunes may have been beaten out by Wal-Mart in 2007, analysts are predicting a different outcome in 2008.

iTunes as of now has over 50 million customers, and has sold over four billion songs. As the dispersal of music is changing, from physical CDs to downloads it’s only looking like clear blue skies for Apple in the coming year. The president of NPD’s music division has made the prediction that iTunes will easily surpass Wal-Mart this year. Russ Crupnick comments on the state of music media, “Digital sales were up close to 50 percent and CD sales were down 20 percent last year”.

Released in 2005, Apple gave users a way to provide a total network solution for data storage. This solution was called Xsan, it has been 3 years since its’ release and it has seen success which leads to Apple’s unveiling of Xsan 2.

There have been numerous improvements over the original XSan. Probably the most obvious is their improvement to the user interface. Apple boasts about what functions have been improved, “complex tasks such as expanding a volume, optimally configuring volume settings, or managing file system permissions are now easier and less error prone. SAN components — computers, volumes, and LUNs — are logically presented as assets, and an overview of SAN health is prominently displayed.”

The other massive update for Xsan 2 is the introduction of MultiSan. With MultiSan, different computers will be able to access different XSan volumes simultaneously. Having volumes on different XSan controllers improves performance and reliability.

Another pretty cool feature with XSan is the Spotlight. Spotlight works like a more comprehensive search tool that iTunes uses. Instead of just searching for file names, you can search by actual content inside the files.

The XSan 2 retails for $999.00, but hey atleast the Apple store provides free shipping.

Aperture 2 has been released, and photographers around the world rejoice. Aperture is a photo editing software that lets you import, and manage all of your photos seemlessly.

Aperture 2 is an upgrade from its’ predecessor, and hosts 100 new features. Aperture 2 has a more user-friendly interface, and makes organizing your photos alot easier than the original. Along with the more intuitive interface, Apple is also boasting that performance and speed have been improved with the upgrade.

Aperture 2 also integrates well with your other Mac programs and devices. Aperture 2 will link up with Mac Web Gallery, so you can create unique online portfolios. Probably the most impressive is it’s compatibility with the iPhone, and iTouch.

Aperture 2 will cost you $199, or if you have the original Aperture the upgrade will set you back $99.

If you purchased an iPod Touch or an iPhone in the past two weeks, you’re probably kicking yourself now. Apple has just announced the release of it’s new iPod Touch and iPhone models. The new iPhone model has a 16 GB capacity and will retail for $499, compared to it’s smaller counterpart at 8 GB and retails for $399. The iPod Touch’s new model sports a 32 GB capacity which retails for $499, while the younger and smaller versions, 8 GB and 16 GB cost $399 and $299.