“Apple TV: The Sequel,” writes Edward C. Baig (usatoday.com), “comes with a newly tempting price and a major software overhaul. And it eliminates the need for a computer. Now, you can preview and rent videos using Apple TV alone.” In fact, Baig points out that once you click Rent, you can begin to watch the rented movie “on your TV within seconds, even while a video downloads. It’s instant gratification to folks who might otherwise drive to the rental store or wait for DVDs by mail.”

PC Magazine’s Edward Mendelson muses that “Leopard again raises the question of whether to switch from Windows to a Mac. I’ve found Vista to be a major disappointment that tends to look worse the more I use it.” Mac OS X Leopard, on the other hand, “is easier to manage and maintain and I vastly prefer OS X to Windows for Web-browsing, mail, and especially for any task that involves graphics, music, or video. Leopard performs all such tasks even better than previous versions did—and Leopard is the only OS on the planet that works effortlessly and intuitively in today’s world of networked computers and peripherals.” In fact Mendelson believes “it’s getting harder and harder to find good reasons to use anything else.”

Christopher Breen (macworld.com) gives a four-mouse (out of five) rating to Apple TV, Take Two. Breen says he was “impressed by the look of the HD movies I rented and played on my 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV.” And he was “just as impressed by the sound. Live Free or Die Hard’s 5.1 sound track was nicely separated and huge through my 5.1 AV receiver. And I applaud Apple’s decision to include an AirTunes option—the ability to choose the Apple TV as a remote speaker system within iTunes and stream music to it and its attached AV gear.”

The Grammy-Award-winning Linkin Park brought its unique sound to the SoHo store the other night to give a live performance to contest winners. You’ll be able to purchase and download the live recording soon (as part of the ongoing “Live from SoHo” series), but if you’d like to whet your Park appetite right now, visit the SoHo page and watch the video.

Science Bulletins — high-definition visualizations that play on 12-foot video screens — help visitors to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York understand highly complex processes affecting the earth and its inhabitants, such as the retreat of Arctic Sea Ice, the erosion and recovery of the ozone layer, or the impact of changing seasons on plant growth worldwide. To create the Bulletins, the team at AMNH depend on an all-Mac production pipeline to process raw satellite and other data, transforming it into interactive 3D animations that let people watch the earth change right before their eyes.

According to Jim Dalrymple (macworld.com), one of the goals for Xsan 2 was to make it easier for customers to set up a storage area network (SAN). “One of the ways Apple has accomplished this is with the SAN Setup Assistant, which is integrated into Mac OS X Leopard Server or as an application that can be run on its own.” “The setup assistant, Dalryple explains, does ”all the heavy lifting for you, setting up everything including Open Directory permissions.”

Among the “pretty sweet new features“ that distinguish Xsan 2, Chris Foresman (arstechnica.com) points to the new MultiSAN feature, which “gives simultaneous access to multiple volumes that are hosted by separate controllers.” Xsan 2 “also allows file copies from one SAN volume to another directly over FibreChannel for a significant speed boost.” In addition, Foresman points to the redesigned admin tools that simplify setup and to Xsan 2’s tighter integration with Open Directory, Mac OS X Leopard, and Server Assistant on Leopard server.

It’s the world’s most wearable music player, and the 1GB iPod shuffle — just $49 — is now the most affordable iPod ever. It also has a new 2GB sibling that costs just $69 and allows customers to wear even more music on their sleeves. Or belts. Or lapels. While the 1GB iPod shuffle is available immediately, the 2GB will be available later this month. Both models come in five color — silver, blue, green, purple and a (PRODUCT) RED special edition) — weigh just half an ounce, and are just half a cubic inch in volume.

Apple today introduced Xsan 2, the first major upgrade to its easy-to-use, high-performance, enterprise-class Storage Area Network (SAN) file system for Mac OS X. Xsan 2 combines enhanced performance with Apple’s legendary ease of use, allowing even first-time users to set up and quickly deploy a SAN. It introduces MultiSAN, which allows users on a single workstation to access multiple SANs at the same time. Fully integrated with Mac OS X Leopard and Mac OS X Server Leopard, Xsan is also now qualified to work with third-party RAID storage.