Apple enthusiasts everywhere love to brag about the company's constant bar-raising ingenuity and powerful, yet easy-to-use products, be it software or hardware. The big red fruit has set the curve yet again with the release of iLife '04, dubbed as "Microsoft Office for the rest of your life."

For $50, users receive five multimedia-oriented programs that, in most cases, would cost at least $50 a piece by any other company. Working in sync with the already well-known iTunes program are iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and the newest addition to the lineup, GarageBand.

iMovie, Apple's home-user video editor, has received a minimal makeover, but the real fun comes into play when burning home videos to DVDs. The latest version of iDVD adds a plethora of details and features unavailable in previous versions. On top of 20 new menu themes, Apple has added a more customizable menu design and included higher quality video encoders, allowing for the best possible picture quality.

The latest addition to the iLife family is GarageBand, a tone-deaf, uncoordinated music lover's dream come true. With GarageBand, users have access to hundreds of music loops and digital yet realistic sounding instruments, which they can manipulate in a variety of ways to create their own musical masterpiece. Hook up a mic, and you'll be your own boy band or rock star in no time. A word of warning, however -- for the less musically inclined, this program is amazingly addictive and can lead to delusions of melodious grandeur. You won't be Bruce Springsteen, but you may think you are.

-- Reviewed by Jason Cox