Apple has announced iLife '08, a significant upgrade to Apple's suite of "digital lifestyle applications", featuring a major new version of iPhoto, a completely reinvented iMovie and, more interesting for us, a new version of GarageBand.

GarageBand '08 introduces Magic GarageBand, an easy and fun way for musicians and non-musicians alike to create a song. Users can pick from nine musical genres and interact with a band of "players" on a virtual stage by selecting an instrument and musical part for each player to create thousands of possible song combinations. Users can play along with a built-in software instrument or record their voice to sing along to their own music. The new GarageBand also offers powerful new features for more advanced musicians, including multi-take recording to capture the best performance, arrangements to cut, copy and paste intros, verses and choruses, and support for 24-bit audio interfaces.

iLife '08 is now available for a suggested retail price of $79 through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The iLife '08 suite of applications will be included with all new Macs beginning immediately.