1984年的麦金塔（Macintosh）有MacPaint；2007年的iPhone有可视语音信箱（visual voicemail）和谷歌（Google）地图；而iPhone 4有FaceTime。

    日前，史蒂夫•乔布斯在介绍iPad 2时，向大家展示了两段重量级演示。其中，iMovie非常酷，不过iPad版GarageBand才是苹果（Apple）新的必备应用。

    根据苹果日前发布的新闻稿，售价4.99美元的GarageBand将在上周四晚些时候提供下载。与此同时，苹果还在网站上发布了一段精彩的演示教程。

    最新更新：iPad版GarageBand和iPad版iMovie已经能够下载。

    我们现在并不清楚真正的音乐家会否使用GarageBand去创造美妙的音乐。我们也不清楚这一代梦想成为音乐家的人们，是否会使用这种“智能型乐器”，而不用再费苦工去学习演奏真正的乐器。

    不过GarageBand确实是一款杀手级应用。

    GarageBand也能在老版iPad上运行，不过在iPad 2上，它运行得更棒。

    译者：项航

    The 1984 Macintosh had MacPaint. The 2007 iPhone had visual voicemail and Google Maps. The iPhone 4 had FaceTime.

    Steve Jobs offered two tent-pole demos last week when he introduced the iPad 2. iMovie was cool, but GarageBand for the iPad is Apple's (AAPL) new must-have app.

    According to a press release issued Thursday, the $4.99 program will be available for download before the end of the day. Meanwhile, the company has posted a slick guided tour here.

    UPDATE: GarageBand for iPad and iMovie for iPad are now available for download.

    It's too soon to know whether real musicians will use the app to create great music. Or whether a generation of would-be musicians will use its "smart instruments" and avoid the hard work of learning how to play a real one.

    But it does make a killer demo.

    GarageBand runs on the original iPad, but it runs better on the iPad 2.