Update: This article was originally posted at 6:30 AM and updated at 11:15 AM with a Spin.

As expected, Steve Jobs announced the immediate availability of the OS X Public Beta at todayis keynote speech at the Apple Expo 2000. Much to the dismay of the crowd, and certainly to Mac users everywhere, Beta will be available only on CD from the Apple Store for US$29.95. Apple will provide no downloadable version of the new product. According to Apple:

“Mac OS X is the future of the Macintosh, and the most technically advanced personal computer operating system ever,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re excited to have our users test drive this public beta version and provide us with their valuable feedback.”

The Mac OS X Public Beta is available in English, French and German from The Apple Store™ for $29.95. Apple has created a Mac OS X tab on its web site at www.apple.com which contains in-depth information on Mac OS X, including regular updates on third-party applications, tips and tricks and technical support information.

Mac OS X features true memory protection, pre-emptive multi-tasking, and symmetric multiprocessing when running on the new dual-processor Power Mac™ G4 line. Mac OS X includes Apple’s new Quartz™ 2D graphics engine (based on the Internet-standard Portable Document Format) for stunning graphics and broad font support; OpenGL for spectacular 3D graphics and gaming, and QuickTime™ for streaming audio and video. In addition, Mac OS X features Apple’s new user interface named “Aqua,” which combines superior ease-of-use with amazing new functionality such as the “Dock,” a breakthrough for organizing applications, documents and miniaturized windows. Mac OS X Public Beta includes many applications, including Apple’s new Mail client (IMAP and POP compatible) and new versions of the QuickTime player and Sherlock® Internet searching tool, as well as a beta version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, the most popular browser for the Mac®.

Apple is providing a FedEx shipping option for an extra US$10, which will deliver the product in three business days. You can find more information at Appleis revamped OS X site.