Samplers Yamaha has just recently re-entered the sampler wars with the powerful, new A3000. These units are definitely meant for the big boys. Prices reflect this. 20 bit multieffects are optional on the S5000, but standard on the S6000. Nothing else has really been brewing in samplerland.
Hard disk recording Things in the hard disk recording world are much more exciting.
It's hard to find a company that isn't making a PC hard disk recording card of some sort, or isn't branching out into the DAW marketplace. Don't be fooled though - higher numbers and 'latest specs' don't directly reflect better audio quality. It's how good those converters really are that matters. The obvious big-talk on the PC platform is the new Layla system by Echo, from Event Electronics. Word clock input and output allows for multiple Layla operation with single-sample accuracy.