MacRumors

Image editing software Pixelmator was today updated to version 3.0, adding several new enhancements including OS X Mavericks support, new liquify tools, non-destructive Layer Styles, and a new image editing engine.

Pixelmator has been designed to take advantage of OS X Mavericks features like App Nap and Compressed Memory, making it more responsive and power efficient. The app’s new image editing engine is also designed to take advantage of multiple OS X technologies to make file manipulation faster than before.

Pixelmator 3.0 FX became dramatically faster and more powerful. Pixelmator’s development team took an extra step to build a truly modern and innovative image editing engine that takes advantage of the full power of OS X, by combining technologies like Core Image, OpenCL, OpenGL, 64-bit architecture, and Grand Central Dispatch, giving you the speed you need to keep pace with your creativity.

Layer Styles allow users to quickly apply shadows, gradients, outlines, and reflections to their images, while Liquify provides a new way to manipulate images. Layer Styles are non destructive, and the Liquify tools include Warp, Bump, Pinch, and Twirl.

Pixelmator 3.0 FX is the most advanced version of Pixelmator to date, introducing lots of new features and improvements, including the following:

- Layer Styles: Thanks to non-destructive Layer Styles, creating polished and advanced compositions is now so much simpler, faster, and more enjoyable
- Liquify Tools: Shape images in multiple ways—slightly twist an element, add an artistic detail, or completely distort an entire image
- New Image Editing Engine: The new state-of-the-art image editing engine harnesses the full power of the latest OS X technologies making Pixelmator feature rich, yet blistering fast
- OS X Mavericks support: Tags, Multiple-Displays, App Nap support and more

Pixelmator is only third-party app mentioned on Apple’s Mac Pro performance page, where it is used to demonstrate the new tower's blazingly fast performance.

Pixelmator 3.0 is a free upgrade for existing users, while new users can download the app from the Mac App Store for $29.99. [Direct Link]

Earlier today, Apple released OS X Mavericks, new versions of iLife and iWork; iOS 7.0.3; updated Trailers, Podcasts, and Find My iPhone apps; and new versions of Aperture and Safari.

The company has since followed that up with a number of new software updates to some of its more minor apps, as well as small compatibility updates for more prominent apps. It also released the Mavericks version of OS X Server.

- OS X Server 3.0 is the server version of OS X Mavericks. It is available for $19.99 on the Mac App Store and includes a number of new features related to file sharing; development; calendar, contacts and mail servers; profile management and more. [Mac App Store]

- iTunes 11.1.2 adds support for OS X Mavericks, the Arabic and Hebrew languages, as well as additional performance and stability improvements. It's available through the Mac App Store software update page and on Apple.com.

- Xcode 5.0.1 adds new SDKs for Mavericks, Mountain Lion and iOS 7, along with a few other features. [Mac App Store]

- iBooks Author 2.1 allows users to preview books in iBooks for Mac, while fixing other unmentioned issues. [Mac App Store]

- Apple Configurator 1.4.1 adds an option to configure which Setup Assistant steps will display during device setup, alongside unmentioned improvements and bug fixes. [Mac App Store]

- Apple Remote Desktop 3.7 includes support for OS X Mavericks, improves support for Macs with multiple displays and IP addresses, enhances multi-observe with gesture support for swiping between screens, and fixes several other issues. It is available for $79.99. [Mac App Store]

- Logic Remote 1.0.2 supports the new version of GarageBand for Mac, as well as some other stability and performance improvements. [App Store]

- WorkGroup Manager 10.9 is for use with Mountain Lion and OS X Server. [support.apple.com]

- Migration Assistant Update is actually two separate updates to provide support for Lion and Snow Leopard systems looking to migrate to Mavericks. [Lion, Snow Leopard]

Apple has added a new iMovie Theater channel to the Apple TV, designed to work in conjunction with the iMovie Theater feature that was added to both the iOS and Mac versions of iMovie in today’s update.

iMovie Theater is a cross device feature designed to allow users to watch shared clips, movies, and trailers on all Apple devices, including the Apple TV. Projects that are created within iMovie for iOS or Mac and shared using iTunes Theater within those apps will automatically show up within the Apple TV channel.

The channel is activated by signing into an iCloud account that is connected to an iOS or Mac version of iMovie. It is available through an over-the-air update and should be available for users running the most recent Apple TV software. Apple also bundled a number of other new features into its iMovie update, which is available for download today.

iMovie for Mac and iOS have been redesigned to make it easier than ever to browse your video library and instantly share your favorite moments. iMovie for Mac includes simplified editing tools that let you quickly improve the look of your movie, add fun effects, and speed up or slow down your video.

iMovie for iOS brings desktop-class moviemaking to your iPhone® and iPad, so you can create split screen and picture-in-picture effects or advanced audio edits in just a few taps. And with iMovie Theater, you can watch your shared clips, movies, and trailers on all your Apple devices, even your Apple TV®.

iMovie is available for both iOS and Mac, priced at $4.99/$14.99. [Direct Links: iOS/Mac]

During today’s iPad-centric event, Apple announced that more than 20 iOS and Mac apps would receive updates over the course of the day. Aperture, Apple's photo editing and management software, has just been updated to version 3.5 adding new features and bug fixes.

The update includes support for iCloud Photo sharing, allowing users to post content to shared streams and add videos to photo streams. Aperture’s "Places" feature uses Apple maps to display photo locations, and integration with Smug Mug has been included. Multiple bug fixes have been bundled into the update, and stability and performance improvements have been added as well.

- Adds support for iCloud Photo Sharing, including the ability to post videos to shared photo streams and to have multiple subscribers contribute to a shared stream
- The Places feature now uses Apple maps to display photo locations
- New integration with SmugMug, with support for publishing and syncing galleries directly to a SmugMug account
- Adds support for iOS 7 camera filters applied to photos imported from iOS devices
- Fixes an issue that sometimes resulted in Retouch adjustments not being applied to exported images
- Addresses an issue that could cause the black and white points in Curves to shift incorrectly when using the eyedropper tools
- Fixes a problem that prevented caption data from being embedded correctly when exporting versions of some RAW file types
- Improves reliability when adding names to Faces
- Addresses an issue that could cause Aperture to hang after adjusting a very large panorama
- Fixes a problem that could prevent memory cards or hard disks from ejecting properly after import when clicking the Delete Items button
- Improves reliability of slideshows on a 15" Macbook Pro with Retina display
- Addresses an issue that could cause thumbnails to display incorrectly in the iLife Media Browser
- Videos up to three minutes long can now be shared to Flickr
- Captions instead of version names are now synced between Aperture and Facebook for newly-created albums
- Improves reliability when printing a light table
- Fixes an issue that could prevent adjusted images from being published to My Photo Stream
- Includes stability and performance improvements

Aperture can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $79.99. [Direct Link]

A number of news sites have been able to go hands-on with Apple's newly announced 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Retina Display, both of which come with Intel's newest processors, offering increased battery life with improved performance.

TechCrunch says that the slightly slimmer 13-inch model is a "big change" compared to the older model and will likely be much easier to carry around.

The 13-inch version is a big change, however – the 3.46 lbs compared to the 3.57 of the last generation may not feel like much, but combined with a thickness of just 0.71 inches, it feels like a lot, and will probably be even more impressive if you’re carrying one around with you every day.

The Verge echoed that sentiment, noting that its new processor is a large improvement over the previous model.

Where the old model would stutter and lag on web pages and while working with images, the new model's Haswell processor with upgraded Iris graphics was totally smooth. Obviously we didn't get to test it too harshly, but if it holds up when we review it, the 13-inch Pro just reentered the conversation in a big way — especially since the base price is now just $1,299.

Unlike the 13-inch model, the 15-inch model doesn't seem to have a massive noticeable improvement on first impression. TechCrunch notes the new model seems "speedier" and "generally more responsive", while The Verge says the difference "isn't quite so clear."

Apple is offering the entry level 13-inch version for $1,299 and the entry level 15-inch model for $1,999. Apple's updated MacBook Pros are available today from its Online Store and at retail locations and come with Mavericks included.

After the announcement and subsequent release of Apple's new Retina MacBook Pros with updated processors and faster storage, the company has apparently discontinued the 15-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro which leaves only the 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro alongside the current line of Retina MacBook Pros.

The 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro being sold is of the exact same model and specification that was introduced in 2012, featuring no significant changes aside from OS X Mavericks coming pre-installed on the system. Priced at $1,199, the 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro is now just $100 cheaper than the Retina version. Apple has been long expected to discontinue its standard MacBook Pros in favor of an all Retina lineup and with a $200 discount on its entry-level Retina models, pricing is nearly on par with its former non-Retina offerings.

Apple today unveiled new 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros, which have been updated with Intel’s latest processors for enhanced performance and significantly improved battery life. The entry-level 13-inch version is available for $1,299 while the entry-level 15-inch model is available for $1,999. Both models are available today from Apple's Online Store and at its various retail locations.

Last month, Apple began offering a "last compatible" version feature in its iOS App Store, giving developers the option of offering users running pre-iOS 7 operating systems on their iOS devices the ability to download older versions of their apps compatible with those devices and operating systems.

With today's launch of OS X Mavericks, Apple has notified Mac developers that a similar feature is coming to the Mac App Store, allowing users to continue using older versions of apps on their Macs that may not be compatible with Mavericks.

Users who have already purchased your Mac app are now able to download previous versions, allowing them to use your app with Macs that may no longer be supported by OS X Mavericks.

If you do not want previous versions of your app to be available for download as a previous purchase, for example due to a usability or legal issue, you can manage their availability in the Rights and Pricing section of the Manage Your Apps module on iTunes Connect. To exclude a specific version, click “Manage iCloud download settings for this app.” For more information on managing previous versions, see the iTunes Connect Developer Guide or contact us.

For those users who are able to update their machines to Mavericks, the new operating system is a free download available now on the Mac App Store.

Apple today released Safari 6.1 for Mountain Lion users. The update includes many of the new features added to Safari for Mavericks including Shared Links, Top Sites, and the new Sidebar.

Safari 6.1 is a free download for Mountain Lion users and is available as a software update through the Mac App Store.

Safari 6.1 for OS X Mountain Lion contains new features, including:

- Shared Links. See links shared by people you follow on Twitter.
- Sidebar. See your Bookmarks, Reading List, and Shared Links in one convenient place.
- One-click bookmarking. Just click the (+) button to the left of the Smart Search Field to add a webpage to your Reading List. Click and hold to add it to the Favorites Bar or to your Bookmarks.
- Safari Power Saver. Increase energy efficiency by playing only the plug-in content you want to see.
- Third-party data blocking. By default, Safari blocks third-party websites from leaving cookies and other types of data that could be used to track your browsing.
- Built-in Yandex Search. Leading Russian search engine Yandex is now an option for Russian users.