MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Intel has announced a major corporate restructuring that will see 11 percent of its workforce laid off as the company intensifies its focus on its data center and smart connected computing businesses. The move is being billed as a profitable and efficient evolution of the company away from its traditional PC sector base toward more high-growth areas, broadly defined as its cloud-powering...

Apple hired former Tesla Motors Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Chris Porritt last year to join its "special projects" group, possibly to spearhead its much-rumored electric vehicle project, according to Electrek. Chris Porritt and the Aston Martin One-77 supercar Porritt brings decades of experience in the European automotive industry with him to Apple, having worked on vehicle...

Less than two hours after announcing the new 12-inch MacBook, which has yet to become available for purchase online, Apple has released the first software update for the notebook. Apple's website says the Bluetooth update for the 12-inch MacBook (Early 2016) improves compatibility with third-party Bluetooth devices, and is recommended for all users. The software update is a 157.8MB download ...

In addition to releasing the next-generation 12-inch MacBook with faster specs and a Rose Gold color option, Apple has announced that its two 13-inch MacBook Air configurations now ship with 8GB of RAM as a standard option starting today. 13-inch MacBook Air models previously had 4GB of RAM for stock configurations, with 8GB of RAM available as an upgrade option for built-to-order models....

At today's National Association of Broadcasters Convention (or NAB), LaCie announced the new 12big Thunderbolt 3 professional 12-bay desktop RAID storage solution. The 12big combines a storage capacity of up to 96TB with the performance speeds of Thunderbolt 3 and RAID 5/6, aimed at helping video professionals and other creatives manage data from high-end cameras that record 4/5/and 6K...

Today at the 2016 NAB Show, CalDigit announced four new storage products utilizing the latest Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Type-C technologies. The first is the CalDigit T8, a Thunderbolt 3 RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and JBOD storage solution with 8-bays offering capacities up to 48TB with 3.5” HDDs and 8TB with SSDs. The device's dual Thunderbolt 3 ports deliver up to 40Gb/s bandwidth, while dual USB-C...

Apple released its latest annual environmental report yesterday, and some of the numbers included reveal just how much the company is able to recover from old devices. Business Insider notes that Apple was able to recover over 61 million pounds of steel, aluminum, glass, and other materials from its computers and iPhones. Included in that total is 2,204 pounds of gold, which is well over a...

Renderings of some of the more minor buildings planned for Apple Campus 2 have been shared by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, giving us a look at the planned design for two visitor reception locations, a set of outdoor eating areas or food stations, and a maintenance shed. Apple provided the renderings to the City of Cupertino ahead of a planned administrative hearing set to take place...

The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team today issued an alert recommending Windows users with QuickTime installed uninstall the software as new vulnerabilities have been discovered that Apple does not plan to patch.Computers running QuickTime for Windows will continue to work after support ends. However, using unsupported software may increase the risks from...

Apple is close to signing 21-year-old Raheem Sterling, a skilled forward for Premier League's Manchester City F.C. and England's national football team, as a global ambassador, according to British newspaper The Sun. Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling (Image: PA:Press Association) Sterling, who has not played since suffering a groin injury in a match against Manchester United on March...

Apple has hired Cynthia Hogan, a top lobbyist for the National Football League, as vice president for public policy and government affairs for the Americas, reports Politico. She will head the company's Washington D.C. office starting April 29 and report to Apple's environmental, policy, and social initiatives chief Lisa Jackson."Cynthia’s intellect and judgment have consistently distinguished...

Apple has announced that it will be ending support for iTunes Allowances, a feature of the service that allowed parents to automatically place money into a child's iTunes account on a monthly basis. As of April 13, users can no longer create new iTunes Allowance deposits, with the feature officially getting cut-off for good on May 25, 2016. After that date, any unused allowance credit will be...

Apple's industrial design team is losing one of its core members, with longtime designer Daniel Coster moving on to join GoPro as the company's Vice President of Design. GoPro announced the news in a press release this morning, which outlines Coster's role. He will "influence all aspects of design" at GoPro, ranging from software to surfaces, reporting directly to GoPro founder Nick Woodman."Ironi...

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that debuted on March 30. Release 2 includes a long list of feature tweaks and updates to JavaScript, CSS, Web APIs, Web Inspector, Accessibility, Rendering, Media, and Networking, plus bug fixes. Release notes are available on Apple's Safari Technology Preview website. The Safari Technology Preview...

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) today announced the launch of the USB Type-C Authentication specification, a software protocol that will serve as a line of defense protecting USB-C products from non-compliant USB-C cables that are potentially able to damage a device. With the USB Type-C Authentication specification, computers and other devices with USB-C ports will be able to confirm the...

Audio device manufacturer JBL recently announced the Reflect Aware C headphones, which will give users noise-canceling abilities without the need of a separate battery pack, thanks to its USB-C connector (via The Verge). Using the new input, the headphones draw both power and audio from a USB-C port, like the one on Apple's 12-inch MacBook or the just-announced HTC 10 smartphone. The Reflect ...

Apple is reportedly working with China-based server vendor Inspur to help transfer its iCloud data services in-house, according to sources out of the China supply chain (via DigiTimes). Currently Apple is thought to rely heavily on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host many of its cloud server requirements, but the company’s data center plans suggest it is looking to scale back the money it...

Adobe has issued Flash Player security updates for OS X, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS to address "critical vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system" by way of ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a user's hard drive and demands payment in order to decrypt it. These type of threats often display images or use...