MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

During a recent press tour for the period drama A Little Chaos, actress Kate Winslet commented on the shooting process for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie (via Entertainment Weekly). While the movie's structure was already known, Winslet solidifies the idea of the Aaron Sorkin-penned screenplay as three separate 45-minute scenes that are each continuous, in-real-time scenes that begin with him...

Following the launch of Apple Music, Apple today updated GarageBand for Mac to version 10.1, adding new features and a huge amount of new content for musicians and sound makers to work with. The update to GarageBand was first announced in mid-June. The update brings 10 new Drummers with beats appropriate for electronic music and Hip Hop styles like House, Trap, Techno, and Dubstep, plus it...

Apple today released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4, an under-the-hood update that introduces several bug fixes and performance improvements. Most notably, 10.10.4 includes the removal of the problematic Discoveryd process, which has caused multiple networking issues for some users in OS X Yosemite. The OS X 10.10.4 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store....

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today upheld a 2013 decision that found Apple guilty of conspiring with publishers to raise the prices of e-books, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple is now expected to pay a $450 million fine originally set in July 2014 to settle the case, with a majority of that settlement earmarked for consumers as part of a class action lawsuit. Apple fil...

Apple updated its investor relations page today to mention that it will announce its earnings for the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) of 2015 on Tuesday, July 21. The quarterly earnings statement will be released around 1:30 PM Pacific / 4:30 PM Eastern while a conference call to discuss the earnings report will take place at 2:00 PM Pacific / 5:00 PM Eastern. The earnings...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with OneAdaptr to offer 12 MacRumors readers a chance to win a Twist Plus+ World Charging Station. Priced at $45, the Twist Plus is a very handy charging solution that lets you charge your Mac and multiple iOS devices at the same time. Because it attaches to any MacBook Power Adapter by replacing the attached plug, it works with many different Mac...

With the Fourth of July approaching, Best Buy is offering some holiday discounts on Macs, dropping its prices on iMacs and on the 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB Retina MacBook Pro. There are a few minor deals on iPads as usual, but if you can hold out on purchasing, you might be able to get a better deal later this month. We've rounded up some deals on Apple accessories, including several Apple...

Known for providing a variety of storage solutions for desktop and mobile devices, SanDisk continues its trend of easy-to-use storage devices supporting multiple connector standards with its new Dual USB Drive Type-C. Taking aim at the growing use of USB-C in the tech industry, the Dual USB Drive includes connectors for both USB-A 3.0 and USB-C that allow users to transfer files between a...

Apple has become a promoting member of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) alongside existing promoters Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia, and Toshiba, giving the company the ability to vote on Bluetooth SIG corporate matters and allowing the iPhone maker to hold a continual seat on the SIG Board of Directors. “Apple has long been a key participant in the Bluetooth...

Construction on Apple's spaceship-shaped second campus is progressing, as detailed in a new close-up video shared by Skycore on Vimeo. Shot last Monday, the video offers a look at the current state of construction, depicting a finished foundation, the first walls of the ring-shaped structure, and work on an underground parking facility. Apple has had some issues with campus construction as...

Father's Day is this weekend and there are some decent deals on iPads, iMacs, and the MacBook Air. Best Buy's running a promo discounting some iPad mini 3 models by $100, so now is an excellent time to pick up an iPad mini 3 if you've been waiting for a sale. Best Buy's also discounting the 2015 13-inch MacBook Air by $100. We've also rounded up some deals on Apple accessories including Beats ...

Samsung today asked the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a central part of a recent ruling that ensured Apple would receive $548 million in damages, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The Korean company wants the court to hear the case with its full 12-judge roster rather than the 3-judge panel it used in the previous ruling. "Unlike rugs, spoons, and simple...

We're in between Memorial Day and Father's Day, which means deals less than impressive this week. There are a few sales on iMacs and older MacBooks, so now may be a good time to buy one of those, but if you're looking for a solid deal on a new iPad or MacBook, you may want to hold out until later this month as retailers will likely be offering Father's Day discounts. That said, we've gathered...

Google senior software engineer Peter Kasting this week announced that his team has been working to address Chrome for OS X battery hog complaints by improving the performance of the browser on Mac, especially in areas where Safari appears to do better (via iPhoneHacks). Chrome for OS X has received multiple under the hood improvements that should result in faster performance and longer...

Government officials in New York and Connecticut are investigating the deals Apple and major record companies established for Apple Music to determine whether there were any antitrust violations, reports The New York Times. Eric T. Schneiderman and George Jepsen, attorneys general in the two states, are suspicious Apple tried to convince record labels to abandon free, ad-supported music services...

OS X 10.11 El Capitan, the successor to OS X Yosemite, is capable of running on all Macs that are able to run Yosemite, according to the OS X 10.11 release notes (via Ars Technica). The first developer beta is listed as supporting the following Macs, which are the same that are able to run Yosemite: - iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum,...

Apple today announced that it is merging all of its developer programs into a single developer program, letting developers pay one fee to access both Mac and iOS developer tools. Before today, Apple offered a Mac developer program and an iOS developer program, accessible with separate $100 fees. The new Apple Developer Program combines everything you need to develop, distribute, and manage...

Apple today announced a boost to performance coming to users with OS X El Capitan in the form of Metal, previously available only for iOS. The company promises the inclusion of Apple's breakthrough graphics technology into El Capitan will boost system-wide performance and battery life while simultaneously allowing games and graphics-intensive apps to "tap into the full power" of Mac graphics...