MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Apple today seeded Xcode 7 beta 6 to registered developers, more than two weeks after releasing Xcode 7 beta 5 alongside the fifth beta of iOS 9. Xcode 7 beta 6 can be downloaded from the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store or through the Apple Developer Center. Xcode 7 is designed to accompany Apple's next-generation operating systems: iOS 9, OS X 10.11 El Capitan, and watchOS ...

It's still back to school season, so deals continue to be decent as retailers attempt to lure customers into their stores for school supplies. For the first time, Best Buy is offering discounts on the Retina MacBook, dropping the price by up to $80. Several models of the MacBook Air are also available at a discount, some at the lowest prices we've seen. Apple's Back to School promotion is...

Apple has seeded OS X El Capitan Recovery Update Version 2.0 for Mac that includes improvements to OS X Recovery. The software update can be installed through the Mac App Store and is recommended for all users running a pre-release version of OS X 10.11 El Capitan. OS X Recovery is a feature on Mac that includes tools to reinstall OS X, repair your disk and restore from a Time Machine backup....

Apple has quietly disabled Dashboard by default in the seventh beta of OS X El Capitan, an unsurprising move given the ten-year-old widget feature on Mac has not been updated in over four years and looks increasingly poised for retirement. Dashboard was similarly disabled by default on OS X Yosemite. Latest OS X El Capitan beta disables Dashboard by default. Not long now, old friend 😥 pic.twitt ...

Just days after Apple patched the DYLD_PRINT_TO_FILE security hole with the release of OS X 10.10.5, a developer has found a similar unpatched exploit that could allow attackers to gain root-level access to a Mac. Luca Todesco shared information (via AppleInsider) on the "tpwn" exploit on GitHub over the weekend. It affects all versions of OS X Yosemite, including OS X 10.10.5, but does not...

We've been experimenting with Apple Music for over a month now, but there are still a few important questions that pop up with the new music streaming service, the first being "How can I import my playlists from Spotify?" The short answer is that you can't without using third-party software. After much research, we've found there are two fairly reliable third-party services that work well....

As we head into the middle of August, there are some recent deals available as retailers try to lure customers into their stores during the back to school shopping period. Best Buy is continuing to discount its entire line of iPad Air 2 models, and there are good deals on Apple's lightweight, affordable MacBook Air. iMac and Retina MacBook Pro sales are less impressive, so it may be best to...

Seagate has long sold a line of Backup Plus external hard drives that offer large amounts of storage space at a reasonable price, and in June, the company announced two new features added to all hard drives in the Backup Plus line: 200GB of Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage and the Lyve photo and video management app for automatically backing up photos. Seagate also announced a new high...

Alongside today's releases of OS X 10.10.5 and iOS 8.4.1, Apple has also released iTunes 12.2.2, bringing additional fixes for Apple Music.This update includes the following improvements: - Click on the Beats 1 banner to see what's currently on, or view a complete broadcast schedule so you never miss a show - You can now view a list of the artists you're following on Apple Music - Resolved...

Apple CEO Tim Cook is among a group of high-profile investors in Nebia, a San Francisco-based startup that has created a water-efficient shower head, according to The New York Times. Nebia is a self-installed shower system that atomizes water into millions of droplets to create 10 times more surface area than a regular shower for up to 70% less water consumption than a traditional shower head. ...

If you were tricked into buying MacKeeper, you may be able to get your money refunded. MacKeeper, for those unfamiliar, is Mac software that purports to optimize a Mac and keep it secure from viruses and malware, advertising claims that it has not been able to live up to. As shared by Macworld, following a class action lawsuit that accused MacKeeper developer ZeoBIT of deceptive advertising...

Now that you've been testing out Apple Music for about a month, you've probably come across some questions about what else you can do with the streaming music service. We sure have. If you are a fan of Beats 1 but don't want to use up your data listening to Zane Lowe's voice on your commute to work everyday, you can download the playlist from your favorite deejays and listen to their chosen...

If you've been waiting to buy an iPad Air 2, this may be the week to do it. Best Buy has cut prices on many models by $50 to $100. Prices aren't the lowest we've seen, but they're close, especially on higher-capacity models. Best Buy is also having a sale on some of its MacBook Air models, dropping the prices by $100. With the deal, the prices are the lowest we've seen on the 11-inch MacBook...

For our next giveaway, we've partnered again with Pad & Quill, the maker of premium MacBook, iPhone, and iPad cases and other accessories. Pad & Quill is graciously offering three bags from the company's new line-up of briefcases and backpacks, including the Leather Backpack (also available in a larger size), the Briefcase (also available in a larger size), and the Luxury Briefcase. The...

StackSocial has launched a new "Pay What You Want" Mac software bundle, offering a selection of 10 apps to users who match or exceed the average payment price. Currently, the average price is at $5.56, significantly less than the $383 retail price for the apps, but it will go up as the sale goes on. A payment higher than the average price earns users access to all apps, while smaller...

The Santa Fe Opera yesterday announced a new opera coming from composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell in 2017, set to detail the complicated personal and professional life of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs (via LA Times). Titled "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs," the opera is planned to include characters not only from Jobs' work life, but his personal life as well, including his father,...

The Svalt D is a MacBook dock with a unique feature - a built in cooling fan that's designed to keep a MacBook's temperature down when used in clamshell mode with an external monitor. Keeping the MacBook cool helps prevent processor throttling due to the high temperatures a MacBook is subjected to when in clamshell mode. We went hands-on with the Svalt D to test the claims that it reduces...

Construction workers in Cupertino are making slow but steady progress on Apple's spaceship-shaped second campus, according to a new aerial video shot by drone pilot Duncan Sinfield and shared with MacRumors. Shot just this morning, Sinfield's video offers an updated look at the current state of construction. The foundation of the ring-shaped building has been completed for several months now,...