MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Originally a 2012 Kickstarter project, Mindsense's long awaited Mail Pilot email client is now available from the Mac App Store following a beta testing period that began in June. Mail Pilot focuses on the idea that email is action-based, providing users with a number of ways to deal with email messages. Taking a cue from most standard email apps, Mail Pilot organizes emails into a two column...

Google Now is a personal assistant service that is considered to be Google's counterpart to Siri. Available on iOS and Android devices, the service is now making its way onto the desktop via Chrome Canary, the experimental build of Google's Chrome web browser. As reported by the Google Operating System blog, the latest build of Chrome Canary allows users to receive Google Now cards directly ...

Following the appearance of 15-inch models of the latest Retina MacBook Pro in Apple's online store for refurbished items over the weekend, 13-inch models have now debuted in the store, again offering discounts of roughly 15% compared to brand-new units. While a number of different configurations were available when the 13-inch machines first appeared late yesterday, Apple is currently listing...

Apple is creeping closer to opening a new flagship store in Toyko's well-known Omotesando district. Previously reported to be scheduled for a March 2014 opening, an image of the store published by Mac Otakara shows significant progress has been made on the store. Although wrapped in a black shroud, the exterior of the building is starting to take shape, with the building appearing to bear a...

A number of Black Sabbath's 1970s albums, including Paranoid and Masters of Reality have finally made their way to iTunes with limited exclusivity, according to The New York Times. Previously, only the band's later material was available on iTunes. On Tuesday the band and its label, Warner Brothers, announced that iTunes had started selling its first eight studio albums, along with three...

Apple has launched its annual back to school promotion in Australia and New Zealand, offering education customers free gift cards for the company's digital content stores with the purchase of a new Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Gift cards can be used in the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore, and are available in the following amounts: - Purchase a new Mac except Mac mini or Mac...

Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter of the movie based on Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography, has completed his screenplay and submitted it to Sony, according to Variety. Sorkin -- who is well known for his work on The West Wing and The Social Network, was tapped to write the script back in the spring of 2012. Later that year, Sorkin revealed that he was planning to have the movie take place acros...

EA is adding an offline mode to SimCity, nearly a year after saying it would require "a significant amount of engineering work" to do so. It should launch in the "near future", according to EA.SimCity launched on the Mac last August and immediately ran into a number of problems including installation issues and more, but they were resolved fairly quickly -- particular in comparison to the extrem...

Apple has added a number of models of the current 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro to its online store for refurbished products, marking the their first appearance in the store since their October launch. All six of the currently available configurations are listed as shipping in 1-5 business days and are available at a roughly 15% discount compared to brand-new machines. Available models include: - ...

Apple's long-awaited retail store in Brisbane, Australia in the MacArthur Chambers building is finally set to open on Friday, January 17. Though the Brisbane store was announced more than two years ago, problems with contractors and the historical site prevented construction from beginning until 2013. The store is located in the famous MacArthur Chambers building, a 10-story high-rise that was ...

The original Macintosh Development Team, along with the Computer History Museum, is leading a special event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California on January 25 to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the introduction of the Macintosh. The Flint Center is the since renovated auditorium where Steve Jobs first introduced the Mac. In a series of panel discussions, members of the original...

Apple's Lunar New Year sale kicked off today in several Asian countries, with discounts available on a wide range of Apple products. Unlike the Black Friday sale in held in the United States and other countries in November, today's sale includes price cuts on both the iPhone 4s/5c/5s and the Retina iPad mini. Apple does not typically offer discounts on its iPhones, making this year's Lunar New ...

Apple today requested that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote disqualify Michael Bromwich, the external compliance monitor Apple was ordered to hire to ensure the company complies with all antitrust requirements in the future, from serving in his position, reports Reuters. An attorney for the consumer technology giant on Tuesday asked U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan to disqualify...

Audio recording company Apogee has announced two new devices, including the MiC 96k professional digital microphone and the JAM 96k guitar interface adapter for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. The MiC 96k combines a microphone, preamp, and an analog-to-digital converter in a compact package, which can output 24-bit/96 KHZ audio recording. The product's body includes a steel-mesh housing with a gain ...

LaCie today announced the Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2, one of the first external hard drives that will support Intel's new Thunderbolt 2 specification to deliver transfer speeds of up to 1375 MB/s, significantly faster than USB 3.0 drives. Little Big Disk includes two 500 GB PCIe solid state drives from Samsung in a Raid–0 configuration and is able to support mobile streaming and editing...

Griffin today announced a new version of its PowerMate wireless controller for the Mac, bringing wireless Bluetooth 4.0 capability as well a redesigned PowerMate app for easier user configuration. Like its predecessor, the PowerMate Bluetooth acts as a programmable wireless controller that is designed to replace keyboard shortcuts with twist gestures and clicks. The controller also comes...

Apple is set to open a new retail store in China on Friday, January 10 at the China Central Mall in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, approximately two miles from the existing Sanlitun Apple Store in Beijing. The China Central Mall is an upscale shopping center with more than 70 shops and restaurants, including stores like Gucci, Prada, and Chanel. It’s also flanked by two major hotels, the...

According to a new Apple support document, though the new Mac Pro is designed to be used in the upright position, it can also be used on its side. Owners of multiple Mac Pro units should ensure that the exhaust and intake ports are not aligned too closely as this can affect the cooling abilities of the machine.The Mac Pro (2013) has a fan system capable of cooling the computer in a vertical or...