MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

The developers behind the popular notification service Growl plan to actively develop the application going forward, even as Apple includes a similar feature -- Notification Center -- in OS X Mountain Lion. Growl's lead developer Chris Forsythe explained in a blog post that Growl will be embracing Notification Center rather than trying to compete with it or shutting the project down. Part of...

As we noted on Monday, Apple's new MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro use a new MagSafe 2 charging standard that is thinner and wider than the previous MagSafe. In order to assist people using the new machines with older equipment like chargers and displays, Apple released a small MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter for $9.99 to ensure continued compatibility. Apple has not updated its Apple...

In response to a question about Apple's Ping social network at the D10 conference last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said "the customer voted and said 'this isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into'."Apple hasn't done much with Ping since it was released more than a year and a half ago, and Cook's statement indicated that trend would continue. Now, All Things Digital's John...

Amid all the excitement of the notebook updates and OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6 news yesterday, Apple quietly updated the Mac Pro, but surprisingly continued to use older Westmere processors instead of Intel's latest Sandy Bridge E offerings. The company also decided not to add Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 to what is supposed to be its top-of-the-line professional workstation, leaving customers who...

One day after its release at WWDC, Apple has already issued a software update for the MacBook Pro (Retina). The update, which weighs in at mere 1.26MB, fixes an issue with the trackpad being intermittently unresponsive:About MacBook Pro (Retina) Trackpad Update 1.0This update addresses an issue where the trackpad may not respond consistently to user input, and is recommended for all MacBook ...

Following the release of a number of software updates yesterday to add support for the new Retina MacBook Pro to Apple's Mac apps, the company has rolled out one more today with the release of iMovie 9.0.6 [Mac App Store].This update provides general stability and compatibility improvements, including: - Enhancements for the MacBook Pro with Retina display - Language support for Catalan,...

Following the announcement of new MacBook Pro's at WWDC today, Apple has already released a software update for the Mid 2012 MacBook Pro. The update, which weighs in at 1.06GB, offers updates to a few non-specific issues: About MacBook Pro (Mid 2012) Software Update 1.0 This update is recommended for MacBook Pro (mid 2012) models. The update includes fixes that improve graphics...

Apple released new versions of OS X Mountain Lion to developers today. Developer Preview 4 arrives with a build number of 12A239, while OS X Server Developer Preview 5 has build number 12S254j.The release notes do not reveal any major updates to the software, but note a few minor issues with Setup Assistant, FileVault and QuickTime screen recording. Most significantly, the release does not ask ...

This 2880x1880 screenshot of Dashboard on a Retina-equipped MacBook Pro displays at full resolution on non-Retina equipped Macs. The image gives a decent idea of the sheer number of pixels on Apple's new flagship Mac. Click the image to see the full-size...

In line with our report from earlier today, Apple has launched its annual Back to School promotion, offering educational customers a $100 iTunes Store gift card with the purchase of a Mac or a $50 card with the purchase of an iPad. As detailed in the official terms and conditions (PDF), the promotion is valid on the purchase of a new (non-refurbished) iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, ...

After their update today, Apple's two photography applications -- iPhoto and Aperture -- can now share libraries with no import or export required. The Aperture update notes say that "Faces, Places, slideshows, albums and web sharing work across both applications". Users of both apps will no doubt be pleased.Since the apps were introduced, self-contained photo libraries had to be exported and...

Apple has quietly issued updates for a number of its software packages following the WWDC keynote this morning. Final Cut Pro, Motion, Aperture, iPhoto and iTunes have all been given updates. Professional video editing app Final Cut Pro [Mac App Store] was updated to version 10.0.5 with an update that "improves overall stability and is enhanced for the MacBook Pro with Retina display." Moti...

In its quest for thinness in the Retina Display MacBook Pro, Apple removed the optical drive and built the display into the unibody construction. The company's engineers also designed a new, thinner MagSafe power port to accommodate the notebook's 0.71" height. The new MagSafe 2 connector -- which is incompatible with the original MagSafe power bricks as well as devices with a MagSafe power...

Apple today quietly introduced a redesigned AirPort Express wireless base station, drawing on the design of the Apple TV set-top box and introducing simultaneous dual-band 802.11n connectivity for increased performance.The new AirPort Express supports simultaneous dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi. That means it transmits at both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies at the same time. So no matter which band...

Apple has quietly upgraded the Mac Pro with minor processor bumps and an increase in the standard RAM to 6GB in the least expensive configuration. The update does not include the much-anticipated addition of the Thunderbolt I/O system. Reports The Verge: Unfortunately, it's not much of an upgrade: you can simply get a pair of six-core 3.06GHz Intel Xeon X5675 processors rather than 2.93GHz...

Apple appears to have quietly discontinued the 17" MacBook Pro today amid the flurry of updates and announcements at WWDC today. Apple's newly updated MacBook Pro product page mentions the new Retina Display-equipped 15" Pro, as well as the new 13" and 15" Pro's, but is silent on the 17". The 17" PowerBook G4 was first released in January of 2003 and has received a number of updates over the...

Apple's announcement to move their Macs from PowerPC to Intel processors in 2005 was a huge surprise at the time. Serious reports about the plan hit the web only two days before the official announcement at WWDC 2005. The immediate reaction on MacRumors included a 2936 comment thread with some very strong reactions to the switch-up. Now, a post by the wife of a former Apple employee at...

The keynote Video is available With Apple's WWDC 2012 Keynote kicking off on Monday, some users are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until Apple posts the recorded video of the event so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome. For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with the link to the presentation once it...