MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Apple today released MainStage 2.2.1 [Mac App Store], an update to the company's software for bringing virtual instruments and effects to live performances. According to the full release notes, the update addresses sixteen separate issues, with the company highlighting the following:The MainStage 2.2.1 update addresses overall stability and performance issues including: - Resolves several...

Earlier this month, the staff at Munich, Germany's Apple Store Rosenstraße formed a "Betriebsrat" [Google translate] -- an official labor council that focuses on the working conditions within the store. IFO Apple Store: It’s the first such council within Apple’s Germany stores... and will deal with issues such as routine overtime, sales pressure from management, high noise levels within...

Apple just released an update for the MacBook Pro 15-inch, late 2008 model. It requires Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8, Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8, or OS X Lion 10.7.3. About MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.8 This update is recommended for MacBook Pro (15-inch, late 2008) models. The update resolves a graphics issue that may cause the internal display to flicker.Weighing in at 1.79MB, the update ...

Best Buy will extend its return policy from 14 days to 30 days, beginning next week according to TUAW. The change applies to all products, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Macintosh purchases. The Apple Retail Store return policy is officially 14 days, but the company will occasionally "surprise and delight" customers by honoring longer return policies in some instances. Both Best...

Urban Toronto reports that it has received information indicating that Apple has reached an agreement to occupy 1 Bloor Street West in Toronto, potentially signaling plans for a major new flagship store in the heart of one of Toronto's major commercial districts. Stollery's clothing store at 1 Bloor Street West in Toronto The space is currently occupied by Stollery's, a 30,000 square-foot...

Apple just released an update for all iMacs, Late 2009 or newer. It requires OS X Lion 10.7.3. About iMac Wi-Fi Update v1.0 This update resolves an issue that may cause an iMac to not automatically connect to a known Wi-Fi network after waking from sleep. It is recommended for all iMac (Late 2009 or newer) users running 10.7.3.Weighing in at 25.81MB, the update can be downloaded from...

Apple just released new firmware updates for the full range of Macs released in 2011, which apparently all fix the same issues. This update improves the reliability of booting from the network, addresses an issue that can prevent HDCP authentication after a reboot, and resolves an issue with boot device selection when a USB storage device is hot-plugged.The software updates are: - Mac mini...

Ron Wayne, Apple, Inc.'s sometimes forgotten third co-founder, has posted a short essay entitled "Why I Left Apple Computer After Only 12 Days, In My Own Words". The piece notes that though he sold his share of Apple for pennies on the dollar, he has no regrets. Instead, he was looking to change the world in his own way. I didn’t separate myself from Apple because of any lack of enthusiasm for ...

Even as Apple is preparing to open its first Dutch retail store in Amsterdam on March 3, the company is moving closer to expanding its international reach even further as it has updated its Swedish jobs site with new postings for the complete range of retail positions. We noted last November that Apple had filed a business registration certificate for Apple Retail Sweden, offering support to ...

Following reports yesterday that Apple would open its first Dutch retail store in Amsterdam on March 3, the company has confirmed that date today with emails to customers and a new dedicated store page on its website. The new store will open at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 3, with press reportedly having been invited to a preview event two days earlier. With the opening, the Netherlands will ...

After one false alert claiming a February 18 opening for Apple's new Amsterdam retail store, the company's first in the Netherlands, One More Thing now reports [Google translation] that the grand opening is apparently set for March 3. Glass staircase at Apple's Amsterdam retail store The sources of the information are said to be "numerous and come from different angles", making One More...

9to5Mac reports that Apple is working on an overhaul of its iTunes Store and App Store marketplaces, seeking to simplify the user experience while also increasing interactivity and discoverability. The revamped stores are reportedly planned to launch later this year.The new design is said to be even simpler and more user-friendly than the current design. Apple is working on ways to enhance the...

As noticed by several users running the developer preview version of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple is no longer including its X11 application for running software through the X Window System interface. A popular option for scientists and others seeking to run specialized UNIX software both on local machines and across networks, X11 has been available on OS X for a number of years and has been...

Cult of Mac points to a report from French site MacGeneration highlighting the system requirements for OS X Mountain Lion. Among those Macs currently compatible with OS X Lion, those with lower-end Intel GMA X3100 or GMA 950 integrated graphics will not be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion:- Any Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook from late 2007 – late 2008 (Model Numbers: MB061*/B, MB062*/B, MB063*/B,...

Alongside the OS X Mountain Lion developer preview released today, Apple has also pushed out Safari 5.2 for Lion to developers. The update brings a number of new features that will be included with Safari in OS X Mountain Lion later this year. Among the new additions are a unified address/search bar, new persistent Reader icon that is blue when available and grey when inactive, and new URL...

While OS X Lion was initially announced as an exclusive Mac App Store release, Apple did backtrack slightly before launch with a decision to offer a $69 USB thumb drive to assist users without access to broadband connections. As reported by Pocket-lint, Apple has decided to end that experiment with OS X Mountain Lion, making the forthcoming release a true Mac App Store exclusive.Apple has...

Apple today released Xcode 4.3 [Mac App Store], making a number of improvements to the software. Among the notable changes, Xcode is now offered directly as an app. It had previously been offered as an installer package, and the move simplifies the installation and update process.What's New in Version 4.3 Xcode is now distributed as an application, rather than as an installer. This change...

Hardware.info points to a presentation slide from NVIDIA showing the range of products the company's graphics chips power. The tagline reads,"From Super Phones to Super Computers". The site also noted a strange looking Mac notebook in the middle of the lineup. The notebook seems to carry characteristics from both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro line. The lower part of the body has a...