MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

As part of OS X Lion released today, Apple includes Safari 5.1, an updated version of the company's Internet browser that supports a number of improvements, some of which are tied into Lion's new capabilities. But Apple has also pushed out Safari 5.1 for Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows, bringing some of the enhancements that don't rely on Lion to those platforms.This update contains new...

Following a report just yesterday claiming that Apple appeared to be phasing out the white MacBook in favor of the entry-level MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, Apple today has done just that, removing the machine from the list of product lines on its Mac page. The white MacBook had been sold for $999, a price matched by the entry-level MacBook Air, but the MacBook Air offers a smaller...

In Apple's press release for OS X Lion, the company revealed that they will be selling OS X Lion on USB Flash Drive as well starting in August: Users who do not have broadband access at home, work or school can download Lion at Apple retail stores and later this August, Lion will be made available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) for $69 (US).This should allay...

Further hinting at an imminent release of OS X Lion, Apple today released an update to Migration Assistant for users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The update corrects a problem that could prevent users from transferring data from a machine running Snow Leopard to a new one running Lion.This update addresses an issue with the Migration Assistant application in Mac OS X Snow Leopard that prevents...

BBEdit, the immensely powerful HTML and text editor, has been updated to version 10 with a claimed 124 new features. New features include Dropbox support for sharing supporting files amongst multiple machines, better speed and responsiveness, redesigned HTML markup tools, and a brand new price: $49.99, down from $99.99. Version 10 isn't on the Mac App Store yet, but it will be soon -- and...

The International Trade Commission is upholding a judge's decision from May that Kodak did not infringe on several of Apple's digital photography patents. This decision was part of a countersuit Apple filed in response to a patent lawsuit originally filed by Kodak early last year against both Apple and Research in Motion. Kodak lost the original judgement in its lawsuit, alleging Apple and...

Earlier this month, it was reported that Apple might be inviting customers into its retail stores to download OS X Lion when it launches, offering users with no or limited broadband access a means of acquiring the new operating system. In addition to hard drives containing OS X Lion for installation on store computers, some of Apple's retail stores are also reportedly receiving new maxed-out...

Lion may be the first release of the Mac OS to be delivered as a digital download, but there has been a circulating method to burn the Lion download onto a bootable DVD. The process still works for the Golden Master version of Lion and is a pretty straightforward process for Mac users who are comfortable making their way around the Finder. An email from Steve Jobs suggested the only way to...

Apple's stock closed at an all-time high this afternoon at $364.92, up $7.15 on the day. Rumors have been flying over the past few weeks about new products, including new MacBook Airs, Mac Mini's, Mac Pro's, the next iPhone, and new versions of the OS X and iOS. Investors seem to be pretty enthusiastic about the new lineup that Apple has in the pipeline. Since its initial public offering...

Apple today continued its parade of software updates ahead of the OS X Lion launch with the release of Aperture 3.1.3, providing a long list of improvements and undoubtedly quietly making some last-minute tweaks to ensure full compatibility with Lion.This update supports general compatibility issues, and also addresses overall stability and performance. Minor issues addressed include the...

We've received a number of reports over the last hour indicating that users have had difficulty accessing the Mac App Store, with some users also reporting issues with the iTunes Store. There were a handful of reports of the Mac App Store briefly going down a few days ago, but today's outage seems more widespread, even if it is inconsistent and affected users are generally able to regain access...

Alt-rock band They Might Be Giants will be playing two free shows at the SoHo and Boylston Street Apple Stores in New York and Boston, respectively. TMBG is promoting its new album Join Us [iTunes], due out July 19th. The SoHo show will be July 20 at 7pm, and the Boylston Street show will be the next day, July 21, at 8pm. The band advises fans to get a wristband from the stores the day before...

AMD today announced the launch of its new Radeon HD 6990M mobile graphics processor, calling it the world's fastest single mobile GPU with up to 25% greater performance than NVIDIA's just-announced GeForce 580M. While Apple typically uses middle-of-the-road GPUs in even its high-end MacBook Pro models in order to meet the requirements of the thin enclosure and thus will not be considering...

This $17 t-shirt sums up most visits to Apple's corporate headquarters in Cupertino. Available only at Apple's Company Store, it's a bit more classy than "I visited Apple HQ and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" -- but sends the same message. The shirt reads:I visited the Apple campus. But that's all I'm allowed to say.Apple's corporate store, open to the public just inside the entrance at 1...

Alongside today's release of iOS 5 beta 3, Apple also seeded the golden master (GM) version of Xcode 4.1 to developers. The release comes ten days after Apple seeded Xcode 4.1 Developer Preview 7 with the OS X Lion GM build, and signals further readiness for the public launch of OS X Lion. Xcode is Apple's package to help developers create applications for OS X and iOS. The software saw a m...

As noted by TUAW, Apple has pushed out GarageBand, iMovie, and iPhoto updates via the Mac App Store, updating the three primary components of the iLife '11 suite. The updates have not yet made it to Software Update or Apple's downloads site for those users who installed the suite by a mechanism other than the Mac App Store, but they appear on those distribution channels in the near future....

Apple had just over $65 billion in cash and marketable securities at the end of the last fiscal quarter, according to the company's quarterly filing (PDF). Apple has so much cash, it was pointed out last month, that its cash on hand exceeds the market capitalization of Nokia, RIM, HTC and Motorola Mobility combined. If Apple had no revenue, its cash-on-hand would sustain operations through the...

Skype today released its new Skype 5.2 for Mac, adding a pair of significant new features in group video screen sharing and a revamped call control bar that includes video support. Group screen sharing, which requires the same premium package as for basic group video, allows users to share their screens with all participants in the group call, marking a significant enhancement for...