MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Just days after reaching $200 billion in market capitalization, Apple has pushed past Berkshire Hathaway and Wal-Mart to take the third spot in market capitalization among publicly-listed U.S. companies behind Exxon Mobil and Microsoft. Apple and Wal-Mart remain neck-and-neck today, with minute-by-minute fluctuations in the two companies' stock prices causing them to rapidly swap positions. ...

9 to 5 Mac reports that it has received word from a tipster claiming that Apple is set to be released as soon as tomorrow, although the launch may be delayed until next Tuesday. The report follows an earlier claim of new Mac Pro models set for launch next Tuesday. According to the source: The MacBook Pro will be released on the same day as Mac Pro. We are scheduled for a Friday morning release...

Apple today released MainStage 2.1.1, an update to Apple's Logic Studio component for bringing virtual instruments and effects to live performances, via Software Update. According to the release notes, the update addresses a host of issues related to 64-Bit mode, stability, plug-ins, and other areas. This update delivers improved compatibility and numerous fixes. Issues addressed in MainStage...

Microsoft today issued a handful of updates for users of the company's Office productivity suite, primarily addressing security issues. - Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.4 Update (221 MB): The update offers several fixes related to stability and performance, as well as patches for security vulnerabilities. - Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.8 Update (9.7 MB): The update addresses...

Fueled by Friday's announcement of a shipping date for the iPad, Apple's stock price has jumped over 6% in recent trading, pushing the company beyond $200 billion in market value for the first time in its history. AAPL currently sits at over $223 per share. Apple currently holds the fifth-largest market capitalization among U.S. public companies, behind Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and ...

The Associated Press reports that a federal court judge in Delaware has placed a hold on the patent dispute between Apple and Nokia pending review of similar, separate cases by the U.S International Trade Commission (ITC). The judge signed an order Wednesday staying litigation in a lawsuit in which Nokia claims that Apple is infringing on seven Nokia patents in products ranging from the iPhone to...

Apple today released ProKit 5.1 for Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5), an update to the framework that provides the controls and user interface for Apple's pro applications. This ProKit Update fixes issues with user interface software resources that are shared by Apple's professional applications. The issues addressed include: - Corrected an issue with improper scrolling behavior. - Resolved memory...

PCWorld reports that Apple has hired former Mozilla security chief Window Snyder as a Senior Product Manager in its security group. Apple is the third browser-maker in the past five years that has employed Snyder, who previously had worked as a security strategist at Microsoft where she managed the company's relationships with security consultants and had worked on the Windows XP and Windows...

In mid-January, The Mac Observer posted several images apparently of a front bezel that its source claimed was for Apple's forthcoming tablet device. We were skeptical of the images, which appeared almost identical to a stretched iPhone, and they did in fact turn out to be false. Cloned in China today reports (via Engadget) on a new "iPad clone" from Chinese manufacturer TESO offering...

Apple today released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.1, bringing RAW image compatibility to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09 for a number of cameras. This update extends RAW image compatibility for Aperture 3 and iPhoto 09 for the following cameras: - Hasselblad H3DII-50 - Leica M9 - Leica X1 - Olympus E-P1 - Olympus E-P2 - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 - Pentax K-7 - Pentax K-x - Sony...

Apple today released Aperture 3.0.1, addressing several issues with the latest version of its professional photo editing and management application released earlier this month. This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of issues in Aperture 3, including: - Upgrading libraries from earlier versions of Aperture - Importing libraries from iPhoto - Importing photos directly...

Data Center Knowlege points to a brief YouTube video posted late last week reportedly showing aerial footage of Apple's massive new data center being constructed in the town of Maiden, North Carolina. It's plenty big, as illustrated by this aerial video posted to YouTube (apparently taken by an area realtor) of the 500,000 square foot facility. The new $1 billion data center will be nearly five...

9to5Mac rediscovers evidence that the iPad 3.2 SDK shows hints of video conferencing. This was first discovered shortly after the SDK's release in January: We're told that there are hooks to accept and decline a video conference, flip a video feed (which suggests a front-facing camera) and -- most importantly -- run the video call in either full screen mode or in just a portion of the screen....

ifoAppleStore reports that Apple is planning to open its first retail store in the state of Idaho, which will become the 42nd state in the U.S. with an Apple retail presence. Apple's first Idaho store is reportedly set to open in Boise as early as September. Far out and left out. That's the way Idaho residents have felt for nine years without an Apple retail store. Now their laments will end with ...

All Things D reports on comments made by CBS CEO Les Moonves during today's earnings conference call. Moonves reported said that the prices of some of its shows will be $0.99, possibly reflecting moves by Apple. "There are certain shows that will be sold on Apple for 99 cents," Moonves said today, adding, however, that details have not been worked out. Despite these comments, All Things D...

AE Portal News reported last week on a Twitter post claiming that Apple has laid off 40 members of its Final Cut team focused on the company's professional-level video editing software tools. The cuts were apparently focused on remote teams based in the Los Angeles and Austin areas. And while it doesn't mean that Final Cut is doomed, it is interesting that Pro App teams in LA and Austin were cut...

Nuance Communications today announced that it has acquired MacSpeech, the leading provider of speech recognition products for the Mac platform. MacSpeech's "Dictate" product for Mac OS X, selected as Best of Show at Macworld San Francisco 2008, already utilizes Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition engine and will allow Nuance to build on its current success with Dragon...

With another Tuesday right around the corner, the MacBook Pro update rumor mill is grinding away again, and this time it's a claim from our forums that Best Buy's internal inventory system has been updated with three new Apple products in the "Mobile Computing" category. Speculation on the identity of the new products ranges from updated MacBook Pro models to forthcoming Wi-Fi-only iPad models...