MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Intuit today announced the introduction of the Mac version of QuickBooks 2010, an update to the company's small business accounting software. Scheduled for launch on October 19th at a suggested price of $199.95, QuickBooks 2010 brings a number of enhancements to the software package. Available in late October, QuickBooks 2010 for Mac, from Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), helps business owners: *...

Research in Motion today announced that it will be launching BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac on October 2nd, bringing an integrated syncing and device management tool for BlackBerry users to the Mac OS X platform. Plans for the software were announced earlier this year. The new BlackBerry Desktop Manager software allows Mac users to smoothly and seamlessly sync data from Mac applications like...

TechCrunch today noted that doubleTwist, the iTunes competitor launched last year by famed digital rights management hacker Jon Lech Johansen ("DVD Jon"), is preparing to launch a significant update to its software. As part of the promotional material for the release, which is scheduled for October 6th, doubleTwist has remade Apple's classic '1984' television commercial with a twist: a Steve...

Apple subsidiary FIlemaker today announced the release of Bento 3, a significant update to the company's personal database software. Priced at $49 for a single-user license or $99 for a five-user family pack, Bento 3 adds integration with iPhoto, sharing of libraries over local networks, and new options for viewing information. "Think of Bento 3 as a powerful, easy way to bring together all of...

PreCentral reports that Palm's webOS 1.2 has just been released, offering a number of improvements to the Palm Pre's operating system. Multiple posters in the PreCentral forums have noted, however, that the update does not re-enable media syncing via iTunes. Last week, rumors had suggested that the update would in fact re-enable iTunes syncing in the latest move in Apple and Palm's...

The Loop notes that Apple has expanded its GarageBand lesson offerings to add two Rush songs ("Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight") on guitar and one John Legend song ("Ordinary People") on piano. Rush's guitarist Alex Lifeson takes you through a simple way to play the intro riff to one of the band's most popular songs, "Tom Sawyer." After learning the opening riff, Lifeson then breaks down the rest of...

Google yesterday announced that it has released Picasa 3.5 for Mac and PC, bringing several new features to the free photo organization and editing software. The Mac version removes the "beta" tag that had distinguished it since its January launch, as Google now considers the Mac and PC versions to offer the same feature sets. The highest-profile change in Picasa 3.5 is the addition of facial ...

Apple today released a trio of updates for its professional-level audio applications, bringing stability improvements and a number of bug fixes. - Logic Pro 9.0.1 weighs in at 183 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later. This update improves overall stability and provides numerous fixes and enhancements. Issues addressed include: * Flex Markers can align & snap to MIDI notes *...

ifoAppleStore reports that employees of the Seattle-area Alderwood Mall Apple retail store in Lynwood, Washington are planning to stage a walk-out on October 3rd to protest employees' treatment by management and an unwillingness by higher-level Apple executives to appropriately address the "abusive" situation. Now, staffers at the Alderwood Mall (Wash.) retail store say their complaints about...

Apple today released Version 2.2 of HP Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v10.6, updating drivers for a small handful of previously-supported models and adding support for several new models. The complete package of drivers, which weighs in at 383 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.6.1, comes ten days after the last update for HP drivers. A quick glance at Apple's support document listing supported...

TUAW reports that auction house Profiles in History will be auctioning off as part of a sale scheduled for next month a Macintosh Plus given by Apple to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The auction description states: This is the very first Macintosh Plus 1Mb personal computer to come off the assembly line at Apple Computer in Fresno, California. It was presented to Gene Roddenberry as a...

Apple today released a number of updates for Xsan, the company's enterprise-class storage area network (SAN) solution. Xsan 2.2 brings support for Mac OS X Snow Leopard, as well as a number of other changes. - Xsan 2.2 Admin Update for 10.6 (35 MB) The 2.2 update is recommended for all systems running Xsan 2. This update includes general administration fixes for remotely administering,...

DigiTimes reports that the flash memory market is currently experiencing shortages, as manufacturers have been dedicating increased amounts of their capacity to Apple. The company has been purchasing considerable amounts of NAND flash for its new iPod touch models with capacities up to 64 GB and to prepare for the launch of the iPhone in China later this year. Samsung Electronics has informed...

Apple has quietly added additional build-to-order RAM options to its Quad-Core Mac Pro, now allowing users to configure new systems with either 12 GB (3 x 4 GB) or 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) of RAM. The new options using 4 GB RAM DIMMs carry significant price tags, with the 12 GB option resulting in a $1350 up charge over the base 3 GB configuration and the 16 GB option carrying an $1850 premium. ...

On the heels of updated HP printer drivers for Snow Leopard, Apple has now released similar updates for both Brother and Canon printers and multifunction devices. - Brother Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v10.6, Version 2.1 weighs in at 95.52 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.6.1. The download offers updates for many of Brother printers that had already been supported, and adds support for a number of ...

Apple yesterday released Version 2.1 of HP Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v10.6, adding Snow Leopard-compatible drivers for a number of HP printers and multifunction devices. Complete information on Snow Leopard-compatible drivers can be found in Apple's support document on the issue, which has been updated to include the newly-added HP drivers, which are marked with an asterisk. The download ...

Apple today released a pair of firmware updates for iMac users and users of Apple's RAID card for the Mac Pro and Xserve. - iMac Graphics FW Update 1.0.2 improves system stability for iMacs using ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics cards. This update is for iMac computers with an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card installed, running Mac OS X...

In addition to today's release of iTunes 9 and QuickTime 7.6.4, Apple also released two other software updates for enterprise iPhone users and MobileMe customers users running Windows. - iPhone Configuration Utility 2.1 allows system administrators in enterprise settings to perform a variety of tasks related to administering iPhones. iPhone Configuration Utility lets you easily create,...