MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

CNET reports on recent discussion that indirectly reveals that Google is planning on releasing an official beta version of its Chrome browser for Mac in "early December". Developer builds of the Mac version of Chrome have been available for testing for several months, but the move to a beta designation implies a more polished version that could be considered acceptable for many mainstream users. ...

Microsoft today issued a handful of updates for users of the company's Office productivity suite. While much of the documentation for these releases mysteriously lists October release dates, the updates do appear to have just been issued today. - Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.3 Update (349.5 MB): According to the associated support document, the update includes suite-wide security and...

Engadget points to an article from Shufflegazine about NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's recent visit to Dubai where he was photographed with a slim slate-style tablet computer. The device's sleek profile, iPhone-style "home" button at the bottom front of the device, and suggestions of an iSight-like webcam in the top of the front bezel led to some initial speculation that the device might be...

Apple today released Wireless Keyboard Update 2.0, weighing in at 10.95 MB. The update description page provides scant information beyond compatibility with "special features" of the new wireless keyboard released alongside new iMacs last month. Install this software to take advantage of your 2009 aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard's special features. The update requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or...

Boy Genius Report posts a brief tidbit noting that it has heard from two separate sources that AT&T (and thus Apple) is considering launching a $99 iPhone 3GS in time for Christmas. We've heard now from two sources that AT&T, and we guess Apple, are contemplating launching an 8GB iPhone 3GS at the $99 price point before Christmas. One source said this was AT&T's way of combating the DROID madness.N...

Apple today released WaveBurner 1.6.1 Update, providing several enhancements to the professional production utility for mastering and authoring audio CDs available as part the company's Logic Studio suite. This update improves stability and provides numerous fixes. Issues addressed include: - Mastering notes are now properly saved to disk - Waveform display in the Mix Lane renders more...

Silicon Alley Insider issued a brief report yesterday sharing secondhand information of an Apple engineer's increased trips to Asia of late and apparent additional upcoming trips during the usually-slow holiday season. Indeed, a source tells us a system integration engineer friend of his at Apple has been ramping up his travels back and forth between China lately, broadcasting word of his travels...

Apple today released Bluetooth Update 1.0 for Windows, bringing improved Bluetooth support to Windows XP and Vista running under Apple's Boot Camp. The update, which weighs in at 6.27 MB, applies only to Apple's new 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models. This update improves the performance of the Apple Bluetooth devices when running Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista on a Mac computer using Boot ...

VMware today announced that it has begun shipping VMware Fusion 3, the next generation of its virtualization software that allows users to run Windows applications alongside Mac OS X applications. The new software, announced earlier this month, is optimized for Snow Leopard, offers full support for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7, and includes a built-in Migration Assistant for Windows tool to...

Chinese parts supplier China Ontrade has posted what it claims to be a SIM card tray from the fourth-generation iPhone, although the site suggests that the device may actually be Apple's much-rumored "iTablet". According to the product description, the part came directly from Foxconn, Apple's frequent manufacturing partner that has reportedly been tabbed to build the tablet. Original Apple...

Apple today released a pair of software updates targeting Final Cut Studio and Snow Leopard Server users. Pro Applications Update 2009-001 (243.23 MB) offers an update to a number of components of Final Cut Studio. Pro Applications Update 2009-01 is a revision to Final Cut Studio (2009). This update includes Final Cut Pro 7.0.1, Motion 4.0.1, Soundtrack Pro 3.0.1, Color 1.5.1, and Compressor ...

Several weeks ago, we noted "unboxing" photos of an Apple job offer showing off the sleek and modern look expected of all Apple products. Earlier this week, we received a new set of photos showing the unboxing of an Apple employee T-shirt. The T-shirts were reportedly given as gifts to Apple call center technical support staff and their packaging and presentation again demonstrate the Apple...

Adobe today announced that it has released a beta version of Photoshop Lightroom 3 for Mac and Windows, the company's software for digital photo management and post-production that competes against Apple's Aperture. Available as a free download on Adobe Labs, Lightroom 3 beta delivers a preview of new tools that will be in Lightroom 3, including more intuitive importing, unparalleled noise...

Apple today released Performance Update 1.0, addressing hard drive pauses affecting a "small number of customers" on a number of different Mac models. The update is available in Snow Leopard (300 KB) and Leopard (322 KB) versions. This update addresses intermittent hard drive-related stalls reported by a small number of customers. For detailed information on this update, please visit this website....

Apple today released Logic Pro 9.0.2, addressing several bugs and enhancing overall stability on Apple's professional audio editing application. This update improves overall stability and provides numerous fixes and enhancements. Issues addressed include: - Flex Markers can align & snap to MIDI notes - Performing a punch-in recording with Replace Mode now behaves correctly - The I/O...

Microsoft today announced that it will extend Mainstream Support for Office 2004 for Mac through January 10th, 2012. The company had previously announced that support would end on October 13th, 2009, but in light of the significant number of users still using Office 2004 in order to take advantage of Visual Basic features missing in Office 2008, Microsoft has decided to extend support for Office ...

Apple yesterday released Epson Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v10.6.1 2.1, updating Snow Leopard compatibility for the company's line of printers and multifunction devices. Apple released a series of printer driver packages at Snow Leopard's launch and has continued to issue updates as additional support becomes available from the manufacturers. A full list of supported printer models for each...

Apple today released Apple RAID Card (Early 2009) Firmware Update 1.1, bringing several updates for the company's RAID card offered as an option on the Mac Pro and Xserve. The update is recommended for all Early 2009 Mac Pros and Xserves using the Apple RAID card. This update provides several fixes, including: - Reliability improvements during boot and power fail recovery - Improves...