MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

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,...

Apple today released QuickTime 7.6.4 for Mac OS X Leopard and Tiger via Software Update and the QuickTime download page. A Windows version for XP and Vista is also available. QuickTime 7.6.4 includes changes that increase reliability, improve compatibility and enhance security. This release is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users. For detailed information on this update, please visit this...

CNET Asia points to new case offerings for the next-generation iPod touch and iPod nano from Chinese firm Cygnett. While a number of third-party case manufacturers have been advertising cases for the next-generation iPod touch and iPod nano for the past several months, these latest images are notable because they depict iPods in the cases, complete with centered digital camera on the back of the ...

Adobe Photoshop project manager John Nack notes that Adobe has revised its Creative Suite FAQ to reflect that the company expects Creative Suite 3 to function normally on Snow Leopard except for a few non-critical bugs, which are detailed in a series of TechNotes posted to Adobe's support pages. Do Adobe Creative Suite 3 products support Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)? Adobe has worked closely...

Apple today released Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 5, bringing Java improvements for users running OS X Leopard. Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 5 delivers improved reliability, security, and compatibility for Java SE 6, J2SE 5.0 and J2SE 1.4.2 on Mac OS X 10.5.8 and later. This release updates Java SE 6 to version 1.6.0_15, J2SE 5.0 to version 1.5.0_20, and J2SE 1.4.2 to 1.4.2_22.The update...

ifoAppleStore reports that the Sagemore Apple retail store was robbed in a smash-and-grab burglary last night conducted by five individuals. In only 31 seconds, the burglars were able to make off with 23 MacBook Pros, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod touches. A night shift security guard, whose position had been added due to a similar burglary at the store back in March, declined to intervene when one of...

Adobe Photoshop project manager John Nack reports that his team is currently investigating three bugs that have appeared for users of Photoshop CS3 and CS4 on Mac OS X Snow Leopard. 1. The most crucial of the bugs appears to be unexpected crashing during Open and Save operations, a bug which appears to affect other applications besides Photoshop, including non-Adobe applications. 2. A...

A pair of research reports released today from prominent research analysts disagree over whether Apple CEO Steve Jobs will make his first public appearance since returning from a medical leave of absence for a liver transplant by presenting at next week's media event in San Francisco. Fortune points to a note to clients from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who predicts that Jobs will take...

Apple today released Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Update Version 1.1, a re-release of Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 initially released earlier this month. While Apple has not provided any documentation on what changes are present from the initial release, Version 1.1 likely offers bug fixes for issues missed in the initial release. - Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Update v.1.1 (274 MB) - for users running OS X...

Apple today released a pair of firmware updates, one addressing memory compatibility in Mac minis and another addressing optical noises on startup and wake from sleep in the iMac and Mac mini. - Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2 improves compatibility with the latest memory kits. This update improves compatibility with the latest Apple memory kits on Mac mini computers. To complete the...

Apple today released Server Admin Tools 10.6, providing software utilities to enable Snow Leopard client systems to administer servers running Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server. This download contains remote administration tools, documentation, and utilities that you can install on a computer other than your server. For more information on how to use the included software, see the...

Apple today released a pair of updates targeting Snow Leopard for server and database users. - Network Registration Update 1.0 fixes an issue with duplicate serial numbers on Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard. The Network Registration Update is recommended for servers running Mac OS X Server version 10.6. It addresses an issue with duplicate serial number alerts on servers with multiple network...

Apple today released a series of updates allowing users to download the Snow Leopard-compatible printer drivers that ship with Apple's new operating system. Apple has also posted a support document outlining which printer models currently have Snow Leopard-compatible drivers available. - Brother Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v.10.6 (80.8 MB) - Canon Printer Drivers for Mac OS X v.10.6 (247.8...