MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Apple has been sending out e-mails to customers in a number of U.S. states alerting them to upcoming "sales tax holidays" that may entitle them to tax-free purchases of qualifying Apple products. A number of states sponsor these programs on an annual basis, lifting state sales taxes on limited items for a brief period to stimulate retail sales. The programs are frequently billed as...

PreCentral reports that Palm has recently hired former Apple employee Jeff Zwerner as its Senior Vice President of Brand Design. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Zwerner, according to his LinkedIn page, has twice been in the employ of Apple - once as the Creative Director for Packaging in 2001-2003 and earlier as a Senior Art Director from 1995-1996. Sure, it's probably likely that some...

Apple today announced the launch of the iTunes Store in Mexico. Continuing Apple's tradition of providing international stores with localized collections, the Mexican store features local artists including Paulina Rubio, Vicente Fernndez and Zo and a wide range of international artists including Shakira, Lady Gaga, Green Day and thousands more. "The iTunes Store in Mexico is off to a great start...

Apple today released GarageBand 5.1, addressing general compatibility and stability issues as well as several other minor fixes. This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and fixes a number of other minor issues. The issues addressed include: - GarageBand track effects and Audio Units can now be added to a guitar track - Improved support for Apogee audio...

Apple has launched a revamped version of its job listings site, offering a modern design more in line with the rest of Apple's site and providing additional resources for prospective job applicants to guide them in understanding the company's philosophy and preparing to apply for positions with Apple. The site offers background information and job descriptions for both corporate and retail...

Gossip site TMZ posted a photo of Steve Jobs spotted leaving Apple campus earlier...

TechCrunch reports that the Apple retail store in Palo Alto, California has unveiled an eye-catching new window display consisting of a video wall presenting a cloud of App Store application icons flying by with featured apps being shown on an oversized iPhone mockup in the center of the display. Earlier this evening I was walking down the streets of Palo Alto near TechCrunch HQ, when I stumbled...

Apple today released ProKit 5.0, an update to the framework that provides the controls and user interface for Apple's pro applications. A number of Apple's pro applications, including the Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio suites for video and audio production and editing also received updates today. About ProKit 5.0 This update improves general user interface reliability for Apple's professional ...

In a blog post today, Research in Motion announced its plans for BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac, which will provide full-featured media and data syncing. Here are some key features the initial release will include: - Sync your iTunes playlists, calendars, contacts, notes and tasks - Add/Remove applications - Update your device when new software becomes available - Backup and restore...

Apple today notified registered developers that session videos from Apple's 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) are now available for purchase and download. Individual iPhone and Mac packages are available for $299 each, with a combined package of all videos priced at $499. The packages offer videos of the presentations and Q&A portions of each session, along with corresponding slides ...

Apple today released iMovie 8.0.4, improving overall stability and addressing several specific issues. This update improves overall stability and fixes a number of other minor issues. The issues addressed include: - Fixed a problem with incorrect rotation when working with video created by iPhone 3GS - Resolved instability when adding multiple beat markers in some languages - Corrected an...

One of Coldplay's roadies reports that Steve Jobs attended the band's concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on Monday night and made a backstage visit to chat with some of the band members and other VIPs. I'll be honest with you folks, the only thing that mattered to me tonight was the presence of one Steve Jobs. I'm a confirmed Apple devotee and I really cannot imagine...

iPodNN reports that Samsung and Toshiba, the only remaining manufacturers of 1.8-inch hard drives, are having difficulties finding substantial markets for their drives. The issues are casting doubt on the future of Apple's iPod classic, which utilizes 120-GB versions of the drives. A new 250GB Samsung drive has failed to find significant sales, despite being deliberately marketed at builders of...

Apple today released iTunes 8.2.1 via Software Update and the iTunes download page. The new update "provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices." The update weighs in at 79.3 MB for OS X...

iLounge points out that Apple has launched "Digital 45s" [iTunes Store] in the iTunes Store, a new concept offering a pair of songs from a single artist at a price slightly discounted from the individual track prices. Harkening back to the days of the vinyl 45 rpm record, the iTunes Store has launched a new section of the store for "D45s." As with vinyl 45s, these new digital packs contain two...

Microsoft has officially launched Silverlight 3, the latest major update to their web media platform. New features in Silverlight 3 include the addition of H.264/AAC codec support and "Smooth Streaming" which "dynamically detects and seamlessly switches, in real time, the video quality of a media file delivered to Silverlight based on local bandwidth and CPU conditions." Full-screen...

In a blog posting, Intuit reports that the much-delayed Quicken Financial Life for Mac, initially slated for release in 2008, will now be released in February 2010. We know you've heard this before. In early 2008, we told you we'd release Quicken Financial Life for Mac later that year. 2008 came and went and we did not. At Macworld 2009, we told you it would be later this year. But after...

English fashion designer Sir Paul Smith revealed on his blog that he has received a giant model of a pink iPod nano from his good friend Jonathan Ive as a birthday present. On Friday 3rd July, I received a really lovely mad gift for my birthday (which is on the 5th) from Jonathan Ive and Jody who works with him at Apple - a perfect model of an Ipod but as you can see slightly bigger than usual....