MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

With early hints at only modest sales at Apple stores, it comes as a surprise that Best Buy's Mac sale appears to be over. The retailer's site no longer shows the $100-$150 discounts on new Macs. At this time MacMall sales (chart) remain in effect. Official U.S. Apple Black Friday sales should be published later tonight but it appears that modest ($100) discounts will only extend to the...

Only a week after the Safari 3.2 update, Apple has posted version 3.2.1 in Mac OS X's Software Update. Apple does not detail the changes but describes this update containing "stability improvements" and that it is recommended for all Safari users. The 3.2 update added protection from fraudulent phishing websites and better identification of online...

Apple today released Pro Apps Update 2008-004 for users of Final Cut and Logic application packages. The update includes Final Cut Pro 6.0.5, Compressor 3.0.5, Color 1.0.3, and Shake 4.1.1. While Apple's download page simply mentions that the update "addresses general performance issues and improves overall stability," further details on the changes included in these updates can be found in...

It seems there was some interest in the previous post about discounts on the original 1.6GHz MacBook Air ($1149.99). Our affiliate partner MacMall has since notified us that they are now offering the original 1.8GHz MacBook Air with 64GB SSD drive for $1749.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The original...

Apple has issued a QuickTime H.264 Compatibility Update today which "improves QuickTime compatibility with iChat." The 3.3MB download is available via Mac OS X's Software...

Stuff.tv reports a questionable rumor from a tipster they claim had "given us the goods on the PAYG iPhone before everyone else." The claim is that Apple will be introducing an iPod "Stick" potentially at Macworld with the following features: "WiFi, Multitouch flex display and, er, a 7MP camera." We're not quite sure what a "flex display" exactly is (aside from the obvious) and why you'd...

Our affiliate partner MacMall notified us that they are now offering the original 1.6GHz MacBook Air with 80GB hard drive for $1149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. This represents a significant drop in price for the 1st generation MacBook Air. The 1.6GHz model originally retailed for $1799 but has since been replaced by the NVIDIA-based MacBook Air that was introduced in October. Specs for...

TechCrunch suggests and then dismisses the possibility that Apple may be building a search engine. According to the site, they had heard some reports that Apple might be working on a search engine, but thus far the evidence does not seem to pan out: But one important fact that isnt checking out - if Apple were...

MacBlogz claims to have heard details of the iPhone tethering plan that AT&T is planning to offer. Not surprisingly, the details are nearly identical to the current tethering plans available for other smartphones from AT&T. - 5GB Data Cap (just like Blackberry users) - AT&T will automatically turn off your tethering connection if you use too much bandwidth. Of note, the 5GB cap might get...

Amidst rumors of doom and gloom for the tech market, analyst Trip Chowdhry claims that Apple will start selling iPhones at Costco for $149 starting in January. The tone of the rest of the report indicates that the tech market is scaling back considerably due to the global economic...

Many users have contacted us about the status of Apple's in-ear headphones. Apple announced the accessory at the September Let's Rock event with an expected availability date of "October." Today, Apple's site still lists the accessory as "Coming Soon." Readers have reported Apple privately promising various shipping dates, though Apple has yet to publicly comment on the...

Apple today released iLife Support 8.3.1, a security update for iLife '08 users on OS X 10.4 Tiger. iLife Support provides system software components shared by all iLife '08 applications. This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users for iLife '08.According to the accompanying support article, the update addresses security...

Macworld provides benchmarks for the new NVIDIA-based MacBook Air that was introduced in October. Macworld found that benchmarks improved up to 39%, when comparing the new 1.86GHz MacBook Air (SSD) to the first generation 1.8GHz MacBook Air (HDD). The new high-end Air posted a 39 percent higher Speedmark 5 score than that old CTO Air. It was also 28 percent faster in our Photoshop tests and...

Apple today released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility 2.3, bringing RAW support for several digital cameras to iPhoto '08 and Aperture 2. This update extends RAW file compatibility for Aperture 2 and iPhoto 08 for the following cameras: Canon EOS 50D Nikon D90 Sony DSLR-A900 Nikon Coolpix P6000 It also addresses issues related to specific cameras and overall stability.The update weighs in ...

NYPost reports that despite Apple having leased a spot diagonally across from the Empire State Building on 34th street in New York City, they have decided against building an Apple Store at that location. Small buildings on the site were demolished. Merchants on West 34th Street - where stores like Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret have been replacing schlocky discounters - looked forward to...

Microsoft announced the release of a 12.1.4 update to Mac Office 2008 that fixes an Entourage bug introduced with the last update: Weve been working hard for the last week and a half to bring Entourage users todays 12.1.4 update. Its incredibly frustrating when we get through a release process and a new issue is introduced by an update. When we start to hear feedback and customer reports about...

One reader wrote Psystar asking about the possibility of a Mac notebook clone. Psystar responded confirming that one was in the works: Thank you for your interest in Open Computing. Although there is no mobile open computer at the moment, I can tell you that it is something that is in development. Once we release a final product, it will be posted on our website along with an automatic...

Codeweavers is offering their applications for free today only (Tuesday, October 28th). The software and registration keys can be obtained from http://lameduck.codeweavers.com/free/. We are giving away all of our software for free on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008. This is a fully working, fully supported copy of either CrossOver Mac Professional, or CrossOver Linux Professional. No hooks, tricks, ...