MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

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, ...

Apple has released Airport Extreme Update 2008-004 via Software Update. This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS 10.5.5 and resolves some issues with AirPort connections when roaming in large Wi-Fi networks. The update appears to be Apple's replacement for the recently pulled Airport Extreme 2008-003 update....

Following on the heels of two new "Get a Mac" ads released just days ago, Apple has released a third ad in the series, Bake Sale. The commercial, available on Apple's site, shows "PC" holding a bake sale in order to raise money to fix Vista. The ad continues the theme introduced in Bean Counter of poking fun at Microsoft's new $300 million advertising campaign under the premise that the...

Apple today released AirPort Extreme Update 2008-003. About AirPort Extreme Update 2008-003 This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS 10.5.5 and resolves some issues with AirPort connections when roaming in large Wi-Fi networks.The update weighs in at 2.2 MB and requires OS X 10.5.5. Update: Apple has pulled the update for unknown...

Apple today released Aperture 2.1.2, a minor update to their professional photography software. Aperture 2.1.2 "improves the printing quality of books, cards and calendars ordered through the Aperture printing service." The update weighs in at 48 MB and requires Aperture 2 and OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.3 or...

Apple has started televising two new 'Get a Mac' ads which have been posted to their site. - V Word - In order to avoid the bad connotations now associated with Vista, PC buzzes Mac everytime he says the word Vista. - Bean Counters - Mac notes that PC spends more on advertising than on fixing...

Apple today released Migration and DVD/CD Sharing Update, which is "recommended for all users and provides enhanced customization capabilities and improved performance for migration over FireWire, ethernet, and wireless networks." According to the accompanying support article, the update installs several utilities: This update includes the previously released DVD or CD Sharing Setup Update 1.0...

Apple today released a pair of updates for Xsan, their enterprise-class storage area network (SAN) solution. Xsan 2.1.1 FileSystem Update (26 MB) The 2.1.1 update is recommended for all systems running Xsan 2. This update includes general file system fixes, as well as specific fixes for: - file system performance and reliability - Access Control List verification and correction - volume...

Microsoft has released updates for both Office 2008 (12.1.3) and Office 2004 (11.5.2). The updates provide a number of security, stability, and performance-related fixes. The security fixes primarily address file format and formula parsing vulnerabilities in Excel. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.3 Update weighs in at 154.4 MB and addresses security vulnerabilities and increases stability...

Adobe has announced that Creative Suite 4 (PDF) and Flash Player 10 (PDF) are now available. Creative Suite 4 (CS4), unveiled on September 23rd, is available in six versions: Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, Web Standard, Production Premium and Master Collection. Prices range from $399 to $899 for upgrades and $999 to $2499 for full versions. Complete package and pricing details...

Apple has already released a software update for the new aluminum MacBook and MacBook Pro models announced at today's special event. About MacBook, MacBook Pro Software Update 1.2 This update contains software bug fixes for precision aluminum unibody enclosure MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook computers introduced in October 2008. The update improves compatibility with external displays and...

Video Available: direct link (no spoilers) Apple will kick off it's "Notebook" media event on October 14th, 2008. News sites across the web will cover every announcement in detail, while Apple's site will be updated with any new products announced. Some readers prefer watching the keynote themselves without knowing the outcome. Unfortunately, there is no live video feed for the keynote. ...

Apple today released Security Update 2008-007. Full details are available in Apple's release notes, but the updates contains fixes for a variety of issues including OS X-specific vulnerabilities as well as issues with other scripting and database tools such as Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Updates are available in the following versions: - Leopard Client (31.1 MB) - Tiger Client - Intel (161 MB) ...