MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Apple has released iPod Classic Firmware 1.1.2, available via iTunes. While Apple only specifies that the release supplies "bug fixes", various anecdotal reports on the internet and in our forums suggest that various performance has been improved, including cover flow and audio quality. Apple released iPod Classic Firmware 1.1.1 in February that corrected a static issue when the units were...

A French blog posted these photos purporting to be the upcoming 3G-capable iPhone. The appearance roughly matches circulating rumors of a plastic backed iPhone. The original article claims the photos were sent in from an anonymous source and that they have no idea if they are true or not. Typically "leaked photos" are rarely legitimate. via Engadget...

Net Applications reports that the latest version of Safari has seen a significant uptick in usage amongst Windows users. Safari on Windows has never gained much marketshare, previously peaking at 0.07% of users. That number increased to as high as 0.21% of users after the release of Safari 3.1. Net Applications attributes the rise in usage to Apple's distribution of Safari through their...

Apple today released iMac ATI Radeon HD Graphics Firmware Update 1.0.1 for iMacs using an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card and OS X 10.5.2. To complete the firmware update process, please follow the instructions in the updater application (/Applications/Utilities/iMac ATI Radeon HD Graphics Firmware Update.app). The updater will launch automatically when the Installer...

Apple aired a new iPod/iTunes television advertisement Sunday night. The ad returns to the traditional silhouetted style of dancers with iPods. Apple has posted the video (direct quicktime link) to their website. The ad features the song Shut Up and Let Me Go by The Ting...

One report claims that Apple is looking to license haptic technology from Immersion Corporation for future iPhones. A source (Apple Inc employee), who chose to remain anonymous, told us that senior executives of the two companies have already met once on Tuesday and the next meeting has been...

Apple today released Common Criteria Tools for 10.5. According to Apple, Common Criteria is an international standard that helps to ensure the security of computer systems in a network environment. You can optimize the security of your network by bringing each system into conformance with the standard defined by Common Criteria. To do so you must ensure that the hardware and software settings...

Just 3 days since the last seed, Apple has released the next build of Mac OS X to developers. Again, no "known issues" are listed in the latest developer build (9D23). Only 8 fixes are listed in the notes provided by Apple. Typically, Apple has waited several builds before re-seeding new versions to developers. In the past, rapid-fire seeding has meant that they were prepping for the final...

Apple has released MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5.1. This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers. After the firmware is successfully applied to your Mac, your Boot ROM Version will be:
 MBP21.00A5.B08 or MBP31.0070.B07 You can confirm the version of the Boot ROM installed on your computer using System Profiler. To complete the firmware update...

We've received a few tips about a TheStreet article which claims that Jim Cramer described a new Mac product called "Conversation" that will "bring Apple to the forefront of instant messaging." It would be interesting except for the fact that it was terribly misquoted from the actual show, which can be watched online. Cramer was simply describing iChat AV, and not a new Apple...

On Friday, Apple seeded developers with Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D22. The latest build offers 15 new bug fixes to the latest version of Mac OS X Leopard. Apple has been aggressively seeded 10.5.3 seeds to developers. The previous seed (9d19) was released only 1 week earlier. Once complete, the final Mac OS X 10.5.3 update will become available as a free update to existing Mac OS X 10.5...

CNews.ru had reported that the domains imacintosh.ru and itunes-store.ru displayed "iTunes Store Russia 21.04.2008". The sites have now been updated with the following (ambitious) information: iTunes Store Russia Blog - 21.04.2008 (unofficial) iPhone 3G - 09.06.2008 iTunes 8 - 06.10.2008 iTunes Store Russia - 05.01.2009 iPhone Russia - 11.06.2009 The problem is that the...

Getting fake Cease and Desist Letters. Confirmed hoax A MacRumors reader ran across a very unusual .Mac web page yesterday and was kind enough to forward it on. The page contained promotional images for Apple products, including a couple that are not yet shipping products. Specifically, an aluminum MacBook with multitouch and an iMac-like MacBook Pro design were shown: Typically, we might ...

CNews.ru believes that Apple will be launching iTunes Russia on April 21st 2008. The evidence first came from billboards appearing in Moscow on Friday, with the words 'iSkoro 21.04.2008 (iSoon 21.04.2008) . Further evidence is from two domains registered: iMacintosh.ru and itunes-store.ru which redirect to a splash page that says "iTunes Store Russia 21.04.2008." The domains appear to be...

Just a couple days after Apple released the latest MacBook Air firmware updates, Apple has released two updates to the MacBook Air involving the system's bluetooth functionality. MacBook Air Bluetooth EFI Update 1.0 and MacBook Air Bluetooth Firmware Update 1.0 are both predictably lacking in detail as to what the updates do, however Apple explains that the software requires manual...

Stuff.tv claims to have heard from a Nike spokesperson that Nike is working to bring Nike+ to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. The first piece of news is that Nike+ will definitely be extending its compatibility beyond the iPod Nano to the iPhone and iPod Touch. No surprise there really, but the interesting detail is that it could also make use of both devices Wi-Fi (and, ultimately for the iPhone,...

Apple has released a new Get a Mac ad entitled Office Stress. The ad features PC giving Mac a stress toy, as Mac now has Microsoft Office 2008 and would supposedly be doing more "work." PC then demos the stress toy, as depicted...

ZiPhone found references to a chip called the SGOLD3 in the latest iPhone SDK, leading many to believe that this represents a new 3G chipset for the upcoming 3G iPhone. While it's not unheard of to see references to unreleased chipsets buried in Apple's software, it seems the interpretation may be a touch optimistic. First, people have been quick to presume that the "SGOLD3" refers to the SG...