MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

TUAW points to the Cartoon Brew blog which claims that Disney will be adding "all its Oscar-winning (and Oscar-nominated) shorts" to iTunes. The films will reportedly be released in waves onto iTunes and also as a DVD boxed...

After Apple issued the iTunes 6.0.2 update last week, which introduced a feature called the MiniStore, complaints surfaced that Apple had added the equivalent of spyware, by having iTunes transmit and react to the songs you click on whenever the MiniStore is open. Apple has now changed the MiniStore so that iTunes users see an explanation and are asked to confirm use of the MiniStore before it ...

Now available via Software Update: iPod Updater 2006-01-10 delivers: - iPod Software 1.1 for iPod - iPod Software 1.1 for iPod nano - iPod Software 1.2.1 for iPod with color display - iPod Software 1.4.1 for iPod mini - iPod Software 3.1.1 for iPod with Click Wheel For all other iPod models, iPod Updater 2006-01-10 contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2005-11-17....

iTunes 6.0.2 is now in Software Update: With iTunes 6, you can preview, buy, and download over 2,000 music videos and hit TV shows on the iTunes Music Store and sync your music and purchased videos with iPod to enjoy on the go. To watch purchased videos, you must have QuickTime 7.0.3 or later and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. iTunes 6.0.2 includes stability and performance improvements over iTunes...

Now in Software Update for affected PowerBooks: This update aids the 15-inch Aluminum PowerBook battery in performing at full capacity. It installs a PowerBook G4 Battery Updater utility, used to update battery firmware to "improve the performance of batteries that may develop short run times." Details are in the discussion thread....

Ynet.co.il (Hebrew) posts about Apple utilizing the Viiv platform for an upcoming computer (Translation by odedia): ...According to rumors, Intel will introduce on Sunday for the first time its new VIIV technology. Apple computers deniced rumors that they will introduce the first intel based laptops in the CES show. However, a source close to Apple agreed to confirm off the record that a first Mac ...

Digitimes again is making waves on the Mac web about a possible use of Intel technology in upcoming Macs. Although Intel only demonstrated its Robson cache technology in the fourth quarter of last year, sources now claim that Apple Computer will launch a notebook computer in the middle of this month that utilizes the NAND flash based cache memory technology. Robson utilizes NAND flash memory...

MacOSXRumors claims that despite previous rumors that Apple's Intel laptops may lose their Firewire connections, Apple is expected to keep at least one Firewire port on the upcoming Intel Macs. Instead, Apple may be increasing the number of USB connectors to the upcoming machines, but will retain at least one Firewire...

MacDailyNews points out that Apple's .Mac accounts now allow up to 1TB ( terabyte ) of monthly bandwidth allocation. Speculation points that this may corroborate a previous report that Apple is working on a new media content delivery system including feature length content and using users .Mac iDisk storage for content...

Apple is now offering 10% discounts on select accessories at their Education site until Feb 1st. Cram your backpack with big savings on accessories for your new Mac or iPod. College students and teachers can save 10% on some of the most useful stuff available today. Free shipping on orders over $50. Hurry, this offer expires on February 1, 2006 The discounts appear limited to 3rd party...

Emsnow claims that Quanta and Asustek have obtained the contracts for producing Apple's newest Intel-based Macs. The production appears to begin in the 1st quarter of 2006. Quanta is reportedly responsible for the PowerBook while Asustek will produce the iBook. The article is poorly translated, and so the specifics are difficult to...

MacRumors Forums, the discussion section for MacRumors, MacBytes, MacPolls, DailyTunes, and iPodGear, has reached another milestone: two million forum posts. The two millionth post was made by member ITASOR at 6:27PM EST on Friday, December 23, 2005, in the Marketplace forum. Congratulations, ITASOR, and congratulations, MacRumors! The first forum members joined in June 2000. Today, over...

At least one financial analyst believes that Apple's business will tilt further toward consumer electronics in the coming year. A Forbes.com article quotes analyst David Bailey of Goldman Sachs as saying If early indications from suppliers prove correct, Apple is likely to move further from its Mac core in 2006, leveraging its brand and building on the consumer success of iPod. Bailey raised his ...

Several sites are pointing to this local news story about Greene County Schools trading in their laptops early to Apple to get all new laptops in early January. At a special meeting held Monday night at the Greene County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Greene County Board of Education voted to refinance its lease from Apple Computers. The school system will sell its 2,041 existing laptops to...

MacBidouille adds fuel to the fire by posting an advertisement from a French distributor which labels the 12" iBook G4 as "End of Life"'d. Products typically reach End-of-Life designation when it has been discontinued to make room for a newer/updated model. With Apple's attention to secrecy, most retailers do not have much...

The New York Post reports that Apple will be opening up a third Manhattan store across from the Empire State Building at 21 W. 34th Street. The computer giant net-leased the entire, 30,000-foot five-story building from Jeff Sutton of Wharton Realty and his partner, SL Green Realty Trust, sources said....

Several readers report that the 1GB iPod shuffle is out of stock for the holidays at Apple's online store: Ships: Currently Unavailable Sold out for holiday. Expected availability mid-January....

Appleinsider points to a Front Row job listing indicating that Apple is just getting started with Front Row. The Job (Req. ID 2443440) is described as follows: Do you want to join a team building revolutionary new multi-media software for Mac OS X? Would you like to create software for a centerpiece in Apple's...