MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Some Apple retail stores show signs of having special deals on Friday, November 26, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season.Last year, Apple offered 10% off on iPods and iPod accessories on the day after Thanksgiving.[Update] - A graphic at the online Apple Store and a page at Apple's web site give hints at savings without giving...

An article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press points to Digital River to produce electronic game content for distribution to the next generation of iPods. Digital River's stock jumped 10 percent Friday on rumors that the Eden Prairie e-commerce outsourcer was negotiating with Apple Computer to download games to the next version of the popular iPod music player. "We actually believe this rumor, as...

MacRumors, AppleInsider, and Apple-x.net have been handed information pointing to a possible WebObjects 5.3 update in the near future. WebObjects is the software Apple uses to create its web site, as well as build the framework for the iTunes music store. In the submission: A major update is on the way, set for January. However, due to the fact that inventory has literally dried up, it may...

During yesterday's Media announcement involving the U2 iPod, iPod Photo, and International iTMS stores, Steve was using what appeared to be a version of keynote with features not yet released in the wild. An independent photoblog shows the images and transitions. Given Steve's propensity to use only Apple-made items when possible, it's doubtful these were made with 3rd party plugins. Keynote...

AppleInsider reports that a scaled-down version of the Nvidia 6800 DDL graphics card (required for the Apple 30" Cinema Display") will be made available at the Apple Store. From the article: The graphics card company has been unable to produce stable versions of the 6800 Ultra card, delaying orders for Apple's 30-inch display by up to three months. "Both products feature 256MB of GDDR3 memory...

According to Apple-X.net, Apple is expected to released an advanced audio codec addition to the AAC standard. The new version of the codec is expected to support near-CD quality sound at a streamed 48 kbps, and according to the article is to be supported in QuickTime and the iPod. The inclusion in QuickTime could lead to an adopted new standard for use of the iTMS in cell...

Engadget posts some unconfirmed reports that Apple is gearing up to release a G5-based eMac "really soon". Previous rumors pointed to an upcoming update to the entry level...

According to one unconfirmed source, marketing materials are being completed for a November 26th announcement of a localized version of the iTMS for Canada. Details are slim, but songs are expected to be listed at $0.99...

An anonymous submission from Italy reports that resellers are expecting revised versions of the eMac tomorrow. There's not much more to go on than that, but the machine is now 174 days from its last revision, with the previous revision happening 179 days from its predecessor. The machine is said to keep the CRT monitor, as opposed to moving to a flat panel LCD.[Update] Speculation from...

According to MacWorld UK, the launch of digital-music subscription service VirginDigital in the US has sparked a debate about the future of the subscription model for music distribution, with Apple admitting it may consider a subscription service in the future. Speaking to the International Herald Tribune Apple's Eddy Cue explained his conviction that there will always be a preference for the a...

AppleInsider has noted that Apple has dropped several internation distributors of Emagic's Logic: Emagic--creator of the Logic music production software suite--was purchased by Apple for a rumored $30 million in 2001, and has since operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the computer company. Frustrated by the most recent move, some former international Emagic distributors are crying foul...

According to MacOSRumors.com, Keynote is about to undergo a rework from Apple. Keynote 2 is expected in January 2005, according to MOSR. More bundled themes -- "ten times more," according to our primary source. More import and export formats, including a streamlined export-to-HTML (web) function. More 2D and 3D transition effects. More chart and table styles to display your data. More optimization ...

Showing up briefly on a personal .mac homepage, then finding thier way to both Apple Insider and french mac enthusiast site MacBidouille, photos of a mysterious product have emerged that has been claimed to be the new iMac. The story surrounding the photos is fishy at best, with the box being opened in an elevator by a curious worker at Charles DeGaulle airport in Paris. The photos are...

The Register takes a look at the upcoming CD copy-protection move by Macrovision dubbed CDS-300. Macrovision feels comfortable enough to send notes to its shareholders that it will be able to offer previously rumored iPod compatibility via FairPlay DRM, which is currently used in the Protected AAC (m4p) formats used by the iTunes Music Store. The note to shareholders included the passage:...

In a story on Apple's iPod influence in Japan, the Associated Press released an interview excerpt with Apple Japan's vice president Yoshiaki Sakito. A former Sony employee, Sakito claims that the iTMS would be made available in Japan within a year, offering downloads at prices comparable to US download prices. This is sharply below other download services currently available in Japan, with most...

According to an Australian IT interview with Unwired chief executive David Spence, hints are being dropped that due to a large-scale broadband rollout and a tie-in with Apple, the iTMS may be localized to Australia within a month. Unwired already offers deals on Apple's Airport Express 802.11g base station, but seeks to offer more in the near future. Apple Australia has consistently refused to...

Think Secret provides a product-by-product breakdown of current Apple stock and it's availability to fulfill orders on time. Channel availability of several Apple products is expected to be constrained during August and possibly into September, Think Secret has learned. While specifics vary from dealer to dealer, reports indicate that a majority of Apple's products are experiencing...

A listing for a book entitled 'AppleWorks X for Mac OS X: A Visual Quickstart Guide' from Peachpit Press was discovered by one of our members on BookFinder4U. Given an a March 2004 copyright date, ISBN number, and listing the author as Nolan Hester, the book is listed as "not yet printed." Hester is also the author of a large number of Peachpit's other visual quickstart titles. The last...