MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Apple today reminded Mac developers that it is encouraging them to have their apps notarized, meaning that the apps have been scanned by Apple and checked for malware and other security issues. Notarization is not currently a requirement for apps distributed outside of the Mac App Store, but Apple says it will "more prominently highlight notarization status" starting in the spring of 2019....

In a new flash sale that began today, B&H Photo is offering the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (3.1 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,599.00, down from $1,999.00. This is a custom configuration of the older MacBook Pro, and a solid discount for anyone willing purchase a previous generation model and not the latest 2018 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these...

Unlike the previous 2014 model, the 2018 Mac mini has user-upgradeable RAM. The repair experts at iFixit are now selling a do-it-yourself RAM upgrade kit for the 2018 Mac mini that can save you hundreds of dollars. The upgrade kit includes 16GB or 32GB of 2,666MHz DDR4 RAM, the same type of memory Apple uses in the 2018 Mac mini, along with all of the tools and bits needed to complete the...

In the last installment of our regular how-to series, we showed how you can set up an iOS device to get unique alerts when emails are received from your VIP contacts. In this article, we're going to show you how to do the same thing on your Mac. In the native Mail application in macOS, the standard way of ensuring you receive new message notifications from VIPs is to go into Mail's Preferences ...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.2 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the third beta and a month after releasing the macOS Mojave 10.14.1 update. The new macOS High Sierra 10.14.2 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center. We...

In macOS, the Open With contextual menu that appears when you right-click (or Ctrl-click) on a file provides links to all the applications installed on your Mac that are associated with that file type. At the top of the list is the default app that macOS launches whenever you double-click on files that share the same suffix or extension, with other apps associated with the file type below...

If you connect your Mac to an external display, you may find that the Mac's on-screen and keyboard volume controls are disabled. That's because HDMI, DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt connections carry a fixed volume digital audio signal, so the external device (in this case, a monitor) controls the sound level. This can be frustrating if the volume controls on your external display are...

Feral Interactive today announced that the third game in the rebooted Tomb Raider series, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, will be coming to macOS and Linux computers in 2019. As usual with Feral's early announcements, no specific date was given for the game's release on macOS. The game originally launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC in September 2018, published by Square Enix and...

Apple has enhanced Spotlight search in macOS in recent years, with the addition of Spotlight Suggestions allowing it to tap into a variety of online data sources like weather and sports. Nevertheless, helping you find apps, documents and other files stored on your Mac is still what Spotlight does best. That's not to say its core function is infallible, however. If Spotlight can't find files...

Apple has ceded its position to Walmart as the third largest online retailer in the U.S., according to a new report out this week (via TechCrunch). Research provider eMarketer Retail calculates that Walmart is set to capture 4 percent of all online retail spending in 2018, up from 3.3 percent the previous year, while Apple will claim a 3.9 percent share, up from 3.8 percent in 2017....

Mophie recently announced the launch of its largest battery pack yet, the Powerstation 3XL, which is designed for charging Apple's line of MacBook and MacBook Air devices. The Powerstation 3XL features a 26,000mAh capacity and 45 watts of power, making it ideal for charging devices that include the iPhone, iPad Pro, 12-inch MacBook, and new MacBook Air. As you might expect with a...

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.2 update to developers, one week after seeding the second beta and two weeks after releasing the macOS Mojave 10.14.1 update. The new macOS High Sierra 10.14.2 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center. We...

Apple today officially announced its latest retail store, Apple Champs-Élysées in Paris, located on one of the French city's most iconic streets. The store opens on Sunday and will replace the nearby Apple Carrousel du Louvre, which permanently closed in October. The store occupies a Haussmann-era apartment building, featuring what Apple is calling its "grandest" Forum dedicated to free...

Native Union this week announced the launch of a new Stow collection, which is being sold exclusively in Apple retail stores and the Apple online store. The collection includes both a soft sleeve designed for Apple's Mac notebook lineup, and a matching accessory organizer. The Native Union Stow Sleeve, priced at $79.95, is available for the 12-inch MacBook, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and...

Apple and Barclays have teamed up to offer a special promotion that will reward Apple customers who sign up for an Apple Rewards Barclaycard Visa with two $25 Apple Store Gift Cards or App Store Gift Cards. The promotion, outlined on Apple's financing page, states that new cardmembers that apply for and are approved for a Barclaycard Visa with Apple Rewards can get a total of $50 in Apple or...

Apple's Mac mini machines ship sans peripherals, which means there's no display, keyboard, or mouse included. It's a bring-your-own desktop. As it turns out, if you have one of the new Mac minis, you can use an iPad Pro as a display with Astropad's Luna Display dongle, which is designed to turn an iPad into a second display for a Mac. Luna Display hasn't previously been used as a primary...

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced over two years ago in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari. Safari Technology Preview release 70 includes bug fixes and feature improvements for Web Animations, Intersection...

Apple today announced that its annual extended holiday return policy begins today in the United States and several other countries around the world. Under the policy, eligible products purchased between November 14, 2018 and December 25, 2018 can be returned until January 8, 2019 in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and select other regions. You can return something...