MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

A major new version of iStat Menus, a popular Mac system monitor for power users, has been released today for macOS High Sierra. One of the biggest new features in iStat Menus 6 is configurable notifications for a wide range of events, based on CPU, GPU, memory, storage disks, networking, sensors, battery, power, and weather. iStat Menus now has a Notification Center widget for CPU usage, ...

With the official release of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, Apple introduced support for a new image format called HEIF, which uses the file extension HEIC. Apple sees HEIF as a worthy successor to the JPEG format. So what makes it so good that it can replace an industry standard that's been in use for almost 25 years? What is HEIF? HEIF stands for High Efficiency Image Format and can be...

With the arrival of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, Apple is supporting a new video format called HEVC, which replaces the previous standard most commonly used on Mac and iOS devices, namely H.264 / AVC. So why has Apple adopted the HEVC format, and what difference will it make to the end user? What is HEVC? High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265, is a next-generation video...

Mac users who upgrade to macOS High Sierra will benefit from a significant new security feature that works in the background. macOS High Sierra automatically checks a Mac's EFI firmware against Apple's database of "known good" data to ensure it hasn't been tampered with, according to a series of tweets from an Apple engineer. The tweets have since been deleted, but a summary remains...

OWC has launched a new USB-C travel dock suitable for Apple's latest MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks. The dock connects to a Mac or PC with a single USB-C cable and provides access to the following five ports: 2× USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports 1× USB-C port for power 1× HDMI 2.0 port 1× SD card reader The USB-C port provides up to 60W of pass-through charging, while the HDMI 2.0 port can drive a ...

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced one year 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 40 includes fixes and improvements for JavaScript, FileSystem Entry API, Fetch API,...

Alongside the new iOS 11, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11 updates, Apple has released Xcode 9, the latest version of the Xcode Mac app that lets developers create apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Xcode 9 introduces Swift 4 and all of the SDKs necessary to develop apps for iOS 11, watchOS 4, tvOS 11, and macOS High Sierra, including the new Core ML framework for machine learning...

Apple today released Safari 11.0 for macOS Sierra and OS X El Capitan. The update adds new media-related features, plus improvements to privacy, compatibility, and security. Notably, in Safari 11, the web browser blocks videos with audio from automatically playing on most websites. Other new features are outlined in our macOS High Sierra roundup. Stops media with audio from automatically...

Apple today announced that its retail store at Meadowhall in Sheffield, United Kingdom reopens Friday, September 22 at 9:00 a.m. local time. The store has been closed for renovations since November 2016. Apple's original Meadowhall store opened in December 2005 A source tell us it will be a double-height store with a mezzanine level and at least twice as much space, all in the same location...

Apple is constructing a spacious new retail store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, California, as part of the shopping mall's $1 billion expansion and modernization plans, according to a source familiar with the matter. Apple's upcoming retail store at Westfield Century City Apple will be in a prime location at the center of the mall, described as the crossroads of the project. The...

If you're a student, it's your last chance to get a free pair of Beats headphones with the purchase of a Mac or iPad Pro this year. Apple's annual Back to School promotion ends Monday, September 25 in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Singapore. Apple is offering the choice of a free pair of Beats Solo3, BeatsX, or Powerbeats3 headphones to qualifying students, parents of students,...

Google will follow Apple's lead by adding an autoplay blocking feature to its desktop web browser in an update set to arrive in January, the company announced on Thursday. One of the most common irritations of web browsing is unexpected media playback, which can eat up data allowance, consume more power, and cause unwanted noise. When Safari 11 is released as part of macOS High Sierra, Mac...

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts this week announced that the iPhone maker's upcoming store along the Chicago River opens Friday, October 20. Apple's new Chicago River store via MacRumors reader David Sexton The two-floor store will be located on North Michigan Avenue, near the historic Michigan Avenue Bridge, along the river's north bank. The flagship location will feature glass walls and...

Multimedia software maker Magix is offering MacRumors readers an exclusive discount, knocking the price of its advanced audio waveform editor SOUND FORGE Pro Mac 3 bundle down to $249, a savings of over $300 compared to the regular price of $557 for the entire bundle. SOUND FORGE Pro Mac 3 is an advanced audio editing suite with multi-channel recording and editing, mastering for music and...

Ahead of the 2017 International Broadcasting Convention set to take place on September 14, Adobe has shared details on a series of updates to its video and sound editing software that will be announced at the event. Adobe's fall Creative Cloud updates will focus on Premiere Pro, After Effects, Character Animator, and Audition, introducing new tools for VR, animations, and audio. Premiere Pro...

Charitybuzz today launched an auction for a rare Apple-1 computer known as the "Schoolsky" Apple-1. The Schoolsky Apple-1 earned its name from Adam Schoolsky, who was gifted the computer by Steve Wozniak when he worked at Apple. It was never sold to the public. David Larson, who purchased the computer from Adam Schoolsky in 1994, is selling it via Charitybuzz. The Apple-1 was constructed by...

macOS High Sierra, the new version of the macOS operating systems for Macs, will be released to the public on Monday, September 25, according to Apple's macOS High Sierra website. That's nearly a week after the iOS 11 and watchOS 4 release date, with those software updates coming on Tuesday, September 19. It is not unusual for the Mac operating system to be released after new watchOS and iOS...

Apple's first-ever event at Steve Jobs Theater will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. As usual, Apple will be providing a live stream of the event on its website. Here's when the event will begin based on other time zones in the United States and around the world: Honolulu, Hawaii — 7:00 a.m. HAST Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKDT Cupertino,...