MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Mozilla released Firefox 55 for macOS on Wednesday, touting new performance settings, faster speeds, several new features including a screenshot utility, and the addition of WebVR support. Firefox 55's major front end feature is Firefox Screenshots, accessed via a new screenshots icon on the toolbar. The feature allows users to capture a region of a web page by clicking and dragging a...

One of Apple's tiniest retail stores, at the WestQuay shopping center in Southampton, UK, is getting a much-needed expansion this weekend. Apple's tiny WestQuay retail store opened in February 2007 The current store, which recently turned 10 years old, will close on Friday evening for the final time, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. On Saturday, a larger store will open...

France and Germany are looking to stop tech companies like Apple from exploiting tax loopholes in their respective countries. The loopholes are said to have allowed Apple to "minimize taxes and grab market share" at the expense of Europe-based companies. France will draft and propose a list of "simpler rules" that will be aimed at creating a "real taxation" law for non-European companies,...

Feral interactive has announced that BioShock Remastered, a new high-definition version of the popular first-person shooter, is coming to macOS later this year to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the game's original release. Originally developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K for PC and consoles, BioShock is set in the decaying underwater city of Rapture, a darkly imaginative...

Readdle's popular Spark email app expanded to the Mac late last year, and now the company has introduced a major update that brings a new Smart Search feature. According to Readdle, there are several under-the-hood changes that have been made to enable the new search feature and to make it speedy. Smart Search is able to provide instant access to files and attachments as well as relevant...

High-end camera company Red today announced that its Red Raven camera kit, priced at $14,995.95, is being sold exclusively through Apple.com and demoed at select Apple retail stores around the world. Red describes the Raven camera kit as a "complete camera package" that features a "diverse" set of accessories that have been sourced from brands like Sigma, G-Tech, Nanuk, and of course, Apple, ...

Twelve South today announced the release of its BookBook case for all 12-inch MacBook and 2016 and later MacBook Pro models. BookBook essentially disguises a MacBook or MacBook Pro as a vintage hardback book, while protecting the notebook with reinforced corners and a new, stronger crush-resistant spine. The outside is crafted from premium oil-pull up leather, while the inside is lined with ...

Mophie today announced the release of a new high capacity mobile battery called the Powerstation USB-C XXL, which is aimed at the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro models. The accessory includes a 19,500 mAh battery, which Mophie said will provide up to 14 hours of extra battery, or "more than one full charge" to a MacBook. The Powerstation USB-C XXL includes one USB-C port and one 5V/2.4A...

Six U.S. states, including Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Virginia, will offer sales tax holidays from Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6, providing Apple customers with a brief opportunity to purchase a Mac, iPad, or select other products with no or reduced sales tax. Apple's website outlines the terms and conditions for each state, including which...

Earth Day was over three months ago, on April 22, yet Apple today uploaded another quirky Earth Day video outlining the company's plan to ensure almost one million acres of forests are responsibly managed by 2020. The one-minute ad was shared on Apple's own YouTube channel today, and later tweeted by Apple's environmental chief Lisa Jackson. Apple's 2017 Earth Day video campaign began...

Earlier in March, WikiLeaks began "Vault 7," a project focused on sharing exploits created and used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, beginning with leaking 8,761 documents discovered within an isolated network in Langley, Virginia. Following the release of iOS-related documents, as well as some Mac exploits, Vault 7's publications didn't specifically include Apple products for...

Members of the Trump administration have begun contacting technology, education, and business leaders to ask for advice on "shaping funding approaches" for education related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in United States schools (via Bloomberg). Ivanka Trump is said to be involved in the effort, along with the president's special assistant for technology initiatives,...

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 36 includes fixes and improvements for JavaScript, CSS, WebRTC, Web Driver, Rendering, Media, ...

Google today released Chrome 60, introducing support for the Touch Bar built into 2016 and 2017 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. After installing Chrome 60, MacBook Pro owners are able to add, remove, and rearrange Chrome shortcuts. The Touch Bar settings can be accessed by through the Menu bar by going to View -> Customize Touch Bar. The new settings can be combined with existing Touch Bar...

Earlier this year, researchers from security firm Malwarebytes discovered a piece of Mac malware called Fruitfly that reportedly spied on computers in medical research centers for years before being detected. Apple has since updated macOS to automatically detect the malware, safeguarding users. However, a new variant of the Fruitfly malware has recently been discovered by Patrick Wardle, a...

Last November, Adobe previewed its next-generation photo editor, Project Nimbus, which boasts a focus on cloud storage and simplified editing controls, telling users to expect a beta sometime in 2017. Although that beta has yet to arrive, some users of Adobe's Creative Cloud recently had access to an "internal only" download of Project Nimbus on both Mac and Windows devices. Since a few...

Over the past few months, I've taken a look at a number of Thunderbolt 3 docks that all hit the market around the same time, including models from OWC, CalDigit, Belkin, and Kensington. There's at least one more major player in the market, so today I'm sharing my thoughts on Elgato's $300 Thunderbolt 3 Dock. Elgato's dock has a lot in common with many of its competitors, including a slim...

Microsoft and Johnson Controls today revealed a new product partnership in a smart thermostat called "GLAS." The thermostat has been built by Johnson Controls, the company that made the first electric thermostat, with Microsoft providing all of the internal software, including the ability for users to awake and control its functions with smart AI assistant Cortana (via The Verge). In the...