MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Neonode today announced that AirBar for the 13-inch MacBook Air is now available to purchase for $99 at select retailers in the United States, including Fry's Electronics and Evine.com. It'll also be available online through Amazon, Best Buy, and Staples, but it doesn't appear to be in stock on those websites yet. AirBar, a CES 2017 Innovation Awards Honoree, is a thin aluminum bar that...

Google today announced the launch of Backup and Sync, a new app for Macs and PCs that's designed to back up files and photos safely in Google Drive and Google Photos. The new app is meant to replace the existing Google Photos desktop uploader and Drive for Mac/PC. To use Backup and Sync, Google Drive/Photos users just need to download the app and then choose the folders they want to back up....

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced more than a 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 35 includes fixes and improvements for Media, Web Inspector, JavaScript,...

Flexibits today debuted Fantastical 2.4 for Mac, which the company says is the biggest Fantastical update since Fantastical 2 for Mac was introduced. Today's update, which is free for all existing users, introduces everything from attachments to travel time to undo and redo tools. Attachments, one of the most notable new features in Fantastical 2 for Mac, can be viewed, edited, and created on...

Password manager app 1Password caused consternation in some quarters of the security community over the weekend when it emerged that the service's new subscription-based model will push users to adopt a cloud-based password storage system over locally stored password vaults. Previously, 1Password was offered as a one-time license purchase that enabled users to store their passwords in an...

Apple has announced it is setting up its first China data center in partnership with a local internet services company, in accordance with the country's new cybersecurity laws introduced last month. Apple told Reuters on Wednesday that the data center would be built in the southern province of Guizhou with data management firm Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry (GCBD) as part of a planned $1...

Apple is set to spend $921 million on a second data center in Denmark run entirely on renewable energy. The news was relayed by the Danish government's Ministry of Climate Energy and confirmed in a statement to Reuters by Apple's Nordic director Erik Stannow. "We're thrilled to be expanding our data center operations in Denmark, and investing in new sources of clean power," Erik Stannow,...

For over a decade, Apple has offered an annual Back to School promotion, offering higher education students, parents of higher education students, and educators incentives, such as a free pair of Beats headphones or an Apple Store gift card valued up to $100, with the purchase of a qualifying Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We've been receiving questions about the Back to School promotion for a few...

iFixit today launched six new battery repair kits for Apple's MacBook Pro with a Retina display, allowing users to replace the battery in an older-model MacBook Pro, restoring it to hold a full-day charge and extending its life for 2-3 years, according to iFixit. Each kit "offers all the tools needed" for users to perform the repair at home with a step-by-step guide taking them through the entire ...

Three Apple developers yesterday joined an open community initiative that aims to make virtual reality content viewable regardless of device or browser. As reported by UploadVR, the staff added their names to the WebVR Community Group members list on Wednesday, in what looks like a continuation of the company's recent major push into VR. Apple's senior front-end developer Brandel Zachernuk,...

Apple this week announced that two of its retail stores, located at CambridgeSide Galleria in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Connecticut, will reopen Saturday, July 8 at 10:00 a.m. local time. Both locations have been closed for renovations for the past several months. Apple Store with next-generation design in Brussels, Belgium Each store has received a makeover...

Construction progress surrounding Apple Park has been well documented over the past few years, with monthly drone videos providing anyone interested with clear glimpses into Apple's spacious new campus. Less discussed have been the neighborhoods surrounding Apple Park, including how they have been affected by Apple's construction on a campus that measures 2.8 million square feet, spans 176 acres, ...

Classic first person shooter Shadow Warrior is available as a free download for Mac over on GOG and Steam this morning. The 1997 PC game garnered fans for its wacky humor, multi-function weaponry, and destructible environment, being based on the Build platform that powered Duke Nukem 3D. Shadow Warrior was an ambitious game for its time, containing many features not seen until later...

Apple today released the first public beta of macOS High Sierra, the next major version of its operating system for Mac computers that will officially be released in the fall. The beta of the upcoming OS is compatible on all Macs that are able to run macOS Sierra. The availability of the public beta means users who aren't signed up for the Apple Developer Program can test the software update ...

Popular Mac drag-and-drop app Yoink received a substantial update on Thursday, adding the ability to bring back last removed files and better sharing options, as well as many smaller improvements. The Yoink app aims to simplify the action of dragging and dropping files and app-content on the macOS desktop by providing a temporary place for files to be dragged to. Yoink fades in when users...

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 34 includes fixes and improvements for Media, JavaScript, Security, Web Inspector, Web API,...

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the fourth beta and over a month after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.5, a minor bug fix update. The fifth beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. We didn't find any...

Steve Jobs' iconic black turtleneck will be making a comeback of sorts this summer, with the company behind the original garment, Issey Miyake Inc., announcing a new version coming this July for $270 and called the "Semi-Dull T" (via Bloomberg). The model that Jobs wore was officially retired from production following his death in 2011, and a protege of Miyake, Yusuke Takahashi, is said to be ...