MacRumors' Mac Blog: Mac Apps, News and Rumors

Starting with macOS Sierra, Apple introduced an "Auto Unlock" feature that makes it easier for Apple Watch owners to unlock their Macs, with the Apple Watch being used for authentication purposes instead of a traditional password. It's a feature that's limited to more recent Macs so it's not going to work on some older machines, but when it is available, Auto Unlock is a super useful option...

With macOS Sierra, users can can float a video window from Safari or iTunes over the desktop or an app thanks to a new picture-in-picture mode. The feature enables Mac users to play a video in any one of the four corners of the desktop and resize it to see more or less of the window behind it. The video remains pinned above the desktop and apps, including in full-screen mode and split view,...

One of the simpler updates arriving in macOS Sierra is an overhauled experience for both Photos and Messages, bringing each app closer to their newly-updated iOS 10 counterparts. For Messages, that means users will now be able to use the Mac version of the app to send and receive rich links and Tapback messages, along with larger emoji characters when three or fewer are sent in a message....

New in macOS Sierra and iOS 10 is a Universal Clipboard feature that makes it much easier to transfer links, text, photos, and more between different devices. With Universal Clipboard, you can copy something on your Mac and paste it on your iPhone, or vice versa. It's already been possible to open up web pages across multiple devices, but now that functionality has been extended further. With...

Apple today updated its macOS Server Mac app with a collection of new features in Version 5.2 that bring integration with Apple School Manager, various streamlining updates to the Setup Assistant of some apps, and security restrictions for new macOS features like auto-unlock with Apple Watch. Specifically, macOS Server users can now choose to skip the new Siri Setup Assistant in Sierra, as...

Apple released macOS Sierra today with Safari 10 preinstalled, but Mac users still running the latest versions of OS X El Capitan or OS X Yosemite can now download the all-new version of the web browser too from the Mac App Store. Safari 10 for OS X Yosemite and OS X El Capitan does not include all of the new features available in macOS Sierra, like Apple Pay on the web and picture-in-picture...

macOS Sierra, available today, includes a built-in storage optimization feature that's designed to free up storage space on a Mac by storing rarely used files in iCloud, regularly emptying the trash, removing unnecessary files, and more. It's a handy feature that can give you a good amount of additional storage space with a set of tools that you normally had to download a third-party storage...

With the release of macOS Sierra today, Apple also updated its line of iWork apps, including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. The new update for each app introduces the same real-time collaboration feature, in beta form, brought to the iOS versions of each app last week. Using real-time collaboration, users are able to edit one document in any iWork app simultaneously, no matter if they're using a ...

macOS Sierra and iOS 10 both include a new Continuity feature that allows Apple Pay to be used to make purchases on the web using Safari, giving Apple users an alternative to other web-based payment services like PayPal. On Macs, Apple Pay for the web requires an iPhone with Touch ID and Apple Pay support or an Apple Watch, as payments are authenticated through the phone or watch. Apple Pay on ...

Following the release of macOS Sierra moments ago, Tweetbot for Mac has been updated with support for the latest operating system. The update also includes support for extended tweets, uploading videos up to 140 seconds long to Twitter, and better media previews for search results. In terms of extended tweets, Twitter no longer counts photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and quote tweets towards its...

Apple has announced its all-new store in Birmingham, England, located at 128 New Street, opens on Saturday, September 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time. Apple's nearby Bullring Shopping Centre store will permanently close on Friday, just one week after customers lined up for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Apple Birmingham under renovations via MacRumors reader Barry Rimmer Apple has taken over a...

Norway-based company Opera Software has brought its VPN feature to the masses with the release of Opera 40 desktop browser for Mac. For those unfamiliar with the technology, a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel from the user's computer to the VPN server, which hides browsing activity from other users on the local network and enhances security and privacy online. It shields a user's real IP...

Cables and adapters outfitted with USB-C have been becoming increasingly popular as smartphones and computers alike have adopted the standard, including Apple with its 12-inch Retina MacBook that launched in the spring of 2015. Accessories such as USB drives that make file transfers easier and larger docks have proven for users dealing with Apple's decision to include just two ports on the...

Apple updated its purchase policy for Hong Kong today to reflect that all Apple and Beats products purchased at its retail stores in the region cannot be returned or exchanged. The exact reason for Apple suddenly disallowing returns and exchanges at its five Hong Kong retail locations, and whether it is a temporary move, remains unclear at this time. Apple previously allowed customers in...

Apple has paid some 12 billion yen ($118 million) to Japan after underreporting income in the country, according to broadcaster NHK (via Reuters). The company has yet to comment on the matter. Japanese tax authorities determined that Apple failed to pay withholding taxes on profits it earned from subscribers in Japan and shifted to its Irish subsidiary to pay for software licensing.The Tokyo...

Apple today released another update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced 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 13 includes bug fixes and updates for Fetch API, Custom Elements, JavaScript, Web APIs, Web Inspector,...

Mac game publisher Aspyr is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week, and to mark the occasion, the company is discounting all of its games and DLC on both the Mac App Store and Steam. Games deeply discounted include Borderlands 2, Civilization V, Bioshock Infinite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Sim City 4, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, Sims 2, and many more. Aspyr also plans to give...

Apple has announced that its first retail store in Mexico, located at the Centro Santa Fe shopping mall in Mexico City, will open on Saturday, September 24 at 11:00 a.m. local time. Apple's sixth retail store in Hong Kong, located at the apm shopping mall, also opens on Thursday, September 22 at 11:00 a.m. local time. Reforma Gadgets via Twitter Apple is celebrating the opening of its first...