Apple unveiled a pretty disappointing Mac Pro refresh yesterday after its WWDC keynote, and the updated Pro’s lack of new features reinforced to many that Apple was abandoning its pro/desktop users. A new MacBook Pro with incredible specs was also unveiled yesterday, but Apple has payed little attention to its desktop computers recently.
Following whispers that Apple will unveil a totally new iMac and Mac Pro next year, an Apple spokesperson has confirmed that the company is indeed working on new designs for the iMac and Mac Pro that will “likely” debut in 2013.
We’re not quite sure how we missed this, but we did: in iOS 6’s first beta, iTunes Match has gone from a download-only service to a true streaming music service. It’s about time.
Don’t have time to watch the full WWDC keynote? No problem; we’ve taken the whole thing and mashed it down into just 90 seconds for your viewing pleasure. Check out the video after the break.
Over at Anandtech, they’ve posted a fantastic first look at the MacBook Pro’s Retina display, which naturally confirms that Apple’s new laptop display is every bit as gorgeous and futuristic as we all think it is. What I was most interested in, however, was the new settings panel for the Retina display, which actually gives users the option to choose on-the-fly between having clearer graphics or more desktop space. What a great idea.
Apple’s been releasing a surprising number of updates for their next-gen Retina MacBook Pros… all the odder given the fact that pretty much no one has one. We can only assume there are some software kinks that still need working out, which is why — following last night’s software update — Cupertino has just released a new update for the trackpad to “address an issue where the trackpad may not respond consistently to user input.”
If you have a Retina MacBook Pro — which you almost definitely don’t — go grab it.
We couldn’t wait! Catch an all-new CultCast right now in iTunes to find out everything you need to know about Apple’s brand new Macbook Pro with Retina display.
And don’t miss another new episode at our normal time, this Thursday night, with the rest of our WWDC coverage. We’ll be discussing all of Apple’s updated Macs, and the new and noteworthy features in iOS 6 and Mountain Lion.
All that and our thoughts on Apple’s quiet Mac Pro update on this special edition of CultCast! Don’t miss a beat, subscribe now on iTunes, and let the hardware lusting begin.
One of the more bizarre changes that Apple introduced in OS X Lion was completely abandoning the “Save As…” option in documents.
Apple’s idea, of course, was to simplify saving files so that it worked more like iOS. They wanted to help make the file system invisible, so that when you’re working on a document, it automatically saves itself. All of the revisions are available, allowing you to switch back to old versions if you need to reference an older “copy” of the document. There’s no reason to “Save As…” anything.
It makes sense, but it’s a change that Apple made in OS X Lion that, while ostensiby much more friendly to new computer users, was extremely counterintuitive to Mac owners who’d actually been using “Save as…” for the last twenty years.
The good news? In OS X Mountain Lion, Apple’s re-introducing “Save as…” The bad news? It’s still hidden and unavailable from menus, but instead only accessible through a convoluted keyboard shortcute: Command-Shift-Option-S. For power users only, in other words. There’s no way to just discover it.
Here’s a thought, Apple… if you’re willing to backpedal this far, why not just go all the way and put it in the damn menus?
The keynote runs 1 hour and 54 minutes long, and you can watch it on all of your devices, including the Apple TV.
Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi and Scott Forstall all unveiled new products from Apple at yesterday’s keynote, including new Macs, OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6. For everything Apple announced at WWDC 2012, make sure to check out our complete roundup.
Apple released its fourth developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion yesterday, and you can get all of the gorgeous wallpapers from Apple right now. There are 34 total, and we’ve uploaded them all for you to download and use on your Mac.
Mountain Lion will be available in the Mac App Store next month for $20. While you’re waiting, why not check out some great new wallpapers?
It’s hard to believe, but there was a time when Apple’s computers were accused of being strictly last generation.
Their computers were made with clunky Power PC processors, and Windows PC owners smirked at the wheezing Mac platform. Michael Dell even famously said the whole company was so behind the times that if it were up to him, he’d euthanize it.
How things change.
While the rest of the industry was counting Apple out, a Steve Jobs newly returned to Apple spent the early part of the last decade quietly assembling a time machine. Following the iPad, iPhone and MacBook Air before it, the retina-display MacBook Pro announced Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco is just the latest time traveler Apple has sent back to us from the future.
It’s a machine so shiny, so shimmering, so futuristic, so unlike anything else out there that it will take the PC-making competition at least a year to release a truly competing product. How did this even happen? How did Apple assemble its time machine, and why can’t the likes of Sony, HP, Dell, Acer and Lenovo seem to catch up?
We’ve already shown you a whole host of new iOS 6 features that Apple didn’t get time to mention during its WWDC keynote yesterday, and here’s another one. In fact, this is probably one of the coolest in the bunch. Notice how the status bar above certain stock apps — like Settings or Mail — is now blue? Well, that actually changes color to match the theme of the app you’re running.
TomTom is hedging its bets by partnering with Apple in the new iOS 6 Maps app.
Apple announced a brand spanking new Maps application alongside iOS 6 at WWDC yesterday, and the Cupertino company has ditched Google Maps for its own mapping technologies. While much of the new Maps app is powered solely by Apple, TomTom is referenced directly in the new iOS 6 Maps app as well.
While the iOS 6 Maps app is still in the very early beta stages, Apple has baked in new features that make it a killer Google Maps replacement, including turn-by-turn navigation, Siri integration, and an enhanced “Flyover” 3D viewing mode.
When this happens, the iMac won't have a Retina display... it'll practically have a Quantum display. Mock-up by Stephen Smith.
Yesterday’s announcement of the new, slim next-gen MacBook Pro took pretty much everyone’s breath away. Largely thanks to an incredible new 2880 x 1800 Retina display, the next-gen MacBook Pro is, without a doubt, the most powerful notebook a video or photo professional could own.
It’s also, technically, overkill. Packing an amazing 220 pixels per inch, the new MacBook Pro actually has almost two million more pixels than it needs to qualify as retina.
Make no mistake. Apple blew the doors open with this one. We were curious, though, what this meant for the rest of the Mac line. So we did the math, and as it turns out, when Apple’s other Macs are updated to Retina Displays, the next-gen MacBook Pro we’re all drooling over? It’ll be the worst Retina display of the entire Mac line.
If you haven't already done so, don't install this Thunderbolt update on your Mac.
A Software Update for Thunderbolt was just one of many Apple releases that went public yesterday, but unlike the rest, you should be in no hurry to pick this one up. Many users who have installed the update are reporting that it is causing boot failures and more on their Mac.
The new Maps app that Apple showed off at WWDC yesterday has made it pretty clear that the company will be ditching Google Maps in iOS 6. That means beautiful new 3D maps, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, and more. But before you get too excited, just remember this: As soon as Google leaved, so does Street View.
Kidding! It's a MacBook and an iPad. The bit about the scotch was real, though.
These exclusive blurrycam shots, which I found on an SD card left on my kitchen table next to a half-empty bottle of scotch, show what we think is a prototype retina-display 13-inch MacBook. It seems that, along with the high-res retina display like that found on the iPad, it also comes with a large bezel and the option to buy the device in white.
Turn-by-turn looks incredible, but it won't be coming to your iPhone 3GS.
Although iOS 6 looks a lot like iOS 5 at a glance, it represents a huge change to some of Apple’s core iOS features. Apps and services like Maps, Mail, Phone, Notification Center and more have all received new features worth talking about, while several new ones have been introduced.
The great thing about it is, is supports a whole host of devices, including every iPhone from the iPhone 3GS onwards. Some devices won’t get access to all features, however. Only the iPhone 4S and the first- and second-generation iPads will enjoy turn-by-turn navigation and 3D maps.
We’ve been waiting for this moment, and now that it’s here, I wish is sort of never arrived. Verizon has unveiled their Share Everything data plans, and to my dismay, they aren’t very family friendly. The new plans package unlimited voice, text, and data across up to ten tablets, laptops, modems, and phones. You pay a flat price for each individual device you add to the plan as well as one flat price for a specific amount of data to be shared by these devices.
Don't expect to see this running on iOS 6 anytime soon.
Shortly after the Chronic Dev Team released their iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak a couple weeks ago, Pod2g revealed that they had already begun work on a jailbreak for iOS 6. It seems, however, that it’s going to be a long time before we’re hacking Apple’s next iOS release.
According to Dev Team member MuscleNerd, iOS 6 breaks a whole lot of stuff, including Cydia, and it’ll be a while before there’s an iOS 6 jailbreak.
I didn't need to enter my password to download this, because I already owned it.
I’ve never really like the way in which the App Store handles security. Sure, I like the fact that if my iPhone is stolen, thieves can’t run up a huge iTunes bill. But I don’t understand why I have to enter my password each and every time I need to download updates or previous purchases. These have already been paid for; why is this necessary?
Thankfully, in iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion, it isn’t.
iOS 6 contains plenty of new features that Apple didn't mention at WWDC. Image courtesy of William Gamache ([email protected]).
We’re still trawling through the new iOS 6 beta releases that Apple pushed out after its WWDC keynote yesterday, and we continue to find nice new features and improvements. If you’re as excited about iOS 6 as we are, you’d probably like to hear about them.
Here’s a few changes Apple has made to emoji, Reminders, and more.
There's a good chance your next iMac won't look like this one.
There were suggestions that Apple would refresh its iMac at WWDC yesterday — alongside the updates it issued to the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro. However, the Cupertino company’s popular all-in-one didn’t get a mention during the two-hour keynote. That could be because it is hard at work on redesigning the iMac and the Mac Pro.
According to one Apple executive, both machines will receive big updates next year.
If you don't have this installed already, you've missed your chance.
If you haven’t already installed the Messages application on your Mac, you will now have to wait until OS X Mountain Lion is released next month to get your hands on it. The Messages for Mac beta, which was released back in February after Apple’s initial Mountain Lion preview, has now been pulled by the Cupertino company.
iOS 6 brings to the table some of the biggest UI improvements Apple has made in the history of iOS. While some of the changes are obvious, some are more subtle. Here’s 25 new user interface changes in iOS 6.
As was rumored this morning, Apple has launched its Back to School promotion for 2012. Educational discounts are available for most Macs and the third-generation iPad. Buying a Mac gets you a free $100 iTunes gift card, and a new iPad purchases gets you a $50 gift card.
If you are planning to buy one of the new Macs Apple announced today, make sure to take advantage of the education discount if you’re eligible. Back to School runs through September 21st.
