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Mac App Store coming to OS X 10.6 and 10.7 'within 90 days'
During Apple's "Back to the Mac" press event (happening now!), Steve Jobs introduced the Mac App Store, a Mac OS X variant of the hugely successful iOS App Store seen on its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad products. Like the portable counterpart, the Mac App Store offers an app clearinghouse ("the best place to discover apps," in Apple's words), one-click downloads, both free and paid apps (which will share the same 70/30 revenue split between developers and Apple as the iOS App Store), and automatic installation and app updates. Apps you purchase from the Mac App Store will be licensed for use on all your personal Macs – we imagine you'll be required to authenticate with your Apple ID on each system. While the Mac App Store will be arriving with copies of OS X 10.7, dubbed "Lion," this summer, Jobs revealed that Apple would be releasing this feature early. "We don't want to wait for Lion," Jobs said. "We're going to put it out on Snow Leopard, and will open within 90 days." For any game developers who want to get in on the desktop-oriented gold rush, Apple is accepting app submissions beginning in November. At least for now, there doesn't appear to be any reason to worry about the relatively "open" confines of Mac OS becoming any more iPad-like ... Let's at least wait and see how this Mac App Store does first.
Drowning in information? Tags can help
If you're anything like me you have lots and lots of information. Endless folders and files are scattered about, and while Spotlight in Mac OS X is very helpful, it's not a perfect fit for every situation. One solution I've found very helpful is Tags, from Gravity Apps. Our own Brett Terpstra took a look at version 1 of the program back in January of 2009, and now the app has been updated to make it even more useful. Click here to see what's changed in this new version. Tags is a system-wide method of tagging just about anything on your Mac for easy retrieval. The real power comes from associating different file types that you may want to relate, like a web page, photo, contact and note. The tagging easily takes place from within the application, and requires a couple of keystrokes. Control-Space bar brings up the tagging GUI, and Option-Space bar triggers the search menu. If those hot-keys conflict with something else you use, they can be easily changed.
IceClean does system maintenance and optimization for your Mac for free
There are a raft of utilities that provide a front end for the built-in Unix system tasks. Some are free, some cost a little bit, either through a purchase or shareware fee. Cocktail is a great example of a paid app that is very complete but it's not free. OnyX is a good free app with similar capabilities. IceClean does a whole basket of system fix-ups and the price is zippo. We took a look at IceClean a couple of years ago, and it's been updated for Snow Leopard. Everything from triggering background maintenance tasks that normally get done in the middle of the night, to permission repair, preference file verification and cache clearing. The app also has some network utilities for the more technically minded, like traceroute,, netstat and whois. The app can also force the trash can to empty, force eject optical media, and it can clean up many problems with Spotlight. There are a lot of other functions and you can check them at the IceClean website. Remember that like any utility, it's doing some deep digging into the Unix core of Mac OS X, so it isn't a good idea to force quit the app when it's running. It doesn't offer a lot of feedback other than a spinning gear, so caution is the word of the day. The current version supports Snow Leopard, while version 2.5 supports OS X 10.4. All these apps have some overlap, and most of them have some unique features. Check them out to see which ones best meet your needs. [via Mac360]
Snow Leopard Graphics Update available
Apple has released a Snow Leopard graphics update to address some graphical issues introduced in Apple's 10.6.4 update for OS X. Specifically, the update fixes frame rate issues with Valve's games Portal and Team Fortress 2, and it fixes a problem that may have caused Aperture 3 or StarCraft II to crash or become unresponsive. The update also resolves graphics corruption issues brought on by disconnecting and reconnecting external displays while a Mac is running. The graphical issues with Valve's games following the 10.6.4 update received a fair bit of publicity. Fortunately, this update should resolve those issues. Let us know in the comments how it goes for you. Snow Leopard Graphics Update is 69 MB and is available in Software Update or via direct download here.
AppleJack startup utility now works with Snow Leopard
In the hustle and the bustle of last week's full-court press press, there was a bit of Mac news worthy of mention: the indispensable AppleJack single-user utility has been updated for compatibility with Snow Leopard. If you never need AppleJack, you'll be happier, but if and when you do need it there's no doubt it can save your sanity (and your Mac). Developed by Kristofer Widholm with an assist from Steve Anthony, the AppleJack utility can only be run when you boot your Mac into single-user mode (by holding down the S and Command keys during startup). It will allow you to clean caches, run repairs and generally happy-make your unhappy Mac. The tool is open-source and free, so go get it. [hat tip to TidBITS]
Mac OS X 10.6.4 now available
Mac OS X 10.6.4 just hit Software Update, people. It doesn't have much in the way of additional features, but it addresses a number of outstanding bugs and glitches -- and it includes Safari 5, in case you're late to the party. We're downloading it now, we'll let you know if we discover anything crazy -- won't you return the favor?
WWDC 2010: Farmville for iPhone coming soon
Zynga showed up on the stage at the WWDC keynote this morning to show off one of the most-awaited (and most hated) apps coming to the iPhone: Farmville. The popular Flash-based social networking game is finally making its way to the iPhone by the end of June, and it'll be bringing at least one new feature along in the form of push notifications for when your crops are done. Players will also be able to make in-app purchases for the Farmville marketplace, all of the game's information will sync with their Facebook version, and the game will come with an exclusive pet: a Snow Leopard. Cute. The assembled press in San Francisco were humdrum about the announcement, as most of them aren't Farmville players (and lots of you probably aren't either). But there are millions and millions of players of this game around the world, and when one of the biggest games in the world comes to Apple's platform, that's a big deal. We'll keep an eye out for the game on the App Store, and let you know when it's out.
Safari 5 to join Steve onstage Monday for WWDC?
According to a report from French blog MacGeneration, one of the announcements on tap for Monday's WWDC 2010 keynote (which we'll be covering live, by the way) is a major update for Safari -- namely, version 5. If you believe the docs the site has obtained, there are more than a few big changes coming, including Bing now alongside Yahoo! and Google search options, a new "Safari Reader" for better / easier RSS reading (we're hoping they're taking a cue from Google on this), 25 percent faster JavaScript performance and DNS prefetching (hello, Chrome), improved HTML5 support (no big surprise there), and new developer tools which we assume will be along the lines of Firebug or Chrome's developer helpers. So we hope. The update will allegedly also add hardware acceleration for Windows PCs, an address field that auto-predicts URLs (they're calling it a "Smart Address Field"), and a handful of other minor tweaks and snips. Furthermore, there's an expected minor bump to Snow Leopard (10.6.4) which will resolve some nagging issues, though nothing really more than that. As we're sure you're aware, the next 48 hours or so are going to be filled with all sorts of nutty rumors about what's happening at Monday's keynote -- we'll try and separate the wheat from the chaff for you.
OS X grabs 8% share on Steam
Valve has released the first Steam Hardware Survey since their Steam platform released for the Mac, and OS X has gained 8% of the market share already in its various iterations. Most of the Mac users are running 10.6.3, not surprising, given that those most likely to have the latest operating system are probably also the most likely to know that a Steam client is out and ready for them to download. Of course, the Mac faction still pales in comparison to the amount of Windows gamers on the network, but for a client that came out on the 12th day of the month for the survey data, 8% ain't bad at all. Also of note: Intel processors in the survey jumped up by almost 3%, probably due to a lot of the new Mac users. And the 1280x800 primary desktop resolution also jumped as MacBook users installed and ran the new Mac Steam client. Average free hard drive space actually dropped a little bit (Mac users are busy people, after all...) and average network speed rose (...with fast Internet connections). The Steam Hardware Survey is always an interesting cross-section of what kind of PCs gamers are using, and a big injection of Macs into the numbers made for a fascinating set of data. [via Ars]
Drobo FS gains native Time Machine support, we go hands-on
Praise wasn't hard to find when Data Robotics finally caved and crafted a Drobo NAS drive last month, but ever since we've been itching to test one out and see how it actually fared. We've had our fair share of awful NAS experiences, particularly in mixed-platform environments, but we recently had the chance to sit down with a unit to test out the company's latest addition: Time Machine support. We asked the outfit why support for Apple's innate backup service was coming just after the product launch, and it really boils down to decisions based on fiscal calendars, accounting practices and other scenarios that interest you not. Fact is, though, the gratis update is being pushed out today through the Drobo Dashboard, and all Drobo FS users should be able to download the new build and start taking advantage right away. We stuffed our unit with four different sized SATA drives from different manufacturers, and just like the company promised, the Drobo FS took 'em all in as if they were equal. Hop on past the break for more of our setup experience. %Gallery-93324%
Java for OS X updated
Fire up your Software Update, because there's a Java update waiting for both Snow Leopard and Leopard users. For Snow Leopard (requires 10.6.3), there's Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 2, which weighs in at around 80 MB. For Leopard users (requires 10.5.8), there's Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 7, a much larger 122 MB download. Both updates bring Java SE 6 to version 1.6.0_20 (compatible only with Intel-based Macs), while the Leopard-only update also updates Java SE 5 (compatible with Intel and PowerPC Macs) to 1.5.0_24. The upshot of these updates? "Improved reliability, security, and compatibility" of Java in OS X, with more detailed security notes available for the truly curious.
Ask Engadget: what's the best 13-inch Core i5 / i7 Wintel ultraportable for running OS X?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Dan Murphy [great name!], who needs to know which ultraportable on the market today is best equipped to roll both ways... if you know what we're sayin'. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Real simple: what's the best Core i5 or Core i7 13-inch laptop (with discrete graphics) for running both Windows 7 and Mac OS X? I'm a video and photo guy who does marketing work for a university, and while I've been using a Dell M1330 to operate on both sides of the fence, I'm in dire need of a hardware upgrade. I'm not fussed by the Windows vs. Mac debate and use both on a daily basis, but I need as much power as possible in an ultraportable form factor in order to handle both of these operating systems (sorry, 13-inch MacBook Pro, but you aren't cutting it). Here's hoping your readers can help out!" We'd sure the master Hackintoshers out there would love to help out, and we're sure Apple will weep when realizing they'd have a sale if they would've crammed a Core i5 into their 13-inch MBP while refreshing the other guys last month. Go on, folks -- let this guy in on your secrets in comments below.
What to do when your Mac dies
In general, Mac hardware is very reliable. Like any complex gizmo, a Mac will have its quirks, but only rarely do those quirks turn into a full-on, machine-killing meltdown. When that does happen, as it recently happened to my wife's MacBook, there's a few things you can do to keep the death of your Mac from becoming more of an ordeal than it has to be. Before your Mac dies: Back up your data. Your Mac is humming along nicely now, and if you've never had a computer die on you before, you might think it'll go on crunching binary bits forever. Unfortunately, it won't -- eventually, something on the Mac is going to fail. And when it does, it'll take all your music, documents, games, videos, and family photos down with it... unless you have those things backed up in another location. At a bare minimum you should be using Time Machine to back up your entire Mac to an external hard drive. Considering that Apple bundles this simple-to-use backup software in OS X, and considering how cheap even terabyte-capacity external hard drives have become, there's really no excuse for not backing up your data. Having all of your data backed up to another drive makes a dead Mac an inconvenience rather than a full-blown catastrophe. There are other third-party tools you can use, like CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper, but if you're looking for a solution that doesn't require an additional download (or much conscious thought to implement), Time Machine is the probably simplest backup tool available. More suggestions, both pre- and post-death, after the link below.
Flash Player 'Gala' brings hardware decoding support to Mac OS X
Even amidst all their fighting, it appears Apple and Adobe can manage to lay down arms and work together every once in a while: Apple just enabled low-level access to NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 320M and GT 330M H.264 GPU hardware in Mac OS X 10.6.3, and Adobe's followed up six days later with a new preview version of Flash Player code-named "Gala" that takes advantage of it. That's good news for anyone who's ever heard their fans spin up while watching a YouTube video on a Mac (so, everyone) but we doubt it means there's any détente on larger issues between these two coming -- Apple remains committed to HTML5, while Adobe's pulled all investment from iPhone-related Flash development, and the company's relationship with Google seems to be heating up. We'll take what we can get, we suppose -- we'll hit you with some benchmarks just as soon as we get things installed.
Apple Technical Note TN2267: an opening for GPU-accelerated Flash?
There couldn't possibly be any less fanfare from Apple on this, but the company's recently released Technical Note TN2267 for OS X 10.6.3 might just be the GPU-sized opening that Adobe and, consequently, Flash users have been waiting for. Here's the key bit: The Video Decode Acceleration framework is a C programming interface providing low-level access to the H.264 decoding capabilities of compatible GPUs such as the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, GeForce 320M or GeForce GT 330M. It is intended for use by advanced developers who specifically need hardware accelerated decode of video frames. Now, we're not exactly "advanced developers," but it seems pretty clear that this is designed to give developers access to some inner workings of OS X that have previously been restricted to Apple itself -- access that has been evident in Flash tests that show it performs much better in instances where it can access a computer's GPU. No word from Adobe on this just yet, but we've got to guess they've already taken notice.
Hackintosh-friendly Dell Mini 10v discontinued
The Dell Mini 10v, choice of netbook hackintosh owners everywhere, has apparently been discontinued as of a week ago. I discovered that today when I couldn't find any on Dell's site, and confirmed it with a live chat with a support representative who told me it was discontinued last week. A message was left for Dell's Media Relations team but was not immediately returned. Dell's naming system is confusing, so it would be easy to see the "Mini 10" and think that it is available, but the "10v" has a chipset that works with Mac OS X; the regular Mini 10 does not. Coincidentally, last night I setup my first Dell Mini 10v running Mac OS X. I had my Snow Leopard DVD, the free Netbook Installer application, the instructions from Gizmodo, and an 8GB USB thumb drive; setting this up could not have been any easier. The results are pretty cool, if you are willing to accept the obvious tradeoffs inherent in a netbook. Today I even ran Software Update, and have the beast running 10.6.3 without a hitch. As of this writing, there are still a few refurbished models available at Dell's outlet. Although the Mini 10v has been a hackintosher's dream machine, I have no doubt that other computers will come along which prove equally as hackintoshable (I realize that these are made-up words). Update: A Dell spokesperson tells TUAW that the product was naturally end-of-lifed. Intel launched its Pine Trail Atom processor last year; Dell will be refreshing the mini line with that updated processor. The spokesperson could not clarify the degree to which updated units would be Hackintoshable.
SecondBar puts your menu bar on a second monitor
The menu bar is a quintessential piece of the Mac "experience." On the left, it shows all of the menu items for the currently active application; on the right, it shows icons from various menu bar application programs: the date/time, WiFi status, MobileMe sync status, and many, many more. The whole idea is to make the menu items easy to find and easy to "hit" with a mouse, by being connected to the top of the screen (Fitts's law and all that). But what if you have two monitors? Suddenly the menu bar might be all the way over on the other side. Yes, I realize that complaining about using a Mac with two monitors might be the quintessential "first-world problem," but the more minor irritants you can remove from life, the better. SecondBar is an app which will extend your menu bar to a second monitor. I've been using it for a while and it works pretty well for what the author describes as an "alpha" build.
10.6.3 update makes Snow Leopard blood-free
When you compare the snow leopard that graces the front of the Mac OS X Snow Leopard box with the same picture that's in your Mac's built-in desktop pictures, you'll notice a very subtle difference... assuming you're running a version of Snow Leopard prior to 10.6.3, that is. In earlier versions of Snow Leopard, the big cat in the OS's desktop pictures has some slight flecks of blood on its lower jaw, and its lower teeth are also slightly visible. The same picture has been "cleaned up" for the front of the Snow Leopard retail box, as well as the install disc itself; the blood has been removed, and the snow leopard's lower teeth have been Photoshopped out. I guess Apple thought that the original image was a little too menacing for its marketing purposes? Left: Friendly neighborhood salescat. Right: Soulless, enraged killing machine? Well, the sanitization has spread into the desktop pictures on the Mac, because after installing the 10.6.3 update, the snow leopard desktop picture in your Library/Desktop Pictures/Nature folder has been changed to match the "kinder, gentler" version on the retail box and install disc. When you zoom in really close, you can see that the Photoshop work they did on the poor cat's mouth when they hid its fangs was kind of a hackish job, too. Click "Read More" to see some closeups of the unkindness done to this noble carnivore.
Apple updates Snow Leopard to 10.6.3, loads of minor quirks get patched
Nearly five months after OS X 10.6.2 hit the pipes (and just seven months after 10.6.1), Apple has updated its Snow Leopard operating system to v10.6.3. Weighing in rather heavily at 757.3MB (when you upgrade from 10.6.2, anyway), this mammoth update brings along a laundry list of fixes, including improved reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X, a resolution to an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers and boosted reliability of third-party USB input devices. You can check the full changelog after the break, but in all honesty, we're guessing that the unwritten change is integrated support for Intel's mobile Core i5 / Core i7 chips, both of which should become options on the MacBook Pro line as early as tomorrow last week. Fire up Software Update to get the download rolling, but only if you're cool with subjecting yourself to all sorts of unknown application breaks. We're installing it ourselves here at Engadget HQ, and we'll update the post if anything catastrophic happens. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
10.6.3 released
Head on over to Software Update to find the latest OS X dot release. 10.6.3 is now available. Here's Apple's write-up on the matter: The 10.6.3 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that: improve the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X address compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications address an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail resolve an issue that prevented files with the # or & characters in their names from opening in Rosetta applications resolve an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers improve performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode improve sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand address a color issue in iMovie with HD content improve printing reliability resolve issues with recurring events in iCal when connected to an Exchange server improve the reliability of 3rd party USB input devices fix glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera For overall details look here or find security information here. A combo updater is also available. While we're on the subject, we're guessing there will be a new version of iTunes this weekend.