Tag Archives: Apple Inc.

By Staff | Published: January 27, 2009

Apple releases nVIDIA Graphics Update 2009

Late this afternoon, Apple released a much anticipated set of updates to drivers and related system elements for nVIDIA graphics hardware. Originally targeted only at current-model Macbook, Macbook Air & Macbook Pros which have experienced significant bugs with cursors, crashes and rendering errors, the final version of the update also includes drivers for older nVIDIA GPUs in desktop Macs.

From http://support.apple.com/downloads/NVIDIA_Graphics_Update_2009:

About NVIDIA Graphics Update 2009

This update improves cursor movement when using the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter with the Mini DisplayPort enabled MacBook Air, MacBook and MacBook Pro.

It also improves playback of HD video running on systems with NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT or GeForce 9600M graphics.

According to early reader reports via email (rumors@macosrumors.com), IM (AIM: MacOSRumors) and Twitter (@MacOSRumors), the performance benefits on all of the GPUs/Macs listed above — and interestingly enough, also some others — are significant. Read more

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Posted in Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , | 2 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 26, 2009

The Mac’s 25th Anniversary — Founder’s Column, Part 1

25 years ago this past weekend, an upstart development team within Apple Computer brought to market a cheaper, faster, better alternative to Steve Jobs’ pet project the “Lisa” (named after his daughter).

Though Jobs’ own feelings about the Macintosh were mixed, he undertook a famous event to introduce it to the world with a unique, historic advertisement (“1984”) and a demonstration that blew away the crowd: the very first Mac 128K seen in public spoke to the crowd that day, using a first-of-its-kind speech synthesizer technology developed specifically for that first Mac — a technology that has been a unique strength of the Mac platform ever since.

This weekend, even as the moment of the announcement event’s anniversary passed us by, the Rumors team was watching an amazing film called Welcome to Mac. Read more

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Posted in Apple Hardware, Apple Inc., Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 25, 2009

Quicktime 7.6 released; major update includes big changes

This week, Apple released Quicktime 7.6 in a major update which includes not only numerous security and bug fixes as well as considerable performance improvements. Other changes & new features follow below.

From Apple’s release notes, some of the new features include….

Video: Improves single-pass H.264 encoding quality / Increases the playback reliability of Motion JPEG media

Audio: Improves AAC encoding fidelity / Audio tracks from MPEG video files now export consistently

Application Support: Improves compatibility with iChat and Photo Booth

In our tests, framerates of Photo Booth videos are considerably improved, particularly under heavy CPU loads….and similar advances have been made with hardware-saturation scenarios for h.264 transcoding as well as many other resource-intensive functions.

All in all, we’re very impressed with QT 7.6 and can’t wait to spend more time hands-on with it; if you have experiences, bugs, or other feedback about Quicktime to share, please post to the comments, email us: rumors@macosrumors.com or contact us on the social networks — we’ve just opened a new Twitter account at http://twitter.com/macosrumors ! Read more

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Posted in Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
By Staff | Published: January 20, 2009

Google Chrome (TestShell) for Mac nightly builds coming along nicely

Recently, the Chrome core engine has been wrapped in a basic user interface, minus nearly all normal user-level functinality and lacks any plug-ins but nonetheless allows adventurous users to enjoy the incredible speed of the V8 Javascript engine.

The latest TestShell builds can be found here: http://securityandthe.net/wp-content/uploads/chromium_mac/.

The most up to date build at the time of this posting was 17-Jan-09, available by clicking here.

Although due to the huge dearth of functionality to which nearly every user of finished Web browsers are accustomed to, TestShell is absolutely not a replacement for such production browsers.

However, it does deliver absolutely incredible levels of speed and is even surprisingly stable….though given its very early state of beta testing and highly developmental nature, some crashes are to be expected and quite simply come with the territory. Read more

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Posted in 3rd Party Software | Also tagged , , , , | 5 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 19, 2009

Apple Web store(s) offline; rumblings of announcements build

As of Sunday morning Eastern time, reader and source reports have been coming in at a blistering pace as the online Apple Store reportedly went offline for most of the night. It came back later Sunday morning, and remained online throughout the remainder of the weekend.

Although the timing suggests it could be routine, the sheer volume of source reports and other reasons to suspect new hardware product announcements — almost certainly one or more new Macs — combined with the similarity between current speculation and long-standing rumors about new Mac Minis, price cuts, and/or a new Mac Pro….give us reason to suspect that such announcements could be imminent; if not in the next couple of days, then quite possibly before the week is out. Read more

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Posted in Apple Events, Apple Hardware, Apple Inc., Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Response
By Staff | Published: January 16, 2009

Community reeling from news of Steve Jobs’ “medical leave of absence”

As many of you already know, recently the community has been consumed by fears, doubts, debate and concern over the state of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ health. This culminated in a series of announcements from Jobs, the most recent of which made intense waves on the Mac Web with the news that he will be stepping down from his position until at least June for a “medical leave of absence.”

The following message was sent from Jobs to Apple employees on Wednesday:

Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. Read more

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Posted in Apple Inc. | Also tagged | 2 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 13, 2009

Latest WebKit nightly build includes built-in update functionality

As of the current nightly build (39852), WebKit — the developmental version of Safari, available for public testing — has added the capability to update to the latest build within Webkit.app itself, obviating the need for third party software like NightShift.

The Rumors team has been a very active part of WebKit development/testing since its very first day — just as we are known throughout the industry for being prolific beta testers of both hardware & software.

(If you are a hardware and/or software developer with a developmental, beta, or pre-release product you’d like us to help test — and with your explicit permission, review for our readers who are very interested in such technology — please contact us as soon as possible: rumors@macosrumors.com to make arrangements!)

We do of course use other browsers, notably Mozilla Firefox, for various purposes….but have always been passionate supporters of Safari/Webkit and its underlying technology. Read more

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Posted in Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 9, 2009

Conflicted over the lack of an Apple netbook while Sony announces one?

As we watch with a certain degree of envy the announcement at CES 2009 that Sony is introducing a new 8-inch display based “netbook” Vaio ‘lifestyle PC,’ many in the community are experiencing a duality of appreciation and frustration at Apple’s apparent disinterest in this space. But it may be with good reason.

Already, the iPhone and the Macbook Air nicely bracket the netbook product space.

Between the two, one really doesn’t have much need for such a device…..but nonetheless, when one looks over the specs of the new Vaio Lifestyle PC and its elegant little industrial design, it’s hard not to feel a little bit envious that Apple didn’t do it first.

Specs like these: 1.33GHz x86 processor, 1600×768 (!!!) pixel 8-inch 16:9 widescreen display, built-in micro webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, combined display/network breakout port, audio I/O ports, SD and Memory Stick slots, and a built-in 60GB hard drive or 128GB SSD drive. Read more

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Posted in Apple Hardware | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 9, 2009

Next for Apple: Mac Pros and Xserves based on Intel Core i7

For quite a while now, the eyes of the Mac community’s high-end segment have been on Intel’s latest processor technology called Core i7.

Previously code-named Nehalem, a project which we have followed since its infancy and in fact back before Apple even confirmed the long-standing rumor of the Intel transition, Core i7 integrates key advantages of leading processor designs across the industry and solidifies gains made by Intel since the original “Core” chips (“Yonah”) first shipped, marking a firm break from previous x86 processors out of Intel that didn’t keep up with competitor AMD, nor leading third-party RISC platforms such as PowerPC, ARM, MIPS and SPARC.

Learning from its mistakes and the successes of those platforms, Nehalem is a triumph of the multi-core engineering era. Read more

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Posted in Apple Hardware | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 9, 2009

Microsoft seeks to steal Apple’s thunder, Windows 7 Beta @ CES

Xerces affiliated bloggers & tech-TV anchors attending CES 2009 are streaming the news back to Rumors HQ that Microsoft has made a strong, headline-grabbing announcement at the opening of CES with Steve Ballmer’s announcement of a Windows 7 Beta to be made available for download tomorrow (Friday, January 9th).

LAS VEGAS, NV (Xerces Media)
Xerces-affiliated reporters and long-time source/contributor “Tron” are in attendance at CES, and though many have called this year’s Consumer Electronics Show a ‘hollowed-out shell of its former self,’ this news promises a rather more headline-grabbing show than many pundits seem to have expected.

Tron, only minutes out of the Ballmer speech and battling spotty connectivity due to the crush of wireless-access density in the area of the CES show floor, will be sending us updates throughout the week & week-end from CES as the bulk of Xerces’ remaining reporting teams are on their way home from Macworld. Read more

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Posted in 3rd Party Software | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Responses
By Staff | Published: January 6, 2009

Steve Jobs specifically addresses health rumors

As a group with several members who have dealt with serious and/or chronic illnesses including one who has had serious, extreme pancreatic surgery similar to Steve Jobs’ own procedure (his cancer may have been “treatable” but the surgery to do so is still dramatic and the details are enough to turn even tough guys a rather green shade of pale!)…..the Rumors site team has made a point not to fuel unproductive speculation about something that only Mr. Jobs himself could have genuine first-hand knowledge of and which is a highly private, personal and even painful matter. However, on Monday he broke his protracted silence on the much-speculated-upon issue and with limited commentary from our own still-healing editors, here’s the news.

On Monday, Steve Jobs personally and specifically, for the first time since long-running rumors began last year as people became concerned about his gaunt appearance and lowered public profile, addressed questions about his health in a press release meant to clear the air and focus Apple’s presence at Macworld on other matters. Read more

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Posted in Apple Inc. | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment
By Staff | Published: January 5, 2009

With the first Steve-less Keynote looming….


We have a lot to post tonight and throughout the week as our Macworld San Francisco coverage launches into full swing, so stay tuned! Xerces Media and all of the partners old & new of the Xerces Int’l partnership, now in its 10th year, have many exciting and time-consuming projects in flight even as we ramp up the most extensive and complete coverage machine we have wielded in Mac OS Rumors’ going on fourteen years of dishing out the most exclusive dirt and breaking the most exciting new rumors of Apple’s dramatic resurgence to become the world’s leading technology company by virtually any measure.

Phew! That’s a mouthful, and the past thirteen-plus years have been a roller coaster ride worthy of a book — if not a hefty tome of a novel. Read more

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Posted in Apple Events, Apple Inc. | Also tagged , , , , | 1 Response
By Staff | Published: November 18, 2008

Mac OS X 10.5.6 update may be released within the week

According to reliable sources, OS X 10.5.6 will be released to considerable excitement — well justified, based on our hands-on experiences with the update that will be posted shortly — within the next few days. Details to follow. Read more

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Posted in Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , | 3 Responses
By Staff | Published: November 18, 2008

First we drill down, start small….

….but fear not, the big picture and the big surprises, capital new shovelfuls of the hottest dirt that has sat under embargo or deliberate neglect over the past two months (that itself being one of the “big picture” things we’ll be getting to in the next week or so as we spin up this site’s engines properly) will be coming to you soon enough.

For now, read on to the full article for our first shotgun-blast of details and tidbits that found themselves at the top of our lists as we emerge from the proverbial Bat Cave with our old friends the Bothans and the old-school sources collectively known as the “Drunken Infinite Loop Dwellers Anonymous” (D.I.L.D.A.)…..you ain’t seen nothin’ yet and here’s a (small) taste of what’s to come. Read more

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Posted in Apple Hardware, Apple Software | Also tagged | 2 Responses
By Staff | Published: August 19, 2008

iPhone Software Update 2.0.2 Released

Late Tuesday evening, Apple released version 2.0.2, a relatively modest update officially containing only bug fixes but unofficially including a number of non-bugfix tweaks to several major components of the onboard operating system as well as its bundled applications in at least three confirmed instances — Settings, Mail and Safari.


Stay tuned for a full “0-day” hands on review from Rumormongers’ Labs to be followed by Reader Reports from our best sources across the globe…..for now, some early vital stats on iPhone 2.0.2 which represents a “quick” release of key functional & security changes which couldn’t wait for the massive and impressive 2.1 release due in roughly two to three weeks’ time….

Although a parallel release for the iPod Touch is expected shortly including all non-phone & non-mobile-data/non-GPS related code — primarily security fixes in the core software, Settings, Mail and Mobile Safari — the releases for the two devices are expected to be synchronous for version 2.1 which will be a fully free update for both devices, provided you are already running the version 2.x.x software package. Read more

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Posted in Apple Software | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment