Mac

Are you ready for a 3D desktop?

Apple is working on such a project, according to patent filings unearthed by MacRumors this week. The "multidimensional desktop" applications suggest that Apple wants to take familiar parts of the Mac OS X desktop--such as the dock--and add depth, allowing you to stack documents or folders behind application icons on the "floor" of your desktop.

The idea of a 3D desktop is not new, but neither is it something that people are using in large numbers. When it comes to patent applications there's always a distinct chance that … Read more

Apple has released several new firmware updates aimed at solving problems with its latest batch of notebooks.

Updates are available for all three Mac notebooks released in October: the new MacBook Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Air. In usual fashion, Apple didn't provide a whole lot of detail about the issues that are corrected by the EFI firmware updates, other than to note that they "improve the stability" of those new systems.

The company also released firmware updates for the SMC (system management controller) chip inside Mac notebooks, which helps regulate power consumption among other things. Those updates &… Read more

Having run into a roadblock in its attempt to fire back at Apple, Psystar is changing tactics.

Court filings this week (click here for PDF) indicate that Psystar is dropping its argument that Apple is violating antitrust laws--which Judge William Alsup has already rejected--in favor of a new argument that Apple is abusing its copyright on Mac OS X to stifle competition. The Mac clone maker is attempting to stay in business against long legal odds by trying to convince a court that Apple's licensing policies for Mac OS X are unfair and illegal.

From the filing:… Read more

Problems with Apple's newly redesigned MacBooks are being reported on Apple discussion boards and across the Internet.

The new notebooks, which have already run into problems with the trackpad, are said to have problems with video performance, third-party memory chips, and staying in sleep mode. It's always difficult to get a sense of how widespread such problems are from tracking message board posts--and every computer ever made has had problems--but the volume of such complaints regarding the new systems seems to be increasing.

Gizmodo collected some of the more pressing problems in a post Monday. The memory issue involves crashes that appear to be linked to adding third-party memory chips into the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Apple charges way more for memory upgrades than other companies such as Crucial or Other World Computing, so savvy Mac users interested in adding memory on their own often choose one of those products.

That post also highlights an issue that involves the MacBook Pro being unable to stay in sleep mode, turning itself on when closed every minute or so, or freezing when woken up by the user. That issue doesn't seem as serious as the memory one, but if you've noticed this problem resetting your MacBook's PRAM seems to have worked for some people.

… Read more

Familiar Apple rumors are making the rounds again this week as Macworld looms in the distance, one month away.

Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research put out a research note Monday morning spotted by D: All Things Digital saying that Apple plans to release something from "a completely new device category" next year. He fails to explain exactly what such a product might encompass, but speculates that it will be based around a processor designed by the former P.A. Semi engineering team.

As a result, the usual rumors (Mac tablet, iPhone Nano, iKindle) are under discussion within … Read more

Apple has amended its lawsuit against Psystar to allow for the possibility that other parties are backing the company.

When companies file lawsuits, they'll often tack something like "John Does 1-50" onto the list of defendants, in order to allow for the possibility that other parties to the case who have yet to be discovered could be added at a later date. Apple did not do that the first time it filed suit against Mac clone maker Psystar, but has tacked such a paragraph onto an amended copy of its lawsuit against the company, as noted by Groklaw.… Read more

Few analysts were prepared to call Apple's Black Friday performance a blowout, but in general they thought consumers responded well to Apple's products and pricing last week. Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers, and Maynard Um of UBS have weighed in with their thoughts on Apple's sales during the first official shopping day of the holiday season. Expectations had been muted going into the weekend, which many had thought would be dismal given the economic environment.

But the overall picture wasn't as bad as some had feared. And despite sticking with its … Read more

The only thing they forgot was a desperate attempt by old Gil to sell an iPod Hi-Fi.

Springfield got its first Apple store during Sunday night's episode of The Simpsons, allowing the show's writers to devote a good chunk of the show to satirizing Apple (Mapple), CEO Steve Jobs (Mobs), and "myPods." The show makes several tongue-in-cheek references to Apple cultural touch-points like the Power Mac Cube, the "Braniac Bar," and the famous 1984 commercial in a scene featuring Comic Book Guy, who is definitely a Mac user.

You can find the episode on … Read more

Apple has started reminding its store employees that they have the authority to match the prices of other Apple resellers.

IfoAppleStore reported earlier Tuesday that managers at Apple retail stores can honor the prices for Macs and iPods posted on other authorized outlets like Best Buy or Amazon.com. This has always been Apple's policy, according to AppleInsider, but it sounds like the company wanted to make it crystal clear ahead of a holiday season in which consumers are expected to be bargain hunters.

Apple posted some information on its Web site on Tuesday about the deals it will … Read more