Posts in mac

MacBook Air Supplies Dwindle, June Or July Refresh Imminent

We’ve previously reported on rumors of a June or July refresh for the MacBook Air and it looks like that time frame is firming up. 9to5 Mac today reported on reports they received in which supplies and shipments for the MacBook Air are constrained – a typical pattern ahead of product refreshes.

The refresh is likely to be minor with a specification bump and inclusion of Thunderbolt ports that have so far made it on to the MacBook Pro and iMac lines earlier this year. Similarly, Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors are also expected to make it into the refreshed MacBook Air, reports from two weeks ago suggest that Intel is working on ULV (ultra-low voltage) i5 and i7 processors, which would be perfect for the Air.

Prices for the current MacBook Air seem to reinforce an imminent update, with the refurbished models selling for only $829 on Apple’s website and Best Buy selling the base model for only $938.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

iA Writer Launches on the Mac App Store

Fans of the well focused Writer for iPad can now find their favorite editor on the Mac App Store. Writer for the Mac has no settings, with your only available options to write in a window or full screen mode. Unlike Byword, there is no support for a dark or light interface, however, Writer does have some syntax formatting for Markdown. Like the iPad, Writer also allows you to focus on a single line of text at a time, the idea being that you’ll be more focus on writing (finishing the sentence and moving on) than being distracted by editing, rereading, and revisiting previously written lines of text in the draft process. Writer is entering the market a premium price of $17.99 (and that’s with the entry 10% off discount), and we’ll be certainly be giving the text editor a thorough test before publishing our definitive review. After the break, we’ve included a short demo-video showcasing the app’s features. For more information, you can also check out the announcement on the IA blog.

Read more

Amazon Launches Mac App Store Competitor: Mac Download Store

Amazon has it’s eyes set on Apple again. Today they have launched the Mac Download Store. It features over 250 titles like from Microsoft Office (which the Mac App Store does not have), Adobe Elements and Call of Duty 4. The games are available for purchase via “an install-less download process.” Amazon says for Mac downloads, you don’t need to install any software, the Downloader will launch within the browser. It also appears that the Amazon Mac Download Store will also support trial versions of software that can be upgraded within the app unlike the Mac App Store.

Amazon is even launching a special with the Mac Download Store. “Save $5 on Mac Software and Game Downloads” - Celebrate our new Mac downloads stores and save $5 on any Mac game or software product through June 1, 2011. To save, click the “Buy and download” button on the product you have chosen, then enter the code SAVE5MAC in the “Gift Cards and Promotions” box. Limit 1 discount per customer.

There is no official press release from Amazon yet, but The Loop and All Things D have both confirmed that the Mac Download Store is here.

Update: We’re hearing the new Amazon Mac Download Store currently offers no way for independent developers to submit their applications – we’re told Amazon simply worked with existing, established sellers like Microsoft, Adobe and others to set up the new web interface and download system. No indie dev channel has been implemented yet, apparently.

Kickoff For Mac Aims To Simplify Teamwork

Working and communicating effectively in a group for a project can be quite painful and difficult, but Kickoff is a new group collaboration tool that aims to make it much easier for Mac users.

Designed for small teams of people, Kickoff gives users three integral features required for effective teamwork – chat, file management and to-do’s/notes. What makes Kickoff look really interesting is that each of these core functionalities are fully featured and thought through. For example it doesn’t just store files, because it also has built-in versioning and transfers within chat, whilst to-do’s can be allocated to certain people and a dashboard provides an overall glance at everything in the project.

It syncs everything over the air in real-time and because it’s a Mac app you can easily drag files, use Quick Look on files and receive dock notifications. Unfortunately pricing will probably be a bit prohibitive for many, starting at 20€ a month for up to three users, whilst for up to 15 users it is 50€ per month, although there is a two week free trial. Jump the break for some more screenshots.

Read more

Miro 4.0 Available Now, Miro For iPad Coming Soon

Miro, the open source media player and organiser, was today updated to version 4 and it heralds in some significant improvements and feature additions. Most notably it has taken on the role of being iTunes for Android devices, challenging others such as DoubleTwist with its media syncing capabilities.

It allows Android users sync the typical music, movies and podcasts but will even allow them to download Android apps from either the Google Android Market or from Amazon’s Android app store. The other significant addition is a home sharing feature for content stored in Miro. Using the iTunes DAAP protocol, it lets users stream their Miro Library to any other DAAP or vice versa, letting you play content from other DAAP clients, even a NAS drive on your network.

The New York Times is also reporting that the Miro developers, the non-profit group The Participatory Culture Foundation, have also been hard at work developing a Miro app for the iPad, which will launch within three weeks. The app will likely support the streaming features introduced in Miro 4.0 as well as focusing on podcasts, which was the original appeal for Miro.

[Via The New York Times]

Twelve South’s BookBook Case Now Available for MacBook Air

We love Twelve South’s Mac and iOS accessories, they make some of the most beautiful third-party accessories for Apple devices. We’ve previously talked about the Compass mobile stand, the BookArc for iPad and MacBook Air. Today we’re showing you the BookBook for MacBook Air.

Twelve South’s new BookBook case was designed for the MacBook Air (11 & 13-inch 2nd Gen). The genuine leather case is only 13.5 ounces and has two hardback covers with reinforced corners and a tough spine for impact protection. The inside of the case is lined with a velvet-like soft padded interior as well. Read more

The Story Behind Hype, An Interactive HTML5 Animation Builder For OS X

Last Friday, a bunch of ex-Apple employees launched Hype, an HTML5 animation builder for OS X. The application aims to let users easily build interactive sites that rival those built with Flash. Already the idea and the implementation has proved successful amongst consumers, with the app currently ranking as the highest grossing app on the Mac App Store. The Startup Foundry met with one of the cofounders, Jonathan Deutsch, and picked his brain on a number of questions surrounding Hype.

Deutsch worked at Apple primarily as the engineering manager for the back-end of Mail.app on OS X but also dabbled in software updates, automation technology, preparing Steve Jobs’ keynotes and various other engineering projects. The other co-founder, Ryan Nielsen was a senior member of the Mac OS X Project management team – central in the development of major OS X releases. Asked why Deutsch would leave a safe job at Apple to build a start-up, he said that he has always wanted to have his own company and wanted to be part of the new HTML5 wave hitting the web.

I was faced with the decision of continuing to work with the great people on my team on a clearly high impact project, living with the “what if” syndrome, or trying to forge my own path.  ”Regret Minimization” is what should win out in life, so it did.

The idea for Hype came after Deutsch returned from a holiday in Europe and wanted to make a website sharing some of the photos he took. Yet coding it with HTML5 would have been a nightmare and he thought there must be a better way. “It stuck with me and eventually I realized this was going to be a great opportunity for a business”.

Deutsch says that Apple’s condemnation of Flash wasn’t really a part of his decision-making, rather it was Apple’s efforts at driving the web forward that played a larger role. He praises WebKit as a great project that whilst initially controversial, has driven innovation in web browsers, particularly on mobile devices that almost exclusively use WebKit.

You can download Hype in the Mac App Store for $29.99.

[Via The Startup Foundry]