05/21, 12:36pm
Auto-downloads appear in latest Developer Preview
Automatic app downloads are being integrated into OS X Mountain Lion, checks show. The feature is present in the latest Developer Preview of the OS; under the new option, titles bought at the Mac App Store should, in theory, appear on any other Mac signed in with the same Apple ID. In practice though, the store is marking titles as "installed" on secondary Macs without actually copying any files. The function will likely be turned on in future Developer Previews, or at least the final version of Mountain Lion, due sometime this summer.
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05/20, 5:34pm
Apple sends sandboxing reminder to Mac devs
Apple sent an email reminder to developers working on apps for the Mac App Store letting them know that new programs will have to be compatible with the platform's forthcoming "sandboxing" constraints in order to be offered in the Mac App Store. Developers are expected to implement sandboxing within their apps by June 1, though existing programs can be updated after that date. Apple has previously extended the deadline for app sandboxing, first November 2011 to March 2012, and later to June 2012.
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05/10, 2:00am
Price is identical to boxed version
Two months after its official debut, Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom 4 pro-level photo managing and editing software has come to the Mac App Store. The program is priced identically to the boxed version, but is aimed at new users (since owners of previous versions of Lightroom can upgrade to 4.0 for $79 through Adobe). The program competes with Apple's own Aperture, which costs $80.
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04/27, 11:40am
Still incremental next to iOS App Store
The number of titles on the Mac App Store has cracked the 10,000 mark, Mac Génération observes. Apple hasn't formally revealed the figure, but the company typically skips mentioning most app milestones until press events or conference calls. The next opportunity will likely be the keynote at June's WWDC.
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03/22, 1:20pm
TweetDeck gets long-expected update
Twitter showed renewed interest in its desktop TweetDeck apps after their first release with a version 1.3 update for Windows, Mac (App Store), Google Chrome, and the web. The new version is meant partly to catch up to the mainstream web page and now has optional in-line photo and video previews. Pros and fans of lists can now create, delete, or modify lists, including changing someone's relationship to a list through their profile.
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02/22, 8:00pm
Popular game features HD graphics, mouse play
The popular iOS game Cut the Rope is now available in a Mac App Store version for desktops and laptops that features high-resolution graphics, new layouts to accommodate widescreen monitors, new game mechanics to enable use of either a mouse or trackpad in gameplay, and a low price relative to many games on the MAS. The Mac version is the first time the game has come to any desktop platform, says creator ZeptoLab.
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02/21, 5:10pm
Tech limits reach of apps
Apple has announced an extension on implementing sandboxing for Mac App Store titles. Developers were originally expected to have changes finished by March 1st, but the new deadline is now a full three months later, on June 1st. The technology is already present in OS X 10.7.3 as well as Xcode 4.3 APIs.
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02/17, 9:45pm
Apple to make Mountain Lion truly download only
Apple stated Friday that the launch of OS X Mountain Lion would be truly download-only. The Mac maker briefed Pocket-lint that it wouldn't stock versions preloaded on USB drives like it has with the current Lion release. Offering a physical option was an "interesting test," but the Mac App Store was "just fine" in practice for getting a copy, Apple said.
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02/16, 9:00pm
New version will not auto-update
In a further move to support use of the Mac App Store for developers, the company has issued a new version of XCode as a free Mac App Store standalone application. The new version, 4.3, is for Lion developers and not the same as the v4.4 that was released earlier today with the developer preview of Mountain Lion. The new version replaces the previous XCode and adds support for delta updates among other changes.
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02/16, 1:40pm
Apple moves away from Software Update tech
Updates to OS X Mountain Lion will be delivered through the Mac App Store, Pocket-lint says it has learned through one of the company's private product briefings. Present and past versions of OS X have relied on a dedicated Software Update function. In switching to the Mac App Store for patching, Mountain Lion will mimic iOS' App Store-based update system.
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02/16, 9:35am
Mac OS X Mountain Lion adds iMessage, Reminders
In a surprise step, Apple on Thursday gave developers a preview version of OS X Mountain Lion, the next significant update to the core OS. The new version is directly influenced by iOS 5 and includes Notification Center, Reminders, Notes, Game Center, and Twitter integration, with iCloud syncing where it's relevant. AirPlay Mirroring is also new to the Mac and shares exactly what's on screen through an Apple TV.
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02/13, 5:15pm
10,000 yen off Mac, iTunes downloads
Apple is launched the annual Japanese version of its back-to-school promotion, intended to encourage Mac sales. Unlike the US and Canada, many schools in Japan start classes on April 1st. This year the company is giving away a 10,000 yen ($129) gift card, which can be used toward content at the iTunes Store, the App Store, and/or the Mac App Store.
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01/27, 8:00pm
Range of old and newer titles, $5 each
Mac game maker Aspyr has selected four titles from its catalog for a special month-end sale. From now through the end of January, Prey, Tomb Raider II, Duke Nukem Forever and Neverwinter Nights 2 for Mac will be on sale for $5, up to 75 percent off their normal price. The sale prices are already available for the Mac App Store versions, which require Intel Macs running OS X 10.6.6 or higher. Graphics requirements vary by game.
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01/06, 3:25pm
Apple apps still in control of charts
The Mac App Store is today celebrating its first anniversary. At first the storefront was only accessible through a Snow Leopard update; access has since been built into OS X Lion, which itself was originally made available as a Mac App Store download. In mid-December announced that it had surpassed 100 million downloads at the store, not including app updates or even Lion sales.
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12/28, 3:50pm
Recent price changes already taking effect
iTunes Connect has returned from a scheduled downtime one day early, reports say. The service for Mac and iOS developers regularly goes offline for several days during the Christmas season. This year Connect was officially scheduled to be offline from December 22nd through to the 29th, during which time no changes by app developers would go live. Why Apple would resume Connect service early is unknown, but the company could theoretically be trying to cope with a heavy backlog.
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12/28, 12:05pm
Hides behind authentic-looking graphics
A new phishing scam is once again targeting owners of Apple products, warns security firm Intego. The attack is said to have begun "on or around" Christmas Day, and involves an email that claims to be from "appleid@id.apple.com" with the subject line "Apple update your Billing Information." It insists that a person's billing information is out of date, and that it must be updated or else Apple will delete the associated account. A provided link looks like it should lead to Apple's online store, but in reality takes victims to a fake sign-in page.
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12/23, 12:35pm
Revamped version of 2004 gore-fest
Game makers Aspyr have re-released Doom 3, now in a version designed for modern Intel Macs. The game, first released on OS X in 2004, sports a rare (for the Mac platform) "M" rating for its nightmarish setting, violence and gore. The new version runs only on Intel Core2Duo or later chips under Snow Leopard or Lion, and does not work with the pre-Intel 3000HD integrated graphics chipsets. The engine for Doom 3 was released under the GPL last month.
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12/22, 11:15pm
Previous version also honors sale price
The venerable graphic text-manipulation app TypeStyler has made its way to the Mac App Store with new version 11, and the company is celebrating the release by putting the program on sale for its lowest-ever price ($60). The new version adds a range of "grunge" effects to the program, allowing designers to create weathered or distressed looks. Graphics can also now be posted directly onto Facebook or Twitter, and the app has new Object positioning abilities.
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12/22, 7:00pm
NPD tracks smartphone and digital gaming at last
The NPD Group in a rare step began tracking some of the contributions of non-traditional gaming to the industry for the first time. It estimated that about $1.64 billion came from "other content," which includes mobile games as well as direct downloads and social network games, generated $1.64 billion in revenue. The growth made it larger than the traditional software side of the business, which dropped to $1.3 billion
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12/16, 10:00pm
Debut version on Mac App Store
Mike Yenco has updated his household finance program Finance to version 7.0, bringing it to the Mac App Store and making a number of improvement, including changes in repeating transactions and data entry, better search speed, a new advanced search, better list navigation with mouse, trackpad and arrow key support and other changes. As part of the move to the Mac App Store, the price of Finance has also been lowered.
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12/16, 7:00pm
Aimed at manga, comic artists, supports tablets
Software company Green and Slimy have introduced a new drawing-and-painting application for the Mac called Sketchoo that is aimed to help artists at all skill levels create distraction-free artwork using five basic tools: pencil, paintbrush, airbrush, calligraphy pen and an eraser. The program's full-screen interface allows artists to work without pallets, and it offers a "draw over" feature to create artwork based on a photo.
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12/12, 9:00am
Storefront less than a year old
(Updated with clarifications from Apple) Over 100 million downloads have now been made at the Mac App Store, Apple has announced. The online storefront has only been accessible since January of this year, and is limited to Macs running Snow Leopard or Lion. Apple is not offering a specific count of apps available, except to say there are "thousands of free and paid" titles.
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12/08, 4:10pm
Boxed Logic suites to be discontinued
(Updated with live Mac App Store links) Apple is notifying resellers that Logic Studio and Logic Express are no longer being offered in boxed copies, reports say. Instead, Logic Pro 9 and MainStage 2 will at some point migrate to the Mac App Store, though when and at what price is unmentioned. The fate of Soundtrack Pro 3 is also uncertain, but is not cited as joining its companion apps.
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11/30, 11:00am
Humble Introversion Bundle
Humble Bundle has expanded its latest software bundle with both Dungeons of Dredmor and the source code for several introversion games. Dungeons of Dredmor is being offered to all customers that pay more than the current average price, while every purchase includes source code for Darwinia, Multiwinia, Defcon, and Uplink: Hacker Elite. The Humble Introversion Bundle will last for another 6 days and has already sold more than 154,000 bundles.
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11/12, 9:05pm
Chitika has Lion adoption levelling off
Adoption of Mac OS X Lion has slowed significantly in the past month, Chitika found in its latest web traffic results. While it was up to 14 percent in September after being available for two months, it had moved just two percent more by late October to hit 16 percent of the Mac user base. Snow Leopard still had a clear majority at 55 percent, while even the four years old Leopard was at 22 percent.
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11/10, 8:30pm
Lighter version of Dictate for $50
Speech dictation software developer Nuance has released a new, "lighter" version of its Dragon Dictate software called Dragon Express, with the primary difference being that the Express program doesn't allow users to dictate directly into third-party programs, instead requiring users to dictate first into the Express program, which will forward route the text into other OS X applications. Express features a two-minute "training" period and very high accuracy.
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10/03, 11:30pm
Upgraders should uninstall 1.2 first
Growl, the popular open-source third-party notification system for Mac OS X, has undergone some serious changes in its new 1.3 update: it's now Lion-only, a menu item instead of a system preference, and exclusively available through the Mac App Store, among other features. It's also now a paid app (at $2), which the developers hope will ensure its developmental future. The upgraded app also sports a new "rollback" feature similar to iOS 5, and a history log.
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09/11, 9:45pm
Lion beta 11C55 turns on full iCloud
Apple gave developers a full view of iCloud integration in Mac OS X for the first time with an unusual Sunday release of a new Mac OS X 10.7.2 beta. The new 11C55 build already includes iCloud instead of requiring a separate install, like in earlier releases. No known bugs exist with the build, but users are expected to test both iCloud itself as well as Address Book, iCal, Mail, Safari, and legacy MobileMe support.
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09/02, 9:30am
Apple directs iPhone-style promotion at OS X
Apple has created a new subsection at the Mac App Store simply titled Apps Enhanced for Lion. "OS X Lion is packed with innovative features including Multi-Touch Gestures, Full-Screen Apps, Resume, Auto-Save, and Versions," the page advertises. The first seven apps in the collection are all from Apple, including titles like Pages and Aperture, but then go on to feature third-party apps such as djay, Evernote, Twitter, swackett X and Pulp.
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08/29, 5:40pm
Adds new cameras, grass presets, more
Less than a month after the last major update, Avis Nocturna has released version 4.5 of its 3D landscape modelling program TerraRay. The new version sports new camera types, including a birds-eye view. The water renderer has been improved, and the company has added more material generators and 3D preset models, including a new grass preset. To celebrate the new release, the software -- which is sold exclusively through the Mac App Store -- is on sale for a limited time.
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08/23, 4:40pm
Storefront limited to 10.7 for several days
Apple has at last updated the Mac App Store version of OS X Lion to v10.7.1. The v10.7.1 code was originally introduced last week through Software Update and Apple's website, but until today the Mac App Store copy of the OS remained stuck at v10.7. For several days this forced people upgrading from Snow Leopard to download an update immediately after installing Lion.
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08/16, 3:20pm
LT released ahead of full software
Autodesk has announced that AutoCAD LT 2012 has been released on the Mac App Store. The LT release serves as a downsized edition of the full AutoCAD 2012 package, which is set to late in the week. Users can take advantage of 2D drafting and detailing tools for creating and editing technical drawings, saved in the popular DWG file format supported by the range of AutoCAD software for Mac and Windows machines.
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08/05, 1:45am
Rewritten with new interface, price cut
Vortimac Software has released an all-new version of its personal or business journal software, Memoir -- featuring a completely rewritten codebase, an overhauled interface, speed and performance enhancements and more personal journal look and feel. The developer has also chosen to decrease the price, as well as make it available on the Mac App Store in addition to the company website.
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08/03, 10:15pm
New version now on sale for a limited time
AvisNocturna Software has updated their 3D renderer, TerraRay, to version 4.0 -- bringing with it a new fractal-based terrain generator, automatic terrain texture generation, faster scene previews, an improved "undo" function, improved rendering and text quality and numerous small improvements and bug fixes. The program, which is sold exclusively through the Mac App Store, is temporarily on sale to celebrate the new version.
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07/29, 12:25pm
Made possible by Apple disc-free policies
The introduction of new Macs with Lion pre-installed is allowing some people to upgrade older Macs to iLife '11 at no cost, according to reports. The starting point is Apple disc-free reinstallation policy for Lion components. The Mac App Store recognizes a computer's iLife licenses, which are linked to a person's Apple ID during initial setup.
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07/27, 5:00pm
Blame bouncing between PayPal, Apple
Some people buying OS X Lion upgrades via PayPal are being overcharged, potentially in dramatic fashion, according to people responding to AppleInsider and Apple's support forums. In one case a person complains that they were charged about $3,878 on July 28th, the sum coming from 122 individual charges worth $31.79 each. "Apple blames PayPal, PayPal blames Apple," the person says. "They both are claiming to investigate, but I am stuck broke for three days now."
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07/21, 5:05pm
Long-term success hinges on Mac App Store
Over 1 million downloads of OS X Lion have been made within the space of a day, Apple has announced. "Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic," claims a prepared statement by senior worldwide product marketing VP Phil Schiller. "Lion is a huge step forward, it's not only packed with innovative features but it's incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we've ever made."
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07/20, 1:15am
Online version does not include Organizer app
Adobe has made one of its flagship consumer products, Photoshop Elements 9, available in a slightly-modified version on the Mac App Store, selling for $80 rather than the boxed copy's usual $100 retail price. The Mac App Store version, in addition to being Intel-only and requiring OS X 10.6.6 or later, is available in English only and does not include the Adobe Elements Organizer program included in the $100 version.
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07/19, 5:50pm
Revenue from Americas up 63 percent
Expanding on a press announcement, Apple has posted a detailed breakdown (PDF) of its third-quarter results. Regionally the company's revenues grew 63 percent in the Americas year-over-year, from $6.227 billion to $10.126 billion. European revenues were up 71 percent to $7.098 billion, while Japan climbed 66 percent to $1.51 billion. The most dramatic growth, though, was achieved in the broad Asia-Pacific region, which rocketed up 247 percent to $6.332 billion.
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07/19, 5:20pm
First OS to be available via Mac App Store
As part of its fiscal Q3 financial results call with analysts, CFO Peter Oppenheimer confirmed that Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion") will debut tomorrow, July 20th. The company will make the upgrade available for $30 through its own Mac App Store, marking the first time it has offered download-only software for a system upgrade. Images of the OS will be used in Apple's retail stores to assist customers who would prefer not to download the 4GB file on their home connections.
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07/14, 7:30pm
Apple hopes for a Lion 'showcase' on launch
While users anxiously await the arrival of Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion"), just three days after formally opening the App Store to Lion-ready apps, some have already started to appear. Speculation on when Lion will actually debut has varied wildly, ranging from reports that it would launch "today or tomorrow" to it having allegedly been pushed back a week due to last-minute issues, OSXDaily report.
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07/14, 4:30pm
Pushes developers further toward Mac App Store
Apple has closed up its long-standing Downloads page for Mac OS X, visitors have discovered. While the URL still works, content now promotes the Mac App Store. Previously it served as a directory of software available to Mac owners, and consequently a way of both promoting Macs and giving exposure to developers.
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07/13, 9:45am
Some regions temporarily barred from selling apps
iTunes Connect is officially scheduled to undergo maintenance today between 9AM and 4PM Pacific time, developers reveal. The service represents the backend of iTunes, the means by which people submit audio, video and applications. Apple is cautioning app developers to avoid making pricing changes during the downtime, since that will cause an app to disappear from sale until the maintenance is over. At that point an app should return with its new pricetag.
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07/12, 7:35am
MacBook Air should return backlit keyboard
The upcoming launch of new MacBook Airs should restore one of the more glaring omissions from the current generation, sources explained Tuesday. Backlit keyboards, which were present in the original versions of the Air but were pulled with the redesign, should make their return in the upcoming versions. Despite hopes for a launch this week, AppleInsider heard from its contacts that the release would be sometime next week.
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07/11, 7:30pm
Another sign of imminent release
In yet another sign that Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" will be released very soon, Apple has formally opened its Mac App Store for Lion app submissions, AppleInsider reports. While the announcement states only that Lion will ship "this month," most industry watchers are expecting it to arrive on or around this Thursday, July 14th. Developers are being asked to test and compile the final version of their apps against last week's Gold Master developer version of Lion as well as today's just-released Xcode 4.1 for Lion GM seed.
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07/09, 1:10pm
Analyst claims 80pc of students buying Macs
Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry made a contentious claim Friday that Apple's back-to-school promo was showing signs of being much more effective than Microsoft's. Despite Microsoft giving away free Xboxes with PCs, research in an investment note from GER showed that 80 percent of incoming students were buying Macs, not Windows systems. Trends were up for online-only colleges and universities, while returning students later into their studies were very interested in getting iPads, Chowdry said in AppleInsider's copy of the note, which didn't mention the size of the study sample.
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07/08, 1:30am
Apps are first Recosoft titles on Mac App Store
Recosoft is adding PDF2Office 5.1 and PDF2Office SE for iWork 1.0 to the Mac App Store today. The two apps focus on generating working files from PDFs. PDF2Office 5.1 converts PDFs to Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents with support for 2011 Office version formats. The app also supports Pages, Keynote and TextEdit.
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07/01, 5:30pm
Mac OS X Lion and new Air may ship same day
A pair of new tips have narrowed down the launch of the just completed Lion to July 14 with a possible surprise in store. Although basically finished, the OS should wait about two weeks to at least screen for last-minute bugs. While there weren't any anticipated risks, 9to5 heard it could be pushed back if a significant problem shows up before release day.
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07/01, 1:50pm
Apple pushes out finished Lion for developers
Apple through its developer page sent out the finished, or gold master, build of Mac OS X Lion. The 11A511 build should be the one to reach the Mac App Store and possibly a wave of new Macs. No mention has been made of when the OS will be made available to the wider public.
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06/30, 8:40pm
Slow compared to iOS app store, but not bad
Decane Games developer Martin Schultz has shared both some hard U.S. sales data about his Mac racing game Hard Rock Racing as well as thoughts on the ongoing emergence of the Mac App Store (MAS) as a sales platform in a message post on the Unity (gaming development) community forum. Such detailed sales information is usually kept confidential by developers.
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