Two great Mac Bundles headlined by Parallels 8 and Roxio Toast 11 for $50/ea

9to5 Staff

It’s Bundle Season at 9to5Toys.com again where there are currently 4 solid bundles happening simultaneously:

First up, we have MacUpdate’s Parallels Desktop 8 bundle which effectively knocks $30 off the price of Parallels 8 and then hooks you up with 9 additional Mac applications for free (normally $618). A free demo is also available.

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Not to be outdone, MacLegion/Stacksocial has their Spring 2013 Bundle which is headlined by the normally $100 Roxio Toast Pro 11 media creation software for $49.99 but also includes nine other great apps valued at over $390 below:

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Don’t forget the $45 Lifehacker bundle is still happening as well as the $50 ‘PickaBundle’ which allows you to choose 10 of 25 quality apps including a Mac Blu-ray player. Read more

Review: Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11

E. Betters

Adobe recently announced the latest Mac versions of Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11, and I had a brief opportunity to glance at some of their shiny, new add-ons. Version 11 of both programs notably boast new looks, new experiences, new features, and new functions; but more importantly, they effectively tout prosumer video- and photo-editing solutions for the average consumer.

For those unaware, Adobe Photoshop Elements essentially provides iPhoto users with a Photoshop or Aperture-ish editing experience without the hefty price tag; and similarly, Premiere Elements gives iMovie users the more pocket-friendly bells and whistles of Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X.

Go below for the full review.

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Feature

iPhoto for iPhone and iPad available now for $4.99, iMovie & GarageBand updates live

Jordan Kahn

Apple demoed quite an impressive iPhoto app today during the new iPad unveiling, and the app is now officially live on the App Store for $4.99 [iTunes]. In case you did not know, the app is a universal download for both iPhone and iPad. You can grab iPhoto for iOS now (iTunes link). Apple also boasted updated versions of iMovie and GarageBand today that you can already get on the App Store here and here for $4.99 each (free update for current owners). The updated GarageBand app features a Note Editor, Smart Strings orchestra feature, and Jam Sessions for realtime playing and recording with up to three other iOS devices.  You can read our full break down of the new iPhoto app here.

In addition Apple updated iBooks Author today to “take advantage of the Retina display on the new iPad” and did the same for the iTunes U app. The updates also include the usual stability and performance improvements.

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Apple issuing refunds for Final Cut Pro X

Seth Weintraub

TheNextWeb reports that Apple has begun returning the $299 purchase price of Final Cut Pro X to customers who are unsatisfied with the product’s features and capabilities.  Cupertino has begun issuing refunds to those who have filed an official request using Apple’s Mac App Store Customer Service form.

Some customers have received sympathetic email responses from Apple support staff, including:

“Moving forward, I understand that you are not satisfied with the app “Final Cut Pro”. I can certainly appreciate you would like a refund, and I would be more than happy to help you out with this today. In five to seven business days, a credit of £179.99 should be posted to the credit card that appears on the receipt for that purchase.

Please note that this is a one time exception because the iTunes Terms and Conditions state that all sales are final.”

This is an interesting gray area because Mac Apps purchased through the Mac App Store aren’t usually up for return so long after they are purchased (unless you re in Taiwan).  Whereas boxed software, especially Pro level stuff, usually has a longer guarantee even if there are restocking fees. Read more

Import of previous Final Cut Pro XML coming soon to Final Cut Pro X

Seth Weintraub

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There has been a big stink (several actually) about Final Cut Pro X’s lack of ‘Pro’ features.  One such glaring omission has been the lack of Final Cut Pro 7 XML imports.  MacMagazine.br did some digging and found that the code for doing Final Cut Pro 7 imports is actually inside Final Cut Pro X and for some reason hadn’t been enabled for shipping.

 

As per usual, Apple will likely enable that functionality (and many others that are missing) in updates to Final Cut Pro X.  If you are daring, MacMagazine offers a workaround that might be able to import now (they haven’t yet tested).

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