Popular (and competing) cloud sharing services CloudApp and Droplr both announced big updates to their Mac apps this week with new features and designs.
CloudApp 2.0 (seen above) now features thumbnail previews, the ability to share links before an upload is complete, Notification Center support, hot key support to open the menu bar popover, and a lot more.
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Alongside the release of the new Mac Pro, Apple has updated Final Cut Pro in the Mac App Store to take advantage of the machine’s immense raw processing power. Specifically, Apple says that playback and rendering has been optimised for the Mac Pro’s dual GPUs.
Final Cut 10.1 also adds 4K support, including monitoring across Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI displays as well as 4K titles, transition and generators. The update also adds a whole slew of other minor features and changes to the modern (if controversial) video editing suite.
Apple has released OS X 10.9.1 for Mac via the Mac App Store today. The update includes a number of Mail related fixes including improved support for Gmail as well as numerous bug fixes. The update also fixes a VoiceOver issue that prevented sentences with emoji characters from being read…
1Password for Mac, the popular password management app that we love here at 9to5Mac, has been updated to version 4.1 with a huge list of improvements, fixes, and additions. The first of these new additions is a new multi-column display mode with customizable column sizes.
One of the key changes to the app’s browser plugin is an updated auto-save system for new logins. Whenever you enter a password on a site you haven’t previously saved, 1Password will offer to store the password for you. With today’s update, you’ll now be able to use this feature to update existing passwords that have been previously saved. You can also tag your new auto-saved items right from the auto-save panel.
HockeyApp has released the next major version of its SDK for Mac developers, HockeyApp 2.0. This update brings the Mac SDK up to parity with the iOS version, which received similar updates last month.
The new SDK can send precise backtrace reports to developers when the app crashes during testing. This enables developers to accurately pinpoint where their code is messing up and crucially reduces time spent in debugging. The company claims that is the only crash reporting solution that offers the most flexibility in supporting all three types of logging.
Via email, Apple is now promoting Xcode 5.0.1’s new automated continuous integration feature to developers.
As an iOS developer, you can now take advantage of continuous integration in Xcode by creating bots with OS X Server for Mavericks that automate the process of building, analyzing, testing, and archiving your apps. As the bots do their work on the remote Mac, Xcode on your development machine displays the build and test reports. Bots can generate a regular release for your QA team, be configured to execute on every check-in, and even test your apps on connected iOS devices.
Continuous integration via automated bots in the new Xcode will multiple developers working on different aspects of a software product to integrate their code with the other projects in development. This eases up the development procedure of pulling parts of an app together to make the final copy…
When Apple unveiled its updated iWork suite during its iPad Air event earlier this week, it also confirmed that it would be making the apps free for all new Mac purchases. That means new Macs shipping with Mavericks would allow users to download Pages, Keynote, and Numbers– previously $20 each– for free from the Mac App Store. That offer also extends to Macs purchased on or after Oct. 1 and yesterday Apple made an Up-To-Date Program available on its website for those that purchased qualifying Mac.
Apple has instructions on its website for applying for the Up-To-Date Program, which requires users to enter their Mac’s serial number, purchase date, and provide Apple with “an electronic copy of a dated, itemized sales receipt indicating the marketing part number(s) of the qualifying product(s) purchased.” Apple will then send codes to customers within 24 hours of confirming the purchase that can be redeemed on the Mac App Store to download the apps.
For those that purchased between Oct. 1 and Oct. 22, you’ll have to apply to the program by Nov. 21. Purchases made after Oct. 22 will have 30 days to qualify.
Apple also says that the program is only for the United States (50 states and the District of Columbia) and Canada, but it’s unclear if it will have similar programs for customers in other countries.
Today, the team behind Pixelmator has released the latest version of their app, version 3.0 FX. As before, the app is available on the Mac App Store for $29.99. The update brings a slew of changes to the already popular image editor, especially considering version 2.2 was only released a few weeks ago. 9to5Mac has had access to a preview copy of the update for a few days … so read on for a full walkthrough of the changes.
The headline feature for Pixelmator 3.0 is the addition of layer styles. Layer styles apply effects such as strokes, fills, shadows and reflections to the entire layer in very few clicks. More importantly, these changes are non-destructive — they affect the layer, not the canvas pixels themselves. This means layer effects can be undone and manipulated without changing the underlying image data. In fact, layer styles can even be copied to the clipboard and duplicated across layers.
Update: OS X Mavericks is available now as a free download on the Mac App Store.
Apple has done something it hasn’t done before with a major release of OS X, announcing today during its iPad event that it will release OS X Mavericks, the latest version of its desktop OS, later today for free to all users.
Mavericks is available starting today for iMac and MacBook Pros from 2007 or later, 2008 MacBook Air, MacBook, and Mac Pro or later, and the 2009 Mac mini or later.
Apple first showed off Mavericks back in June at its WWDC developer conference and has since seeded several betas as well as Golden Master release followed by silent update to the GM release that could likely be the version Apple ships later this month. Despite not receiving a radical visual overhaul like iOS 7, OS X Mavericks includes over 200 new features and many big new user facing features like iBooks, improved multiple display support, iCloud Keychain, new Finder features, Maps, quick reply and lock screen notifications, auto-updating apps, and a number of under the hood enhancements to improve battery life and performance. (Full press release below)
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Apple’s current iOS-exclusive program
Apple has informed Mac developers that it is preparing to launch the ability for educational institutions and developers to purchase apps from the Mac App Store in volume for a discount. The upcoming feature was announced in an email:
We’re pleased to announce that Mac apps will soon be eligible to participate in the Volume Purchase Program for Business and Education. The Volume Purchase Program allows businesses or educational institutions to purchase multiple copies of your app at once.
You may also offer a discount to educational institutions for multiple purchases. If you choose to offer a volume discount for an app, institutions that purchase 20 or more copies of that app in a single order will receive a 50-percent discount.
Your existing Mac apps will not be automatically enrolled in the discount for educational institutions. If you would like to offer your existing Mac apps at a discount for the Educational Volume Purchase Program, check “Discount for Educational Institutions” in the Rights and Pricing section of the Manage Your Apps module on iTunes Connect.
For orders of 20 copies, a discount of 50% to the total order will be applied. This option will not be enabled for developers automatically, but the app sellers will need to enable the feature in iTunes Connect.
Apple launched volume purchase functionality for iOS applications in 2011.
Back in December, AgileBits released 1Password 4 for iPhone and iPad. The app presented a completely revamped take on password security, but lacked feature parity with the Mac version of the software.
Today, 1Password for Mac has been updated to version 4, bringing a ton of new features to the Mac. In fact, the update brings so many new capabilities that the Mac version of 1Password has now surpassed the iOS version in features. This is a massive release with a completely redesigned interface, overhauled browser extensions, support for new types of saved items, enhanced security, and more.
Find our complete review below:
Apple has issued software updates for 2012 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina displays, and 2012/2013 MacBook Airs to resolve issues having to do with batteries. The updates are available via the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.
This update is recommended for MacBook Air (mid 2012 and mid 2013) models. This update addresses rare issues where the battery unexpectedly stops functioning, the system does not recognize the battery, or the system hangs when the battery charge reaches less than one percent.
MacBook Pro SMC 1.2 release notes shown in screenshot above.
Pixelmator has pushed a point update to the Mac App Store. Despite its minor bump in version number, the update brings a lot of helpful changes. The timing is ‘intriguing’, as it coincides with Adobe’s announcement of a new version of Photoshop Elements from this morning.
Pixelmator quotes a 2x performance improvement when saving documents, as a result of a move to a new file format. For instance, when saving to iCloud, Pixelmator can now push small deltas of what has changed between saves, rather than saving the entire image every time. This speed up is noticeable in use, with projects saving nearly instantaneously on a Retina Macbook Pro.
This morning, Adobe announced Photoshop and Premiere Elements 12, an upgrade to their consumer photo and video editing tools for Mac and PC. A year to the day from the release of Elements 11, this release focuses on cloud organizing, sharing, syncing and editing photos and videos with Adobe Revel Cloud. New features like Content Aware Move and Auto Smart Tone for Photoshop and additional FilmLooks and Subject Spotlight for Premiere headline the updates.
What’s New in Photoshop Elements 12:
Photoshop Elements 12 gives you new options for perfecting and sharing your favorite memories with friends and family. Organize, edit, enhance, and share more quickly and easily thanks to bold icons, a helpful Action bar, and the ability to choose from Quick, Guided, or Expert editing modes so you can edit your photos the way that works best for you.
New in Premiere Elements 12:
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Following an extensive period of betas for developers, Apple has publicly released OS X 10.8.5. The update is available from the Mac App Store Software’s Update section and is recommended for all users on OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4.
The OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5 Update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. This update:
- Fixes an issue that may prevent Mail from displaying messages
- Improves AFP file transfer performance over 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Resolves an issue that may prevent a screen saver from starting automatically
- Improves Xsan reliability
- Improves reliability when transferring large files over Ethernet
- Improves performance when authenticating to an Open Directory server
- Addresses an issue that prevented a smart card from unlocking preference panes in System Preferences
- Contains the improvements included in MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0
The build number for the public release is 12F37, which is a single build over the most recent beta. Apple has also issued RAW Camera Compatibility updates and a new version of Safari. Later next month, Apple will release OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
Put plainly, Glui is a screenshot and annotation tool; a utilitarian application. It does not evoke charm, but it doesn’t really need to. What Glui does need to offer is a functional yet efficient workflow and, on this front, it delivers. In use, I never feel like the app is getting in my way.
The activation shortcuts are bound to Shift+Cmd+5 and Shift+Cmd+6 by default to match OS X’s native screenshot shortcuts. These actions select either a rectangular screen region or one window, respectively. With the region mode, the screen cursor changes to a crosshair (which shows x,y pixel coordinates) and the region is chosen by dragging your mouse to create a rectangle. With the window mode, the cursor changes to a camera icon and you simply click on the window you wish to capture.
Although the process is very similar to how OS X’s built-in screenshot features work, it is not identical. For instance, in Glui, window screen grabs do not include the accompanying drop shadow as they do in OS X’s implementation.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvrnUcB8ZJc]
A couple of big new games are landing today for Mac users. We told you about BioShock Infinite earlier this month, the third instalment in the popular 2K/Irrational Games series that originally launched in March to rave reviews on consoles. Mac gaming heavyweights Aspyr have been working on porting the game to Mac since its initial release, and today the game is finally going on sale through Aspyr’s GameAgent store and other retailers. Aspyr sent over a beta of the title last week, and we’ve had nothing but positive first impressions from our time with the game since. The other big Mac title launching today, SimCity, might have had some major issues in its beta, but we’re happy to report you won’t run into similar performance problems with BioShock Infinite.
As usual, the title will support SteamPlay, allowing users to purchase the game once and play on both PC and Mac through Steam. It’s also available on the Mac App Store. However, Aspyr’s own distribution service, GameAgent, is offering some pretty enticing pre-order bonuses if you pick up the title through them…
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Back in March, when the latest installment in the popular BioShock franchise was released on consoles, Mac gaming heavyweights Aspyr announced they would be bringing the game to Mac this summer. Today it has finally announced an official release date for BioShock Infinite, as well as details on pre-order bonuses, DLC, and SteamPlay support.
BioShock Infinite for Mac will officially become available starting August 29th and, yes, the title will support SteamPlay, allowing users to purchase the game once and play on both PC and Mac through Steam. It will also be available on the Mac App Store. However, Aspyr’s own distribution service, GameAgent, is offering some pretty enticing pre-order bonuses if you pick up the title through them.
Not only will pre-orders through GameAgent get you the “Columbia’s Finest DLC,” but Aspyr is also promising an extra 20% off the $59.99 price tag for GameAgent customers. The “Clash in the Clouds” DLC will be available to purchase at launch, and plans are in place to support any additional DLC for the title following its release.
You might have noticed that Mac versions of many big games have been arriving a lot sooner after their initial release than in the past. For that we have Aspyr to thank, the company that ports the majority of big titles that eventually end up available for OS X. Earlier this year we sat down with Aspyr to talk about the process of porting games to Mac:
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Update: Logic Pro X is now available in the Mac App Store for $199 and the new Logic Remote companion iPad app is available for free. MainStage 3 is also now live on the App Store.
Something that we’ve been expecting for quite sometime is happening today as Apple follows in the footsteps of “Final Cut Pro X” with the release of a brand new version of Logic dubbed “Logic Pro X“. The release of updated app comes with a ton of new features on top of a revamped UI and a new version of MainStage 3. The question is, has Apple stripped away some of the core features professionals rely on, or has it learned from its mistakes with the controversy surrounding Final Cut Pro X?
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Originally released back in 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and later Windows, Rockstar announced today that it’s bringing Max Payne 3 to the Mac later this week through the Mac App Store. We don’t get any details on pricing, but Rockstar notes that the Mac version includes a “number of advanced graphics options, scalable high-resolution textures and character models, DirectX11 features, multi-monitor support and 3D.”
Max Payne 3 will be available for Mac later this week, on Thursday June 20th: http://t.co/4CsJE3Njmv
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) June 18, 2013
When Mountain Lion launched last year, Apple introduced some basic Facebook sharing options to OS X. You can post a status update from Notification Center or upload a photo from Finder, Preview, iPhoto, or other Mac applications. While those functions are useful, Apple has yet to really embrace all of Facebook’s features. For example, you can’t tag a friend in a status update or create a new photo album, and the notification integration, while nice, is a bit unreliable.
Today, Tapmates released Moment, a new app that bridges the gap between OS X’s Facebook integration and the features you’re already used to on the Facebook website. Keep reading for our full review.
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Flexibits, makers of the popular calendar app Fantastical for Mac and iPhone, have just announced their next product for the Mac. Their new app, Chatology, seeks to ease the pain of searching through conversations using Apple’s buggy Messages app.
If you haven’t tried this yourself, don’t. But often when searching on messages, the application locks up for an indeterminate amount of time. Apple doesn’t seem to be getting all of our crash/bug reports and hasn’t fixed it since its release with Mountain Lion.
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/341979376935649281
A new page on the Flexbits website shows the above image and option to signup for their mailing list, which will include updates on Flexibit’s suite of apps as well details on when you can download Chatology.
Switching resolutions on a Retina MacBook Pro usually requires going through System Preferences, but an app called QuickRes is designed to mitigate that annoying process.
QuickRes puts an icon in your Mac’s menu bar that allows you to quickly jump between a variety of preset display resolutions, even beyond supported by Apple, all the way up to 3840×2400. QuickRes can also enable HiDPI mode on non-Retina Macs, effectively doubling the resolution and giving a clearer (albeit bigger) picture.
To switch resolutions, you can right-click the app’s menu bar icon to select which display you want to change (if you have more than one), then select a resolution from a list of presets. You can also setup anywhere from two to eight of your favorite resolutions and switch between them quickly by clicking on the menu bar icon.
QuickRes is available in two flavors. The paid version is available for a 9to5Mac-exclusive price of $.99 (regularly $1.99) through this discount link. The free version, which supports fewer resolutions and does not include a quick HiDPI toggle for non-Retina, is available on the Mac App Store.
After years without an update, Twitter has updated its official Mac app with Retina display support and much more:
Today we’re announcing a few improvements to Twitter for Mac:
- Photos: It’s easier than ever to share photos. Simply click the camera icon in the lower-left corner of the Tweet compose box, and choose a photo to share. If you prefer, you can still drag and drop photos from the desktop.
- Retina display support: Now Twitter is even more vibrant and detailed on the highest resolution Mac notebooks. With this update, Tweets will be clearer and sharper, creating a more vivid experience.
- 14 more languages: In addition to English, Twitter for Mac now supports Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish.
Along with these updates, Twitter for Mac offers keyboard shortcuts, support for multiple accounts and timelines, and other features that you’ve come to love.
You can get this update now in the Mac App Store. Keep an eye out for more improvements to come, too.
P.S. I'm taking a break from iOS to work on Twitter for Mac full time.
— Ben Sandofsky (@sandofsky) April 25, 2013
