Federico Viticci for MacStories writes:
Released in late November 2012, Apple today updated iTunes to version 11.0.3. The new version, available through the Mac’s Software Update panel, brings a redesigned MiniPlayer, an improved songs view, support for multi-disc albums, and performance improvements.
The new MiniPlayer looks sleek. iTunes 11.0.3 also packs additional improvements and security fixes.
iOS may be in somewhat of a renaissance when it comes to email clients, with options ranging from Google’s official Gmail app to options such as Mailbox. The Mac, however, has been mostly left out of this rush.
Airmail hopes to fill this gaping hole with a client designed the goal of easily managing email in mind. While the project is still very early, the developers have adopted to push public beta tests in order to better flush out bugs and issues. The latest beta of the application added the following features:
[Airmail]
BlueStacks has been around since before CES 2012, but development sure hasn’t slowed down. The above video, released in July of this year, announced the Android player’s arrival on Mac. The then-released alpha version only supported a total of 12 Android apps. Today, BlueStacks has announced the arrival of the app’s Beta version for Mac, enabling it to run over 750,000 Android apps.
This seemingly little-known app has actually created a storm, touting figures of over 5.3 million organic installs across both Windows and Mac, and deals to have the software pre-installed on at least 22 million machines. Also, while BlueStacks is has been hesitant to announce ”active” users, they have told TechCrunch that those numbers are “very healthy.” (more…)
Yesterday and the day before, it was widely reported that various Macs couldn’t be updated to the latest version, OS X 10.8.2. The issues were generally vague, and only seemed to affect 2012 models. However, it seemed clear that Apple knew of the issue and was working to get the update out to all users.
That fix is available today in the form of a supplemental update. Apple acknowledges the issue, saying that the update is “is recommended for all Mac systems introduced in 2012″ and that it fixes “an issue with Keychain that can affect 2012 Mac systems.” This supplemental upgrade is bundled with 10.8.2 for anyone who has yet to update to 10.8.2, and is specifically targeted for release to anyone with a 2012 Mac. The latest version of OS X includes the usual bug fixes, alongside improved battery life on notebooks.
[Apple]
Tapbots earlier today released its highly anticipated Tweetbot app for Mac, although most users probably weren’t expecting the client to cost a hefty $19.99 from the Mac App Store. But before attacking the developer for charging such an outrageous price, one must blame Twitter themselves for this unfortunate situation.
Last August, Twitter made changes to its API policy, requiring that all third-party Twitter clients have no more than 100,000 unique tokens — in other words, users — within six months. As we shared earlier today, Tapbots describes the issue in greater detail:
Because of Twitter’s recent enforcement of token limits, we only have a limited number of tokens available for Tweetbot for Mac. These tokens dictate how many users Tweetbot for Mac can have. The app’s limit is separate from, but much smaller than, the limit for Tweetbot for iOS. Once we use up the tokens granted to us by Twitter, we will no longer be able to sell the app to new users. Tapbots will continue to support Tweetbot for Mac for existing customers at that time.
This limit and our desire to continue to support the app once we sell out is why we’ve priced Tweetbot for Mac a little higher than we’d like. It’s the best thing we can do for the long term viability of the product. We know some will not be happy about Tweetbot for Mac’s pricing, but the bottom line is Twitter needs to provide us with more tokens for us to be able to sell at a lower the price. We spent a year developing this app and it’s the only way for us to be able to make our money back and continue supporting it with updates in the future.
Time to reflect on that statement. Essentially, Tapbots is claiming that Tweetbot for Mac would be priced cheaper if it could support more users. But it can’t. Unfortunately, it appears that Tapbots will have to restrict downloads of Tweetbot for OS X from the Mac App Store after it receives 100,000 users, promising to provide support for those existing customers long after the limit is reached.
Tapbots was working on Tweetbot for Mac for one full year before Twitter decided to made this staggering decision, so it’s fair for the company to say that it simply wants to make its money back on the client. Tapbots suggests that you speak up to Twitter directly if you find this situation disappointing or inconveniencing, since there is virtually nothing the developer can do to change this reality. (more…)
Tweetbot for Mac has been released and has quickly soared to the top of the Mac App store charts. After many months of testing different Alpha and Beta versions of the software that were received with mixed reviews, the Tapbots app has finally arrived in its finished form. The app includes most of the features that have long made the iOS version of Tweetbot popular while improving the interface and adding iCoud features that alone make the app stand above its competitors.
The app has no doubt matured since its earlier releases and now finally feels like a full-fledged desktop Twitter client that will be hard to compete with. However, in what may seem frustrating to some users, the app is going to cost you $19.99 on the Mac App store. Tapbots has said that this pricing model is mostly because of Twitter API restrictions, but defends itself saying that $20 for quality software is not too far of a stretch. Follow after the break for the full statement regarding pricing. (more…)
Since the release of its latest iteration of OS X yesterday, Apple has been working hard to issue redemption codes for users who recently purchased a Mac. Some users were reporting that their codes didn’t work and they had to request new ones. Now, a few users in the MacRumors forums are reporting that Apple’s re-issued codes are not for Mountain Lion, but rather the OS X Server elements for the system. The Mac blog says that “at least half a dozen users have reported the same problem,” so it’s clearly not a one-time occurrence.
I just got my second code and was able to redeem it. The only problem is when it redeemed it came up with an error saying OSX Server cannot be downloaded because it requires OSX 10.8.0 to run. It seems they sent me a redemption code for server instead of mountain lion. The pdf with the code clearly says that the code is for mountain lion…
My purchased tab only shows OSX Server – no mountain lion…
Using the Up-to-Date program, Apple does provide OS X Server to users who don’t have it on their machines, but only certain models qualify. The six or so users could have mistakenly clicked the wrong link on the Up-to-Date page, though it’s unlikely. Have you been experiencing any issues using the code Apple sent you? If you’re still waiting for the code, tell us how long it’s been since you applied for one.
Marco Arment, creator of Instapaper, has shared some interesting thoughts on his personal blog about the future irrelevancy of the Mac App Store. Arment believes that because of the new sandboxing restrictions on the Mac App Store, the platform is quickly becoming an unreliable place to purchase software.
Many developer simply cannot or refuse to comply with Apple’s new rules for selling apps on the Mac App Store, so they have no choice but to yank their apps from the platform. That situation has tarnished the buyer confidence of many consumers, including Arment. (more…)
OS X Server Released Alongside Mountain Lion
Apple writes:
OS X Server is the next generation of Apple’s award winning server software. Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Macs, iPhones and iPads, remotely access your network, and more.
You’ll need the new Mountain Lion release to run OS X Server, a $19.99 purchase on the Mac App Store.
Apple today has publicly released OS X Mountain Lion, the next installment of its operating system for Mac desktops and notebooks. OS X Mountain is available for $19.99 from the Mac App Store for existing Snow Leopard and Lion users, while anyone that has purchased a new Mac on or after June 11, 2012 is eligible for a free upgrade through Apple’s up-to-date program. OS X Mountain Lion includes several new features such as Notification Center, AirPlay Mirroring, Game Center, Messages for Mac, Notes, Reminders, Gatekeeper and official Twitter integration.
“People are going to love the new features in Mountain Lion and how easy it is to download and install from the Mac App Store,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With iCloud integration, Mountain Lion is even easier to set up, and your important information stays up to date across all your devices so you can keep editing documents, taking notes, creating reminders, and continue conversations whether you started on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.”
OS X Mountain Lion further bridges the gap between the Mac operating system and iOS for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. With the new features in Mountain Lion adopted from iOS, in addition to iCloud, Apple users are able to keep all of their devices in sync and stay connected better than ever before. Due to the high demand for OS X Mountain Lion, downloading the latest software from the Mac App Store may be difficult at this time.