Twitter for OS X had been on the low for quite some time, so much so that some had started to debate the likelihood that the company had pretty much given up on the platform. All of that changes today, when a new and refreshed Twitter for Mac 3.0 has just been released on the Mac App Store. Believe me when I say it, the new version will make you want to use the native Twitter app on your Mac once again, and ditch all the third-party solutions that you might have had employed over the course of time.
It's common knowledge that Apple's desktop computers are fairly popular, but according to research compiled by Parks Associates, the iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro comprise the most sought-after product line in the desktop market - beating off competition from Dell in second place. Although the MacBook range remains extremely popular - more so than the desktop offerings from Apple - portables weren't considered in Parks' study, but even so, with some reputable brands for company including the likes of HP and Acer, it would seem the lure of a computer bearing that iconic bitten-apple logo is very strong indeed.
Apple applies, and is granted, it's fair share of patents. As with any large technology company, the iPhone maker isn't shy about asking for a patent on anything and everything it comes up with that it thinks might be of use later on, which means that just because there's a patent application for something, it isn't guaranteed to make it into a shipping product.
Windows and OS X have been competing for years in the battle of the two major desktop platforms, and although Windows has been comfortably ahead since the beginning of time, Apple's Mac operating system has certainly made some headway in more recent times. Microsoft's Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks 10.9 are the latest entrants to the market, and although, as noted in the headline, Windows 8.1 has just sneaked ahead of Mavericks in terms of reach, the latter's 2.42% market share has now surpassed that of each of its predecessors.
OS X contains many useful and intuitive features that collectively make for a seamless experience, but not every little addition made by Apple over the past few revisions has been so well received. As a long-time Mac user, I've always found the Dashboard to be a bit of a waste of time, and although it could be better if developers of widgets hadn't abandoned the Dashboard en masse, it is, to most, a dud of a feature. Don't get me wrong here, some on OS X use their Dashboards on a daily basis, but for those apathetic about the far-left feature, there's a way to hide it and in turn, speed up your Mac.
As far as causes go, The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has to be a pretty good one, and with names like Bono, Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, CBE involved in a charity auction for said cause, it was always going to be a success. Though, we suspect the results may have exceeded everyone's hopes by some way.
As part of their continued efforts to improve the overall functionality and stability of Mavericks, Apple has today distributed the first seed of OS X 10.9.1 to registered developers. The same 10.9.1 seed that has been released into the developer portal has also previously been distributed amongst specific Apple internal employees with the hope of ensuring that everything runs as smoothly as possible before it gets installed onto the machines of end-users.
Apple's decision to revamp and revitalize the rather disheveled iChat app was undoubtedly a decision that was needed to be made, but the execution of that decision has left more than a lot to be desired. OS X users have been more than happy to let Apple know that the Messages app on their platform isn't up to scratch, but while we wait for the Cupertino overlords to do something about it let's take a look at a new Messages concept that totally overhauls the app with the aim of actually appealing to those who use the service.
OS X Mavericks brought with it a great blend of new feature additions mixed perfectly with enough power-saving ability to make the operating system a great option for Apple's desktop and notebook using consumers. However, with the initial seed of a new OS there is always going to be a few bugs that managed to slip through the pre-release controlled beta test. If you are one of those perturbed users who has been experiencing some difficulties with the native Mavericks Mail app working alongside a Gmail email account, then hopefully today's Mavericks update will offer up a solution to those woes.
Both of Apple's major operating systems - iOS for mobile and OS X for Mac - have been the subject of heavy updates these past couple of months. The introduction of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks has meant that many apps, including the iWork family of utilities, have been altered rather significantly. But while some have been pleased with the changes made to the Cupertino company's famed productivity suite, which consists of Keynote, Numbers and Pages, many of the purists have been bemused with the apparent decision to omit some long-standing key features. As ever, they've been inundating the Support Forums with their complaints, to the point at which Apple has now announced some of the important features and changes to be made to iWork in the near future.
