Such has been the coverage of the iPhone 5 and subsequently, the iPad mini, that the small matter of the radically-redesigned iMac has slipped into the back of our minds. When Apple launched the smaller tablet last month, it also gave us a look at the all-new iMac, and although there was - to the disappointment of many - no Retina display, the new slender look seemed to go down with the on-looking tech world.
If you happened to catch the last Apple media event that was held at the California Theatre last month, then it shouldn't come as any great surprise that Apple had been working hard on producing a new iMac range that features a thinner form factor. Retail contacts have been suggesting that physical Apple Stores were preparing their outlets yesterday for sales to go live today, with a number of stores in the United States initially receiving low stock levels to begin with. Regardless of the available stock, the time has come with the new 21.5-inch iMac being available for worldwide sales.
It seems like an eternity ago when Apple took to the stage to introduce us to the iPad mini as well as a number of other products including the new revamped range of iMacs. After seeing Apple introduce the iPad mini, the fourth-generation iPad and a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, it was music to the ears of desktop lovers when the restyled 21.5 and 27-inch iMac models were introduced, featuring a new slim design as well as a number of hugely important and impressive internal specification changes. Apple has now officially announced that the 21.5-inch variant of the new iMac will be available to purchase this coming Friday.
Apple has just seeded the first beta build of OS X 10.8.3 Mountain Lion to developers. As is always the case with beta software from Apple, the initial build is only available to those who are enrolled on the official OS X developer program and can be downloaded directly from the Mac Dev Center immediately.
Mozilla's popular Firefox brings a new release almost every month, and following the October release of Firefox 16 and the subsequent Firefox 17 beta, the latest version has crept out of beta stage and is ready to rock. Available on the official download page, those keen to get the update as soon as possible can grab it right now via 17 Mozilla’s FTP servers - download details at the bottom of the page.
Analyst Gene Munster has been relatively reliable in accurately forecasting Apple's major product releases, and having concluded the Cupertino company would be releasing a connected TV sometime next year, he also gave his insight into what other new products and upgrades would be arriving in the next twelve or so months. Among them, a new radio service, Retina iPad mini and MacBook Airs, iOS 7 and a new version of OS X.
As is often the case with technology nowadays, those of you happily sitting on an older software version will soon be coerced into upgrading. The app updates cease supporting you, new software releases aren't compatible with you, or in the case of Apple's Messages beta, they stop working altogether. Prior to Mountain Lion, the Cupertino released a beta version of Messages for Lion, and since that has now evolved into Messages for the latest iteration for OS X, Apple has set a deadline on the demise of that preview.
It's been a busy week for Evernote, and having released version 5.0 of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app, Evernote 5 for Mac has finally crawled out of beta. Nowadays, no good iOS app is any use without its OS X counterpart, and with the mobile version having just been given a bunch of new features, Evernote 5 for Mac has done likewise, and is now available for download over at the Mac App Store.
Back in August, Parallels Desktop 8 was released, and many vented their frustration at the company's decision to only offer support the Retina display to those who'd bought the previous version of Parallels after Apple released Mountain Lion OS X. Today, Parallel's 8 has been updated once again, and steering clear of controversy, actually brings a bunch of useful new features.
When Clear for iOS was released earlier this year, it not only managed to bring about a wave of clones, but it totally changed the way that developers and users thought about user-interfaces and interacting with on-screen elements. The extremely clean and clinical interface required the user to navigate through it using swipes, pinches and various other gestures that revealed differing menu structures. The developers behind that extremely popular app have fulfilled their promise of platform expansion by releasing Clear for Mac OS X.
