Macs

Apple unveils new MacBook Air, gives Mac Pro sneak peek

Apple on Monday updated some models of its PC line with faster processors and improved battery life.

During a keynote address at the company's developers conference, Phil Schiller, Apple's head of marketing, unveiled a couple of new versions of the MacBook Air laptop and also gave developers a sneak peek of an updated Mac Pro desktop PC.

The new MacBook Air models are available Monday and start at $999. They include Intel's fourth-generation Core processor, dubbed Haswell, as well as a faster Wi-Fi known was 802.11ac.

Battery life is an area with significant improvement. The 11-inch … Read more

Apple by the numbers, from WWDC 2013

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple touted the latest numbers for its devices, apps, and operating systems circa June 10, 2013.

iOS devices sold: 600 million Percentage of iOS users using iOS 6: 93 percent Mac installations: 72 million, more than double the number from five years ago Mac sales: Have risen 100 percent over the past five years, versus just 18 percent for Windows PCs Mountain Lion sales: 28 million since its debut, making it the best-selling release of Apple's desktop OS Apps in App Store: 900,000 Number of apps geared for the iPad: … Read more

The next big cat isn't a cat at all

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple announced the next version of Mac OS X today at the keynote for WWDC 2013. Named Mavericks, Mac OS X 10.9 brings more iOS features into the fold along with other tweaks including iBooks, Apple Maps, Finder Tabs, and a number of other time-saving enhancements.

Finder Tabs The new Finder Tabs work much in the same way they do in Safari. A plus sign button on the right lets you open a new tab, and you can drag and drop tabs just like in a Web browser. You could have one tab for AirDrop and … Read more

Features and fixes I want to see in Mac OS X 10.9

Apple's World Wide Developers Conference starts on Monday, and while the main focus appears to be on updates to iOS (read my iOS 7 wish list here) and various Mac hardware, it's highly likely we'll get an update for Mac OS X 10.9 as well. At this point, we don't know what will be announced and we don't even know which "cat" will be associated with the release. Even the picture above (a giant banner currently displayed at Moscone Center) is suspiciously free of any cats at all, so it's hard … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer Mac-related questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week, readers asked about the necessity of running regular permissions fix routines, how to prevent Time Machine from backing up over VPN, and resizing PDF files in QuickLook.

I welcome contributions from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: The necessity and utility of running regular permissions fix routines MacFixIt reader Jim asks:

I was taught it was a good idea to occasionally do a "repair permission" periodically, … Read more

How to prevent Spotlight from indexing files

Apple's Spotlight search technology is a quick way to find files, applications, contacts, and numerous other items on your system, but there are times when you might like to keep some things from being indexed and included in search results.

For example, if you have a collection of outdated program versions in a folder called "past versions," you might wish to keep Spotlight from showing them all, and only have it locate the most recent one that you use. This might also be true for temporary files you have on your system, such as those in the … Read more

Review: iFileExpress provides a desktop-to-iOS device file transfer tool

The purpose of iFileExpress is to make transferring files between your iOS devices and Mac or PC easier. However, by requiring tethered file transfers through iTunes or the iFileExpress desktop client, the service lags behind some other wireless options. It is more secure, but the setup and execution of the software will make it a second or even third choice for many iOS users.

The app opens with a full tutorial for how to use it. For the most part, you will need to have already installed iFileExpress on your PC or Mac, or you can set it up in … Read more

Install multiple apps with ease with Get Mac Apps

Dear recent graduate,

First off, congratulations. Secondly, allow me to ask: did you, perchance, receive a shiny, new MacBook for your scholastic achievements? Would you like to quickly and painlessly install a number of the more popular Mac apps on it this summer before heading off to college or into the real world? If so, I would direct your attention to a new Web app, Get Mac Apps.

Get Mac Apps makes it incredibly easy to install multiple apps at once. Simply head to its Web site and click on the apps you'd like to install. The site lists … Read more

Dear Apple: Please update these Macs at WWDC

At Apple's WWDC keynote, one may rightly expect updates to the iOS and OS X operating systems, new software features and apps, and also a couple of new Mac hardware announcements. For example, at the 2012 WWDC keynote, Apple introduced the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, along with some MacBook Air component updates.

In 2013, however, as it's been so long since many of the current Mac laptops and desktops have gotten a significant overhaul, there's an outside chance that we'll see new designs and/or hardware for everything from MacBooks to the Mac Pro desktop. … Read more