Apple's long-awaited Mac desktop refresh Tuesday is evidence of the company's determination to preserve its margins in a category that's fast going out of style.

Three Mac desktop categories were updated Tuesday, but only one really matters: the Mac Mini and Mac Pro aren't nearly as popular as the all-in-one iMac. Apple did improve the specifications of the iMac at the same price points, lowering the cost of acquiring a 24-inch version to $1,499. But it made few significant changes to a design that hasn't been updated since September 2007 and resisted calls to … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Apple on Monday added support in its software for raw image files from Nikon's top-end SLR, the $8,000, 24.5-megapixel D3X.

Apple's Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.5 also adds support for Epson's Epson R-D1x digital rangefinder camera, according to the Apple support page.

The software enables Aperture 2, iPhoto '08, and iPhoto '09 to interpret the cameras' raw files, proprietary formats that include more information than JPEGs. The update requires Mac OS X 10.4.11, Mac OS X 10.5.3, or later.

A full list of Apple's raw image support … Read more

Editors' Note: As of October 20, 2009, the iMac reviewed here has been replaced by 27-inch iMac models.

In addition to updating its Mac Minis this morning, Apple has new iMacs. Each of the four default models received an update, so we'll break them out below list-style for convenience, with new specs in bold.

$1,199 iMac

$1,499 iMac

Related coverage: • Apple overhauls iMacs, 24-inch models more affordable • Apple finally refreshes Mac Mini with updated specs

Updated 8:25 a.m. PST with analyst note.

There are new Mac Pro high-end desktops powered by Intel's Nehalem-based Xeon processors, new and more graphics-intensive Mac Mini machines, and updated iMacs that offer the lowest price yet on these consumer desktops.

All the new machines meet the requirements for Energy Star 5.0 certification, which kicks in this summer.

The new Mac Pro is priced at $2,… Read more

Looks like the rumors were true. This morning Apple updated both the iMac and the Mac Mini. The Mac Mini in particular was long overdue for a refresh, having relied on the same specs since August 2007.

The updated Mac Mini has new default configurations, although the prices remain the same, at $599 for the low-end model and $799 for the step-up version. The $599 system gets a new 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, the same 1GB of RAM, and a larger 120GB hard drive. The $799 model also retains its 2GB of RAM and the same 2.0GHz Core … Read more

An iPhone app developer is donating to a nonprofit for each sale made, in what is believed to be a first.

Appropriately, the app is called ShiveringKittens and the charity is the ASPCA, which works to protect cruelty to animals.

For every sale of the $2.99 app during March and April the developer, GiantCrayon Games, will donate $1 to the ASPCA.

In the game, players arrange falling blocks to rescue animated kittens who are stuck in a Minnesota winter and win points. A video preview is on YouTube.

If only rescuing real kittens were that simple.

It's as clear as it gets in the Apple rumor business that if you're in the market for one of the company's iMacs, it's probably worth waiting a few weeks.

Several rumors flew across the Internet over the weekend and Monday, hurled by World of Apple and others, that Apple is finally gearing up for the long-awaited refresh of its all-in-one iMac desktop sometime later this month. Such an overhaul is long overdue in the minds of many Apple watchers, who have been hearing about a potential iMac refresh since last November.

Surprisingly, few details are available about what changes Apple is planning to make to the iMac, which could suggest that the changes will be under the hood rather than design-related. The Nvidia integrated graphics chipsets used in last October's MacBook refresh are a decent bet, perhaps combined with the 9600M discrete graphics card as Apple did with the MacBook Pro.

Maynard Um of UBS put out a research note Monday saying that one sure bet for the new systems are Intel's Nehalem processors. The server version of those chips is scheduled to be out relatively soon, which means Apple will probably also have a new high-end Mac Pro soon, as OSX86 contributor Netkas (via Ars Technica) has uncovered.… Read more

A few tech blogs on Monday morning are highlighting some choice quotes from a Melinda Gates interview that appears in the most recent issue of Vogue.

According to the Vogue piece, Bill and Melinda Gates, in addition to making their home a no-iPhone/iPod zone, have forbidden their three children from using the devices (no word on rules for other Apple products).

The article's mainly about the Gates Foundation and how it's trying to solve "hunger in the world." We certainly appreciate that, but we'll stick with the inane superficial stuff here, thank you very … Read more

Apple gave up a sliver of Internet market share last month, according to preliminary figures released Sunday by Web metrics company Net Applications.

The Mac OS had been hovering around the 10 percent mark among operating systems accessing the Web. But in its Operating System Market Share report for February, Net Applications showed the Mac OS at 9.71 percent, down from 9.93 percent in January. Meanwhile, Microsoft Windows' Internet share increased to 89.37 percent from 88.26 percent in January.

In a separate report, Net Applications reported spikes in usage share of Windows 7--the follow-on to Windows … Read more