Mac

Anyone eyeing a 27-inch iMac can now save a healthy chunk of change by opting for a refurbished unit.

As of yesterday, Apple began selling four refurbished variations of the big-screen iMac through its online store. Buyers can save anywhere from $270 to $400 depending on the model.

A 2.9GHz version with 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a 512MB Nvidia GeForce graphics card goes for $1,529, 15 percent off the price of a new unit.

A 3.1GHz edition with 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, an 8x SuperDrive, and a 1GB AMD Radeon … Read more

Mac Pro users who have played the waiting game with Apple to completely revamp its desktop machine might get the goods soon, according to a new report.

Citing an accurate source, Mac Daily News says Apple plans to announce a new model of the machine sometime this month.

An Apple spokesman told CNET the company does not comment on rumors or speculation.

Mac Daily News warns that the April date could "slip" all the way through June, which is when Apple is expected to once again hold its annual developers conference in San Francisco. A source familiar with … Read more

Despite Apple CEO Tim Cook having knocked the idea of a convertible MacBook-iPad hybrid device, the company has filed a patent application for just that. The proposed patent, titled "Wireless display for electronic devices," was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today.

The application describes a computer display that is removable from its base -- basically a convertible laptop. But, what's different about this idea from other convertibles made by other companies is that it has wireless display technology. That means the device could be charged wirelessly.

Here's how Apple describes it in … Read more

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, Calif. -- In the common retelling of Apple's history, it was Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's second computer, the Apple II, that launched their fledgling company toward stratospheric growth and financial success. The machine's triumph as a single platform for business software, games, artistic tools -- and more -- set the stage for the later debut of the first Mac, and later OS X and iDevices.

What many forget -- or may not even know -- is that when the Apple II was introduced at the inaugural West Coast Computer Faire in April, 1977, it suffered from what, in retrospect, was a glaring shortcoming: It had no disk drive. … Read more

Update 4:57 a.m. PT: We were fooled by April Fools' Day. We have corrected and recast the story accordingly.

Wouldn't it be nice if Apple planned a "bounce back" campaign to win back customers who defected to Windows machines? It would dovetail with the expected reawakening of the company's dormant high-end Mac Pro line -- but the idea is just a joke.

Video producer Lou Borella, the creator of the "We want a new Macpro" Facebook group, had said yesterday -- April Fools' Day -- that Apple itself contacted him about the … Read more

Apple's nearly year-and-a-half old iMessage service has been found to be vulnerable to an attack that uses a flood of messages, or messages so long that the application is rendered unstable.

According to a report from The Next Web, a small group of developers have found themselves the target of an attack that does one of those things -- sending what could be thousands of messages.

The source is suspected to be someone with involvement in pirated iOS software, who could have gotten some basic information needed to send another user a message through Apple's messaging service, The … Read more

To upgrade your MacBook's RAM or hard drive, or otherwise work on its interior, you'll need to remove the bottom of the case. This is fairly simple to do with the appropriate screwdriver, but when you reassemble the system, even if you do so with expert precision, you may find that a screw is loose or even missing after a while.

The screws holding the bottom case together are fairly small, and while you can tighten them significantly, slight flexing of the bottom cover and chassis (unavoidable on portable systems) may work them loose over time. Additionally, since … Read more

Apple is starting to catch up to Samsung Electronics when it comes to smart connected devices, or total sales of desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

That's according to IDC, which pegged leader Samsung at 21.2 percent of the market for smart connected devices as of the end of 2012, with No. 2 Apple just behind it at 20.3 percent.

Given the premium price on its products, Apple already dominates Samsung from a revenue perspective. Apple captured 30.7 percent of the industry's total revenue, to Samsung's 20.4 percent share.

The smart connected devices … Read more

Secrecy at Apple is alive and well, though there's less of it going on between its hardware and software groups, a new report says.

Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal says Apple's industrial design team now lets the company's software teams in on plans for future devices earlier than ever before, a process that was once made more secret with the use of "stealth software developers."

The change come some four months after a change within Apple's top ranks that more closely tied Apple's hardware and software teams. Jonathan Ive, who was … Read more