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MacBook owner puts alleged thief's dancing on YouTube

Sometimes, when you lose something, you can gain something too. Sometimes, when you feel someone has wronged you, there might be an avenue down which you can discover a little solace--or even a touch of revenge.

This seems to be the case with Mark Bao and his stolen MacBook Air.

Bao, you see, might have not done well in leaving his laptop in a lounge at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., allowing an opportunist to swipe it earlier this year. However, he had already embedded a little wisdom inside of his machine by installing BackBlaze software.

This, the way CBS News.com tells it, allowed him to enter his laptop remotely and see what might be going on there. Or, indeed, going down.

And what a picture of humanity in the Facebook age was revealed.

The first thing the alleged thief reportedly did was photograph himself. Then he filmed himself dancing to Tyga's "Make It Rain." Bao, naturally, was impressed by the software's performance rather more than he was by the alleged thief's.… Read more

MacBook 3G could have detachable antenna

A patent granted to Apple provides new hints that a 3G version of the MacBook may be in the cards. The new patent outlines a detachable, magnetic antenna for connecting your laptop to the Internet on the go.

Patently Apple first reported on the patent, one of a series of patents newly granted to Apple. The antenna appears to sit on a hinge when connected, so that it can be adjusted to ensure the best reception. The antenna is also attached by magnets, so it comes off easily when knocked, stepped on, or otherwise duffed up. That should keep it from breaking.

Read more of "Apple MacBook 3G could have detachable, magnetic antenna" at Crave UK. … Read more

Apple shares Mac OS X Lion with security experts

Apple not only released a preview of its next operating system, Mac OS X Lion, to developers today, the company is also giving it to security experts for review.

"I wanted to let you know that I've requested that you be invited to the prerelease seed of Mac OS X Lion, and you should receive an invitation soon," said a letter sent by Apple to an unknown number of security researchers. "As you have reported Mac OS X security issues in the past, I thought that you might be interested in taking a look at this. … Read more

Apple releases third Mac OS X 10.6.7 beta, no new issues

Apple has released the third beta of Mac OS X 10.6.7 for developers to thoroughly explore. No new issues have been included in this build (10J850) and developers are again asked to test graphics, AirPort, and Bonjour reliability.

The Mac App Store, introduced in the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update in early January, is also a major focus of the Mac OS X 10.6.7 update, which, given the lack of new issues in the latest build, should signal a public release in the next couple weeks.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is expected … Read more

Apple's CES absence doesn't blunt laptop presence

Even though Apple the company is a traditional no-show at the Consumer Electronics Show, its new MacBook Airs were there in force. And on the PC side of the ledger, plenty of attendees were packing Netbooks, too.

After traversing the acres and acres of show floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center last week for three days, I noticed a trend among attendees. In the rare pockets of open space where people actually found space to sit down, I saw the new MacBook Air again and again (the wedge design of the new 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models … Read more

Mac App Store launches on Snow Leopard

The Mac App Store is officially open.

According to Apple, the marketplace is launching with over 1,000 paid and free apps in categories ranging from games to productivity. As with the company's mobile store available on the iPad and iPhone, users can search for apps, find out "what's hot," check out staff favorites, and see the most-downloaded programs in different categories.

Apple itself is selling iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand for $14.99 each. Its Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps are available for $19.99 in the store. It's also selling Aperture 3, its photo-editing … Read more

Apple's Mac App Store to launch January 6

Apple will be launching its anticipated Mac App Store on January 6.

The store will be available in 90 countries at launch, and like its mobile counterpart, it will feature access to both paid and free apps across several categories, including education, productivity, and games, among others, Apple announced today. Users will be able to download the Mac App Store through Software Update.

The Mac App Store experience will be familiar to those who currently have iOS-based devices such as the iPhone. The marketplace's users will be able to get information about apps prior to downloading them, as well … Read more

Apple posts update for MacBook Air display

Apple today made a move to resolve some display problems that popped up among some of the first buyers of the redesigned MacBook Air.

The Mac maker released a software update for the 11-inch and 13-inch Air meant to resolve a "rare issue where MacBook Air boots or wakes to a black screen or becomes unresponsive."

Some of the early reviewers of the hardware noticed flickering horizontal lines sometimes appearing on the display of the 13-inch model or displays being discolored when waking from sleep. Other early purchasers noted similar issues on Apple support forums. Apple didn't … Read more

Rare, transparent Mac SE not worth $25,000

Sometimes, the comparison just isn't apples to apples.

A rare Apple-1 recently sold for $215,000. However, a rare, transparent Mac SE couldn't even get $25,000 slipped into its garter.

Which inevitably leads one to an examination of the word "rare."

There were, allegedly, around 200 Apple-1s created. There were, equally allegedly, only 10 transparent Mac SEs.

And yet, in bidding that closed on Saturday, a transparent Mac SE failed to attract one bid of the $25,000 minimum on eBay.

The seller, who says he worked in Apple R&D in the 1980s, … Read more

Rumor: Mac App Store launching December 13

The Mac App Store could be launching as early as next week, a report from Apple enthusiast blog Appletell claims.

Citing an "inside source," Appletell is reporting that Apple plans a December 13 launch of its Mac App Store, which will allow people to download both paid and free applications to their Mac computers. The blog claims that developers were told by Apple to "have their software prepared for a launch as early as [today]." However, the publication's source said that Apple launching the marketplace today seemed unlikely.

It's important to note that Appletell'… Read more