A lot of things happen at the start of each month, and one of those that I look most forward to is being able to check out the updated hardware survey at Steam. It's especially interesting right now, because Windows 8 is only four months old, and the platform became official for Linux only a couple of weeks ago. Given it happened so recently,...Read more...
It's a tossup between Linux and Mac as to which is the red-headed stepchild of computer gaming, though things are improving on both platforms. As it pertains to the latter, Electronic Arts announced the official launch of its Origin game distribution service to Mac, giving Apple users access to many of the same features found on Origin for...Read more...
Many have chided Apple for the lack of ports available on its high-end laptops. If you want, you can spec out a $3k+ MacBook Pro laptop... but you can't get more than two USB ports on it, no matter what sum you're ready to shell out. For hardcore power users, the limitations can become something of an annoyance, but...Read more...
EA’s Origin is meant to be a one-stop shop for gaming: so long as you have a Windows PC, you can shop for games and play them via the Origin platform. (Think Steam.) Origin overcame early skepticism (and a coupon debacle in which it inadvertently gave away free games) and is now expanding to the Mac platform. Only a few thousand U.S....Read more...
You’ll soon be able to buy in-game content with your Amazon account, thanks to a new Amazon service. Amazon is wooing game developers with a service for making in-app purchases on games for Mac, PC, and browser-based games. Game developers get the benefit of Amazon’s stable purchasing infrastructure, while gamers (who already have...Read more...
Emulation tools have been around nearly as long as modern-day operating systems and user interfaces. For years, users have been trying to figure out ways to run Program X on Operating System Y. Boot Camp, Parallels, you name it. Bluestacks has been a name thrown around all the more frequently in the emulation realm...Read more...
According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the version of Mac OS X due next year will likely have Siri and Apple Maps integration. Specifically, the same essential Siri voice command software found in newer iOS devices is present in these early OS builds. If Siri indeed ends up as part of Mac OS X 10.9, it’s unclear...Read more...
It's been more than seven years since Apple began putting Intel inside its systems, and that relationship might be coming to end. Rumors are running rampant on the web this morning that Apple is seriously considering embracing ARM for its Mac lineup, with a version of the chip that it's already using in its iPhone...Read more...
Could it be? Apple changing CPUs for the second time in the recent past? When the company kissed PowerPC goodbye and sided with Intel, it was a watershed moment. Suddenly, Macs became more powerful and more compatible, and yes, it enabled them to run Windows. But as the years have progressed, Apple has invested...Read more...
Mac users need backup love too, don't you know? All kidding aside, Seagate has added a new hard drive to its collection today with the unveiling of the Backup Plus Storage for OS X. In order to cater to newer Macs with USB 3.0 built in from the factor, the new Backup Plus Portable for Mac and Backup Plus Desktop for...Read more...
Games don't get old, they just get nostalgic. Good Old Games, known for distributing some of the world's best games from yesteryear, has now opened up to the world of Mac. Much like Valve and plenty of others in the post-PowerPC universe, GoG is now bringing a huge catalog of classics to Mac, tarting with an...Read more...
What if there were an iPad, but it ran OS X instead of iOS? Apple hasn't made one just yet, but the third-party market is alive and well making dreams like that come true. The Modbook Pro is a highly unique machine, offering a 13.3" Mac experience inside of a pen-tablet form factor. The new model is doing away with the HDD in favor of an SSD,...Read more...
No one is arguing that Windows isn’t the biggest target for malware writers, but it’s starting to look like Microsoft’s OS isn’t alone. Threats for the Mac have made the occasional headline, and a new Trojan is making the rounds on both Mac and Linux. That’s right: a cross-platform...Read more...
Sometimes, things are just too good to let go of. A few months ago, Apple's head of Mac Bob Mansfield announced that he'd be retiring. But when you're a senior-level executive at a a company with an all-time high stock price, why leave? In an apparent change of heart, Apple has stated that Bob will now be remaining on...Read more...
Looking to run Windows on your Mac? You aren't alone, and if you're a fan of using VMWare to make that magic happen, there's a new build begging for your attention. VMWare Fusion 5 is the latest and greatest, announced this week as an optimized version that caters to the newer technologies found in Mountain Lion...Read more...
If you've been around computer games for awhile, you may remember building sprawling cities on an Apple system way back in the day (when you weren't crossing the Oregon Trail, that is). Well, SimCity is heading back to the Mac platform six months from now, Electronics Arts announced today. "Whether you owned a Macintosh or a DOS PC, we all...Read more...
Here's one for anybody feeling nostalgic this weekend. An unaired commercial for Apple's original Macintosh from way back in 1983 has landed on YouTube courtesy of Andy Hertzfeld, currently a Google software engineer who co-created the Mac nearly three decades ago. The ad features snippets of interviews from the...Read more...
Back in the second week of June, Google told the world that "Apple recently announced a new laptop with a Retina high-resolution screen, and we're committed to polishing Chrome until it shines on that machine." Well, it appears Google is happy with the shine, because the newest stable Chrome build now officially...Read more...
It doesn't matter if you're a Mac fanatic or if you're anti-Apple to the core, there's no denying the Cupertino company knows how to market and sell a product to the masses. Steve Jobs, if nothing else, created a consumer culture where iDevices are in such high demand, people will line up for blocks to purchase the newest iPhone or iPad tablet....Read more...
When Apple unveiled its Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) operating system back in June, the Cupertino outfit said it would be available in July from the Mac App Store, but refrained from offering up a specific release date. With barely two weeks left in the month, Apple is running out of time to make good on that...Read more...
Here's something you don't see every single day: Apple apologizing. Back when the iPhone 4's "Antennagate" scandal took off, it really boiled down to users "holding it wrong." But these days we have a new Apple, and the company obviously willing to say when it's made a misstep. Bob Mansfield, the company's outgoing (retirement) Senior Vice...Read more...
Apple is pitching Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) as the cat's meow with over 200 new features "that add up to an amazing Mac experience," but that only applies if you're rocking a compatible system. Some older Mac models, including ones that are 64-bit capable, aren't invited to the Mountain Lion party, and it's likely...Read more...