It’s been a good week for Mac users this week what with the (slightly delayed) release of iTunes 11, the next reincarnation of Apple’s default music player, back on Thursday. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you check out Jacob’s detailed review and critique of all the new features in this release.
Otherwise, it’s been a fairly quiet week but we’ve still found a couple of stories to keep you ticking over until next week.
Firefox 18 Beta features Retina support
The latest beta for Mozilla‘s popular open-source browser, Firefox has finally added retina support for the new MacBook Pro models, following Google’s example from a few months back. If you don’t own an MBP, then there’s still some improvements in there for other users, such as improved JavaScript handling and preliminary support for WebRTC, which will eventually allow video and voice calling from within your web browser, without the need for a standalone program.
Firefox 18 Beta has been released with retina support for the new MacBook Pro alongside other features.
For the full changelog then head over here, otherwise click here to grab the Beta for yourself. Remember that with all pre-release software there may still be some bugs lurking around in there somewhere, so it won’t be entirely 100% stable!
New iMac now available to purchase via the Apple Store
Ever since the new iMac was announced back at the end of October, Apple fans have been salivating over its amazingly thin and sleek design along with its beefed up feature and spec offering. Now, the new iMac is available to purchase via the Apple Store in the United States, Australia, Canada and a few European countries.
The new iMac is now available to order from the Apple Store, with delivery times ranging from a couple of days to 4 weeks depending on the model ordered.
The 21.5 inch 2.7 GHz is at the time of writing expected to ship between 7 and 10 business days, with the 2.9 GHz model expected to ship even quicker: a mere 1 to 3 business days. Things change, however, if you want to splash out and get the 27-inch model: delivery time here is around 3-4 weeks, so don’t buy it as a Christmas present for anyone if you want it delivered in time!
The new iMac features a radical new, ultra thin design and a new display which reduces reflection by 75%, along with the latest Intel processor and NVIDIA graphics technology. Prices start for the 21.5-inch model at $1,299 (2.7 GHz) and $1,799 for the 27-inch model.
Apple fires the head of iOS 6 Maps
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president, has reportedly fired Richard Williamson, the executive in charge of overseeing Maps in iOS 6 after users reported a whole slew of problems, including mislabeled towns and cities, wonky bridges in satellite view and out-of-date business listings.
One of the many problems experienced in the infamous Maps application on iOS 6 – this time a wobbly Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Cue is drawing on the expertise of other mapping technology experts in order to fix the problems experienced by the so-called “Mapsgate” fiasco and to try and claw back some of the lost reputation of iOS 6. TomTom, who provides some of the mapping data for Maps, has also been encouraged to “fix landmark and navigation data it shares with Apple”.
The fixes may well also be to prepare Maps for release on the rumoured OS X 10.9, which popped up on weblogs a couple of weeks back. The new version is most likely to feature Maps and native Siri integration, alongside other features.
Heard Anything Else?
If you’ve heard anything else exciting that’s happened this week then go ahead and post a link to it in the Comments section below for the benefit of our other readers!