Author: MacNN | The Macintosh News Network

For many consumers, a quad-core i7 “Haswell” computer with SSD storage — whether it is a Mac or PC — is by far the fastest computer they’ve ever used, and meets everyday needs handily. Some, however — creative professionals, scientists and others –…

Today in the MacNN forums, members discuss a wide range of topics. Long time forum-goer “Hawkeye_a” proposed the idea of a new Mac Pro in some kind of transparent shell stating that the inside “looks sooo cool” and believes this should be showcased bet…

Today at Apple’s online store, find refurbished MacBook Pro models priced as low as $999. The 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.5GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive has been cut by $200 to $999. A $350 discount is offered on …

At Amazon, save $166 on the Sony 18MP digital camera which has been cut from $350 down to $189 (price reflected once it is added to the cart), beating the next lowest price by about $60. Free US shipping is included, but sales tax applies for residents…

SwitchEasy has announced the release of its latest iPhone and iPad accessories, Canvas and CoverBuddy. The Canvas case is now available for the iPhone 5, 5s and 5c, and is made of a durable, scratch-resistant matte canvas material. Its protective polyc…

The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple two new patents. The first, Touch and hover signal drift compensation, documents a display panel which can register both touch inputs and someone “hovering” a finger or stylus over a part of the scre…

The Rockstar Consortium — a collection of companies including Apple, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Sony, and Microsoft — is planning to sell a portion of the $4.5 billion in patents it bought from Nortel Networks in 2011, sources tell Bloomberg. Rockstar is …

CEO Tim Cook and some other Apple executives will be visiting Turkey in February to discuss a potential education deal estimated to be worth up to $4 billion, according to local publication Emlak Kulisi. Cook is expected to meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gül to discuss the country’s “FATIH Project,” which will replace textbooks and other aspects of Turkish schooling with tablets and computers. Apple has been vying to make the iPad Turkey’s tablet of choice; in May, controversial Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄüan visited Apple’s headquarters….

Once again, the Humble Bundle team has put together a package of DRM-free indie games in support of its chosen charities, with users paying whatever amount they want for four cross-platform games. Buyers paying above the average price ($4.03 at present…

Last week, Apple updated its Safari browser for Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks — but for the first time since 2010, did not include an update for the Snow Leopard version, last updated to 5.1.10. The move may signal that Apple is winding down suppo…

A small-time inventor in New Zealand has accomplished something giant rival Samsung has not: he has won against Apple in court. The case revolved around Hayden Crowther’s use of the name “driPhone” for his line of waterproof phone cases. Apple, obligat…

Microsoft will reportedly roll out a new addition to its line of Surface devices, one with a form factor closer to that of Apple’s iPad mini. This according to WPDang, which claims that the device may launch in the first half of next year. The move wou…

Apple’s online store today offers a range of refurbished desktop Macs as low as $509. The refurbished Mac mini with a 2.5GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive has been cut to $509. A $150 discount is offered on the refurbish…

Yesterday in the MacnN Forums, Junior Member “Harvey” was trying to decide if there was any advantage to buying a Mac mini other than the $300 savings over a base model iMac. One frustrated forum-goer turned to the forums looking for ways to speed up t…