MacUpdate Offers 10 Apps for $49.99, Including Toast 12 Titanium and NoteBook 4 [Mac Blog]

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote a Mac app bundle deal. MacUpdate's current bundle, which was released this morning and is priced at $49.99 , features 10 apps with a total retail value of $480 if purchased individually.



MacUpdate has created a video providing an overview of all of the apps included in the bundle:








The full list of apps included is as follows:



- Toast 12 Titanium ($99.99)

- NoteBook 4 ($49.95)

- Tonality Pro ($69.99)

- Scrivener 2.5 ($44.95)

- Bookends 12 ($59.99)

- Mac DVDRipper Pro 5 ($24.95)

- NetShade 6 ($45.00)

- iStat Menus 5 ($19.00)

- SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition ($19.99)



The first 8,000 buyers also receive Realmac Software's digital scrapbooking app, Ember, which has a retail value of $49.99.



Buyers have the option to purchase an optional plug-in for Toast 12 Titanium to add the ability to copy and burn Blu-ray discs for an additional $9.99.



MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through links in this article benefit MacRumors financially and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

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Posted in 2014 at 02:08PM, September 15

iPad Implicated in Pediatric Rashes Diagnosed as Nickel Allergies

Apple's iPad may be the cause of unexplained allergic rashes in children, reports The Washington Post , which cites a case study of an 11-year-old boy that was published in Pediatrics medical journal.





The Pediatrics article focuses on an 11-year-old boy who may be allergic to the nickel used in the casing of the tablet device. Following the increasing use of an iPad, the patient developed a rash that would not respond to conventional treatment.

His skin tested positive for nickel, one of the most common allergy-inducing metals, and doctors traced it back to an iPad he had used with increasing frequency the past six months. The iPad tested positive for nickel as well, according to the report.

Doctors advised the boy to use a Smart Case that covers the entire outer surface of the tablet. Similar to other reports of electronic device-induced rashes, the boy's skin condition improved significantly when he started using a case that prevented direct contact with the device.



As noted by the Associated Press, nickel allergies in children appear to be on the rise, with 25 percent of those receiving skin tests testing positive for nickel allergies, up from 17 percent a decade ago.



This iPad isn't the only device implicated in skin rashes. Earlier this year, Fitbit voluntarily recalled its Force fitness tracker after a growing number of users developed contact dermatitis from wearing the band. The rash was originally attributed to nickel in the charging port of the band, but that metal may not be involved as many users covered the nickel-containing port with tape and continued to experience a rash.

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Posted in 2014 at 02:08PM, July 14

Apple Mulled Acquisition Offer for Square, but Deal Looks Unlikely for Now

With a goal to overhaul the online payments industry and a new revolving credit facility worth $200 million, analysts and technology pundits are wondering where Square is headed next. At least one theory proposed by Re/Code explores the possibility of an Apple acquisition.





Both Apple and Google have been rumored to be in talks with Square in the past year about a possible acquisition, but no firm offers have been made. Square is not actively trying to sell the company, but it would entertain a premium offer insider sources claim, unless it was from Google.

Either way, a sale to Google would disappoint Dorsey, according to multiple people familiar with his thinking. For one, he was reportedly put off by Google after being involved in acquisition talks between his former company, Twitter, and the search giant. He also believes, sources said, that his company’s design aesthetic and values match up much more closely with Apple than Google.

Square has close ties to Apple with its hardware chief Jesse Dorogusker leaving his position as director of engineering for the iPod, iPhone and iPad accessories at Apple to join the mobile payments startup.



A Square acquisition would be beneficial for both Apple and Square claims Re/Code. Square's future would be secured by Apple's cash reserves and its favorable position in retail, while Apple would be able to use Square's payment expertise to jump start any plans it has for a mobile payment system. Apple, though, may be ready to enable online purchases via an iPhone, but it likely is not ready for the robust offline system offered by Square.

But Apple’s entrance into mobile payments is much more likely to start with services that use its iPhones to help make online purchases easier to consummate rather than moving into offline payments, industry sources say. Square wouldn’t be of much help in that regard. As such, Apple has soured on the idea of making an acquisition offer to Square for now, according to sources familiar with the company’s thinking.

Apple may be developing a mobile payment service that would allow consumers to pay for physical goods using information stored in their iTunes accounts. The company is thought to have moved Jennifer Bailey from her position in Apple's online stores to a new role that places her in charge of building a payment service for the company.



Apple already has the underpinnings of such a payment system with the millions of credit cards stored in customer's iTunes accounts and its Passbook digital wallet app. CEO Tim Cook hinted at the possibility of mobile payments during a recent earning conference call, saying there is "a big opportunity on the platform."

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Posted in 2014 at 02:08PM, April 09