Apple News Weekly

Apple today released iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0, addressing an issue that could cause hanging and freezing on iMac models.

About iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0

This firmware update fixes a graphics issue that may cause an iMac to hang under certain conditions.

The download weighs in at 481 KB and requires OS X Lion. Apple does not specify on the download page which iMac models require the update, so iMac users may want to run Software Update to see if it is offered for their specific machines.

Thomas Schlijper posts a stunning photo of the glass staircase at Apple's new Amsterdam retail store in the historic Hirsch building. The store, which opens to the public this Saturday, is Apple's first in the Netherlands.


Previously-revealed floor plans for the location show a large two-level store with a massive 20-seat Genius Bar extending along one wall of the first floor. In the weeks leading up to the opening, Apple has been concealing the store's interior with striking orange window coverings.

Apple today released MainStage 2.2.1 [Mac App Store], an update to the company's software for bringing virtual instruments and effects to live performances. According to the full release notes, the update addresses sixteen separate issues, with the company highlighting the following:

The MainStage 2.2.1 update addresses overall stability and performance issues including:

- Resolves several issues related to the download and installation of basic and additional content
- Addresses a stability issue that could cause MainStage to hang during startup while initializing MIDI
- Fixes issues that improve CPU performance and latency, particularly when using the Playback plug-in
- Resolves an issue that prevented stereo audio input from working as expected
- Fixes a problem that blocked sidechain input for plug-ins

MainStage is a 302 MB download from the Mac App Store and is priced at $29.99, although the 2.2.1 update is of course free for current MainStage 2.2 users. Formerly a component of the Logic Studio suite, Apple moved MainStage (and Logic Pro) to the Mac App Store last December.

Earlier this month, the staff at Munich, Germany's Apple Store Rosenstraße formed a "Betriebsrat" [Google translate] -- an official labor council that focuses on the working conditions within the store.

IFO Apple Store:

It’s the first such council within Apple’s Germany stores... and will deal with issues such as routine overtime, sales pressure from management, high noise levels within the store, and other health and safety matters... Employees will eventually expand the councils to all eight Apple stores in Germany.

A tipster sent us this photo from within the store, showing the office the Betriebsrat has taken within the store. The office, according to the tipster, originally belonged to the Store Leader. The iPad to the right of the entrance says "bitte rein kommen!" which translates to "please come in!"

The picture appears legitimate, with the circular sign on the door matching those within other Apple Stores we've seen, and the GPS data within the photo matches the location of the Apple Store Rosenstraße in Munich. We have removed the data from the picture for privacy reasons.

Last year, it was reported that Apple Store managers were participating in "union awareness" training, covering the legal dos and don'ts of dealing with unions. While not an actual employee union, the betriebsrat is a legally protected entity in Germany.

Apple just released an update for the MacBook Pro 15-inch, late 2008 model. It requires Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8, Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8, or OS X Lion 10.7.3.

About MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.8

This update is recommended for MacBook Pro (15-inch, late 2008) models. The update resolves a graphics issue that may cause the internal display to flicker.

Weighing in at 1.79MB, the update can be downloaded from Apple's software update page.

Best Buy will extend its return policy from 14 days to 30 days, beginning next week according to TUAW.


The change applies to all products, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Macintosh purchases. The Apple Retail Store return policy is officially 14 days, but the company will occasionally "surprise and delight" customers by honoring longer return policies in some instances. Both Best Buy and Apple eliminated the 10% restocking fees on returned items last year.

The change goes into effect at all Best Buy locations on Sunday, March 4.

Urban Toronto reports that it has received information indicating that Apple has reached an agreement to occupy 1 Bloor Street West in Toronto, potentially signaling plans for a major new flagship store in the heart of one of Toronto's major commercial districts.


Stollery's clothing store at 1 Bloor Street West in Toronto
The space is currently occupied by Stollery's, a 30,000 square-foot clothing store. It is unclear how Apple would choose to reconfigure the space for its own uses, but the potential for a large flagship store is certainly present at this key location.

Apple had previously been rumored to be looking to occupy retail space in an 80-story tower planned for 1 Bloor Street East, directly across Yonge Street from the newly-rumored location, but the tower project stalled amid financing concerns. A plan for 1 Bloor East has been resurrected by a new developer working on a 65-story condominium tower, but it appears that Apple has now pursued alternate plans for its forthcoming store.

Apple just released an update for all iMacs, Late 2009 or newer. It requires OS X Lion 10.7.3.

About iMac Wi-Fi Update v1.0

This update resolves an issue that may cause an iMac to not automatically connect to a known Wi-Fi network after waking from sleep.

It is recommended for all iMac (Late 2009 or newer) users running 10.7.3.

Weighing in at 25.81MB, the update can be downloaded from Apple's software update page.

Apple just released new firmware updates for the full range of Macs released in 2011, which apparently all fix the same issues.

This update improves the reliability of booting from the network, addresses an issue that can prevent HDCP authentication after a reboot, and resolves an issue with boot device selection when a USB storage device is hot-plugged.

The software updates are:

- Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.6 - Mac mini (Mid 2011)

- iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.9 - iMac (Early 2011)

- MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.4 - MacBook Air (Mid 2011)

- MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.7 - MacBook Pro (Early 2011) and (Late 2011)

Ron Wayne, Apple, Inc.'s sometimes forgotten third co-founder, has posted a short essay entitled "Why I Left Apple Computer After Only 12 Days, In My Own Words". The piece notes that though he sold his share of Apple for pennies on the dollar, he has no regrets. Instead, he was looking to change the world in his own way.

I didn’t separate myself from Apple because of any lack of enthusiasm for the concept of computer products. Aside from any immediate apprehension in regard to financial risks, I left because I didn’t feel that this new enterprise would be the working environment that I saw for myself, essentially for the rest of my days. I had every belief would be successful but I didn’t know when, what I’d have to give up or sacrifice to get there, or how long it would take to achieve that success.

[...]

To counter much that has been written in the press about me as of late, I didn't lose out on billions of dollars. That's a long stretch between 1976 and 2012. Apple went through a lot of hard times and many thought Apple would simply go out of business at various times in its maturity. I perhaps lost tens of millions of dollars. And quite honestly, between just you and me, it was character building.

If I had known it would make 300 people millionaires in only four years, I would have stayed those four years. And then I still would have walked away. Steve and Steve had their project. They wanted to change the world in their way. I wanted to change the world in my own.

Rather than follow Jobs and Wozniak in remaking computing, Wayne had made his own attempt at putting a "dent in the universe". He published a book late last year that he says is the result of 40 years of research. Insolence of Office is described as a look at the foundations of the American Republic, the Constitution, and the nature of money.

Wayne notes, with full self-awareness of the arrogance of the statement, "the writing and publication of Insolence is, in itself, enough to justify my existence on this planet."

Wayne published his autobiography entitled Adventures of an Apple Founder: Atari, Apple, Aerospace & Beyond in the fall of 2011. Both the autobiography and Insolence of Office are available on Amazon and the iBookstore.

via The Next Web