Apple

So long, MacBook Pro, 17-inch version. The largest (and most expensive) member of the MacBook Pro family, which starts at $2,499 and can run up to $4,100 for a top-of-the-line model with a 512GB solid-state drive, may be headed for extinction due to lackluster sales.

That’s the word from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted in a research note obtained by Apple blog MacRumors that “Apple is likely to stop making the 17-inch MacBook Pro this year due to falling shipments, in order to maintain a lean product line strategy.”

1Password is a popular password service which offers apps and browser plug-ins for a number of platforms, including Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. The service automatically generates strong, unique passwords whenever a login is needed, keeping them in a keychain under a master password. Once authorized, 1Password can then automatically fill in user names and passwords when needed without the user having to know the often complex passwords created for maximum security. 

If you use a Mac and you want to manage and control the flow of data that leaves your computer, then I suggest you might want to use Little Snitch. Tech geeks will know about this clever privacy tool, but the masses of my readers aren’t technical. So, I thought I would explain further why you should download and install Little Snitch. 

When I think about the iPad as a sysadmin's tool, I don't think about it in terms of can/can't. Obviously, the iPad can be a sysadmin tool. Heck, I used Windows Mobile 6 phones as sysadmin tools. It wasn’t a lot of fun, but if you were really far from a laptop, tin cans with string, or a sharp stick and soft dirt, you could do it. Prior to getting my first iPad, I used my iPhone to some effect. The truth is you can use an iPhone (or really, any smartphone) as a sysadmin tool as long as you have a decent Web browser and few key apps.

Contrary to reports by several security companies, the Flashback botnet is not shrinking, the Russian antivirus firm that first reported the massive infection three weeks ago claimed today.

According to the Montreal Gazette, a local lawyer has seized an opportunity to sue Apple on behalf of any Canadian citizen who has purchased an e-book over the last two years, piggybacking on the U.S. Department of Justice's recent lawsuit (video), claiming Apple and its publishing partners colluded to fix the prices of e-books and drive down competition. 

Market share! It’s an easy answer, but not the only one.

Apple's next iPhone may tap into new touch panel technology, allowing for a lighter device, according to an Asia-based report.

An improvement in production "yield rates" of "in-cell touch panels" has induced Apple to begin working with two Japanese companies, DigiTimes said, citing sources. Those panels are being made by Japan-based Sharp and a division of Toshiba.

The source code of the classic Apple II game Prince of Persia has been published on GitHub by Jordan Mechner, the original author. The game, which was first published by Broderbund in 1989, was developed in 6502 assembly. With the help of Apple II enthusiast Tony Diaz, the code was recovered recently from a 22-year old floppy disk.

Apple on Wednesday included a beta version of Xcode 4.4 for developers alongside releases of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 and Safari 5.2 The preview of Xcode 4.4 includes an updated Apple LLVM Compiler version 4.0. According to the release notes for the software, enhancements include: