Mac Pro fans in the European Union who are on the fence about purchasing one of the current, aging models may want to move quickly -- come March 1, they'll be pulled from store shelves over some messy regulatory compliance issues. Does that mean that CEO Tim Cook's promise of "something really great" for the next generation of Mac Pro will come to pass? Only time will tell...
After first being reported by 9to5Mac on Thursday, Apple has now confirmed to The Loop that the existing Mac Pro will be discontinued in the European Union as of March 1, 2013. While some may speculate this is yet another nail in the coffin of Apple's highest end Mac, the move is less about the product line and more about compliance with regulatory requirements throughout Europe. “Due to evolving regulatory requirements, Apple will stop selling Mac Pro in EU, EU candidate and EFTA countries on March 1, 2013,” an Apple representative said in a statement. “After that date, resellers can sell existing inventory but Apple will no longer ship Mac Pro in those countries.” A note sent to EU resellers clarified that “these systems are not compliant with Amendment 1 of regulation IEC 60950-1, Second Edition which becomes effective on this date," which relates to "the absence of fan guards and a requirement for better protection on the ports of the Mac Pro's electrical system."
As we reported earlier this month, Walmart-owned streaming provider VUDU promised to bring their popular Disc to Digital service into users' homes in late January. Starting Thursday afternoon, the company began emailing select VUDU users that a beta version of its VUDU To Go desktop software is now available, allowing DVDs to be converted to SD for $2 or HDX for $5 each, or from Blu-ray to HDX for $2 each. There's only one catch: The software is currently for Windows only, but Mac support is promised soon. Thankfully we received the email invite and were able to give it a spin running Windows 8 via Parallels Desktop 8, and the service appears to be running like a champ thus far. Didn't get the invite? This link may or may help you find what you seek...
Small businesses are finding the Square Card Reader a valuable asset, and thankfully it's getting easier to find as well. Verizon Wireless announced Thursday that the white plastic dongle is now available for sale at its retail stores from coast to coast for the low price of just $9.97. But can't you just order one free online, we hear you ask? Yes, you can, but who's got the patience for that? Verizon's model comes with a $10 credit to your Square account, so it's kind of like getting paid three cents and having immediate gratification all at once.
As popular as the App Store has become, few developers can claim to have hit 10 million paid copies of their title -- but that's exactly what tap tap tap has done with their popular Camera+ app. In addition to touting the milestone on their blog, the company is also offering an exclusive look at Camera + 4.0, promising an end to skeuomorphism and the beginning of a more "flat design" for the app, along with lust-worthy features like shake to shoot, pinch to limerick and more. As you may have figured, the developer is just pulling our leg, and we'll all have to sit back and wait to find out what the future holds for the app.
Adobe announced Thursday that Creative Cloud for Teams is now available for purchase. The plan starts at $69.99 per month with a one-year subscription, offering full versions of every CS6 app, 100GB of cloud storage, full access to services, centralized billing and administration and two Expert Services calls per seat. Existing CS6 customers can upgrade to Teams for only $49.99 per month for the first year -- a promotional price that's only valid until April 30, 2013, and requires an existing CS3 or later license.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
