Your Mac may look nothing like it did back in the '80s, but retro is in and enterprising companies are finding all kinds of ways for us to relive the past. Take for instance the news this week that SimCity is returning to the Mac, or even ThinkGeek's new Padintosh case for the iPad, both which hail from a bygone era. Old or new, we've got something for everyone in today's news recap for Wednesday, August 15, 2012.
February, 2013 may sound like a long time from now, but for Macintosh or DOS PC players who fondly remember SimCity, it's sure to be worth the wait. Electronic Arts announced this week that the legendary "king of the city-builders" is making a triumphant return to the Mac in just six short months, available as a digital download via Origin. “We all have memories of laying down zones and reticulating splines from our youth,” said Lucy Bradshaw, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Maxis Label. “To the millions of SimCity fans out there, we’ve been listening and can proudly say that your calls have been answered. SimCity has a long legacy on the Mac and the team at Maxis is ensuring that it will be the deepest, richest and most accessible SimCity game yet.” If you simply can't wait for SimCity to arrive back on the Mac in February, head over to the website and preorder your copy today.
Well, this is a kick in the pants to owners of the newest MacBook Pro with Retina Display. According to Macworld UK, Microsoft has no current plans to update Office 2011 for Mac to take advantage of the higher-quality Retina Display model, despite forum user complaints about the screen looking fuzzy or blurry. A Microsoft representative chimed in on the debate, noting that Outlook 2011 already supports the Retina Display, but not offering much hope for the rest of the suite. "The remaining apps will have the same viewing quality as on any non-Retina device," the forum post reads. "Unfortunately at this time, we cannot comment on any future updates regarding supporting Retina on Word, Excel or PowerPoint." That's a bit of a double whammy for Mac Office users, given that Redmond recently confirmed that its new Office 2013 would be MIA on the Mac, at least for now. Bummer.
If you just can't get over the beige Macintosh look from the '80s and early '90s, the folks at ThinkGeek are about to make you very, very happy. For a mere $24.99 plus shipping, you can purchase the new "Padintosh Case" for your iPad, which turns an otherwise unassuming iPad 2 or third-gen iPad into a retro-styled blast from the past, complete with floppy disc drive and beveled monitor. Nostalgia aside, the ultra-thin 2mm hard casing will actually help prevent some horrible accident befalling your iPad, and it's even compatible with Apple's Smart Cover. The Padintosh is in stock now and ready to ship, so… you know what to do.
The folks at Final Draft, Inc. sent out an email this week to owners of its popular screenwriting software, giving them a heads up about a new iPad app arriving on September 4 which will make scriptwriting on the go easier than ever before. Final Draft Writer brings all of the same great easy-to-use features such as Tab and Enter navigation, ScriptNotes, SmartType and more onto the iPad, where users will be able to create new scripts as well as edit existing ones in Final Draft 8 FDX format. Sounds like a pretty cool tool for creative types, so look for more details on that when it hits the App Store on Tuesday, September 4.
While many observers believe Research in Motion has already lost too much time for the BlackBerry to ever make a comeback, CEO Thorsten Heins is not one of them. The executive sat down with The Verge this week to discuss the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 software and even show off two new handsets which will be available in the first quarter of next year -- one with a traditional QWERTY keyboard plus touchscreen display and another that's entirely multitouch. RIM is currently shopping the devices to U.S. carriers who are said to be enthusiastic about the hardware as well as BlackBerry 10, which is said to be "nearly finished." It's going to take a lot for RIM to bounce back after losing nearly 70 percent of their value in just the last year alone, but as Apple has taught us, never count a tech company down and out in their darkest hours.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
