A French newspaper’s claim that Mac Pros are emitting toxic odors, including benzene, has been dismissed by Apple. Spokesman Bill Evans has told Macworld that, while the company is still investigating these allegations, there is no indication so far that Mac Pros emit toxic fumes.According to MacRumors, a scientist quoted in the article went as far as saying that the odor contained benzene, among other toxins. The scientist did not refer to this saying there was “indication” of such toxins, or that benzene was “presumably” the source of the smell, but quite matter-of-factly said it, “benzene.” He ad... [read more >>] With all the “brick” rumors floating around, we figured it wouldn't ruin to throw in a story about not one brick, but 2,588 of them. It is the case of a Mac Pro... No, that's not it. This story really is about the “casing” of a Mac Pro. A few ambitious students at the San Francisco Art Institute came up with an idea, and decided it was doable. Three "Lego engineering catastrophes" had to be endured, but in the end, the project was a success (video below). While the 2,588 Lego bricks made up the case, a Mac Mini linked to a PC Hackintosh via FireWire constituted the "bricked" Mac Pro's insides. &ldquo... [read more >>] Reliable sources claim that Apple is preparing the first Snow Leopard pre-release builds to be seeded to developers. These copies are the first to be handed to a “limited” / select number of developers since the initial build issued at Apple's WWDC in June, this year.AppleInsider cites people familiar with the company's plans saying that pre-release copies of Snow Leopard will be handed to an “extremely limited” number of developers. Thus, few members of the vast Apple Developer Connection network are likely to receive their own copy of Mac OS X 10.6, “at least during the initial phase,” reads t... [read more >>] Jason R. Rich, author of “Mac Migration: The Small Business Guide to Switching to the Mac,” has found that ever more small businesses are making the move to Mac, thanks, in part, to Apple's aggressive advertising campaign - but mostly because Macs really do all that they're advertised to do. Rich’s book, available from Entrepreneur Press for $17.95, explains that, “For years, Apple was known for offering computers useful to students and to creative people who dealt with graphics, animation, music and images. But now, due to their ever-growing lineup of popular business-oriented applications and their f... [read more >>] EFiX America has started shipping its USB hack dongle, which allows PC users to boot Apple's Mac OS X and run all of its apps seamlessly. Not only does the device allow you to install Apple's OS (as well as Windows and other OSes), but it also recognizes official updates and lets you install them the instant they're available.So, basically, the EFi-X dongle is the last step towards porting Mac OS X to the PC without leaving anything important behind. Certain system requirements have to be met, of course, but if you pack the necessary hardware, reviewers say the experience is much better than with a typical Hackintosh. In fact... [read more >>] After issuing multiple beta builds over the course of a month and a half, Apple finally released the much-awaited OS X 10.5.5 software update for Leopard (and Leopard Server) users. Addressing General issues (which include patching the latest security holes), but also improving Mail, MobileMe, iCal, Time Machine, Disk Utility and Directory Utility, the 316MB update is available for free to all existing Leopard users.Apple notes that the 10.5.5 update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard, as it includes “general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of [their] Mac.” If you&... [read more >>] With the latest 10.5.5 build in developers' hands, Apple is said to have sliced the testing focus in half, from 24 core system components to just 12, people familiar with the matter have revealed.AppleInsider cites people familiar with the software as noting that, among the components still in need of attention on behalf of the developers are AirPort, graphics drivers, iCal, iChat, screen sharing, and Time Machine.When first reported by the same news source, build 9F32 was confirmed to pack only minor fixes, bringing the total number of code corrections to 129. None of the fixes address the Mail.app searching bug, reported as "known" i... [read more >>] Apple has seeded developers with a new pre-release build of the next maintenance and security update to Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5.5. Build 9F32 packs minor fixes bringing the total number of code corrections to 129, but none of the fixes address the Mail.app bug, reported as "known" in previous beta releases of OS X 10.5.5."The latest version (build 9F32) provides more minor fixes but continues to have at least one known issue with Mail search," MacRumors reveals. "Apple has addressed approximately 129 bugs and issues since the previous public release of Mac OS X 10.5.4," the site claims to have learned.The latest two distributions, weigh... [read more >>] Are you a student, a Mac fan, and need MS Office to do your school projects? Why not consider getting that new Mac you've always wanted, also throwing in MS Office 2008 for Mac at a discount. When purchasing any Macintosh computer at Apple resellers, you can buy Office for 30% off. The deal ends on September 8, so hurry up!“From work to home to school, your life is full - and you need to be ready for all of it,” says Microsoft on its Promotions page. “Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac helps you easily create and manage great-looking papers, presentations, and reports so that you can work smart instead of working hard. Sav... [read more >>] The fifth maintenance and security update for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) now packs a total of 125 code corrections, thanks to two new pre-release builds making their way to developers last week. The two distributions, weighing in at 320 MB each, are Mac OS X 10.5.5 build 9F25 and Mac OS X 10.5.5 9F29.While build 9F25 contained no noticeable changes from the previous build (9F17), AppleInsider points out, build 9F29 “tacked on a pair of fixes, one of which tackles an issue between Macs and previously joined AirPort networks,” citing people familiar with the situation. Only one issue won't, under any circumstance, budge, despite... 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