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Mac Pro’s CPU upgradeability confirmed

Despite what some would call a steep asking price, Apple's desktop powerhouse - the new Mac Pro - has been universally regarded by reviewers as the dream machine for content creators who desperately wanted a reasonably priced monster workstation that would make real-time 4K video editing a reality. And despite scarce availability - online orders slipped to February and in-store availability is not expected before March - the new Mac Pro never ceases to amaze us.

Some power users have voiced their concern that Apple would, as is often its wont, lock down the system to allow only for memory upgrades. As it turns out, the new Mac Pro is one of Apple's most expandable Macs, if not the most expandable one.

A teardown analysis by iFixIt has revealed a socketed Intel CPU, accessible RAM and no proprietary Torx screws (go figure!), giving the workstation an eight out of ten for repairability.

Earlier in the week, Other World Computing (OWC) has confirmed that the Mac Pro's Intel Xeon E5 processor was socketed and removable. Today, the OWC team said it's successfully swapped the stock CPU with an eight-core Xeon E5–2667 V2 chip not offered as the Online Apple Store's built-to-order option...

How to use your new Mac Pro on its side

So you've shelled north of $3,000 for a brand spanking new Mac Pro so you could edit 4K video in real-time and I imagine that, as a bonus, the machine would help declutter your desktop due to its drastically reduced footprint (MacWorld has a nice gallery comparing the system to every day objects).

If for some reason you prefer to use your Mac Pro on its side instead of its default upright position, you can do so because Apple's engineers have designed a fan system to support cooling in both orientations, provided you follow the company's guidelines listed in a newly published support document...

Apple says new Mac Pro uses 68% less energy than previous generation

We all know that Apple's new Mac Pro is smaller than its predecessor, and in most instances more powerful, but did you know that it's also far more green as well? The Cupertino company released an Environmental Report today on its latest desktop saying just that.

According to the report, the new Mac Pro uses less than half of the allowed energy limit under Energy Star requirements, thanks to its various power-efficient components. And it also requires 68% less power than the previous-generation Mac Pro while in idle mode...

TweetDeck for Mac updated with Direct Message photos and more

Fans of the popular Twitter client TweetDeck will happy to hear that they've posted a new version of their Mac app today. The update, which brings the app to version 3.5.5 includes a handful of new features and bug fixes.

With version 3.5.5, users are now able to take advantage of Twitter's new Direct Message photo service, which allows you to send and receive photos via DM. The update also adds some custom Timeline options, and more...

Google updates Picasa, adds Google+ Auto Backup standalone Mac tool

Google has been offering its standalone Picasa Mac app for years and while it may lack ease of use and elegance of Apple's own iPhoto and Aperture software, by no means is it a slouch.

Matter of fact, I've been using the program for years as my primary point of entry for sorting, geotagging and organizing images in folders prior to importing them to Aperture for advanced touch ups and album management.

But aside from maintenance updates, Picasa for Mac spent much of 2013 unchanged in terms of features, so much so that I began to suspect that Google could perhaps discontinue it in order to make room for a standalone Google+ Photos app for the Mac.

Instead, yesterday's update has proven there's still life left in Picasa. In addition to a few new features and complementary fixes, the improved Picasa also brings out a brand new standalone tool allowing you to synchronize a batch of photos and videos residing on your Mac with Google+ Photos...

Tweetbot for Mac updated with major bug fixes

Popular Twitter client Tweetbot posted an update for its Mac application this weekend, bringing the app to version 1.4.1. The update looks fairly minor on the surface, but it includes a handful of serious bug fixes.

Long-time Tweetbot for Mac users will be happy to hear that the new version finally fixes that pesky issue where you can see "x unread items" but can't scroll up to see them, and various other interface annoyances...

Good news, tinkerers: Mac Pro’s CPU is removable

Quick, what's more painful than dropping anywhere between $3,000 to $20,000 on Apple's juicy new Mac Pro? Being unable to perform a DIY upgrade of the computer's main processor to a faster Intel chip down the road, of course! But worry not as a quick teardown has confirmed an upgradeable CPU so tinkerers and creative pros around the world can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Other World Computing, a U.S. company which has been in the business of selling various after-market upgrades for Apple products since 1998, has tore apart the new Mac Pro to reveal a socketed Intel Xeon E5 chip, potentially allowing for future upgrades...

A look back at some of Apple’s old Christmas commercials

Apple's been causing a lot of commotion lately with its latest iPhone 5s commercial 'Misunderstood.' The ad, for those who haven't seen it, depicts a teenager with his head buried in his smartphone while the family participates in holiday activities, and has a delightful twist.

But Apple hasn't always been so sentimental around the holidays. In fact, it's been making Christmas-themed spots for over two decades now, and many of them tended to err on the side of humor. Don't believe me? Check out some of these Apple ads from the last 20 years...

Reviews agree: the new Mac Pro is a dream desktop with some serious oomph for pros

Apple's radical new Mac Pro went on sale last week and despite critics slamming it for Apple's high asking price (although it isn’t more than you’d pay for a similarly configured Windows PC), shipping estimates for the re-engineered pro desktop slipped to February 2014 just hours after release, indicating pent-up demand among creative professionals.

Though baseline configurations of the Texas-built machine started shipping to first customers yesterday, those who purchased built-to-order machines will have to wait a month or so. Meanwhile, first Mac Pro reviews have hit the web and the verdict is unanimous: this is every video editor/creative pro's dream machine...

Free OpenEmu 1.0 console emulator is now available to download for Mac

Those of you old enough to remember the golden age of 8 and 16-bit console gaming are in for a real Christmas treat as the OpenEmu console emulator is now available to download for the Mac. After an extensive period of beta testing, OpenEmu 1.0 finally launched yesterday.

This open source project makes possible game emulation on OS X for a variety of high-profile legendary consoles, including Sega's Genesis, Nintendo's Game Boy, GameBoy Color, Game Boy Advance and Entertainment System (the popular NES), as well as other third-party consoles such as the Game Gear, NeoGeo Pocket and more...

How to jailbreak iOS 7 using evasi0n7 [Mac tutorial]

As we just told you, the evad3rs have released a new jailbreak tool called evasi0n7, and it allows you to easily jailbreak iOS 7. The good news is that the hack works with all flavors of iOS 7, which includes iOS 7.0.1, iOS 7.0.2, iOS 7.0.3, 7.0.4, 7.0.5, and 7.0.6. (no jailbreak for iOS 7.1 at this time).

As usual, the evad3rs have made the utility fairly easy to use. But also as usual, we know there will be folks out there looking for a bit of help using it. So we’ve created an easy-to-follow tutorial to show you how to jailbreak iOS 7 on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch...

Fantastical for Mac and iPhone on sale for a limited time

Ok, this is getting a bit out of hand. After the EA sale, and the Disney and Warner Bros. sale, and the App Santa sale, I'm just not sure how many more purchases my wallet can handle. Luckily, I already own two of the three apps we're going to be talking about this morning.

Flexibits announced via their Twitter account last night that they have placed all of their apps on sale for the holidays. That means that for a limited time, you can snag the popular Fantastical app for Mac and iPhone, as well as the Chatology messaging app, at a nice discount...