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Adobe Offering Spring Discount on Lightroom and Elements

Monday April 29, 2013 7:11 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Adobe is offering customers a 20% spring discount on some of its editing software (via AppleInsider), dropping the price of Lightroom 4, Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11 by $30.

Lightroom 4, originally priced at $149, is designed for photographers, offering up an array of powerful image adjustment tools. Though Adobe recently launched a beta version of Lightroom 5, the updated software will not be released until later this year.

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Adobe's Photoshop Elements 11 provides several tools from the more robust Photoshop CS6 at a lower cost, and Premiere Elements 11 is designed for video editing. Both Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements are priced at $99, though a bundle of the two is also available for $149. The $30 discount applies to the bundle as well as the individual titles.

The discounted software can be purchased directly from Adobe using the code "SPRING30," until May 11 when the promotion ends.
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Independent Game Developer Pranks Pirates With 'Game Dev Tycoon'

Monday April 29, 2013 1:31 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
GdtTwo brothers, Patrick and Daniel Klug, recently released their first game called 'Game Dev Tycoon'. In it, players start a small game development company in the 1980's and attempt to build it up to a development powerhouse over the next 30 years.

In a bit of an experiment, the Klugs released a cracked version of their game and uploaded it themselves to a torrent site. However, in the pirated version, the in-game developers begin to run into crippling piracy that eventually drives them into bankruptcy. In-game CEO's receive this message:
Boss, it seems that while many players play our new game, they steal it by downloading a cracked version rather than buying it legally.

If players don’t buy the games they like, we will sooner or later go bankrupt.
Players who downloaded the game illegally then began posting questions in the game's support forums asking how to better fight the pirates.

After the first weekend, the company had 3100 gamers playing the cracked version, with 214 playing the genuine edition.

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The game itself would be enjoyed by any fans of the tycoon series of games -- as CEO of the game company, players can research new technologies and game types, while hiring new employees and making bigger and bigger video games.

Fictional versions of major game platforms like NES, Sony PlayStation and the Xbox are all used in the game, with some clever thinking required to figure out what types of games will be bestsellers.

Game Dev Tycoon for Mac is $7.99 straight from the developers, with access to Windows and Linux versions also included in the purchase price.
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AltWWDC Offers Free Alternative for Developers Without WWDC Tickets

Friday April 26, 2013 10:19 am PDT by Juli Clover
For developers and prospective WWDC attendees who did not manage to secure a ticket during the two minutes they were on sale, there is an alternate event happening in San Francisco right near the Moscone Center.

AltWWDC is a free and open event that is designed to allow developers to meet and mingle. It features five days of talks from a range of well known developers like Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software and NetNewsWire creator Brent Simmons.

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The alternate conference takes place at the same time as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, from June 10 to June 14. It is located at the SF State Downtown Campus, which is a block away from Moscone.

Along with speakers, AltWWDC will offer a keynote breakfast where live WWDC feeds will be displayed and lunch will be provided each day. A co-working space with WiFi and coffee will also be available.

Tickets for AltWWDC are free and can be obtained from the website.
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Leap Motion Controller Delayed Until July for Longer Beta Test

Thursday April 25, 2013 1:10 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
leapmotionhandThe public release of the Leap Motion controller has been delayed until July because the company feels it needs a longer beta test, reports TechCrunch. Best Buy has sent notifications to customers who preordered the device, and Leap today said the device will ship July 22th.

Leap Motion's controller is a touch-free device that allows users to control their computers via hand gestures in three dimensions. It works in conjunction with the Leap Motion software, and development units have been sent to 10,000 developers around the world.
Leap Motion says it wants to make sure that the product they deliver is the best they can offer, and says that there is “nothing catastrophically wrong” with the hardware as of yet. The company believes that it could have shipped by the original date if it had really pushed things, but wanted to make sure that things were ready for prime time. The new July 22 ship date is firmly set, according to [Leap Motion CEO Michael] Buckwald, and this is “the first and only delay there will be.”
The Leap Motion controller is currently available for pre-order from the website for $79.99. At the moment, however, the Leap Motion website still says it will ship on May 13th.
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'XCOM: Enemy Unknown' Elite Edition Now Available for Mac

Thursday April 25, 2013 11:22 am PDT by Juli Clover
Firaxis and 2K Games' critically acclaimed strategy title XCOM: Enemy Unknown has officially launched for the Mac today.

Originally announced in February, XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Mac comes packaged as part of a special Elite Edition, which includes additional add-on content like the Slingshot Pack, the Elite Soldier Pack, the Second Wave update and the game's soundtrack.

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XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a re-imagined version of the 1994 classic X-Com: UFO Defense. In the game, players will lead a secret government organization to defend the world against aliens, overseeing base management and engaging in combat.
-Command XCOM's soldiers in tense turn-based battles where each decision could be the difference between game-changing gains or devastating losses for humanity.

-Expand the XCOM base, manage its resources, oversee international relations and control Earth's satellite coverage and air defenses.

-Recruit, customize and equip an elite squad, then upgrade each soldier's unique skills and abilities as they gain experience in the field.

-Recover artifacts from battle and use them to research and build powerful technologies that can be turned against the invaders.

-Mix and match aliens and soldiers to create powerful squads in LAN and online multiplayer.

The included DLC adds extended character customization options and additional missions, along with several new gameplay options.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Elite Edition can be downloaded for $49.99 from the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
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Twitter for Mac Updated With Retina Support and More

Thursday April 25, 2013 10:36 am PDT by Jordan Golson
TwitterTwitter has updated its OS X client, nearly two years since the last update. The new client gains support for the Retina display and fourteen more languages, as well as a new way to post photos.
- Photos: It’s easier than ever to share photos. Simply click the camera icon in the lower-left corner of the Tweet compose box, and choose a photo to share. If you prefer, you can still drag and drop photos from the desktop.

- Retina display support: Now Twitter is even more vibrant and detailed on the highest resolution Mac notebooks. With this update, Tweets will be clearer and sharper, creating a more vivid experience.

- 14 more languages: In addition to English, Twitter for Mac now supports Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish.

Along with these updates, Twitter for Mac offers keyboard shortcuts, support for multiple accounts and timelines, and other features that you’ve come to love.
Twitter also claims that more improvements are coming to the OS X client in the future. It was reported last fall that Twitter had decided to discontinue its Mac client, but with this update and a tweet from Twitter engineer Ben Sandofsky saying he was working on Twitter for Mac full time, it appears that Twitter has decided to resume development of the app.

The company recently announced that it was ending support for its TweetDeck for iPhone and Android apps in May.

Twitter for Mac is a free download from the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
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Apple's First Berlin Store to Open Friday, May 3

Thursday April 25, 2013 7:04 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Last week, we noted that workers had begun removing barricades and scaffolding surrounding Apple's first store in Berlin, Germany amid rumors that the store would open during the first weekend of May.

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In an unusually early reveal, Apple has already confirmed the opening with a new page for the store listing the public opening as taking place at 5:00 PM on Friday, May 3. The new page also includes a unique grand opening notice that slowly shifts colors. Signage on the construction barriers surrounding the store had briefly used a similar effect.
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iCloud Boasts 300M Users and 20 Percent Growth in Q2 2013

Tuesday April 23, 2013 2:37 pm PDT by Juli Clover
icloud-icon-399x400During today's Q2 2013 quarterly earnings call, Apple revealed that iCloud now has more than 300 million users, a 20% increase from the 250 million that it reported during its Q1 earnings call in January. A year ago, iCloud had just over 100M users.

Apple's iCloud originally launched in late 2011, as a replacement for the company's MobileMe service.

iCloud, which is designed to allow users to store data from games and music, among other things, lets users sync content between multiple Apple devices. Recently, iCloud has experienced a number of service outages, with the latest occurring this morning.
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Apple Continues to See Significant Growth in Greater China

Tuesday April 23, 2013 2:27 pm PDT by Juli Clover
During today's second quarter earnings release, Apple revealed that it continues to see high revenue growth in China, with an increase to $8.2 billion or 8 percent year-over year with Apple's Chinese retail stores included. Greater China (without the retail stores included) represented 18.8% of Apple's total overall revenue, down slightly from 19.5% in the same quarter last year.

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According to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, iPad sales more than doubled year-over-year in Greater China, and Apple is delighted with the adoption rate of the iPad in emerging countries.

When asked about China's single digit growth and the fact that Apple is not China's largest carrier, Cook reiterated that Apple saw significant growth during Q2.
Greatest quarter for China ever, $8.8 billion including retail stores, up 11% year on year. Same as Apple's growth. Highlights included iPad growing 108% y/y, new records for sell through for iPad and iPhone. Significant y/y timing differences related to iPhone.

Last year, increased channel inventories by 2.6 million. 1.6 of that occurred in Greater China. If you look on a sell through basis, Greater China was up approximately 18%.

Going forward, we see a significant opportunity in China. It's a great market. Expect to double number of stores from 11 to 22 in less than 2 years. Added 8k iPhone point of sales to 19k. Have a plan to add more and further grow our distribution. This is too low currently.

Innovating in our online store there, adding different functionality to the store. China has an unusually high number of first time smartphone buyers. We've seen significant interest in iPhone 4 there and recently made it even more affordable to make it more attractive to those first time buyers.
China has become an increasingly important market for Apple. Earlier this year, Tim Cook visited China where he met with both government officials and representatives from China Mobile to discuss Apple’s growth in the country.

Apple currently operates 11 stores in the Greater China area with plans to double the number of locations over the next two years.

The above quote is from a rough transcript of the earnings call
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Apple Seeds Build 12E36 of OS X Beta 10.8.4 Developers

Tuesday April 23, 2013 1:46 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today issued build 12E36 of OS X Mountain Lion to developers, roughly a week after build 12E33a was released. Build 12E36 marks the fourth beta iteration of OS X 10.8.4.

12e36

Apple continues to ask developers to focus on Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers, and Safari.

The update is available through the software update tool in the Mac App Store and Apple's Developer Page.
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Logitech Introduces Mac Support for New Gaming Mice and Keyboards

Monday April 22, 2013 10:37 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Last month, Logitech launched its G series of gaming keyboards and mice. The devices feature numerous programmable buttons, custom color backlighting, and other features designed for MMORPG players.

The company has now announced that its Logitech Gaming Software is now available on OS X.

G19
The top of the line models are the $100 G700s Rechargeable Wireless Gaming Mouse and the $200 G19s LCD Gaming Keyboard.
Today, we are excited to share that Logitech Gaming Software (LGS) has been updated to support Mac OS for our full keyboard and mouse lineup. Now Mac gamers can enjoy the same great personalization and customized control our PC customers have come to reply on. You can download the latest version of LGS from the Logitech support page for each compatible product.

Several of us on the gaming team switch back and forth between Mac and PC, so we’re thrilled to have this support on both platforms. We can’t wait for you to now have the option to experience your favorite Logitech gaming accessories on Mac.
The G19s keyboard, for example, includes an LCD screen to monitor game statistics, custom-color backlighting for keys, and a number of custom programmable keys. The G700s mouse runs over a wireless connection, but can recharge batteries and continue working at the same time, with a number of programmable thumb controls on the side, and more.

Both are available from Logitech's online store and elsewhere.
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Atlanta Apple Pop-Up Museum to Open This Weekend

Friday April 19, 2013 11:42 am PDT by Juli Clover
An Apple Pop-Up Museum is set to open this weekend, at the Vintage Computer Festival Southeast in Atlanta. The museum will feature a look at Apple products throughout the years and will include several rare Apple and pre-Apple artifacts like the original Lisa and the Xerox Alto.

The museum is organized into a series of different rooms, with each different section dedicated to a different era in Apple's history.

20thanniversary
A rare 20th Anniversary Mac

Steven Hackett of 512 Pixels posted a detailed preview tour of the museum earlier this month, pointing out several highlights along with tidbits from Lonnie Mimms, the man who created the Apple Pop-Up Museum.
If the Apple I is Genesis, then a little garage in Los Altos is Eden. The garage is recreated in Mimms' Apple Pop-Up Museum, with large prints of what the workstations looked like. In the middle of the room, on a white stand, under glass, is Mimms' Apple I.

The next two rooms down the hallway are a prime example of how simple — yet powerful — the displays in this exhibit are.

The first one is all about the Apple II — the machine that launched Apple into its first giant wave of success. The room features the machine of course, but also the first Disk II and controller card. The back wall of the room is an art piece made of old disks, and on the wall hangs examples of Apple II logic boards and designs.
Hackett goes on to spotlight other early Apple products like the MacColby, an original 128k Macintosh that plays the first game ever made available for the system, and the ultra rare 20th Anniversary Mac. Hackett's account of the museum provides a fascinating overview of the contents of the museum for Apple enthusiasts who cannot make it to Georgia.

The Apple Pop-Up Museum will be open on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 2013 and will take place at the Kings Market Shopping Center. Attendees will need to pay a $10 admission fee for a single day or $15 for both days.
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Apple Revises One to One Policy, Limits Data Migration to First 60 Days

Thursday April 18, 2013 10:20 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple has changed the terms of its retail store One to One service (via ifoAppleStore), which is a $99 program that gives Apple customers personal training lessons on Mac usage from an Apple employee.

The new terms state that One to One customers must initiate the included Data Migration services within 60 days of purchasing a One to One membership.

onetoone
One to One members are entitled to Data Migration services for one (1) Mac purchased from an Apple Retail Store, Apple Online Store, or 800-MY-APPLE, if requested within the first sixty (60) days of your membership, including any renewals. Data Migration includes the data transfer of files from your old computer (PC or Mac) to your Mac.
Previously, Data Migration could be requested at any point during the year-long One to One service term, but a late migration can be more complicated than a migration that is initiated directly after purchase.

Completing the data transfer a while after the initial purchase can lead to difficulty and confusion for both the staff doing the transfer and the end user who is still learning to navigate around a Mac computer.

With the shift to digital software distribution, Apple is also now requiring that One to One assistance with software installation occur face-to-face in a Personal Training or Open Training session rather than as part of the Data Migration process.
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Apple Extends Repair Program for MacBook Bottom Case Defects

Wednesday April 17, 2013 4:03 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In 2011, Apple announced a worldwide repair program for MacBooks with a defective bottom case, which caused the rubber surface to separate from the hard plastic casing.

The program originally stated that Apple would replace the bottom case of any affected MacBook for two years from the date of purchase, but the company recently extended the replacement period to four years from the original date of purchase.

macbook_rubber_bottom_case
Apple has determined that under certain circumstances the rubber surface on some MacBooks may separate from the bottom case of the system. MacBooks shipped between October 2009 and April 2011 may experience this issue.

Apple will replace the bottom case of any affected MacBook, free of charge, that exhibits the issue.

This program covers affected MacBooks for four years from original purchase date. Apple will continue to evaluate the service data and will provide further extensions to this program as needed.
Apple is offering several different repair options, which include visiting an Apple Retail Store, an Apple Authorized Service Provider, or ordering a replacement kit online.
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Apple Seeds Build 12E33a of OS X Beta 10.8.4 to Developers

Wednesday April 17, 2013 2:31 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today issued build 12E33a of OS X Mountain Lion to developers, eight days after build 12E30 was released. Build 12E33a marks the third beta iteration of OS X 10.8.4.

12e33a
Apple continues to ask users to focus on Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers, and Safari.

The update is available through the software update tool in the Mac App Store and it should appear on Apple's Developer Page shortly.
[ 53 comments ]

Name Your Own Price Mac Bundle Offers 10 Apps With 10% Going to Charity

Wednesday April 17, 2013 2:25 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
StackSocial has launched its second 'Name Your Own Price' Mac bundle, offering 10 Mac apps to any purchasers who pay more than the average purchase price (currently $7.99). Anyone paying less than the average price receives just three apps.

Additionally, ten percent of the purchase price goes to one of three charities: Child's Play, the World Wildlife Fund, or Creative Commons.

Nameyourownprice
The three apps that every buyer gets are:

Elmedia Player Pro - $20 - Flash Video Utility
HoudahSpot - $29 - Spotlight Addon
PhotoBulk - $10 - Watermark and Photo Utility

Buyers that pay more than the average price also receive:

DiskTools Pro - $80 - Hard Drive Utility
CrossOver 12 - $60 - Run Windows Software
Snapz Pro X - $69 - Screenshot and Video Utility
Paperless - $50 - Document Manager
Mac Blu-ray Player - $60 - Blu-Ray Player Software
Gemini - $10 - Duplicate File Locator
Musictube - $11 - YouTube Music Player

The deal ends in just over 7 days and it's likely the price will rise slowly because buyers need to pay at least the average price in order to get the full selection of apps.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner of StackSocial.
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New MacHeist nanoBundle Features 8 Mac Apps for $9.99

Wednesday April 17, 2013 10:57 am PDT by Juli Clover
MacHeist has launched nanoBundle 3, offering eight apps with a total retail value of $260 for $9.99. The first six are available immediately, with the final two (Little Inferno and Path Finder) being unlocked after a set number of bundles have been sold.

macheist
This nanoBundle includes the following apps:

-xScope ($30)
-iStopMotion ($50)
-Totals ($40)
-Clarify ($30)
-Fantastical ($20)
-CleanMyMac 2 ($40)
-Little Inferno ($10)
-Path Finder ($40)

The MacHeist bundle can be purchased for the next six days from the website. 10% of each purchase can be donated to a partnering charity of the customer’s choice.
[ 71 comments ]

Apple Retail Roundup: New Stores Coming in Germany, Netherlands, UK

Wednesday April 17, 2013 9:15 am PDT by Eric Slivka
A number of tidbits related to Apple's retail store initiative have surfaced in recent days, with Apple apparently making progress on several new stores in Germany and the Netherlands as it opens a new store in the United Kingdom this weekend.

iFun.de reports [Google translation] that workers have begun removing scaffolding and barriers outside of Apple's first Berlin store. The site reported over the weekend [Google translation] that the store appears set to open during the first weekend in May.

apple_store_berlin_scaffolding
Scaffolding coming down at Apple's Berlin store

Meanwhile, a tipster in Hanover, Germany reports that Apple's delayed retail store project there appears to be seeing some progress, with signs of work showing up behind the plain black barricades typically used by Apple.

apple_store_hanover_barricades
Barricades at Apple's retail store in Hanover, Germany (Thanks, Roman!)

Over in the Netherlands, One More Thing reports [Google translation] that Apple has posted job listings for upcoming stores in The Hague and Haarlem, suggesting that Apple is moving forward on those projects. Grand openings are, however, likely six months away based on Apple's usual hiring timetables.

Of more immediate concern, Apple will be opening a new store in the United Kingdom this Saturday, with its Drake Circus store in Plymouth scheduled to open to the public at 9:00 AM. The store will add a new shopping option for residents of South West England, with the new store location roughly 45 miles southwest of the closest current store in Exeter.

apple_store_drake_plymouth_opening
In one final development, Apple's expanded and relocated Southdale retail store in Edina, Minnesota will also be opening on Saturday.
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Aperture and iPhoto Updated with Performance Enhancements and Bug Fixes

Tuesday April 16, 2013 1:38 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today updated both of its photo editing and management platforms. Aperture has been updated to version 3.4.4 while iPhoto has been updated to version 9.4.3. The updates contain several bug fixes and stability improvements and can be downloaded via the Mac App Store or Software Update.

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Aperture 3.4.4:
-Addresses an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly during image import
-Nikon P7700 RAW images are now displayed correctly in the Import window
-Thumbnails with version names longer than 250 characters are now displayed correctly
-Fixes an issue that could cause multiple warning dialogs to appear when web albums are synced after waking from sleep
-Addresses an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when uploading photos to Photo Stream
-Shared Photo Stream invitation lists now scroll correctly
-Includes stability and performance improvements

iPhoto 9.4.3:
-Photos can now be deleted from My Photo Stream by dragging to the Trash
-Photos can now be exported from Photo Stream using the Export command in the File menu
-RAW images manually imported from My Photo Stream are now editable
-Fixes a bug that could cause manually-rotated photos to appear unrotated when shared to Photo Stream
-Addresses an issue that could cause iPhoto to quit unexpectedly while syncing to Facebook
-Resolves an issue that could cause calendar text to appear at the wrong font size, resulting in order cancellation
-Fixes an issue that could cause books to have an incorrect number of pages after rearranging two-page spreads
-Includes stability improvements
Aperture is available for $79.99 on the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]

iPhoto is available for $14.99 on the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
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La Playa Hotel Lifts 30-Year Ban on Apple Corporate Retreats

Tuesday April 16, 2013 11:27 am PDT by Juli Clover
Back in 1983, Apple's Macintosh team attended a retreat at the La Playa Carmel hotel in Carmel, California, where employee shenanigans resulted in a 30-year company gathering ban from the resort.

According to SFGate, the La Playa Carmel, which is located about two hours south of Cupertino, recently lifted the restrictions preventing Apple from using the spot for corporate retreats. Apple has already booked an upcoming meeting at the hotel.

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Frank Rose, author of "West of Eden: The End of Innocence at Apple Computer," details the trip in his book, calling it a "college beer blast," where the Macintosh team went skinny dipping and had a bonfire.
When [Elliot] was eating dinner in the La Playa's primly starched dining room and saw a dozen Macintosh people swimming nude in the lighted pool outside, he chuckled softly and went on with this meal, oblivious to the polite strangling sounds of the blue-haired ladies all around. He was, after all, the official guardian of Apple's corporate culture, and if this was what he was supposed to guard, he was ready for the task.
Following the hijinks, the Macintosh team was asked to leave and to never return, a ban that has been revoked after the hotel went through both a remodel and a change of ownership.

The new La Playa Carmel hotel offers ocean view hotel rooms, meeting facilities with team building activities like golf and sailing, lush gardens, and the infamous pool where Apple employees once skinny dipped.
[ 53 comments ]