New and Noteworthy: Avid announces expanded Intel-based Mac support; Allure of Mac Pro May Move Windows Fans to Convert; more

Avid announces expanded Intel-based Mac support Avid has announced its plans to bring several of its video and audio content creation solutions to Intel-based Mac systems. "The Avid Video division expects to deliver new versions of its industry-standard Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer systems for all Intel-based Macs by December.  Following the arrival of the new Mac Pro workstation, Avid?s Audio Division, Digidesign, expects to release a compatible update to its acclaimed Pro Tools HD 7.2 software in September.  Full qualification for the existing Intel-based Mac versions of Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered on the new Mac Pro workstation is also expected in December, although preliminary testing indicates that both applications will run without problems.  In addition, Digidesign?s business unit, M-Audio, expects to qualify various hardware interfaces for the Mac Pro workstation by December." More.

Allure of Mac Pro May Move Windows Fans to Convert TechNewsWorld opines that Apple's Mac Pro may tempt some Windows converts. "The more I think about it, and the more I examine the muscular specs on the Mac Pro desktops, the more intrigued I become. But I'm not necessarily interested in buying a Mac for the Mac OS. I want it because it will run Windows -- and therein lies the genius in Apple's strategy. Regular readers of my blog know that I recently bought my oldest child a MacBook Pro. She's an even more die-hard Windows user than I am -- she actively dislikes the Mac OS, even though she's an artist -- but her college strongly recommends a Macintosh. She had me install Windows on it, and I was impressed. The performance is very good, though driver issues and other quirks make it a little irritating." More.

Mossberg: Waiting for Leopard Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal fields a reader question about waiting for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). "If history is any guide, an iMac you purchase now, or in the next few months, should easily be able to handle Leopard, which is the sixth version of Apple's Mac OS X to be released since 2001. Since Apple upgrades its operating system far more often than Microsoft does, the upgrades tend to require less of a jump in hardware capability. (Microsoft's forthcoming new version of Windows called Vista, due in January 2007, is the first major overhaul of Windows since 2001.) However, Apple hasn't promised that every new feature of Leopard will run on any iMac sold now, and the company has coldly cut off users of older models in the past." More.

NewerTech offers higher capacity iBook battery NewerTech has introduced a new battery for the iBook that it claims has 51% higher capacity than the standard model. A press release states: "The NewerTech NuPower iBook 12"/12.1" 55.5wh replacement battery has a retail price of $129.99.  Also available is the 45.5wh value model that offers up to 31% more capacity than Apple factory power units for the value price of $99.95." More.

Previously on MacFixIt:

• MacBook Pro battery replacement: Systems running cooler after
• Mac OS X 10.4.7: OpenType font problems
• Boot Camp 1.1: Improvements; Blue screen freezes after update; Performing a clean install; Fixing Bluetooth issues; more

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