On Tuesday, Apple posted its Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.13, an update designed to extend RAW image compatibility for the Aperture 3 and iPhoto ’11 applications.

The update, an 8.2 megabyte download, adds support for the following cameras:

- Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D / Kiss X6i

- Sony Alpha SLT-A37

The update requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run and is also available via Mac OS X’s built-in Software Update feature.

If you’ve tried the new Digital Camera RAW update and noticed any changes, please let us know how it went.

You have an awesome new Retina Display MacBook Pro.

And it’s demonically possessed.

Ok, it might not be that bad. Per The Next Web and Mac|Life, early adopters of the new MacBook Pro with Retina display have been complaining of image “ghosting” issues with the notebook’s display at Apple’s discussion boards. Users are referring to the issue as a screen “burn-in” and the forum threads contain a slew of comments echoing the problem. The issue appears after leaving a bright static image up for awhile and then immediately switching to a dark grey image, with the previous image reporting leaving its trace behind for up to five minutes.

Some news outlets have reported that the issue is common with IPS displays, but DisplayMate, publishers of powerful display calibration software, report that this issue is usually caused by an electrostatic build up, a chemical impurity build up, a thermal imbalance, or an electronic levels issue within the display panel. What’s more curious is that new iPad doesn’t have any ghosting issues, even though it has a higher pixels-per-inch IPS display than the MacBook Pro.

Unfortunately, no one has been able to yet pinpoint what is causing the ghosting issues. Apple is apparently aware of the issue and has instructed its Geniuses to order replacement units for users complaining of malfunctioning screens.

Stay tuned for additional details and if you’ve seen the issue on your end, please let us know in the comments.

If you don’t click “Software Update” that often, Apple will do it for you come Mountain Lion.

On Monday, Apple indicated that the company’s upcoming OS X Mountain Lion will feature an automatic security check feature that will ensure users have the most up-to-date software protection amid a growing number of Mac-targeted malware.

As reported by AppleInsider, an update to the Mountain Lion Developer Preview shows a new automated system that runs a daily check with Apple’s servers to make sure OS X 10.8 users have the most current security patches and protections against known malware and viruses.

Called “OS X Security Update Test 1.0,” the automated feature will run either daily or whenever a Mac restarts and has the ability to download and install updates in the background, making the task of manually performing checks less of a necessity.

The new feature also creates a “more secure connection” to Apple’s servers possibly hinting to new encryption technology or more stringent default settings. Also included are the usual stability and general updates for the operating system set for launch in July.

Apple is making security a priority in the next iteration of OS X to counter new threats that continue to crop up as Macs gain a larger user base. In April the highly-publicized Flashback trojan used a Java exploit to spread onto an estimated 600,000 Macs around the world prompting Apple to release both a Java disabler for Safari and a standalone malware uninstaller.

In a related action, Apple notedly toned down the language of its OS X web page, changing the statement that the Mac “doesn’t get PC viruses” to “It’s built to be safe.”

Coming exactly one week after OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4 was released, the new Security Update is available through the Mac App Store and comes in at 1.15 GB.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

It’s not the most amazing update in the world, but it moves things a bit closer to iOS 6′s release date.

Per AppleInsider, Apple on Monday issued its second beta of iOS 6 for developer testing, including a pair of fixes related to touchscreen keyboard performance.

Developers began receiving word that an update was available from “AppleInternal” on Monday afternoon. The “operating system 6.0″ update is a 322-megabyte download for iPhone 4S users.

People familiar with iOS 6 beta 2 said it is identified as build “10A5338d.” When updating to the new software version in the Settings application, the icon with gears is animated and actually moves.

The release notes that accompany the update reportedly indicate that Apple fixed an issue where key clicking sounds could be skipped during fast typing. Apple also indicated it addressed an issue in which the keyboard would be wrongly positioned when switching from landscape to portrait orientation.

Apple also reportedly fixed an issue where the iOS SpringBoard may crash during a phone call if the screen would fade to black when using a speakerphone or headphones. It also addressed a crash that would occur if a new iCloud account was created during initial setup of the iOS device.

The latest iOS 6 beta also adds the podcasts section back into the iTunes application. That was missing from the first beta, and there have been rumors that Apple plans to introduce a standalone podcast application when iOS 6 officially launches this fall.

iOS 6 beta 2 is compatible with the third-generation iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and fourth-generation iPod touch.

Also released on Monday were Xcode 4.5 Developer Preview 2, as well as a second beta of the next software update for the Apple TV set-top box.

iOS 6 was formally announced earlier this month at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Developers were also provided with the first beta after its unveiling, allowing them to test their applications before the formal public launch this fall.

If you’ve gotten a chance to tinker with the new beta, please let us know what you think in the comments.

CrossOver, the popular emulation program from CodeWeavers, has been updated to version 11.2.0. The new version, which is available as a demo, offers the following fixes and changes:

- Support for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

- Signed code to work with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion’s ‘Gatekeeper’ feature.

- Bug fix for a crash when typing with Chinese Pinyin input on OS X 10.7 Lion.

- Fix for certain graphical glitches where small black rectangles would appear in certain applications.

- Improve font discovery.

- Prevent an occasional hang while updating CrossTie profiles.

- Fix a crash in Civilization IV and V in windowed mode.

- Fix an issue where applications could appear frozen after being minimized into the Dock, even though they were still running.

- Fix an error opening documents with parentheses ‘()’ in their filenames.

- Added support for Microsoft Visio 2010.

- Added support for Microsoft Project 2010.

- Integration of Wine 1.4.1, which includes many, many bug fixes and improvements over Wine 1.4.0, as well as improved translations for many languages.

- Bug fix for microphone detection for Rosetta Stone 3.

- Fix a crash for certain files PowerPoint 2010.

- Improvements to Japanese input when running Internet Explorer 7.

- Improvements to graphics card detection.

- Allow for graphics driver detection in CrossTie files.

- Better installation notes during CrossTie installations.

CrossOver 11.2.0 retails for US$59.95 and requires Mac OS X 10.5 and or later and an Intel-based Mac to install and run.

If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

It’s the huge SSD unit you always wanted for your Mac notebook…and it’ll be pricey.

Per Mac|Life, Mac peripherals outfitter Other World Computing has announced the availability of the Mercury Electra MAX 3G, a whopping 960GB 2.5-inch solid-state storage drive clocked at 3.0Gb/s for high performance as well as high capacity.

The drive purportedly offers sustained reads up to 254MB/s and writes up to 250MB/s and while not quite as impressive as the read/write speeds clocked from Apple’s latest flash storage on the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display or even MacBook Air, it’s still pretty nifty for an SSD unit with no moving parts.

The Mercury Electra MAX 3G 960GB is available for US$1,269.99 and is currently in stock for same-day shipping.

This could prove nifty.

Per Bloomberg, Apple’s newly redesigned Maps application in iOS 6 will feature built-in support for users to check in with the social service Yelp, according to a new report.

Citing materials distributed to Apple software developers, Bloomberg reported on Monday that users will be able to post information to Yelp without exiting the Maps application and opening separate software. The documents provided to developers include screenshots of Yelp check-ins within the Apple Maps application.

When Apple unveiled its new Maps application earlier this month, it noted that integrated support for Yelp will be a part of the software. But Apple’s information detailed user reviews on Yelp, and did not reveal that further support for other features on the service, like check-ins, will also be integrated.

Monday’s report speculates that integration with Apple Maps could allow Yelp’s check-in functionality challenge similar services offered by Foursquare and Facebook. Using the GPS on a smartphone, these services allow users to share their current location with other approved friends.

The new Maps application in iOS 6 is a major change, as Apple is abandoning Google’s own mapping service for its own in-house solution. The all-new application has been built from the ground up by Apple and includes built-in turn-by-turn navigation, and anonymous, real-time, crowd-sourced traffic data.

Maps in iOS 6 also include new 3D mapping technology that Apple has dubbed “Flyover.” It recreates cities and buildings in an interactive, three-dimensional layout.

The new Maps application also includes Siri integration, allowing users to ask for directions and offer estimated arrival times.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

On Thursday, Parallels released version 7.0.15098 of its Parallels Desktop virtualization software. The new update, a 306 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

- Support for Retina Display.

Parallels Desktop 7 retails for US$79.99 and requires a 64-bit Intel-based processor, Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later, 2GB of RAM (4GB recommended to run Windows 7), at least 700 MB of space available on the boot volume for Parallels Desktop installation and 15 GB of available disk space for Windows.

If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, let us know in the comments.

The mysteries of Thunderbolt, they’re being unraveled.

Per CNET, Apple has posted a short FAQ on its new Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter, which outlines some uses and limitations of the adapter, and also hints at potential troubleshooting for both it and other Thunderbolt devices.

In the FAQ, Apple makes particular note about the daisy-chaining of Thunderbolt devices; each chain can support up to eight devices (including the host computer). While in most cases users will have peripheral devices such as hard drives or I/O controllers attached to their systems, it is also possible to connect multiple computers in the same daisy chain (one use of this is for Target Disk mode). If such a setup is used, then peripheral devices such as the Ethernet adapter may be captured and used by one computer over the other, so the solution to this would be to first pair it with one computer and then attach the second computer to the daisy chain.
In addition to which devices might be using the controller, the adapter may show reduced performance when connected to high-bandwidth devices such as RAID enclosures, which suggests that other Thunderbolt devices may show similar performance degradation when attached to high-throughput peripherals. Therefore, if your devices are not giving you the performance you desire, try rearranging them in the daisy chain, or using separate Thunderbolt connections. While many of Apple’s systems only have one Thunderbolt connection, newer systems are being developed with two, that give users more possibilities for troubleshooting odd Thunderbolt problems.

In addition, the FAQ suggests that some systems using Apple’s Ethernet adapter may not go to sleep while it is connected to their systems. If your computer has a built-in Ethernet port, then having the adapter connected will keep it awake. In these cases and possibly others in which Thunderbolt devices keep the system awake, you will have to unplug the adapter to put the system in Sleep mode. It may be possible that future software support may allow for proper system sleep, but for now this is the workaround.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

It’s the rumor that just won’t die.

Per TechCrunch, multiple manufacturers have independently indicated that Apple is planning to shrink its 30-pin dock connector to a 19-pin port in the next iPhone.

Though rumors of an upcoming “mini dock” connector for Apple’s next-generation iOS devices have swirled for some time now, although the Wednesday report offered the most confident claim yet about Apple’s plans for it by stating it had “independently verified” and “confirmed” the company is prepping a smaller 19-pin port for inclusion on its next iPhone.

According to the report, three independent manufacturers said Apple was working on the connector, adding that accessory makers are currently in limbo as they wait for Apple to officially announce the new standard, which will presumably be incompatible with current accessories. The new port would reportedly come close in size to the Thunderbolt port found on Apple’s newest Macs, but it is not expected to have the same “pin-out.”

Author John Biggs added that a purported video of the next-generation iPhone that surfaced earlier this month partially showed the new connector. That video appeared to show a sixth-generation iPhone metal back plate component with a smaller dock port.

The main reason for the new port is believed to be Apple’s continual quest to free up space in its mobile devices. The dock connector was first introduced in 2003 in the third-generation iPod. The advent of iCloud and wireless syncing has also reduced user reliance on the dock connector.

In addition to this, Apple is hiring engineers to work on new iPod connectors. Late last month, the company posted job listings for design engineers who would help manage “multiple connector designs and developments.”

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.