Apple

A recent from Apple for the term "Macroscalar" may give a clue about upcoming improvements for its next-generation mobile processors. The term refers to technology Apple has been working on , according to Patently Apple, and appears to refer to code optimization techniques that keep processors filled with instructions to run during otherwise repetitive loops.

Apple applied for the trademark for "Macroscalar" in both the US and Hong Kong last week. The trademark application links the term to use with microprocessors as well as mobile devices and software. It turns out that Apple has at least four patents related to what it calls "macroscalar processor architecture," suggesting the trademark is likely connected to an improved processor for its iOS devices.

There's renewed buzz about support for "retina" displays on Apple's portable Macs thanks to higher-resolution cursor images showing up in Mac OS X 10.7.3. by a handful of Mac developers, there are new UI images for things like the , the , and one of the , among (undoubtedly) several others.

It's reasonable to assume that Apple might want to add these new UI elements into the OS for those using higher-resolution external displays. However, as noted by , those who have Mac minis connected via HDMI to TV sets observed recently that their machines rebooted directly into after upgrading to 10.7.3 last week without prompting, which could indicate plans to release future MacBooks with HiDPI displays.

Talk of a "retina" display MacBook Pro has been popping up more and more over the last six months or so. We acknowledged in December that we in 2012, and a in our forums indicates that users believe it will happen eventually—it's just a matter of when. As Chris Foresman wrote recently: "Apple is expected to have similar resolution displays ready for the iPad 3 in early spring, and the same technology would likely be used to make such a high-resolution display suitable for the MacBook Pro." Combined with the expected Ivy Bridge processors from Intel later this year, Apple could take the opportunity to upgrade the Pro line with new processors and higher-resolution displays in one fell swoop.

This week, we wrapped up our coverage of the 2012 Macworld|iWorld conference in San Francisco just as Apple issued an update to Final Cut Pro X and gave the AirPort Utility an iOS makeover. Additionally, Tim Cook offered some strong words in response to doubts about Apple's attitude toward worker conditions in China, Neil Young recounted stories about Steve Jobs working towards higher-quality music downloads, and more. Need a recap? You're in the right place.

: Realmac is set to launch an iPhone to-do list app in a few weeks that breaks list making and maintaining down to the barest essentials, eschewing some common iPhone UI elements to make the app as simple as humanly possible.

: A new Cupertino startup is launching a clever, well-designed docking solution for Apple's MacBook Air. The first version is set to begin shipping by March, but a planned Thunderbolt-equipped version is on hold pending licensing approval from Intel.

Apple updated to version 1.0.1 on Friday afternoon, the only change being an update to the software's controversial end user license agreement. The updated EULA now only applies to the interactive .ibooks format files generated by the app.

Apple will be able to sell its iPad 2 with 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 via its online store in Germany after all, thanks to a temporary extension courtesy of a German court. As noted by the , an appeals court lifted the ban on certain iOS devices just after Apple was forced to remove them from its German online store earlier on Friday. Still, not all is going Apple's way, as a Mannheim Regional Court also ruled on Friday that Apple had infringed upon a patent owned by Motorola that allows devices to sync e-mail across devices wirelessly, which may spell out changes for iCloud users in Germany.

Apple has reportedly donated $50 million to Stanford University hospitals as part of its recent philanthropic strategy shift. The numbers were revealed during Apple's Town Hall meeting with employees, according to sources speaking to , with $25 million each going to a new main hospital building and a new children's hospital.

Apple often holds Town Hall meetings following major announcements or at the end of a particularly successful quarter in order to bring employees up to speed on the company and keep morale high. In this case, Apple CEO Tim Cook hosted a Town Hall meeting immediately following the announcement of the company's first quarter 2012 , which Apple described as the "highest quarterly revenue and earnings ever."

According to The Verge, a decent chunk of the meeting was spent discussing the new philanthropic efforts . In an e-mail to employees last September, Cook said the company would begin matching employee donations to nonprofits up to $10,000 annually—a stark change from the Jobs-era Apple that appeared to rank charitable donations as a low priority. One thing Jobs did focus on, however, was Apple's participation in the consumer-facing program aimed at AIDS education and research. On that front, Cook apparently told employees that Apple has given more than $50 million to that effort as well since the .

There's a reason many of us here at Ars wait a few days (or in some cases, weeks) after an OS update before installing it: reports of problems after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.7.3 have begun multiplying since its release on Wednesday afternoon. But don't worry—you don't have to wait for Apple to issue a fix, as reinstalling with the 10.7.3 Combo updater seems to take care of the various upgrade issues.

The most prominent problem that some users are running into appears to involve a bizarre series of question mark images labeled "CUI" popping up on various screens and error boxes. (See the image at the top of this post for an example posted from .) The CUI error seems to appear in place of buttons and scroll bars, and there's on the Apple discussion boards about the problem. Other users have reported issues with and .

On the upside, there appears to be an easy (if not somewhat redundant) fix if you've already updated and are seeing these issues. Installing the —a 1.2GB download from Apple's website—on top of your existing 10.7.3 installation reportedly remedies the problems introduced from Software Update. If you use Time Machine and want to roll back your install altogether, you can do that too before applying the combo update.

Those of us at Ars who have already updated haven't run into these issues yet, but have you?

Apple has a new update for Mac OS X Lion, version 10.7.3. The update's indicate that it's a relatively minor bump, with myriad bug fixes for things like smart card logins, printing Word documents using markup, WiFi connection issues, and more. The operating system update also comes bundled with a small version bump for Safari, which is now at version 5.1.3.

In addition to the aforementioned bugs, the 10.7.3 update addresses an issue when authenticating to an SMB DFS share, a graphics performance issue in iMacs that use ATI graphics, compatibility issues with Windows file sharing, and adds support for a handful of new languages (Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian). As is often the case, the company also added for a handful of new cameras and there are a number of fixes listed out for Directory Services.

On top of the 10.7.3 update, Apple also released a security update for users, the contents of which have not yet been posted to Apple's as of this writing.

John Browett, CEO of Dixons Retail, whom Apple as its senior vice president of its retail operations in April, may be a poor choice to succeed Apple's former SVP Ron Johnson if customer service, clean stores, and great products are still priorities for the company. Numerous readers have let Ars know that they feel Dixons' stores are messy, staffed with clueless salespeople, and sell low-quality goods. Because of this, some consumers worry that the new hire may be a harbinger of bad things to come for Apple's otherwise highly respected retail stores.

Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Browett for his commitment to customer service in a statement earlier today. "We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple," Cook said. Dixons' website the company has "become a bit customer obsessed lately."

But that seems to go against the description given to us by several readers about the customer service at Dixons stores—branded Curry's and PC World in the UK—which they described as "shite" and "the epitome of appalling service."

Apple early Tuesday morning that it has found a replacement for Ron Johnson, the former senior vice president of retail that started Apple's successful foray in to brick and mortar sales in 2001. John Browett, former CEO of European electronics retailer Dixons Retail, will become Apple's new SVP of retail beginning in April.

Johnson was originally hired from Target in 2000 to jumpstart Apple's retail initiative. Though highly criticized at the time, Apple's retail strategy has been credited with helping bring the company from struggling computer maker ten years ago to a $108 billion a year consumer electronics giant. Among other strategies, Johnson was the man behind Apple's Genius Bar concept, the service program, and the "EasyPay" self-checkout system.

Johnson to become CEO of department store JC Penny, which left Apple for the last seven months. But Apple has now apparently found what it was looking for in Browett, who had also served as CEO of Tesco.com before working for Dixons.

"Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we've met," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple."

Developer Matt Gemmell, a native of Scotland, sees the partnership in a slightly different light. Gemmell suggested Apple chose Browett for his ostensible penchant for premium priced products, noting that Dixons is a company "that agrees cables should cost a minimum of $30."