A group of developers in Russia recently launched the “HackStore,” a centralized location for third-party OS X applications. Like Cydia on iOS, the HackStore is a software hub that allows developers to distribute applications without having to endure Apple’s approval process. The developers behind the project claim that piracy will not be tolerated in their app store, though it is unclear exactly what measures they are taking to prevent pirated software from being distributed through the HackStore.

Research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicts that Apple may discontinue the 17-inch MacBook Pro model due to weak sales, MacRumors reported on Monday. The analyst has previously offered accurate information regarding the discontinuation of Mac products, specifically the 13-inch Macbook in 2011.

The writing is on the wall. Our time of innocence is gone. Researchers from Kapersky Labs claim Mac market share has finally reached the critical point, and the platform is now an attractive target for online criminals.

The latest developer's build of OS X 10.7.4 is now available to developers at the Mac Developer Center.

If you're looking for an alternative address book for your Mac, you should take a closer look at Cobook . It's been featured by Lifehacker , TechCrunch and most recently Swiss Miss . It's defining features are its simple UI, intelligent search and social network integration which updates your contacts using information from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

It's been six months since Apple released iOS 5 and launched iCloud .

Just this morning we noted that Apple had not yet come out with a tool to kill the Flashback malware , and that Kaspersky and F-Secure had both developed their own free tools. This afternoon, Apple released Java for OS X 2012-003 to remove "most common variants of the Flashback malware." According to the update notes, the Java web plug-in is also configured to disable the automatic execution of Java applets -- that's another way to keep malware like Flashback from spreading

Victor has been promising to write a post about iTunes and how it fails to live up to OS X's potential for over a year. Fortunately, the guys over at Macworld sprang to the rescue, discussing how Apple might want to save their syncing ship .

When you’re using your Mac and listening to music in iTunes, wouldn’t it be great if a notification popped up to tell you what song is currently playing? Find out how to display the song title, artist name, and even album cover art while using any app! Have you ever watched music videos on TV

Remember those murmurings about the possibility of the Mac getting a Cydia-like store? Well, considering the amount of time that has passed with no further updates about the legitimacy of the project, it would seem that we can put that idea in the 'nice but isn't likely to happen' pile. With that said, all hope should not be lost, especially if the release of the OS X HackStore in the next few months turns out to be a reality