News: iTunes overhaul, open source Mac apps, Blu-Ray on the Mac, and more!

Jason Snell from Macworld says it's time to right the syncing ship that is iTunes. Discontent around iTunes' apparently bloated-ness has been around ever since people starting thinking it was doing too much, and now Snell says it just isn't the simplistic jukebox app it used to be. Maybe there needs to be a new program for syncing iOS devices, or maybe the whole thing just needs to be rethought. When it comes to open source, there are a plethora of great Mac apps available. This is handy for two reasons: one, it proves that open source software can be extremely good, and two, that great software doesn't have to cost an exorbitant amount. Mac AppStorm's roundup of 30 great open source Mac apps just goes to prove the point.

No Mac currently shipping comes with Blu-Ray support, much less hardware. Some Mac apps do have support for reading and writing to Blu Ray discs though, and for just US $39, you can add a Blu Ray player to your Mac. 9 to 5 Mac show you how, but it just involves buying the cheapest external Blu Ray player you can find that's powered by USB.

Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Motion have all been updated by Apple. The updates are pretty standard, they all improve performance, add additional functionality, and improve stability. The updates are available in the Mac App Store.