Brand: MacNews

Microsoft’s Word X Test Drive is now available for download, although it requires Mac OS X 10.1, which will be released on Saturday.

Apple has updated its homepage, replacing the note regarding the tragedy of September 11 with a splash for Mac OS X 10.1 titled “The center of your digital lifestyle.”

Canon today announced the EOS-1D, a 4 megapixel digital camera that features the world’s fastest lens, capable of shooting eight frames per second. The high-end camera offers a number of other impressive features, which are documented in the press release. The EOS-1D will go on sale in December for US$6,499.

Apple today officially announced that Mac OS X 10.1 will be available on Saturday. The upgrade will be available free of charge to Mac OS X users, and will be available on CD from Apple resellers. Customers can also order the upgrade from Apple for US$19.95 (covers shipping and handling).

Avie Tevanian, Apple’s VP of Software Engineering and one of its top executives, will reportedly be leaving the company, according to the New York Post. Tevanian began work with Apple CEO Steve Jobs back in 1988, as part of NeXT, which was purchased by Apple in 1997, and has played an integral role in the development of Mac OS X. The newspaper cites several possible reasons for his impending departure, including frustration over the performance of Apple’s hardware–which seems unlikely–and his desire to simply do something else.