One of the casulaties in today’s 10.12.2 Sierra update for macOS is Apple’s decision to remove the inaccurate time remaining on battery estimation built into the system’s battery menu bar icon. A feature long used by macOS customers all around, the removal of the time remaining may line up with the iOS battery experience but it will leave some users a bit frustrated. Let’s take a look at some alternative third-party apps that can bring this feature back and make you feel back at home in your own system.
Apple is releasing the macOS 10.12.2 software update for Mac today. The new version includes Unicode 9 emoji like iOS 10.2 plus four new wallpapers and plenty of bug fix improvements. macOS 10.12.2 is available as an update from the Mac App Store including for developers and public beta testers. Release notes below:
Apple is rolling out macOS 10.12.2 beta 6 for Mac — the second release in three days. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October and multiple additional builds since. Today’s build is available on the developer center and will likely hit the Mac App Store soon [update: OTA available now].
Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 5 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October and multiple additional builds since. Today’s build is 16C60b compared to 16C53a and is available from the Mac App Store.
Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 4 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October and multiple additional builds since. Today’s build comes in at version 16C53a, up from 16C48b, and is available from the Mac App Store.
Fans of macOS automation features like Automator and AppleScript feared the worst this week as it transpired that head of the automation technologies division, Sal Soghoian, had left the company and the whole unit inside Apple had been closed down. This fuelled speculation that Apple was abandoning a core power feature of the pro Mac user’s wheelhouse.
A 9to5Mac reader (who asked to remain anonymous) emailed Apple software exec Craig Federighi about the future of automation on the Mac. Federighi responded with a definitive reply that Apple “has every intent” to continue supporting automation on macOS. See the full email after the jump …
Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 3 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October, followed by a slightly updated build earlier this month, and macOS 10.12.2 beta 2. Today’s build comes at version 16C48b over 16C41b and is available from the Mac App Store.
Aside from being a mouthful of numbers, macOS 10.12.2 includes Unicode 9.0 emoji support, which matches compatibility in beta versions of iOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.1.1.
Security conference organizer Vangelis has tweeted that a joint team of Pangu and JH hackers have successfully claimed the maximum $100,000 prize on offer at the PWNFEST event for finding a Safari exploit that gave them root access on macOS Sierra …
Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 2 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October, followed by a slightly updated build earlier this month. Today’s build has version 16C41b, up from 16C32f, and is available from the Mac App Store.
macOS 10.12.2 includes Unicode 9.0 emoji support, which matches compatibility in beta versions of iOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.1.1.
Some have been pretty skeptical concerning the new MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, worried that it will complicate things for users who are accustomed to the physical function row of keys. If you’re in the camp of wondering exactly how the new Touch Bar will work, a new tool brings the capability to all Macs…
Apple has rolled out an updated beta version of macOS 10.12.2 for Mac. The new build comes in at version 16C32f compared to 16C32e from the first beta release and may require installing an update utility from the developer center. Note that the new build is not macOS 10.12.2 beta 2 as it still lists version 1.0 on the release, just a newer build for some reason.
Update: Apple subsequently fixed the issue. I’m unsure exactly which update did so, but everything is fine again in macOS 10.12.4. One thing to note if you have more than one Mac: when you switch on iCloud drive, all of the files and folders that were on your desktop will be moved to a Desktop folder inside iCloud Drive – see Apple’s support document on this. Documents from your other Mac(s) will be found inside a folder with the same name as the Mac.
Effectively you are switching from a belt-and-braces system, where you have three copies – one local, a second in your local Time Machine backup, a third on iCloud – to just a single copy. That’s way too risky for my tastes, especially given the somewhat flakey reliability record of Apple’s cloud services.
But Mac users may also be running that same risk without even realizing it. Because that first option – to ‘Optimize Mac Storage’ for files stored on iCloud – is on by default in my experience. This means that, for any file on iCloud, your Mac could be deleting files from your Mac without your knowledge or permission. That should never be the case.
I was wrong. Sierra’s storage-management aren’t a ‘bit of a mess’ at all: having just seen what they did to my MacBook Air, seemingly prompted by the update to 10.12.1, they are a complete and utter disaster …
Apple has just released the fifth iOS 10.1 beta, marking the second developer beta released this week. iOS 10.1 includes the Portrait camera for iPhone 7 Plus that applies a DSLR-like blur effect over photos using the dual lens system. The iOS 10.1 beta 5 is a larger download, weighing in at 1.95 GB. The beta is available to registered developers and public beta testers. Apple has also pushed out the beta 5 for macOS Sierra 10.12.1.
Security researcher and former NSA staffer Patrick Wardle is this afternoon demonstrating a way for Mac malware to tap into live feeds from the built-in webcam and microphone. His presentation is being delivered at the Virus Bulletin conference in Denver later today.
Although any unauthorized access to the webcam will light the green LED – a firmware-level protection that is exceedingly difficult to bypass – Wardle’s presentation shows how a malicious app can tap into the outgoing feed of an existing webcam session, like a FaceTime or Skype call, where the light would already be on …
Update: Kapeli’s developer updated his blog post today indicating that Apple found evidence of App Store review manipulation, something the developer denies ever doing. This decision is final and Apple will not allow for an appeal. Phill Schiller has also responded (after the jump) …
For unknown reasons, the developer account associated with popular developer app Dash, a utility tool providing offline API documentation, has been terminated by Apple. Consequently, both Dash apps for iOS and macOS have been pulled from the respective App Stores, crippling the developer’s business model in an instant without any explanation. The iOS app cannot be sold outside of the App Store, but the Mac version is now only available through the developer’s site.
What is particularly strange is that Apple gave no reason for the removal, after years of Dash existing in the App Store without issue. In a blog post describing the situation, the company says they literally “don’t know” what happened …
If you rely on your Mac and don’t want to upgrade to a newly released operating system, you may want to opt out of the automatic download that Apple is starting to push for macOS Sierra. If your Mac has already downloaded the macOS Sierra installer and you want to remove it from your hard drive, you can do that too and opt out of future automatic downloads. Here’s how…
Apple has issued the first macOS 10.12.1 developer beta in addition to the first Xcode 8.1 developer beta. The updates come just one day after Apple officially released the major macOS Sierra update for all users.
It’s been a week since iOS 10 debuted on iPhone and iPad, and now it’s the Mac’s turn with macOS Sierra. OS X is officially no more; long live macOS (version 10.12 to be precise). As its name cleverly suggests, macOS Sierra brings Siri to the Mac for the first time since the voice assistant was introduced in 2011 with the iPhone 4s.
You can free up space on your Mac with a new optimized storage feature, sync your clipboard (and desktop and documents folders) between your Apple devices, watch videos from Safari with picture-in-picture, and use Apple Pay on the web to easily make purchases. You can even bypass your lock screen with your Apple Watch thanks to auto-unlock.
Here’s how to update and what to try in macOS Sierra:
macOS Sierra has been used by developers and public beta testers all summer, and today the Mac software update is available in GM form as Apple prepares it for primetime. The latest release is available now through the Mac App Store. macOS Sierra’s headlining feature is Siri on the Mac with other features like Auto-Unlock which lets Apple Watch users skip the password login screen. Apple Pay is also coming to Safari with macOS Sierra, although we haven’t seen the feature live on the web yet.
Apple has announced that macOS Sierra will be released to customers on September 20, as part of its media event currently going on. The update is (naturally) free and incorporates several new features, like Siri for Mac, Apple Pay for websites and more.
Just days away from Apple’s September 7th iPhone event, users are beginning to see personalized music mixes appear within Apple Music. Originally shown on stage at the this year’s WWDC by Bozoma Saint John, Apple Music subscribers on iOS 10 and macOS will soon be able to listen to music playlists custom tailored to their tastes and interests.
Apple today released the sixth developer preview of macOS Sierra since showing off the software update for the Mac at WWDC 2016. The latest release is available now through the Mac App Store. macOS Sierra’s headlining feature is Siri on the Mac with other features like Auto-Unlock which lets Apple Watch users skip the password login screen. Apple Pay is also coming to Safari with macOS Sierra, although we haven’t seen the feature live on the web yet.
Following the release of macOS Sierra’s fourth developer beta, Apple has pushed out the third macOS Sierra public beta for non-developer testers. This release should include the new emoji characters introduced to the Mac earlier this week. macOS Sierra brings dozens of new features to the Mac including Siri for the first time.
