mavericks

102 'mavericks' stories June 2013 - May 2014

OS X 10.9.3 quietly increases VRAM on newer MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs, perhaps to improve 4K performance

Zac Hall May 20 2014 - 10:56 am PT

We already knew that the latest version of OS X Mavericks, version 10.9.3, has provided increased compatibility between certain Macs and 4K displays. It appears, though, that may be in part due to a change in how OS X allocates certain resources, specifically VRAM, on newer machines. As Mac4ever and MacGeneration point out, certain hardware including the MacBook Pro with Retina display from Late 2013 and the MacBook Air from 2013 and 2014 have all seen an increase in the maximum level of VRAM available from 1024MB to 1536MB …
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Apple tells AppleSeed folks they’ll soon be testing OS X 10.9.4

Mark Gurman May 16 2014 - 9:57 am PT

3 Comments

Shocker. Now that OS X 10.9.3 has finally been released publicly, Apple has told its AppleSeed testing group (Apple’s customer software seeding program) that they will automatically be enrolled in the testing phase for the upcoming OS X 10.9.4:

We reported a few weeks ago that Apple has begun development of 10.9.4 and has already seeded some alphas to employees. No word yet on what 10.9.4 includes, but it probably has some bug fixes and maybe even some new bugs.

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OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 release nears with bolstered 4K display support

Mark Gurman May 1 2014 - 8:12 pm PT

22 Comments

Nearly two months after providing developers with the first beta, Apple is closing in on releasing OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 to the public. OS X 10.9.3 will mark the third point-release update to OS X Mavericks, which arrived on the Mac App Store last October. Earlier this week, Apple provided build 13D55 of 10.9.3 to developers, and Apple, today, provided employees with a newer 13D57 build. In addition to the increase in seed frequency, today’s internal seed includes a set of release notes. The inclusion of release notes in beta OS X releases typically indicates that a public release is close…

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Apple seeds new OS X 10.9.3 beta build (13D55) to developers

Mike Beasley Apr 29 2014 - 3:13 pm PT

6 Comments

Apple has just seeded a new build (13D55) of OS X Mavericks to developers. The update is currently showing for users on the beta from the Dev Center and doesn’t seem to be showing up yet for members of the recently-reopened AppleSeed program. This release is expected to include improved USB syncing in iTunes and enhanced support for 4k monitors on newer MacBook Pros.

Typically Apple increases the frequency of beta builds as it gets closer to the public release of a piece of software. The previous OS X build was released one week ago, indicating that Apple is possibly preparing to release 10.9.3 in the very near future. The full release notes for this build are below, and once again point developers to areas such as graphics and audio drivers, Safari, Mail, and iTunes USB syncing of contacts and calendars as key areas to test.

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Apple seeds Safari 7.0.3 and 6.1.3 Seed 2 to developers

Jordan Kahn Mar 25 2014 - 11:28 am PT

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After seeding the first beta of the next versions of Safari for OS X a week ago, Apple has just seeded another pre-release version of Safari 7.0.3 and Safari 6.1.3 (Seed 2) to developers.

Apple provides the following focus areas for devs in the release notes:

Please focus testing on the following areas:

• General website compatibility

• Safari Push Notifications

• Login AutoFill

• Credit Card AutoFill (OS X Mavericks only) • Extension Compatibility

Safari 7.0.3 will arrive for Mavericks users while the 6.1.3 release is the latest for Mountain Lion users. The updates require the following:

Safari 6.1.3 for OS X Lion requires OS X 10.7.5 with Security Update 2013-002. Safari 6.1.3 for OS X Mountain Lion requires OS X 10.8.5. Safari 7.0.3 for OS X Mavericks requires OS X 10.9.2 and is also included in OS X 10.9.3.

Earlier this month Apple pushed updates for iTunes 11.1.6 and OS X 10.9.3 betas to developers. When released to the public, the new iTunes version will restore the ability to sync contacts and calendars to an iOS device, while OS X is expected to introduce the ability to output at 4k resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate on the latest MacBook Pro models.

Apple seeds new betas of iTunes 11.1.6 and Mavericks 10.9.3 to developers

Mike Beasley Mar 20 2014 - 3:35 pm PT

1 Comment

Following this week’s release of iTunes 11.1.6 and OS X 10.9.3 betas to AppleCare employees, Apple has pushed the updates live to developers as well. The iTunes update restores the ability to sync contacts and calendars to an iOS device, which had been removed in favor of iCloud in previous versions of iTunes.

The OS X update (with the build number 13D21) includes the ability to output at 4k resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate on the latest MacBook Pro models. The build number on this update is two builds newer than the version that was pushed to employees earlier this week.

Other than these changes and a few bug fixes, there aren’t any major changes in either build.

Apple seeds new OS X 10.9.3 beta & iTunes 11.1.6 beta to employees

Jordan Kahn Mar 18 2014 - 11:33 am PT

11 Comments

Following its latest seed of OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 beta (build 13D17) to developers, Apple has just pushed out a newer pre-release version of the 10.9.3 beta to employees alongside a pre-release version of iTunes 11.1.6 beta.
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Mavericks How-to: Block contacts in FaceTime and iMessage on OS X

Sarah Guarino Mar 8 2014 - 12:00 pm PT

1 Comment

With the highly anticipated update to Mavericks 10.9.2, users gained the ability to block contacts in FaceTime and iMessage. This has been a long-awaited addition, since iOS 7 received this feature five months ago. If you previously blocked people in iOS 7, the block list syncs over from your iOS devices to your Mac through iCloud. Make sure Documents and Data is turned on in order for that to occur.

Now with Mavericks, you are able to block certain phone numbers from iMessaging or FaceTiming you without needing to get up and grab your iOS device…

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iBetterCharge puts iPhone & iPad battery notifications on your Mac

Jordan Kahn Mar 7 2014 - 6:54 am PT

10 Comments

A nice, new utility called iBetterCharge brings those 20% and 10% battery warnings from your iPhone or iPad onto your Mac. Rather than picking up your phone before heading out the door only to realize your battery is almost dead, the app will remind you to plug in with warnings that pop up as desktop notifications on your Mac. This is a handy little tool for anyone that likes to leave their iPhone or iPad out of sight while working on their Mac or people with multiple iOS devices to manage. It has already saved me a few times this week as I’ve been testing it.

You can connect multiple devices, set granular preferences for notifications when your battery gets lower than 50%, 20%, 10%, or 5%, and also select options to play sounds, animate the menu bar icon, or show a notification. Another preference will let you get notified when a device is fully charged and an ignore list lets you quickly mute notifications for certain devices.

The app is rather lightweight and a free download. Once you’ve installed it, iBetterCharge sits in your menu bar and automatically finds your devices over WiFi. Note: For this to work you have to have WiFi Sync enabled on your device.

You can download iBetterCharge for free here.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaWovz5WviI]

OS X 10.9.2 breaks AirPlay Mirroring and desktop extensions to external monitors for some users

Ben Lovejoy Feb 28 2014 - 4:51 am PT

44 Comments

A number of Mac users in an Apple Support Communities thread are reporting that Apple’s 10.9.2 update to Mavericks has broken AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV and the ability to extend desktops to external monitors.

I just updated to 10.9.2 and now when i try and airplay mirror to my Apple TV, it sends the audio but just shows a black screen and i can’t drag anything to it. It doesn’t show any of the options for external displays in the displays section of System Preferences …
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Even after OS X 10.9.2 Mavericks update, users still complaining about Mail issues

Mark Gurman Feb 26 2014 - 7:59 am PT

60 Comments

It’s safe to say that Mail in OS X Mavericks has been the new operating system’s least impressive point. Since launch, users have been complaining about issues relating to Gmail accounts, stability, and overall synchronization. Apple first attempted to patch up these bugs with a fix in early November of last year…

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Apple releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 with SSL fix, FaceTime Audio, contact blocking, Mail fixes

Mark Gurman Feb 25 2014 - 10:06 am PT

54 Comments

Following an extensive developer beta process, Apple has just released OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 to end users. The update brings a few new features and enhancements, including:

FaceTime Audio in the FaceTime and Messages apps
Contact blocking for FaceTime and iMessage
Mail app improvements
Autofill fixes for Safari
Audio fixes
VPN fixes
VoiceOver fixes

The release notes do not make mention of the SSL security bug that was squashed on iOS late last week, but a fix is present in this new OS X update. The update is available on the Mac App Store in the Software Update tab.

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Mac users four times more likely to run latest OS than Windows users

Ben Lovejoy Feb 21 2014 - 4:25 am PT

17 Comments

Some sums done by ComputerWorld show that Mac users are four times more likely to upgrade to the latest available version of the operating system than Windows users.

Microsoft has convinced just 11.6 percent of Windows users who acquired their system since 2001 and still actively use it to go online to migrate to the current edition of its operating system […]

Apple’s convinced 41.6 percent of Mac users who acquired their system since 2001 and still actively use them online to adopt the current edition of the OS.

A large part of it is cost, of course: Mavericks was a free upgrade, and previous upgrades have been priced far more competitively than Windows.

But Apple has also offered a simpler upgrade path, adding features rather than making major changes to the core user-interface. OS X also operates more efficiently, allowing Mavericks to run well on far older hardware than is the case for Windows 8.

Apple seeds new OS X Server 3.1 build to developers

Zac Hall Feb 19 2014 - 10:33 am PT

1 Comment

Following the release of the latest OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 build to developers earlier this week, Apple has released a new seed (build 13S4101b) of OS X Server 3.1 to developers today.

Apple seeded the previous build earlier this month as it inches closer to public release.
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$80 Full Parallels 9 bundle: 1Password, Fantastical, Kaspersky, CleanMyMac and more

9to5 Staff Feb 15 2014 - 6:06 pm PT

1 Comment

From 9to5Toys.com:

Parallels again offers its $79.99 bundle of impressive apps at the retail price of Parallels alone. Each one of the below apps is a keeper and they are all free with the purchase of the Parallels 9. You even get 6 free months of use of the Parallels iPad App.

Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac

The #1 choice of Mac users for more than 7 years to run Windows on Mac. Ready for Mavericks OS X(10.9) and 40% faster disc speed. MSRP $79.99

Fantastical

Plan your day in style with the most attractive calendar you’ve ever seen. The Mac calendar you’ll actually enjoy using. MSRP $19.99

CleanMyMac 2

Simple yet surprisingly powerful application for keeping your Mac clean, organized, and free of files that slow it down. MSRP $39.95

Parallels Access for iPad

6-month subscription – use PC and Mac applications like they were made for your iPad. MSRP $29.95

1Password

1Password gives you the security you need in today’s online world without slowing you down. Super secure passwords and more – 21st century digital wallet on any device. MSRP $49.95

Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac

Keep your Mac, your data and your children safe! Real-time protection against Mac, PC and Linux malware. MSRP $39.95

MacHider

The easy way to hide files and folders, put your confidential information out of sight from third parties or other unwanted eyes. MSRP $9.99

We reviewed Parallels 9 in September and said:

PD9 is definitely the most noticeable Parallels Desktop upgrade ever. The performance boosts are the best part of the upgrade, but the sticky multi-monitor setup has been extremely helpful for me and saved quite a bit of time. As a Mavericks user, the software hasn’t been giving me any issues even though the operating system is still in beta.

Already have an older version of Parallels? Save $30 and get the ‘v9 Update bundle’ for $49.99.
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$50 Parallels update bundle: 1Password, Fantastical, Kaspersky, CleanMyMac and more

9to5 Staff Feb 12 2014 - 11:38 am PT

8 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

Parallels again offers its $50 bundle of impressive apps at a $20 discount off the retail price of Parallels alone. Each one of the below apps is a keeper and they are all free with the discounted purchase of the Parallels update. You even get 6 free months of use of the iPad App.

Note this is a Parallels update so you’ll need an older copy laying around, The full Parallels 9 bundle is $79.99

Save $319.99 – Buy Parallels Desktop for Mac and Parallels Access bundle

Apple seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 build 13C53 to developers

Mark Gurman Feb 6 2014 - 3:54 pm PT

6 Comments

One week after the previous beta, Apple has provided registered Mac developers with OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 build 13C53 to developers. Previous 10.9.2 builds added FaceTime Audio functionality to the Mac’s Messages and FaceTime applications. Other new functionality includes the ability to block contacts/phone numbers in both FaceTime and Messages.

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Apple provides instructions for dealing with recurring OS X Mail ‘no new email’ bug

Mark Gurman Feb 3 2014 - 11:10 am PT

22 Comments

Since OS X Maverick’s launch last year, there have been complaints from users of the official Mac Mail app with Gmail accounts. Apple has fixed up many of the bugs in various patches, but one of the still recurring bugs prevents the Mail app from loading up new messages.

Instead of releasing another patch today, Apple has outlined a fix on its support website:

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How to change OS X banner notification duration using Terminal

Zac Hall Jan 30 2014 - 11:59 am PT

4 Comments

I’ve recently found myself wishing there was a space between banners and alerts with OS X’s notification system. Alert style notifications that require manually dismissing can be rather annoying, but quick banner notifications often fly by before I’ve had time to glance at the information. It turns out despite not having a toggle in the system preferences, a little Terminal code shared by OS X Daily allows you to toggle the duration down to the second…

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Apple seeds new OS X Mavericks 10.9.2, Safari 6.1.2 betas to developers

Mark Gurman Jan 23 2014 - 2:15 pm PT

1 Comment

A week following the previous beta, Apple has seeded a new version of OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 to developers. The update is available via Software Update in the Mac App Store and Apple’s online developer portal. It is labeled as build 13C44, and that’s a small increase over last week’s 13C39 build. Last week’s build brought blocking for iMessage and FaceTime, while the original 10.9.2 beta introduced FaceTime Audio in the Mac’s FaceTime and Messages apps.

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The worst password of all is no longer ‘password’ according to hacked accounts chart

Ben Lovejoy Jan 20 2014 - 4:27 am PT

16 Comments

You might have thought that it would be hard to come up with a worse password than ‘password,’ but according to a chart compiled by SplashData from hacked accounts, it has been edged out by ‘123456’.

The far more secure ‘12345678’ (33 percent more secure!) retains its position as number three, while a new entry in sixth place goes as far as ‘123456789’. Sadly, ‘letmein’, a password I always felt deserving of classic status, dropped seven places to achieve a mediocre ranking of 14.

Apple introduced iCloud Keychain as part of Mavericks and iOS 7.0.3, and if you’re not already using it, you can read our how-to guide. If you’re using older versions of OS X or iOS, we also ran a how-to guide on using a password manager to have unique, secure passwords for each website.

Via re/code

How-to: Create and sync keyboard shortcuts between iOS 7 and Mavericks

Sarah Guarino Jan 4 2014 - 12:00 pm PT

9 Comments

Keyboard shortcuts that allow for quick entry of longer strings of text were introduced with iOS 5. The feature allows users to enter a short bit of text and have it automatically converted to a longer message. Now with iOS 7 and Mavericks, keyboard shortcuts will sync between iOS devices and the Mac through the “Documents and Data” setting in iCloud.

In this how-to you’ll learn how to create and sync sync keyboard shortcuts in iOS 7 and Mavericks.

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Apple releases Mavericks OS X 10.9.1 with improved Gmail support, Shared Link improvements, more

Zac Hall Dec 16 2013 - 1:11 pm PT

24 Comments

Apple has released OS X 10.9.1 for Mac via the Mac App Store today. The update includes a number of Mail related fixes including improved support for Gmail as well as numerous bug fixes. The update also fixes a VoiceOver issue that prevented sentences with emoji characters from being read…

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Apple seeds OS X 10.9.1 to support staff as public release approaches

Mark Gurman Dec 4 2013 - 9:45 am PT

9 Comments

In early November, we reported that Apple had begun seeding versions of OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 and 10.9.2 to employees within the its Software Engineering division. Since then, Apple provided two OS X 10.9.1 seeds to registered developers. These builds focus on improvements to Mail, Voice Over, and general system stability. The update will serve as the first point-update to the recently released OS X Mavericks.

Now, we’ve learned that Apple has provided build 13B40 of 10.9.1 to AppleCare employees. This internal release indicates that the public release of OS X 10.9.1 is near as Apple’s support staff will become familiar with the software in order to seemingly assist customers in the near-future. That particular build is the same version provided to developers last night. OS X 10.9.2 will likely follow with additional fixes in the following weeks.

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