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Apple releases critical NTP Security Update for OS X Yosemite, Mavericks, & Mountain Lion

Security UpdateApple today released an OS X NTP Security Update for Mac users running 10.10 Yosemite, 10.9 Mavericks, and 10.8 Mountain Lion. The update is recommended for all users and fixes a “critical security issue with the software that provides the Network Time Protocol service for OS X,” according to Apple. Check the Updates tab of the Mac App Store to grab the security update. More details regarding the security update for OS X are able through this support document.

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Apple releases latest Safari updates for OS X Yosemite, Mavericks, & Mountain Lion following pulled versions

Safari updates

Apple has released updated versions of Safari for OS X users running 10.10 Yosemite, 10.9 Mavericks, and 10.8 Mountain Lion. The latest versions of Safari for each respective OS X version now comes to Safari 8.0.2, Safari 7.1.2, and Safari 6.2.2.

Earlier this month Apple released updates for Safari for OS X, but later pulled the releases after a short period. Today’s update addresses a number of issues relating to iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and what Apple calls a rare issue caused by the previous release.

Apple has posted a document detailing the changes in the latest versions. The update is available through the Mac App Store. In addition to releasing new Safari updates, Apple also updated its TestFlight beta distribution app to version 1.0.2 noting “minor stability and performance improvements.”

Microsoft begins inviting users to Skype for Web beta

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skype

We told you Microsoft released a redesigned version of Skype for the Mac earlier last month, and today Microsoft says the communication software is starting to roll out as a service on the Web. Skype for Web will allow users to chat, video call, and manage contacts from a web browser without having to download the Skype app. Microsoft is currently offering Skype for Web as a beta to select users.
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Chitika: OS X Yosemite adoption rate slightly higher than Mavericks in first week

ChitikaInsights-Yosemite_Adoption_Comparison

New numbers released by analytics firm Chitika have revealed that public adoption of OS X Yosemite has been very similar to that of its predecessor, Mavericks. According to the stats, Mavericks achieved an install base of 12.4% in North America in its first week. Yosemite is performing slightly better, coming in at 12.8% in the same period of time.

The last of the “big cat” releases, OS X Mountain Lion, was only at 5.6% during its first week in public release. That could be due to the fact that it was considered an incremental upgrade over Lion and cost $19.99, whereas the two newer versions (especially Yosemite) were much larger releases and were both available for free to all users.


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Apple seeds Safari 7.0.3 and 6.1.3 Seed 2 to developers

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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.

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Apple begins selling OS X Lion and Mountain Lion via the Apple Online Store

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Apple has started selling older versions of OS X through the Apple Online Store. Despite the fact that neither operating system can be purchased through the Mac App Store, you can still buy them for $19.99 each through Apple’s website. Rather than a physical disc with the software, you’ll get a code that can be redeemed on the App Store to begin downloading the OS immediately.

Offering Lion makes sense for older Macs since some Lion-capable machines cannot run Mountain Lion. Offering Mountain Lion, especially for $20, seems like an odd move since the entire line of Mountain Lion-compatible Macs can also run Mavericks for free.

Either way, if you need a copy of Lion or Mountain Lion, you can grab them now from Apple’s online store.

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“Open in iBooks” button in Mountain Lion iTunes further indicates imminent launch of OS X Mavericks

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Users running OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.5 are beginning to see an “Open in iBooks” button for purchased books in the iTunes Store, replacing the previous “Download” button text. The button, while functionless on Mountain Lion, is yet another indication of the imminent launch of OS X Mavericks late this month. Clicking the button on a computer running Mavericks will indeed open the selected book in the all-new iBooks application.


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Apple releases OS X 10.8.5 Supplemental Update, iTunes 11.1.1 with fixes

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In line with our reporting from yesterday and from September, Apple has provided Mac users with a pair of important updates. The company has released a new version of the previously released OS X 10.8.5. This new release is a “Supplemental Update” and provides bug fixes for MacBook Air FaceTime Cameras, USB, HDMI, and Bluetooth adapters:


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Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 with Mail, WiFi, screensaver fixes

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Following an extensive period of betas for developers, Apple has publicly released OS X 10.8.5. The update is available from the Mac App Store Software’s Update section and is recommended for all users on OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4.

The OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5 Update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. This update:

  • Fixes an issue that may prevent Mail from displaying messages
  • Improves AFP file transfer performance over 802.11ac Wi-Fi
  • Resolves an issue that may prevent a screen saver from starting automatically
  • Improves Xsan reliability
  • Improves reliability when transferring large files over Ethernet
  • Improves performance when authenticating to an Open Directory server
  • Addresses an issue that prevented a smart card from unlocking preference panes in System Preferences
  • Contains the improvements included in MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0

The build number for the public release is 12F37, which is a single build over the most recent beta. Apple has also issued RAW Camera Compatibility updates and a new version of Safari. Later next month, Apple will release OS X 10.9 Mavericks.


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Apple seeds OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 beta build 12F20 to developers

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A week following the previous build, Apple has seeded build 12F20 of the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 release to developers.

As with previous builds, Apple says there are no known issues, and the company asks developers to focus on WiFi, Graphics, Wake from Sleep, PDF viewing and accessibility, and Mobile Device Management.

The update is available for developers with older builds of 10.8.5 installed via Software Update in the Mac App Store. It is also available via the Developer Center.

Thanks, D!


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Apple seeds OS X 10.8.5 beta build 12F13 to developers

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One week following the first beta seed of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5, Apple has released OS X 10.8.5 build 12F13 to developers. The new update includes no known issues and is available for developers via the Mac Developer Center and the Mac App Store Software Update function.

Apple continues to ask developers to focus on WiFi, Graphics, Wake from Sleep, PDF viewing and Accessibility, and Mobile Device Management during their testing. Apple has also been seeding 10.8.5 beta updates to its retail staff. Apple seeded a second Developer Preview of OS X 10.9 Mavericks to developers earlier this week.

Thanks, D!


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Review: Moment is a huge improvement on Facebook sharing for OS X

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When Mountain Lion launched last year, Apple introduced some basic Facebook sharing options to OS X. You can post a status update from Notification Center or upload a photo from Finder, Preview, iPhoto, or other Mac applications. While those functions are useful, Apple has yet to really embrace all of Facebook’s features. For example, you can’t tag a friend in a status update or create a new photo album, and the notification integration, while nice, is a bit unreliable.

Today, Tapmates released Moment, a new app that bridges the gap between OS X’s Facebook integration and the features you’re already used to on the Facebook website. Keep reading for our full review.

Apple to release OS X 10.9 with new power-user features, more from iOS later this year

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OS X 10.9, which is internally codenamed “Cabernet,” will focus on various “power-user” enhancements and take core features from iOS, according to our sources. Unlike operating system updates such as OS X Leopard and OS X Lion, OS X 10.9 will likely not be an overhauled approach to how the operating system feels and functions.

The new operating system includes major enhancements to the Finder application such as tags and tabbed browsing modes. Those additions are notable as many pro-users have relied on third-party solutions and hacks to enable these features. Additionally, the new operating system will include a new Safari web browser with a redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed, and efficiency…


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Apple seeds OS X 10.8.4 build 12E33a to developers

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Following the most recent build just over a week ago, Apple has seeded another build of the upcoming OS X 10.8.4 to registered developers.

The new build comes in at build number 12E33a, and Apple asks developers to, again, focus on Safari, WiFi, and Graphics Drivers.

We previously reported that OS X 10.8.4 has hooks to support faster, 802.11ac WiFi connectivity. 

Thanks, D!


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Apple releases OS X 10.8.3 to the public with Mac App Store camera gift card redemption, Boot Camp improvements & fixes

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Following the release of OS X Mountain 10.8.3 build 12D78 to developers earlier this week, Apple today released 10.8.3 to the public with a number of new features and enhancements. One of the more notable new features is the ability to redeem iTunes gift cards using the Mac’s built-in camera within the Mac App Store. It’s a feature that Apple originally introduced with iTunes 11 in November.

Other improvements in today’s release include support for install Windows 8 in Boot Camp and Boot Camp support for Mac’s using 3TB hard drives. Users had previously been using workarounds to utilize Boot Camp on Macs with hard drives larger than the utility’s old 2.2TB limit.

The release also includes Safari 6.0.3 and audio related fixes for Logic Pro and 2011 iMacs:

-The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using Mac’s built-in camera
-Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8
-Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3TB hard drive
-A Fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly
-A fix for an issue that may cause Logic Pro to become unresponsive when using certain plug-ins
-A fix for an issue that causes audio to stutter on 2011 iMacs
-Includes Safari 6.0.3

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Apple seeds OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 build 12D54 to developers

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Apple just made OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 build 12D54 available to testers after releasing build 12D50 earlier this month on Jan. 8 with no known issues. Apple said the new build includes significant changes to Wi-Fi and listed the following focus areas for developers: AirPlay • AirPort • Game Center • Graphics Drivers • Safari.

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Parallels 8 updated with USB 3.0 support, Windows 8 tablet gestures, more

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Parallels introduced a big update today for Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac. It includes new features for Windows 8 users, full USB 3.0 support, and improved Retina display settings. On top of support for Windows 8 tablet gestures, Parallels is including a Windows 8 tile that allows users to access shared Mac apps. According to Parallels, the update also includes faster USB 3.0 performance, an increased limit for virtual machines running large apps, and “Smooth transitions when entering and exiting Coherence mode”:

Now Mac users can enjoy new features including Windows 8 tablet gestures and use a Windows 8 interface tile to access shared Mac apps.  These updates, plus the already deep Parallels Desktop 8 integration of Mac OS X and Windows 8, enable people to also use Mountain Lion’s Dictation feature in Windows applications, add Windows apps to Launchpad and the Mac Dock, enjoy brilliant Retina display resolution for Windows apps and more – making Parallels Desktop 8 an ideal way to run Windows 8 on a Mac without rebooting.
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Avoid these files like a swarm of bees to avoid iCloud thunderstorms

TUAW has a “cautionary tale” of what happens when attempting to move or rename the “Mobile Documents” folder where iCloud documents are stored:

“As if it were a swarm of bees, you should stay away from the SyncServices folder.’ — Apple

The moral of the story that I am about to tell is that Apple’s advice about the SyncServices folder also applies to your iCloud documents. Here is the summary:

Do not move your iCloud folder. Do not touch your iCloud folder. Consider it the digital equivalent of a hand-grenade which has had the pin pulled and which is resting safely on its handle.”

Apps & updates: Things 2.0, Foursquare, Pixelmator, Pomodorable, PDF Expert, more

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[slideshow]

On top of a few great game deals, including savings on Shift 2 Unleashed for iPad and the Mass Effect Infiltrator iOS app, there are  a number of noteworthy apps and updates hitting the App Store today. We will update the list, as always, throughout the day.

Things 2.0: One of the leading iOS and Mac productivity apps was updated today to version 2.0 with a ton of new features. Included in the update is “Things Cloud”. It is a cloud service that syncs your to-dos across Macs and the iOS client. A new Daily Review feature makes important to-dos appear when you need them, and a “revolutionary scrolling Date Picker makes selecting dates more natural than ever.” The UI has also been updated along with a new engine that provides “blazingly fast Things Cloud performance.” These and other new features and improvements are included in the Things for iPad app.

Things 2.0 (Mac App Store): In addition to free updates to the iOS versions of Things, the Mac App Store client was updated today to version 2.0. The update includes the “Things Cloud” service mentioned above, allowing you to sync across platforms, while other new features include a “Daily Review” that presents important to-dos for the day, full Mountain Lion support, Retina graphics, full-screen mode, a number of other enhancements.

Pixelmator version 2.1: Popular image editor Pixelmator was updated on the Mac App Store today with a much needed Retina-ready UI and image-editing engine, iCloud support to keep projects up to date on multiple machines, as well as a new effects browser containing “new Vintage, Miniaturize, Black and White, Rain, and Snow effects.” Also included in the update is full OS X Mountain Lion support and alignment guides to “quickly position, align, and evenly distribute objects in your Pixelmator compositions with pinpoint accuracy.”

Tweetdeck version 1.5.3: Today’s massive update to the popular Mac Twitter client brings a slew of user-interface enhancements such as the ability to use the Columns button to quickly jump to any position. Users can also navigate the arrow buttons to scroll left and right several columns at a time, use swipe gestures on the trackpad to scroll, access key user and Tweet actions from the new actions menu, and fit more columns on screen by enabling Narrow Columns in Settings. The update also boasts improved animations for tweets and column management, performance improvements, and many bug fixes.

Pomodorable version 1.0: Released on the Mac App Store today, Pomodorable is a task management app that its developers said takes a “fresh approach to managing to do lists” by taking full advantage of Notification Center, Notes, Reminders, and other Mountain Lion features. While at first glance it might appear to compete with Things, the app actually includes support for Things and OmniFocus. It allows you to view tasks from those apps within the Pomodorable, and the app is 50 percent off for a limited time following today’s launch.

PDF Expert version 4.2: Readdle’s PDF Expert app was updated recently with a new “Presentation Mode” that allows you to connect an iPad to a projector ” and make interactive non-linear presentations” with content from PDFs, videos, and images. The update also includes live annotation tools, new annotation colours, and a number of other improvements.

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Wiley Announces Seven New Books on OS X Mountain Lion

Press Release  8/6/2012 9:03 AM EDT


INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — To support Apple’s announcement of the release of their latest operating system, OS X Mountain Lion, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. is bringing to market a series of new instructional books covering the topic for every level of user. Seven titles are publishing from Wiley on the topic of OS X Mountain Lion including:

  1. OS X Mountain Lion For Dummies (ISBN: 978-1-1183-9418-2, August 2012) by Bob LeVitus
  2. Teach Yourself VISUALLY OS X Mountain Lion ISBN: 978-1-1184-0140-8, August 2012) by Paul McFedries
  3. OS X Mountain Lion Bible (ISBN: 978-1-1184-0143-9, September 2012) by Galen Gruman
  4. OS X Mountain Lion Portable Genius (ISBN: 978-1-1184-0142-2,September 2012) by Dwight Spivey
  5. OS X Mountain Lion All-in-One For Dummies (ISBN: 978-1-1183-9416-8,September 2012) by Mark L. Chambers
  6. OS X Mountain Lion Server For Dummies (ISBN: 978-1-1184-0829-2,September 2012) by John Rizzo
  7. OS X Mountain Lion Simplified (ISBN: 978-1-1184-0141-5, October 2012) by Paul McFedries

“With over 200 new features in OS X Mountain Lion, users will be able to quickly gain knowledge on everything the new operating software has to offer through Wiley’s latest books,” said Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, author of OS X Mountain Lion For Dummies, “From For Dummies guides to the OS X Mountain Lion Bible, Wiley is one of the first publishers to market with their extensive list of books on Mountain Lion, offering something for every level of end user.”

Wiley’s new OS X Mountain Lion books will be available for purchase online and at retailers nationwide in both print and all e-book formats. For additional information, visit http://lp.wileypub.com/osxmountainlion/.
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