Apple has released the golden master version of the Yosemite Developer Preview, in addition to the fourth Public Beta to its various testing communities. These being the golden master builds suggests they are going to be the final versions for public release, provided no major bugs are found.
Generally Apple has made the golden master build available to the public within a few days Continue reading
Belkin has announced an update to its Thunderbolt Express Dock for Mac, which takes advantage of the common Thunderbolt interface found on most Mac systems to offer a number of additional USB and audio inputs, as well as LAN and HDMI output for various connectivity options; however, if you own the original Thunderbolt Dock, then this new iteration offers nothing special. Continue reading
One of Apple’s latest services is the change to iCloud Drive, which transitions from its initial per-application use of cloud storage for documents, to a more traditional approach reminiscent of its original iDisk, and services like Dropbox and MediaFire.
This has been a welcomed change, and as such you might be regularly adding your files to it; however, if you do Continue reading
Following its acknowledgement of the Shell Shock bug, Apple has issued an update to OS X versions 10.7.5 and above, which installs a new version of Bash that fixes some of the recently found holes in this small but critical aspect of OS X. The fix, called “OS X Bash Update 1.0,” should be available for download through Apple’s Software Update service, which can be accessed by going to the Apple menu. Continue reading
One question I am often asked is whether or not to purchase AppleCare along with a new Mac. When you purchase a new Mac, you will get a 1 year warranty to cover manufacturer defects, and can at any time within that year purchase an additional AppleCare warranty that extends your coverage to three years from the date of purchase. However, this coverage will be several hundred dollars, and you may find yourself wondering if it is worth it. Continue reading
Apple is responding to the Shell shock vulnerability that was recently found (and unofficially patched). Apple has recognized the issue and will be out with a fix very soon. The bug, which affects the commonly used Bash shell in Unix and Linux systems, affects Mac systems because OS X contains a BSD layer that includes the Bash shell. However, in a statement to iMore, Apple claims the issue is not a serious concern for Mac users unless they have enabled specific remote connectivity. Continue reading
The recent vulnerability that has affected systems running the popular Bash shell can allow an attacker to arbitrarily run code on any system that has a running installation of the unpatched bash shell. This includes every version of OS X, so if you have a Mac that you regularly use, then you can be sure it is updated first and foremost by applying any security updates that Apple issues; however, if you wish to update your system right away then you can download and compile the latest Bash version for OS X, which to date is version 3.2. Continue reading
After mistakes with the initial update to iOS 8, Apple has released iOS 8.0.2. This update is important, because it rectifies temporary setbacks imposed by the fixes for the 8.0.1 update, where users found they could not make cell phone calls or use the Touch ID feature.
For users who installed iOS 8.0.1, to re-enable these features Apple recommended Continue reading
In the OS X Terminal you run commands in an interpreter called a shell. In general, you open a shell and then specify commands to execute within it; however, researchers have found a long-standing vulnerability in the popular shell called “bash” (the default for user accounts in OS X), where with a clever use of environmental variables for running the bash shell, an attacker can inject code to run in the shell without needing to directly enter it in the shell itself. Continue reading
First its bendgate, and now iOS 8-gate appears to have frustrated some early adopters of the latest iPhones. Earlier today, Apple pushed iOS 8.0.1 live to fix a number of outstanding problems with iOS 8.0.0; however, when done, owners of the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus found they could not connect to cell networks and their Touch ID stopped working. Continue reading