Apple recently introduced software updates and a removal tool for the “Flashback” threat on Macs. Users of Apple’s current desktop OS, Lion 10.7.3, and the previous Snow Leopard 10.6.8, Apple’s got you covered. For anything older, Apple’s recommendation is disabling Java. That’s wrong, and here’s why. Read More »
Not one to be left behind for long, VMware has introduced the new version of its Fusion virtualization software. Fusion 4 lets you install and run a second OS, including Windows, Lion or Snow Leopard in a virtual machine that integrates completely with your desktop. Read More »
Apple’s latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, is doing well in its early days, nearing OS X 10.5 Leopard in popularity according to new OS market share numbers. Lion’s success could be a sign that computer consumers are read for more digital distribution. Read More »
Have you been waiting on Mac OS X Lion because you don’t have a broadband connection? Then today’s your (sort of) lucky day. Apple introduced the OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive to the online Apple Store, but it comes with a premium price tag: $69. Read More »
A few folks have asked me how to go about stepping back from Lion to Snow Leopard. It’s possible, but unfortunately you may not be able to easily take your current apps and documents with you unless you’ve cloned your original Snow Leopard drive. Read More »
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion went on sale on Wednesday, and already Apple is saying this release is selling “faster than any other OS release in Apple’s history.” It’s also the first time Apple’s done a major desktop OS release through its Mac App Store. Read More »
Sometime next week we could see the arrival of Mac OS X Lion, according to reports. But this is no ordinary major software launch. The twist is that Lion will only be distributed digitally, the effect of which is difficult to predict. Read More »
If you can’t wait to try out some of Lion’s new features, but don’t have access to the developer preview, I’ve got good news: You can get many of Lion’s new features in Snow Leopard using these third-party apps, tweaks and downloads. Read More »
Apple just released the latest update for Snow Leopard, OS X 10.6.8. Included in the update are countermeasures for the latest variants of the malicious Mac Defender software, improved support for IPv6, and enhancements for the Mac App Store in preparation for the upgrade to Lion. Read More »
Apple has come a long way since it first introduced OS X at WWDC 1998. Lion arguably represents the biggest shift for the Mac operating system we’ve ever seen. Here’s a look back at how OS X has grown over time to put it in context. Read More »
The next version of OS X will also be sold only through the Mac App Store. This is yet another step away from traditional media distribution as Apple will effectively be cutting out other means of software distribution like Amazon. Read More »
Apple promised to release a security update to address Mac Defender malware and its variants, and that update arrived Tuesday afternoon. Security Update 2011-003 is now available for all Macs running Snow Leopard, and brings file quarantine updates, as well as a malware removal tool. Read More »
More Must Reads
Come WWDC in June, we’ll likely see OS X Lion changing status from preview to official public release. That makes May a good time to look at the April report on OS market share from web-analytics firm Net Applications for some perspective on Snow Leopard. Read More »
One of the sleeper features of the Mac App Store was Apple’s new approach to “suite” products. Instead of forcing users to upgrade the entire iLife suite, applications are available as individual purchases. Hopefully, it’s a model Apple adopts across the OS. Read More »
It’s time to fire up Software Update! The latest version of OS X, version 10.6.5, has just landed. Aside from the standard “general operating system fixes,” there’s also a slew of specific ones addressing some common bugs, and improved Microsoft Exchange server reliability. Read More »
After nearly a year in release, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard still seems to still be a work in progress. I keep trying to upgrade to Snow Leopard, but always end up back with Leopard for a number of reasons including bugs and hardware stress. Read More »
As predicted, an update to Apple’s Snow Leopard and Leopard operating systems, which fixes a record number of vulnerabilities, is now available. The sizable patch, which weighs in at over 700MB, tends to a number of known security problems within the latest client and server versions … Read More »
Whether your hard drive has failed or your OS has become corrupt, you may occasionally have to reinstall the Mac OS. Fortunately, Apple does a beautiful job of making installing or reinstalling your operating system relatively painless compared to our Windows brethren. Unfortunately, it’s still … Read More »
Setting up your OS to your liking can be an art for some. What if you need to set up Snow Leopard to present every user with the same look and settings? By following these steps you can have every user who logs into the machine … Read More »
So here we are, just past the six month mark since Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard was sprung last August 28, and I’m still using OS 10.5 Leopard. I have lots of company. The NetApplications HitsLink Market Share data for February 2010 shows that Leopard is still … Read More »
I love Time Machine for its simplicity and the fact that it’s free. Apple did the right thing in creating a backup utility that was integrated into the OS and was actually useful. Anyone who has fought with Windows Backup can tell you, this has been … Read More »
Snow Leopard has more than its fair share of improvements. If you work in the corporate world then Cisco IPsec VPN is a great addition. Before Apple added this feature, you had to use Cisco’s client to connect up to its VPN. With Snow Leopard and the … Read More »
Microsoft’s advertising strategy with the latest installment of Windows is basically to none-too-subtly deride its predecessors, and it does appear to be helping Windows 7 gain traction among consumers. Unfortunately, it also might be contributing to the success of Mac OS X, or at least, it … Read More »
The intertubes are ablaze today with reports of a serious bug in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard that, under certain conditions, can destroy all of a user’s personal data. The problem lies with Mac OS X’s Guest Account functionality, and was first reported at the … Read More »
In the ever leap-frogging world of desktop virtualization for the Mac, VMware has announced that it will make its next hop (I won’t venture to say who’s ahead at this juncture) by the end of October…or the 27th, if you go by its blog. So … Read More »
Eighteen percent of Mac users are running Snow Leopard just one month after its release, according to Web metrics firm Net Applications. That’s a remarkable upgrade rate for the latest iteration of OS X, especially considering Snow Leopard is Intel only. Overall, OS X now represents … Read More »
Installing a new operating system on Day One is often a foolish undertaking. Yet, there I was, installing Snow Leopard the night of the 28th. I took the plunge day one for two reasons: as a tech journalist specializing in the Mac, I felt I owed it … Read More »
Snow Leopard is selling like hotcakes. It’s selling much better than Tiger, and a lot better than Leopard, too. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say those strong sales numbers had something to do with price. Microsoft appears to think so, too. For a … Read More »
Just two weeks after being released, Snow Leopard is already setting records. According to NPD, sales are more than twice that of plain-old Leopard in its first two weeks, and nearly four times that of Tiger. “Even though some considered Snow Leopard to be less feature-focused … Read More »
Snow Leopard was a remarkably painless upgrade for me, but one particularly important piece of software was broken: Google Gears. For those who don’t know, Gears is Google’s framework for storing browser data offline. It works with many Google services as well as some third-party products. … Read More »
I was recently asked in a tweet, “Have you completely abandoned Windows now?” I realized, with some genuine surprise, that not only had I stopped using Windows in any meaningful way, but actually stopped using it the moment I got my hands on my first (modern) … Read More »
Did Snow Leopard leave your old AppleTalk printer out in the cold? Grab a hot cup of cocoa and warm your printer up with some of these handy tips to continue to use your classic AppleTalk printer with your state of the art operating system. Print Via … Read More »
Ooops. Seems I spoke too soon. TidBITS reports that some users who upgraded to Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest incarnation of its Mac OS X operating system, have been experiencing problems sending email using the native email client, Mail.app. When trying to send mail, hapless users … Read More »
It has been one week since Snow Leopard’s worldwide launch and, predictably, it appears Apple is already testing its first OS software update. According to a report by AppleInsider, the update has not yet made its … Read More »
Has it been a long almost-week for anyone else who upgraded on day one of Snow Leopard? My upgrade experience went swimmingly, with the glaring exception of iStat Menus not working. Since then, iSlayer.com (home of iStat Menus) has been set as my homepage so I … Read More »
Originally introduced in OS X Tiger, Automator is a drag-and-drop form of scripting. You can create workflows to easily speed up many tasks. With each version of OS X, Automator has seen some improvements, but with Snow Leopard, it finally realizes its … Read More »
For a while the blogosphere has been running its mouth off about how “Snow Leopard is just a service pack Apple has the gall to charge for.” TechRadar.com reports, “Despite all of the necessary ‘under the hood’ improvements in Snow Leopard, this release has the inescapable … Read More »
If you’ve got one of Axiotron’s awesome Modbooks, and you’re running Snow Leopard, you may have already stumbled across a few features that make your Mac so much easier to use. It’s unlikely Apple had Axiotron in mind when it included these features, though, … Read More »
Not that any TheAppleBlog readers would ever try to acquire software in a less-than-legal manner, but just in case you know someone who would, tell them to watch out for web sites claiming to bear Snow Leopard gifts. Like the Adobe Photoshop CS4 and iWork ’09 before … Read More »
Now that many of us have upgraded to Snow Leopard, I would like to start a forum where you can share your favorite UI changes. Use Command + Shift + 3, Command + Shift + 4, a third party screenshot capture … Read More »
Naturally, as a contributor to this blog, I purchased a Snow Leopard family pack the first possible day. Some people may have pre-ordered on Amazon, but they missed out on the in-store experience. My mother lives close to an Apple store, so I decided to stop … Read More »
I’m now running OS X 10.5.6 on two of my three eligible Macs (the fourth is a 12-inch PowerBook G4), and so far, I couldn’t be happier. I haven’t run into any nasty compatibility issues or really disastrous bugs (although Finder once auto-quit and … Read More »
In order to prepare for the arrival of Snow Leopard, and hopefully deflect some frustrated tech support calls, Apple overnight updated oodles of support documents and knowledge base articles. One of said documents could be vital to people looking to upgrade today, as it … Read More »
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Today, Apple officially launches the latest milestone update to its Mac OS X operating system. “Snow Leopard” is the fifth major update to the operating system since it was launched in 2001. Apple has spent the last year … Read More »
In addition to the numerous refinements that Snow Leopard brings, among the first you’ll notice is an easier installation experience. Some options that experienced Apple users have come to know and love have been changed or relocated, resulting in an experience that is far less intimidating … Read More »
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