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OS X Yosemite preview: the Mac gets a major makeover
The last time Apple released a new version of OS X, we came away feeling a little... underwhelmed. Don't get us wrong: We'll never say no to a free software upgrade. But despite a handful of new apps and features, last year's Mavericks release still felt like the same old OS X. You can't say that about Yosemite, though. The company's next-gen operating system ushers in the Mac's biggest makeover in years, with a flat, streamlined look inspired by iOS 7. Yosemite works more like iOS too, particularly the part where you can route phone calls to your desktop. You'll also enjoy improved Spotlight search, with results that include news, local restaurant listings, Wikipedia pages, movie times and quick unit conversions. Safari works much the same way, and includes some enhanced privacy settings, too. Right now, Yosemite isn't quite finished -- it won't arrive until sometime this fall -- but you can sign up for the public beta, which will open tomorrow for the first million people who enlist. In the meantime, I've been using an early build for a week now. Here's a quick preview for those of you who can't wait till tomorrow.
Apple says no Java for you, removes plugin from browsers on OS X 10.7 and up
Apple has recently released a Mac update for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion that removes its Java plugin from all OS X browsers. If you install the update, you'll find a region labeled "Missing plug-in" in place of a Java applet; of course, Apple can't stop you from clicking on it to download a Java plug-in directly from Oracle. The Cupertino-based company had previously halted pre-installing Java in OS X partially due to the exploitable factors of the platform, so this update signifies further distancing from Larry Ellison's pride and joy.
Apple releases Mountain Lion 10.8.2 build to devs, focuses on Facebook, iMessage and more
Shortly after letting the 10.8.1 Mountain Lion out of the bag, Cupertino's now released the next dotted version of its feline OS X to members of the developer community. According to the seed note, this early release will be focusing on a slew of social areas as well as other handy applications, including Facebook, Messages, Game Center, Reminders and, of course, the company's own web browser, Safari. As is usually the case with these young builds, Apple suggests you install it on a machine "you are prepared to erase if necessary," though something tells us you were already well aware of that. But in case you do want to install v10.8.2, you'll find the rest of the deets at the Apple Developer site linked below.
Apple OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 review
More Info Apple OS X Lion 10.7 review OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 in-depth preview OS X Mountain Lion: arrives on Macs next month, priced at $20 A lot has changed since early 2001. We've got a new president approaching the end of his first term, the US has embarked on two major wars and the words "Lady Gaga" have become much more than just gibberish. Some things, however, don't change. In nearly each of these intervening years, Apple has issued a major update to its desktop operating system, OS X. This time last year, the company issued OS 10.7 Lion, a king-of-the-jungle moniker many thought would mark the end of Apple's big cat naming scheme and, by extension, the OS X lineage. In February, however, the old operating system showed she still had some life left in her, when the next edition was revealed, arriving over the summer and called Mountain Lion. Based on the name alone, you'd think 10.8 would be a modest improvement over its predecessor -- not unlike the baby step between Leopard (10.5) and Snow Leopard (10.6). But Apple insists that this latest build is more than just a seasonal refresh -- in all, it boasts more than 200 new features. Some are major, including things like a new Notification Center, AirPlay Mirroring and a desktop version of Messages. Others, such as full-screen mode for Notes... not so much. What seems to unite the vast majority of the 200 features, however, is a nod to iOS. So, how easily can Mac users justify that $20 download? Follow along after the break, as we put those 200 features to the test.%Gallery-161032%
Microsoft details Windows 8 File History, takes us through a Time Machine
Microsoft is still determined to explore every nook and cranny of Windows 8 on its way to the newly official October launch, and now it's swinging its attention towards File History, its revamped approach to preserving our data. The new component supplements Windows Backup, which Microsoft admits is "not a very popular" app, and is more than a little transparent in bringing OS X's set-it-and-forget-it Time Machine strategy to the Windows crowd. Not that we're complaining: the same basic philosophy of getting an automatic, version-aware backup of all our personal files is convenient on any platform, especially when we can get a temporary internal safeguard while we're on vacation. The differences in platforms have equal rewards and drawbacks, however. File History provides more control over backups than its Apple counterpart, including frequency (finally!) and backup age, but it can't be used to backup whole apps like with a Time Machine drive. As always with these in-depth Windows 8 explorations, there's much more to see at the source, so click on through if you've ever been worried about deleting a file by accident.
Apple drops the 'Mac' from OS X Lion, Mountain Lion (update: began at WWDC)
Clearly, cats are in. But Mac, it seems, is out. Apple has quietly dropped the Mac name from its latest OS X Mountain Lion operating system, while also retroactively changing the Lion branding on its website. While it's clearly a marketing move and won't affect the user experience, it looks like Cupertino is further defining the line between hardware and software -- Mac is hardware, OS X is software, and that's the end of that. Apple purists will need to download the developer preview of Lion to see the change reflected on the OS side of things, though that could always change with 10.7.4. Hit up the source link to see for yourself.Update: After reviewing our WWDC coverage, it looks like Apple began referring to its latest operating system as "OS X Lion" last summer, as you can see in the banner just past the break.
Apple unleashes OS X Mountain Lion Preview to Mac Developer Program
You may still be purring your way through our in-depth preview, but Mountain Lion is now officially out of the bag, with Apple releasing a preview version of its latest OS X to the members-only Developer Program. If you're up to date on those $99/year dues, you can head on over to the Member Center to get your OS 10.8 fix, and start checking out those shiny new Messages, Reminders, Notes and Notification Center apps. Or kick up your feet and bring your desktop to the big screen with AirPlay Mirroring. If you have the Apple-approved credentials to proceed, you can find all that and more by making your way over to our source link just below.
OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 in-depth preview
Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review Apple's OS X Lion USB sticks now available online for $69 Apple updates EFI firmware on 2010 Macs: offers Lion internet recovery, not much else You can bid farewell to the days of Apple's theatrical OS reveals -- at least until OS 11 rears its head, anyway. In the meantime, the outfit has seemingly been content to strip away more and more pomp and circumstance with every subsequent big cat release. Lately, the company has settled into an evolutionary release schedule, eschewing full-fledged makeovers in favor of packing in lots of smaller changes, many of them quite granular indeed. It's a trend that can be traced as far back as 2009's OS X Snow Leopard (10.6), a name designed to drive home the point that the upgrade wasn't so much a reinvention of the wheel as a fine tuning of its predecessor, Leopard. The arrival of Lion (10.7), though, marked a full upgrade. With features like Launchpad and Mission Control, it seemed like it might be the last version Cupertino dropped before finally pulling the trigger on operating system number 11, and perhaps transitioning to something with an even stronger iOS influence. Right now, at least, the company's not ready to close the book on chapter X, but it is giving the world a first peek at 10.8. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mountain Lion.
Debunk: Lion USB sticks are not yet available
Apple clearly considers its new App Store-based distribution model one of the biggest advances in Lion, and to the company's credit, we found the whole thing to be quite painless. But physical media devotees needn't worry too much -- the company quietly announced at launch that the latest version of OS X will also be available on a USB key, for the lofty price of $69 -- which, incidentally, still requires Snow Leopard, unlike what has been previously reported. Word hit today that the company has finally issued the flash drive version of the software, information gleaned from an internal document reportedly leaked by AppleCare. We have it on good authority, however, that the drives mentioned in the document are not, in fact, the aforementioned sticks. Rather, the "recovery media" discussed is actually a restoration tool for AppleCare employees, used to fix faulty systems. We hate to be the burster of bubbles, but it seems that the App Store-impaired will still have to wait until later this month to get their hands on the $70 Apple dongle.
Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 beta brings iCloud support, no bug fixes
We know what you're thinking: Mac OS X Lion (10.7) has been out for nearly a week, so why have we yet to hear anything about Snow Lion? Patience friends, Apple will roar soon enough -- but for now, 10.7.2 will have to do. Apple released the beta update to developers over the weekend, eschewing any acknowledgment of 10.7.1, or correcting any of the bugs that have popped up over the last week. Instead, Lion's pending second update (build 11C26) is required for testing the operating system with iCloud -- a feature notably absent in the public version of the OS released last week. The new System Preferences iCloud module enables granular management of select features, letting you choose which accounts and services to sync. Full iCloud support is coming in the fall with the release of iOS 5, so it's probably safe to assume that Apple plans to patch some of those bugs in the meantime -- any day now, we hope.
Apple OS X Lion 10.7 review
Never one to shy away from dramatic hyperbole, Steve Jobs declared ours a "post-PC world" about this time last year, acknowledging a move away from personal computers as smartphones and tablets become even more ubiquitous. And while Jobs might happily look on as iPhones and iPads become our primarily tie to the outside world, the question remains: what happens to the PC during this grand transition? To a large extent, the answer lies in the OS, which brings us to OS X Lion. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to post-PC computing. In typically grandiose fashion, the company has declared OS X 10.7 "the world's most advanced desktop operating system," touting the addition of over 250 new features. The list is pretty uneven on the game-changing scale, with updates running the gamut from Airdrop (file-sharing over WiFi) to a full-screen version of the bundled chess game. If there's one thing tying it all together, though, it's something that Jobs touched on when he first unveiled the OS back in October: the unmistakable influence of iOS. Now it's true, we already got a taste of that with gesture-based trackpads and the Mac App Store, but those were merely glimpses of things to come. Apple borrows so heavily from iOS that at times, cycling through features makes the whole thing feel like you're merely operating an iPad with a keyboard attached. There are plenty of welcome additions here, including aesthetic tweaks and attention to mounting privacy concerns. Like Snow Leopard before it, however, Lion is hardly an explosive upgrade. And like Snow Leopard, it comes in at a reasonable $29 (or a decidedly more pricey $69 as an upcoming flash drive install), making it a worthy upgrade for current Mac owners. But does a boatload of evolutionary features add up to a revolutionary upgrade? Let's find out.%Gallery-128790%
Mac App Store for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 unveiled, coming 'within 90 days'
Given its success with the iPhone / iPod touch's App Store, we can't say an OS X version is entirely crazy -- and neither can Apple, who just announced such an App Store for its 10.7 release, Lion. Here's what we know so far: multi-touch gestures, app home screens, full screen apps. "Every app on the iPad is a full screen app," says Steve. Auto save, apps resume when launched. Don't expect on-screen multitouch, as Jobs is very much against vertical touching. "Touch surfaces want to be horizontal" -- you can all but kiss those touchscreen iMac rumors goodbye. Just like iPad, there's automatic installation, auto-updates, a 70 / 30 revenue split for developers, one-click downloads, and the license works for all personal Macs. The App Store itself is a standalone app that looks a lot like iTunes. Apps are automatically dropped into the dock after download. Expect it to hit OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard users "within 90 days" from today. And developers? Apple's accepting app submissions starting in November. Update: Apple's main site and developer site have been updated with App Store information pages, although there isn't much new to see beyond what was announced at the event. Update 2: From the looks of that image above, individual iLife and iWork apps will be unbundled in the future for separate purchase. We're also wondering if this is the end of Apple Family Packs -- volume licensing that lets you install one copy of Apple software on up to five Apple-labeled computers -- after hearing Steve say that Mac App Store apps are "licensed for use on all your personal Macs?" Check out our liveblog of Apple's Back to the Mac event right here. %Gallery-105529%
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion announced, coming summer 2011
As promised, Apple today offered a preview of Mac OS X 10.7, a.k.a "Lion," which Steve Jobs says has been inspired by the company's efforts with iOS. That inspiration has resulted in an expanded use of multitouch gestures (but not on a vertical screen), an emphasis on iPad-like full screen applications, and -- here's the big one -- an App Store for OS X (which will also be coming to Snow Leopard). Also new is the Launchpad application launcher, which will give you an iPad-like grid of icons and let you create iOS-style folders for applications, and the all-new Mission Control, which offers a unified view of all your open windows, open apps, and your dock. No exact launch date just yet, but Apple says Lion will roll out sometime in the summer of 2011 -- head on past the break for the full press release. %Gallery-105532%
Mac virtualization face-off: VMware Fusion 3 vs. Parallels Desktop 5 (video)
With Steam officially hitting Mac in just a few weeks many Apple gamers have suddenly lost their need to emulate. But, for those who are hoping to get busy in a little Command & Conquer 4 under Snow Leopard this week -- or any of the other myriad of PC-only gaming options -- virtualization is the only way to go -- short of rebooting into Boot Camp, of course. Parallels is the most commonly used solution, but how does VMware's Fusion 3 stack up for gaming? Not too well, as it turns out. MacTech sat the two down together on matching Mac hardware and ran them through a number of benchmarks, including 3DMark. The results of that test fall heavily in the favor of Parallels, offering better framerates and far more consistent visuals, which you can see for yourself in a video below. Most of the many, many other tests run favor that option as well, but we won't spoil all eight pages worth of results just waiting for you on the other end of that source link.
Snow Leopard pre-orders now being taken at Amazon
We could've sworn it was already available for pre-order, but seeing as Google cache is telling us otherwise, we thought it best to give you a heads up that Amazon is now accepting monies for Mac OS X 10.6 a.k.a. Snow Leopard. Nothing new about the date and price from what we heard at WWDC this year, it's still listed for September at $29. Five-user family pack is $49, Server version is $499, and you can bundle a single or five-user pack with iWork and iLife for $169 and $229, respectively. We don't anticipate the OS being in short supply come launch, but if you need a peace of mind and Snow Leopard on day one, pull out your credit card and direct your browser Amazon's way. [Thanks, Luis M]
