Apple delivers another Yosemite beta as Wi-Fi issues persist

Apple has come out with a second beta of Mac OS X Yosemite for developers, but it’s not clear whether this latest build will address the Wi-Fi problems that continue to affect an undetermined but apparently substantial number of users.

With this build, labeled 10.10.2 (14C68k), Apple didn’t identify any specific problem areas it would like developers to focus on as they test the OS, according to multiple reports from news outlets and individuals with access to the release notes.

When Apple released the first beta of Yosemite a little over two weeks ago, it asked developers to pay particular attention to several issues, including Wi-Fi, which has been a constant source of complaints since the OS came out.

That first beta yielded a formal OS update released to the public on Monday. However, that update, labeled 10.10.1, didn’t stamp out the Wi-Fi problems. Affected users have continued posting complaints in Apple discussion forums, third-party sites and social media services.

The longest thread in the Apple Support site about this problem, titled “OSX Yosemite Wifi issues,” has more than 1,330 comments and has been viewed almost 259,000 times since Yosemite first came out in mid-October.

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Apple To End iChat Login Support For AIM On Mac OSX 10.7.1 And Below, Users Encouraged To Upgrade To Mavericks

Users of (NYSE:AOL) Instant Messenger (AIM) on Mac OSX 10.7.1 and below may have to finally upgrade to a newer version of Apple Inc.’s (Nasdaq:AAPL) desktop OS in order to continue using the aging instant message protocol with iChat.

According to support documents published by Apple on Monday, the Cupertino, Calif. based technology company will begin phasing out support for Mac OSX users that continue to use Mac.com or Me.com accounts with built-in iChat messaging software and the AIM messaging protocol. Text messaging, video chats and screen sharing through AIM and Mac.com or Me.com accounts on Mac OSX 10.7.1 and earlier will no longer function starting June 30, 2014.

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Best free music players for Mac OS X

There are multiple programs out there you can use to manage your music library if you’re on a Mac, but it’s precisely because of the numerous options available that may make it tough for you to determine which player is the best fit for you and your needs.

Yes, there’s the ever-popular iTunes. However, we bet that if you run through the choices on this list, you’ll find another desktop music player that will have you forgetting about iTunes in no time flat. Whether you’re a audiophile with a thirst for feature-heavy players, or a casual listener looking for a no-frills program, we’re sure you’ll find something here that suits you.

Take a look at our side by side comparison of Spotify and Beats Music to see how these services stack up.

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Apple promises SSL snooping fix for Mac OS X 10.9 users 'very soon'

Apple has admitted a bug in Mac OS X 10.9.1 could allow hackers to intercept and decrypt users' SSL-encrypted connections – and has vowed to release a fix "very soon."

The Cupertino giant issued updates for versions 7 and 6 of its mobile operating system iOS on Friday to address the same flaw in iDevices.

But it quickly became apparent that the vulnerability also exists in desktop and laptop computers running Mac OS X Mavericks, the latest public release of Apple's desktop OS.

The security hole was created by a trivial programming cock-up, which causes Apple's SSL/TLS library to skip over vital verification checks of a server's authenticity when establishing a connection.

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Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 Build 13C62 to Developers

Apple today seeded build 13C62 of OS X 10.9.2 to developers, marking the seventh beta iteration of 10.9.2. The release comes five days after the sixth OS X 10.9.2 beta, build 13C59, and nearly two months after the first OS X 10.9.2 beta. 

The update is available to registered developers through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and should be appearing in the Mac Dev Center soon. 

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OS X Mavericks adoption steps on the brakes

Computerworld - OS X Mavericks' uptake slowed significantly in December, putting a crimp on Apple's plans to move customers to the new -- and free -- operating system.

Data from Web metrics company Net Applications also showed a worrisome fragmentation of the Mac operating system market, with three older editions, including 2009's Snow Leopard, crowded around the 20% line, each accounting for between one-sixth and one-fourth of the user base.

The slowdown in Mavericks adoption last month was in contrast to the rapid uptake in November, when the free operating system upgrade vaulted from fourth place among the various editions to first.

At the end of November, 32% of all Macs tracked online by Net Applications were running OS X Mavericks, a 21-point increase over the month prior. In December, Mavericks gained just 5 percentage points, climbing to a 37% share.

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Windows 9 Will Not Be Free Like Apple’s Mac OS X?

fter all these years of Apple’s attempts to woo consumers to their OS, they still hover at ~5% market penetration. And that’s where they’ll stay if their hardware continues to be so extremely expensive, their ecosystem so proprietary, and their productivity applications so severely lacking.

Contrary to their advertisements, people do not primarily use their computers to take pictures and create art; they use it for money-making (read productivity) purposes. We all know the phrase “starving artists”. They may be strong in the Arts, catering well to the world’s artistes which no doubt is way more than 5%, but then why does Apple still only own 5% of the market? It’s because those people can “only afford” to buy inexpensive, practical Windows-based computers to ply their trade. Shocking isn’t it?

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Windows 8 vs Mac OSX – Best OS For Your Money?

Is Windows 8 Too Dumb?

I have had very limited experience with Windows 8, so I won’t use it in my comparison. For what it’s worth, Windows 8 made me feel real dumb. When asked to configure my email, I was hit with a giant full screen prompt with no discernible way of closing it. Alt+F4 didn’t close it; Escape didn´t either.

The Windows key didn’t bring me back to the Start screen: it just did nothing. I was later told that I was supposed to click on the top margin and “drag the window away” in order to close it, but how in the hell was I suppose to imagine that the white space was draggable? I don’t mind Metro aesthetically. The bright colors can be jarring at times, but overall it looks modern and uncluttered. But the UX is just horrible if I, a true power user by any standard, was unable to close a damn email setup prompt from the stock Mail app.

Back on topic now. You’ve posted a question that reads “Why is OSX better than Windows”; this is called confirmation bias. I wouldn’t assert that one is better than the other, and I don’t feel it’s a fair question but I will try to offer my opinion as to OSX’s strengths and weaknesses.

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AVG Protects Apple Mac Users by Expanding AntiVirus Software to the Mac OS

AVG Technologies recently announced the availability of AVG AntiVirus forApple's Mac OS. The new antivirus product will help protect users from viruses and malware while running the Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. The product is currently available as a free download from the AVG website and Apple's App Store. AVG's David Ferguson, general manager of consumer and mobile, said:

It's a popular belief that Mac computers are invincible. But, they never were -- it's just been a matter of OS X not reaching the popularity that Windows historically had. Thanks to the advent of iPhones and the iPad, the Mac platform has scaled exponentially, and that fact alone makes it a viable target for attackers.

The new AVG AntiVirus for Mac will offer users triple protection, meaning that the technology is capable of detecting malware associated with Mac, Windows, and Android platforms. This technology prevents users from transferring harmful malware from Mac computers to other Windows PCs or Android mobile devices.

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MetaTrader 4 Trading Platform for Mac OS Released

Huge demand by IFC clients made the company realize MetaTrader 4 for Mac OS. From now on the clients will enjoy the whole range of advantages of Forex and CFD trading on Apple Mac OS for free. This new trading platform will satisfy all those clients who use MacBook, iMac, and other Apple products. It is already possible to perform trading operations and technical analysis when trading currency pairs in Forex market and other financial instruments in CFD Market.

The main advantages of the MetaTrader 4 Mac are the possibility to perform full technical analysis, as there is a wide range of indicators and linear tools, and opportunity to create own indicators and scripts. In addition, it is possible to work with any number of opened windows with their separate settings and indicators, and, finally, to work on multilingual interface, which is very convenient. Those, who useautomated trading, will be satisfied as well, because on MetaTrader 4 Mac clients will be able to create their own trading experts and indicators.

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OS X Console Emulator 'OpenEmu 1.0' Launches

OpenEmu 1.0, an open source project designed to bring game emulation to OS X, has officially launched following a lengthy beta testing period. Though there are other emulator options for OS X, OpenEmu has been designed from the ground up for OS X.

For the first time, the ‘It just works’ philosophy now extends to open source video game emulation on the Mac. With OpenEmu, it is extremely easy to add, browse, organize and with a compatible gamepad, play those favorite games (ROMs) you already own.

OpenEmu is able to emulate the hardware of several different consoles, including several 16-bit systems like the Game Boy, GameBoy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, NeoGeo Pocket, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo, among others. 

The emulator features a native OS X interface with a design that mirrors iTunes, offering up ROMs in a unified card-style menu organized by system. OpenEmu includes full save state support, allowing multiple ROMs to be played at once, and it also provides OpenGL scaling, multithreaded playback, and gamepad support. 

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Ember for Mac OS X review

In one of his lectures, John Cleese said, “Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.” But for anyone who’s into art, creativity or even in marketing, it’s challenging to jumpstart a project unless one freely writes, scribbles, brainstorms, or simply paints to his or her heart’s content.

It’s because ideas have their ebb and flow—and to keep up with them, to organize everything systematically, and to make them more concrete and palatable—you need tools and methods.

Fortunately, Realmac’s Ember for Mac OS X does a pretty good job with this. It’s a must-have app for professionals and creative types who are into curating, organizing, collecting, and visualizing photos, designs, ideas and more.

Ember is a beautifully designed application for curating, collecting, and organizing ideas through photos and designs, allowing you to save files and categorize them according to collections, tags, and library. Whether it’s a photo taken from a screenshot, web, iPhone, or tablet, you can access it anytime and anywhere. It works well with iCloud syncing, too!

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How to Jailbreak iOS 7 / iPhone 5s with Evasi0n on Mac OS X

The evad3rs have done it again. This time, the evasi0n 7 release was a surprise, shocking many in the iOS jailbreak community. Officially, evasi0n 7 will jailbreak any iOS device untethered running iOS 7.0 through 7.0.4. Pre-release firmware iOS 7.1 beta1 and 7.1 beta2 are also supported.

For Mac users looking to jailbreak their iOS devices, OS X version 10.5 or later is required. While the list of iOS 7 compatible tweaks and apps might be limited at this time, the number is sure to grow in the coming weeks as developers work with the new jailbreak.

Without any further delay, here are instructions on how to jailbreak iOS 7 with evasi0n. Make sure to follow the initial setup steps to prevent problems while running the software.

For Windows jailbreak instructions click here.

1. First, backup your iOS device using iTunes and / or iCloud. The backup password in iTunes must be disabled. If you have forgotten your iTunes backup password, you can find instructions to disable the iTunes encryption password at this link.

2. Once the backup is complete, turn off the passcode lock on your iOS device.

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Is Apple about to end its support of OS X Snow Leopard?

On Monday, Apple sent out updates for Safari 6 and Safari 7. Those updates applied to OS X Lion, which was released in 2011, OS X Mountain Lion, which hit the light of day in 2012, and OS X Mavericks, which was released less than two months ago this year.

Interestingly though, the updates did not apply to OS X Snow Leopard, which was released in 2009. The update snub is a likely indication that Apple is about to cease its support for the operating system, which is roughly four years old at this point. The most current version of Safari for Snow Leopard is 5.1.10, which was last updated back in September.

However, as is the case with PC users and past versions of Windows including 7 and XP, a significant amount of Mac users are clinging to OS X Mountain Lion as well. As of last month, over 20 percent of all Macs were running Mountain Lion. Meanwhile, Mavericks was found on 32 percent of all machines running any versions of OS X.

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Quick guide: OS X Mavericks for Windows switchers

You're a Windows user and you're about to get your very first OS X Mac this Christmas. Now Apple's shipped new models you've taken the decision to buy. Here's a short guide to help Windows users get to grip with OS X Mavericks and their Mac.

Turn it on

You've started the Mac and entered all the information you get asked for the first time you launch. You've created an iCloud account, perhaps using the same account you use for iTunes. What do you do next? The first place to visit  is right here to explore Apple's clear guides -- and watch this video.

What happened to right click!

Many switchers take a little time getting to grips with mouse control. That's because on Mac/Mavericks you must press and hold the Ctrl key while you click in order to access commands or actions, while on Windows you simply right-click the mouse.

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Apple Seeds First OS X 10.9.2 Build to Developers [Update: Includes FaceTime Audio]

Apple today seeded the first test build of OS X 10.9.2 to registered Mac developers, just three days after the public release of OS X 10.9.1. The build, termed 13C32, is available to registered developers through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store as well as through the Mac Dev Center. 

Apple cites no known issues with the build and asks that developers focus their testing on the following areas: Mail, Messages, VPN, Graphics Drivers, and VoiceOver. 

There is no word yet on specific fixes and changes included in the update, and a public release target remains unknown. 

Update: OS X 10.9.2 adds FaceTime Audio to the Mac for the first time. FaceTime Audio was originally introduced to the iPhone in iOS 7. 

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FaceTime Audio coming to Mac OS X as Apple sets its iSights on Skype

Mac OS X 10.9.1 only broke out of Infinite Loop's software sanctuary this week, but Apple is already planning to release the next version of Mavericks into the wild.

Mavericks 10.9.2 has already been seeded to developers and brings with it a pretty notable addition in the form of FaceTime Audio integration within the native FaceTime and Messages apps.

It will allow users to make audio-only calls from the apps, for those times when only voice is necessary, or when users, you know, don't necessarily want to see the person they're calling.

The FaceTime Audio feature has been available to iOS 7

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MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Apple Should You Buy?

Few years back, choosing between the MacBook Pro and the MacBook air is not an arduous task. One was so powerful and packed with tons of speed and performance while the other is, albeit less powerful, makes up in being ultraportable which is quite great for the frequent travellers.

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Apple MacBook Air (2013)

MacBook Air is lighter however, not by much

The 13 inches MacBook Air weighs an impressive 3 lbs., but the 13 inches MacBook Pro with Retina display weighs just as close at 3.5 lbs.

MacBook Pro is a powerful device

The MacBook Pro is definitely not just for browsing the Web and checking emails. Although, the MacBook Air can handle light video editing and photo editing software, you need a more powerful device to handle heavier tasks - the MacBook Pro is the obvious choice in this category.

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FaceTime Audio Coming to Macs With Next OS X Update

The OS X 10.9.2 beta first distributed to developers this afternoon includes Apple'sFaceTime audio, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) feature that was originally introduced to the iPhone with iOS 7. With FaceTime audio on both iOS and OS X, Apple users will be able to seamlessly call one another from any device. 

FaceTime audio is designed to allow users to initiate voice-only calls with other FaceTime users without turning on the accompanying video feed. Currently, Macs running Mavericks only have access to the standard FaceTime app, which bundles both video and audio. 

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Maintaining a Boot Camp partition when upgrading the Mac OS

Reader Mapa is interested in upgrading to Mavericks but has a Boot Camp partition. The reader writes:

I am still running Mac OS X Snow Leopard on a 2009 MacBook Pro with a Boot Camp partition that contains Windows XP. Can I upgrade to a more recent version of the Mac OS without losing that partition?

In researching your questions I’ve seen reports of people having no problem at all—they download Mavericks, update their Macs, and their Boot Camp partition works as well as it ever has. Regrettably, I’ve also read reports from people who can no longer access their partitions.

As with any operation where you can risk losing data, it makes sense for you to have a backup. That way, should something go wrong, you can restore your data. In the case of a Boot Camp partition this isn’t possible with Time Machine. Apple’s backup technology doesn’t support backing up and restoring these partitions.

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