Got an old Mac that badly needs a software update? Apple finally dropped the $19.99 fee for Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion, allowing users to download them for free for the first time.
Apple Releases Supplemental Update To OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 With Bug Fixes
Today Apple released a supplemental update to OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.5. The update is available now in the Mac App Store and addresses a number of issues, including a bug that keeps the FaceTime HD camera on the 2013 MacBook Airs from working.
Here’s the full list of changes:
Find The Directory Path Of Documents (Or Rename Them) With Proxy Icons [OS X Tips]
The OS X Finder is an amazing thing, letting you create folder within folder, duplicate files, find your documents, and generally get stuff done. More and more, the Finder features are being integrated across all apps and documents on your Mac.
Case in point is the ability to find the directory path of a document from the document’s title bar, as well as being able to (since Mountain Lion, anyway) rename your documents in the title bar as well. All of this is thanks to the proxy icon, which Apple defines as: “An icon in the title bar of a document window that users can manipulate as if they were manipulating the corresponding file-system object.”
Here’s how to use them on your Mac.
Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 With Bug Fixes
Today Apple released version 10.8.5 of Mountain Lion in the Mac App Store. The update brings multiple bug fixes, including one for Mail app randomly not displaying emails.
10.8.5 has been in beta testing alongside OS X Mavericks over the summer, and today’s update will likely be one of, if not the, last Mountain Lion update before Mavericks is released later next month.
Here’s the full change log for OS X 10.8.5:
Apple Seeds Three New Downloads To Developers
Apple just sent out an email to developers, notifying them that three new downloads are now available: OS X Server Preview 7 for OS X Mavericks, OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5, and Windows Migration Assistant.
Apple Seeds OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 Beta Build 12F17 To Developers
Apple released the third beta of OS X 10.8.5 (build 12F17) to developers today. In the seed note Apple asks developers to focus on Wi-Fi, Graphics, Wake from Sleep, PDF viewing, and Mobile Device Management.
Given the planned release of OS X Mavericks this fall, 10.8.5 could very well end up being the last major version of Mountain Lion before Mavericks ships to the public. A developer beta of Mavericks was made available to developers the week of WWDC.
Source: Apple
OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 Beta Released To Developers
Apple has given developers access to the first beta of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5. Given the planned release of OS X Mavericks this fall, 10.8.5 could very well end up being the last major version of Mountain Lion before Mavericks ships to the public. A developer beta of Mavericks was made available to developers the week of WWDC.
OS X 10.8.4 was officially released on June 4th and it brought a bunch of bug fixes. 10.8.5 will likely focus on bugs fixes and compatibility issues as well.
Source: Apple
Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 Beta To Developers
Apple has released the first beta of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 to third-party developers. “Please be aware that you will not be able to revert back to your previous system after updating,” warns Apple. “Please install this update on a system you are prepared to erase if necessary.”
The seed’s release notes don’t contain anything significant, but devs will surely find new stuff once they get to digging through the OS. 10.8.3 was released to the public a couple weeks ago after going through 13 beta revisions over a period of nearly 5 months.
It was February of last year when Apple unveiled Mountain Lion as the successor to Lion. Bets are on for what cat the next major OS X release will be named after.
Source: Apple
2009 iMac Users Still Complaining Of Kernel Panic, Unresolved Since Snow Leopard
Some users of early 2009 iMacs who have upgraded to OS X Snow Leopard or higher are still reporting issues with a kernel issue that seems to be due to the Nvidia GeForce GT 130 graphics card that came with the machine, with nary a response from Apple proper. There’s a thread on Apple’s support discussion pages that is now around a year old that mentions the problem. According to the posters there, there was a faulty kernel extension released in one of the later Snow Leopard updates that can cause graphics glitches and even kernel panics when there’s a heavy load on the video card, like when playing games. Apple has not yet responded in the official forums.
Get Rid Of Open With… Right-Click Menu Duplicates [OS X Tips]
Tired of right-clicking (control-click or two-finger click on trackpads) on a file and seeing a ton of duplicates in the Open With… contextual menu pop up? Not only is it aesthetically annoying, it takes up valuable real estate on smaller screens, and makes you move your mouse cursor more than you should, which could lead to repetitive-stress injuries. Or, you know, a tired finger or three.
Anyway, if you want to get rid of those duplicates, try the following.
See The Number Of Completed Tasks In Reminders [OS X Tips]
Here’s a fun little extra for those of you that use the Reminders app on OS X.
Sometimes you just like to feel a bit more accomplished, a bit more successful at your day. One of the cool things about keeping a list of things you need to remember to do is actually checking them off as you do so. Heck, on a particularly frustrating day, you might want to know how many things you’ve actually completed, right?
Using the Reminders app, this is fairly simple to do.
Apple Releases Its Seventh OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 Beta To Developers
Apple has issued a new developer beta of OS X 10.8.3. The update comes after a long line of betas for the next version of Mountain Lion, and today marks Apple’s seventh release to devs.
Another beta build was seeded last Tuesday with no major changes, and today’s update looks relatively minor as well. Apple always asks dev to focus on testing with certain aspects of OS X, and today’s beta is mainly focused on WiFi issues. (Apple is rumored to incorporate faster 802.11ac wireless into future Macs, coincidentally.)
The newest version of Mountain Lion should be available to the public any day now. We’ll be staying on the lookout for 10.8.3 to drop.
Source: Apple
How To Reset A Lost User Password In Lion Or Mountain Lion [OS X Tips]
I ran across an issue yesterday in trying to support a Macbook Pro at work. We wanted to reformat the Macbook to a clean system install, but we had no system disk for the computer (it was lost in the move to our new offices), and we didn’t know the admin password for the Mac. I thought we were out of luck, until I ran across a solution in Apple’s discussion forums that showed me how to reset the admin password without a system disk. I figured I’d share this process here, hoping it helps some of you out.
Apple Drops Another OS X 10.8.3 Seed To Developers
Apple has released yet another seed for OS X 10.8.3 today, Build 12D50, to developers in the Mac Dev Center. This is the fourth seed since the original 10.8.3 beta back in November.
Postpone Sleep For Your OS X Mountain Lion Mac Using This Free App [OS X Tips]
Remember that tip, way back in 2012, where we showed you how to use the “caffeinate” command in the Terminal to prevent your Mac from sleeping for a specified amount of time? Well, it’s a new year, and with that comes a new way to keep your Mac from sleeping.
Sleep No More is a free app for your Mac that allows you to set a specific duration to postpone your Mac’s regularly scheduled sleep time. It’s a simple, graphical way to make this happen, without all that Terminal stuff, as it’s a nice little menu bar app.
Apple Releases Another OS X 10.8.3 Beta To Developers Before The Holidays
Today Apple seeded a new beta of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 to developers in the Mac Dev Center. The build number is “12D43” and the release contains no known issues.
This is the third 10.8.3 beta to be released after the original was seeded back in November. It was previously discovered that OS X 10.8.3 hints at the faster AMD Radeon 7000 chip making its way to the rumored Mac Pro refresh in 2013.
Apple released OS X 10.8.2 to the public back in September with Facebook integration, Game Center, and some other new features. This third 10.8.3 beta comes out just before Apple shuts down iTunes Connect for the holidays this Friday.
Pocket’s Native Mac App Gets Twitter & Facebook Support, New Keyboard Shortcuts, More
Pocket brought us a terrific Mac app back in October, and just over a month on, it’s already back with a new update. This one introduces a nice stack of new features, including native Twitter and Facebook support for those running OS X Mountain Lion, new keyboard shortcuts, better Evernote sharing, and more.
Apple Issues Second Mountain Lion 10.8.2 Supplemental Update To Address Password Bug On New Macs
Apple today released its second supplemental update to OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2. Supplemental Update 2.0 addresses a bug in OS X’s Keychain, the database that stores saved passwords and logins.
We received a couple tips yesterday about 2012 Macs being unable to update to 10.8.2 due to a password-related bug. It appears that today’s update resolves that issue.
“This update addresses an issue with Keychain that can affect 2012 Mac systems,” according to Apple. If you bought a new Mac this year, then grab this 27MB update now in the Mac App Store.
Source: Apple
Use Messages To Chat On All Your Favorite IM Services [OS X Tips]
With Mountain Lion came Messages, Apple’s new version of iChat. The killer feature, of course, is that you can talk to folks on iOS or OS X right from your Mac, over the internet, without incurring SMS fees for those using an iOS device. I like it because I can chat with friends who are “texting” me during the day, but I don’t have to type on the smaller iPhone keyboard to do so.
But what about all those other IM services out there? Well, Messages supports AIM, Jabber, Google Talk, and Yahoo! messaging services, so you can run all your messages through the one app. It’s super easy to do, too.
Use Safari 6 In OS X Mountain Lion The Right Way [Feature]
Safari 6 came out just before Mountain Lion did, and it’s bundled with Apple’s latest operating system. For many Mac users, Safari is the end of the line when it comes to web browsing, as well as a super fast modern, accessible web browser for the rest of us.
We took a look at several new features of this latest iteration of Safari, including security tips and tricks, as well as how to use Reading Lists and sync tabs from your Mac to your iOS devices, and vice versa.
Apple Releases Mountain Lion 10.8.2 And Lion 10.7.5 Supplemental Updates
Apple has quietly released two supplemental updates for OS X Mountain Lion and Lion today. The first supplemental update for OS X 10.8.2 is available now in the Mac App Store, and a similar update to 10.7.5 has also been made available. Both updates contain small bug fixes.
Apple Seeds New Mountain Lion Developer Build With Facebook Baked In, Power Nap For 2010 MacBook Air, And More
On the eve of its big iPhone 5 event, Apple has seeded a new version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 to registered developers in the Mac Dev Center. This marks the fourth beta update of 10.8.2 to be released in less than a month, indicating that a public release is imminent.
Unlike the last couple minor version of the 10.8.2 beta, today’s 12C50 update packs several new additions and improvements. Namely, Facebook integration has been fully baked into OS X itself, meaning that everyone should have access to Facebook in Mountain Lion when 10.8.2 drops.
Mountain Lion’s Facebook Integration Fast Approaching As Apple Seeds Second Beta In 7 Days
Apple seeded another new OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 build to registered developers through the Apple Dev Center. This one, with build number 12C35, comes just one week after the last build, suggesting Apple is moving quickly to bring this update to the public. Of course, this is the update that will bring Facebook integration to the Mac.
Apple Seeds Another OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 Build To Testers
Apple has seeded a new OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 build (12C35) to participants in its AppleSeed program, continuing its testing of Facebook integration. Though it states that there are no known issues with this update, the Cupertino company is also asking users to focus on Messages, Game Center, Safari, and Reminders.
Developer Confirms OS X 10.8.1 Update Significantly Improves MacBook Battery Life
When Apple released OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) back in July, one of the few things users complained about was its impact on MacBook battery life. The software seemingly contains a frustrating bug that causes some of Apple’s notebooks to lose around 38% of their normal charge.
Apple has been working on a fix that will be distributed with the OS X 10.8.1 update. And according to one registered developer who’s currently testing the beta, it significantly improves battery life by adding up to four hours.