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Big Sur

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Big Sur:

macOS 11.4 fixes flaw that allows attackers to snap secret screenshots

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macOS 11.4 malware flaw
Update ASAP if you haven't already.
Photo: Jamf

Apple’s newest macOS update fixes a zero-day vulnerability that could give attackers the ability to take secret screenshots and more. The flaw takes advantage of privacy permissions granted to apps like Zoom.

It is recommended you update to macOS 11.4 as soon as possible if you haven’t already.

macOS Big Sur 11.3 reaches out to gamers, offers new screen saver, other tweaks

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macOS 11.1 beta 1 was seeded to developers on November 17.
macOS Big Sur 11.3 is ready to be downloaded. It improves Safari and Reminders, and includes many new options for game controllers.
Photo: Cult of Mac

macOS Big Sur 11 was apparently such a significant update that Apple doesn’t have much to add in follow ups. Version 11.3 launched Tuesday bringing a collection of tweaks but not big changes.

macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 fixes pesky MacBook Pro charging bug

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macOS Big Sur public release ushers in huge design changes
Put macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 on your older MacBook Pro if it’s been having charging problems.
Photo: Apple

Apple introduced macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 to the public on Tuesday, taking care of a bug that prevented some MacBook Pro models from charging.

The update also removes security problems. Plus, Apple also released updates for macOS Catalina and Mojave to remove the same security bugs.

How to avoid M1 Mac’s dreaded screensaver bug

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Avoid M1 Mac's screensaver bug
Fast User Switching seems to be the problem.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

A strange bug plaguing a seemingly large number of M1 Mac owners spontaneously displays a screensaver that cannot be dismissed. But there is an easy way to avoid the problem until Apple rolls out a proper fix.

We’ll show you how.

No, Apple Gatekeeper isn’t tracking every Mac app you open

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Apple Gatekeeper isn’t actually dressed in steel armor.
Apple Gatekeeper protects Mac users — it doesn’t spy on them.
Photo: PhotoMIX/Pexels CC

Apple promises it isn’t spying on Mac users to find out which applications they are using. The company was forced to make this clear after a server glitch caused users to realize that Gatekeeper in macOS sends a message to Apple whenever they open an application.

macOS Big Sur does not pave the way for a touchscreen Mac

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macOS Big Sur offers a lot, but not a touchscreen Mac.
macOS Big Sur isn’t the first step toward a touchscreen Mac.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s head of software development threw cold water on speculation that macOS Big Sur was designed with a touchscreen Mac in mind.

Instead, Craig Federighi says the latest Mac operating system is more similar to iOS and iPadOS so it’s easier for users to switch between an Apple laptop, phone or tablet. Designers weren’t thinking about a touch-based Mac.

Apple fixes frustrating delays in macOS Big Sur downloads [Update: Maybe not!]

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Get your macOS Big Sur download now.
Here’s why you couldn’t download macOS Big Sur earlier.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Anyone who struggled to download the just-released macOS Big Sur might not be surprised to learn that Apple’s backend systems experienced major problems Thursday. By early afternoon, Apple said it fixed the problem. However, glitches lingered, as Apple admitted late in the afternoon.

“At present, you may see this error message appear when attempting to download macOS Big Sur,” Apple Support said on Twitter. “Apple is aware of this behavior and is currently investigating. Try waiting a while and attempting the download again.”

macOS Big Sur takes a big step toward release [Updated]

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macOS Big Sur on a MacBook Pro
All the new features of macOS Big Sur might be just days away.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded a final version of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 to developers on Thursday, Nov. 5. This is the last step before introducing it to the general public.

The wait probably won‘t be much longer — it’s widely expected that Big Sur will finally reach customer’s Macs after Apple’s “One More Thing” event.

Update: Apple seeded a second macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 Release Candidate to developers on November 10. And it announced the public launch will be Thursday, November 12.

macOS Big Sur gets support for 4K YouTube videos in latest beta [Updated]

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YouTube in Safari on iMac Pro
YouTube videos can look a lot better thanks to macOS Big Sur Beta 4.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple released the public beta of macOS Big Sur beta 4 Thursday, and the hottest new feature is very high-resolution YouTube videos. Once Mac users get their hands on the OS upgrade this autumn, they’ll be able to stream video from this service in 4K.

Trio takes to the sky to re-create macOS Big Sur’s soaring wallpaper

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It took a helicopter and some luck to re-create the macOS Big Sur wallpaper.
Scratch out the names and you might be hard-pressed to tell which is Apple’s and which is a re-creation of the macOS Big Sur wallpaper.
Photo: Andrew Levitt

Andrew Levitt and friends went to new heights to re-create Apple’s gorgeous wallpaper for macOS Big Sur. It’s not the first time they followed in Apple’s footsteps to capture pictures that mirror Mac wallpaper, but they had to hop in a helicopter to get this latest photo.

Levitt filmed a video showing everything it took to get an exact shot of the rugged California cost. Watch it now: