With little fanfare and few details, Valve Corporation said Friday it has ended SteamVR support for the Mac to concentrate its efforts on more financially viable platforms like Windows and Linux.
The news comes as recent surveys show the acceptance of the platform by macOS users below 5%.
1.5MB of empty space added to every photo. Photo: NeoFinder Blog
A strange bug uncovered in macOS can fill up your storage drives with a whole bunch of empty data. The issue is found inside the Image Capture app and surfaces when transferring HEIF photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac.
Portable Macs get the most attention in the new Catalina beta. Photo: Apple
Apple seeded the second beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to developers this morning, bringing with it a major change to the way MacBooks charge.
Several tech sites got an explainer from Apple on how the new Battery Health Management feature works. The tool is coming to every MacBook with a Thunderbolt 3 port — and it could be a godsend to your battery.
You've never seen an iPad Pro like this. Photo: Hacking Jules
Running OS X on a tablet was a pipe dream for many Apple fans long before the iPad came out. Now that the iPad Pro has a processor that can compete with desktop CPUs, that pipe dream is almost a reality.
YouTuber Jules Gerard managed to get Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 running on his new 2020 iPad Pro without jailbreaking the device. Jules turned to the UTM emulator to show off how fast the old Mac operating system can run on the iPad Pro. Everything works shockingly well, including the built-in apps and Microsoft Office.
Preview gives devs early access to advances in Safari web technologies. Photo: Apple
Developers received a new build of Apple’s Safari Technology Preview this morning. The experimental browser gives devs a sneak peek at upcoming web technologies for macOS and iOS.
Safari Technology Preview release 104 contains a huge number of bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements, and it’s available on both macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina.
Grab it now from the Mac App Store. Photo: Facebook
The all-new Facebook Messenger app for macOS made its official Mac App Store debut on Thursday at a perfect time for those working and interacting more from home.
Messenger for the desktop first appeared in early March, almost a year after Facebook announced it at its F8 conference, but was then on offer in only a handful of countries. It is now open to all — and free to download.
Everything you need to know about WWDC 2020 will be found in this app. Photo: Apple
Apple is gearing up for its first-ever digital-only Worldwide Developers Conference in June with a fresh update to the Apple Developer app.
Formerly called the WWDC app, the Apple Developer app is the one-stop-shop for all the in-depth information developers need on iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and all the other Apple platforms. Today’s big update adds some key new features that will make it easier and faster for developers to digest all the new info that comes out of WWDC 2020.
It’s now possible for developers to make their apps available as a universal purchase. Apple enabled the change on Monday, paving the way for macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps to be bundled as one.
Apple is not forcing developers to use universal purchases. It does hope, however, that the move will promote the use of Catalyst for porting iPad apps over to Mac.
Mobile device management is a crucial element of IT security. Image: Hexnode
This top 5 Apple MDM platforms post is presented by Hexnode.
With the surge in recent years of employees working via smartphones, tablets and laptops from all over the place, it’s no surprise mobile device management, aka MDM, has become a crucial tool for organizations large and small. Then add in the near-ubiquity of cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps, plus companies letting employees use their own devices (BYOD). It all equals MDM becoming an unavoidable part of IT security. Ignore it at your own risk.
Exciting news for full-time iPad users. Photo: Apple
Apple is planning huge improvements to mouse support on iPhone and iPad for its iOS 14 update, a new report claims.
It is believed users will see more traditional cursor options — like those you’re used to seeing on desktops. Apple is also expected to add new gestures that will work alongside a new Smart Keyboard with built-in trackpad.
Nvidia's big advantage will soon disappear. Photo: AMD
AMD’s next-generation graphics cards could bring ray tracing capabilities to Mac.
The company’s new Navi 2X architecture, coming later this year, will be the first to catch up with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX cards in the ray tracing department. It also promises 3D audio, faster load times, and “a new generation of games.”
When you start up a Mac, it goes “bong,” and that’s the way the world should be. Unless, that is, you bought a Mac in 2016 or later, when Apple removed the Mac startup chime. These days, a Mac starts up silently, with only a whisper of fan noise (or the din of a whirring, clicking hard drive on an iMac) to let you know something is happening.
But what if you miss the good old Mac startup chime? Or — if you’re new to Macs — you just fancy a bit of retro charm? Today we’ll see how to bring back the bong.
Soon you'll be able to sing along to Drake on your Mac, too. Photo: Apple
Apple Music’s lyric visualizer has arrived on Mac with the second beta release of macOS 10.15.4 Wednesday.
The feature, which gives users scrolling, karaoke-style song lyrics, was introduced as a much-lauded feature with iOS 13. Now Apple is porting it bringing it to macOS users as well.
And it's still in preview for now. Photo: @imbushuo
Microsoft is working hard on a new version of Windows that promises to be faster, more efficient, and more secure. Windows 10X is available only in preview form for now, and it already runs surprisingly well on a MacBook.
One developer installed an early version of the software on an Apple machine, and it is proving to be “very smooth” so far.
Swift Playgrounds' coding lessons are now on Mac. Photo: Apple
Apple’s educational coding app, Swift Playgrounds, has finally made its way to the Mac.
After landing on the iPad in 2016, Apple has created a Catalyst version of Swift Playgrounds for Mac, making it easier for anyone to dive into the interactive lessons, no matter which platform you prefer most.
The modern iMac is a stunner... and last on our list. Photo: Apple
Could Apple be preparing to make a surprise switch to AMD processors in a future Mac? References to a number of new AMD microprocessors have been spotted in the latest macOS 10.15.4 beta, which rolled out to developers Wednesday.
The clues hidden in Mac code suggest Apple’s lengthy relationship with Intel could be on the rocks.
BioShock Infinite looks gorgeous on a MacBook Pro. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Nvidia GeForce Now is ready to stream the latest PC games to your Mac. It sells us a dream that sounds too good to be true, a future that macOS fans gave up wishing for a long time ago. And most importantly, it actually delivers it.
I’ve been playing games on GeForce Now for several days (I love my job!) so that I can tell you whether it’s worth your hard-earned cash. And although I’ve run into a few teething troubles that I can’t ignore, I’ve been blown away by what it can do.
Universal Purchases are coming soon to iOS and Mac apps. Photo: Apple
Apple is laying the groundwork to make it easier for developers to distribute their apps across all of Apple’s platforms.
Included in Wednesday’s big batch of beta updates, Apple introduced a new option in Xcode 11.4 beta 1 for developers to build and test apps using a single bundle ID. Starting in March, iPhone users will be able to download an app via the iOS App Store and then (if the developer supports it) download it on other Apple platforms with ease.
This simple change might seem like an obvious added convenience for users, but it also sets up the App Store for some colossal changes over the next few years. It will force Apple developers to make some big decisions about their businesses.
Temtem is the closest you'll get to a Pokémon game built for PC. Photo: Crema
Sorry, Pokémon fans, but hot new role-playing game Temtem isn’t coming to your Apple devices.
Publisher Humble Bundle today confirmed to Cult of Mac that there are currently no plans to bring the online creature-catching title to macOS. And it’s not looking good for iPhone and iPad, either.
It offers more detail and Apple's answer to Street View. Photo: Apple
Apple today rolled out its major Maps redesign to all users in the United States. It packs big improvements, including better road and pedestrian data, more precise addresses, and more detailed land coverage. It also offers Look Around, Apple’s answer to Google Maps’ Street View, in select locations.
Screen Time has become an important tool for parents. Photo: Apple
Apple just dumped a truckload of new software updates on customers this morning, including the crucial iOS 13.3.1 update that brings an important fix to Screen Time.
Along with iOS 13.3.1, Apple also released macOS 10.15.3, tvOS 13.3.1, and watchOS 6.1.2. All four of the new updates are fairly minor and mostly focus on under-the-hood improvements.
The Shlayer Trojan hides in fake Flash update pages like this. Photo: Kaspersky
A dangerous piece of Mac malware that hides as a fake Flash warning is a growing security threat to Mac users with one in 10 Macs infected, according to the security firm, Kaspersky.
The Shlayer Trojan has been active since early 2018 and so far it shows no signs of going away quietly. Shlayer has had an enormous amount of success attacking Macs, even though it’s a rather normal piece of malware.
A reminder macOS is no good for gaming. Photo: Psyonix
Rocket League developer Psyonix today confirmed it will drop support for macOS (and Linux) in March.
Players will need to switch platforms to continue enjoying the game — or play without its beloved online multiplayer. The move could be a blow to Apple’s rumored plan to enter the desktop gaming market.
Apple fan creates a Frankenstein’s monster of every macOS wallpaper combined. Photo: J3nRa1n/Apple
Ever wondered what it would look like if you combined every default macOS wallpaper, since Apple switched to OS X, into one single image? No? Well, one Apple super fan has done it anyway.
And the results look kind of like a trippy progressive rock/heavy metal album cover.
A big MacBook Pro refresh and a long-awaited Mac Pro overhaul couldn’t prevent Apple computer shipments from suffering another decline in 2019, according to new data.
Both IDC and Gartner say Mac shipments fell during the final quarter of 2019, and for 2019 as a whole. That’s despite decent growth for PCs, which enjoyed the highest single-quarter shipment volume in four years during Q4.