OS X Mountain Lion - page 2

Track Notes On Your iPhone And Mountain Lion Mac Via iCloud [OS X Tips]

By

Stickies are still cool, but Notes synced via iCloud may actually be more functional.
Stickies are still cool, but Notes synced via iCloud may actually be more functional.

I have to admit, I’ve been a big fan of the Stickies app that Apple has included with its operating system since way back in System 7.5. It’s fantastic to be able to have a little floating place to type notes and keep track of things right on the Mac, without having to resort to anything as mundane as an actual sticky note.

The one thing Stickies hasn’t had was a good way to access those notes when away from the computer. With OS X Mountain Lion, however, you can make this happen using Notes and iCloud.

Public Release Of Mountain Lion 10.8.1 Draws Near With New Developer Beta

By

Many of Mountain Lion's new features are perfect for businesses, schools, and enterprises.
Many of Mountain Lion's new features are perfect for businesses, schools, and enterprises.

Apple has seeded yet another OS X 10.8.1 developer beta today (build 12B17). The update contains no known issues, and developers are still asked to focus on specific areas like Active Directory, iCal, and Microsoft Exchange in Mail.

The first 10.8.1 developer beta was released one week ago, and this second minor update indicates that the public release is right around the corner.

Apple released OS X Mountain Lion to the public on July 25th, 2012 for $20 in the Mac App Store. The first 10.x.x update to a major OS X release usually comes with many bug and compatibility fixes that were discovered in the first release. Expect it to drop soon.

Bring Activity Window Functions Back To Mountain Lion – Sort Of (OS X Tips)

By

SafariMediaFiles

Reader Chris M asked us yesterday about finding a way to see the source media files in Safari now that the Activity Window has been retired in OS X Mountain Lion. He writes:

A while back you showed a great feature. If you were using Safari watching a video, you could go to WINDOW—-ACTIVITY—and it would show everything on the website and you could Option click on the video file and automatically download it. That feature went away in Mountain Lion. Will you PLEASE write an article and show if there is any way to access this feature any more.

You’re in luck, Chris, as we found just the thing. It’s not quite a full “bringing sexy back” fix, but it should serve the purpose you used the Activity Window for – finding media files in web pages.

Microsoft Has No Plans To Update Office 2011 For Retina Display Macs

By

Photo: Microsoft
Users say this looks "crap" and "very fuzzy" on the Retina MacBook Pro.

Microsoft Office 2011 looks awful on the new MacBook Pro’s Retina display. But unfortunately for its customers, it seems Microsoft has no plans to add high-resolution graphics. While Outlook 2011 does have Retina graphics, the company has confirmed that the rest of the suite will have “the same viewing quality as on any non-Retina device.”

Apple Releases First Beta Of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 To Developers

By

A sleeker, faster cat.
A sleeker, faster cat.

We told you earlier this week that Apple was preparing to release its first beta build of OS X 10.8.1 to developers, and the 10.8.1 beta has now been seeded for registered developers in the Mac Dev Center. Apple hasn’t noted any known issues or added features, and developers are asked to focus on compatibility with Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange in Mail, PAC proxies in Safari, SMB, USB, and Wi-Fi and audio when connected to Thunderbolt display.

This new version (build 12B13) is the first developer beta to be made available after Mountain Lion’s public release in the Mac App Store last month. Apple should be pushing out 10.8.1 as an official update for non-devs in the coming weeks. The current shipping version of Mountain Lion is 10.8.

CandyBar From Panic Gets Mountain Lion Support, Goes Free Due To Uncertain Future

By

CandyBar is now free, but its days may be numbered.
CandyBar for Mac is now free, but its days may be numbered.

Panic’s terrific CandyBar tool has just been updated to support OS X Mountain Lion, and if you don’t already own it, you can now pick it up for free. Panic will no longer be charging for the app because of the new restrictions Apple has introduced to Mac OS X, which means CandyBar’s future is now unclear.

Apple’s Is Working On Deeper iTunes Integration With Twitter [Report]

By

Screen Shot 2012-08-01 at 4.40.59 PM

The New York Times recently said that Apple was considering a multi-million dollar investment in Twitter. The report was then refuted by other publications, including The Wall Street Journal. According to the WSJ, Apple’s investment talks with Twitter were more than a year old. It seemed odd that Apple, a company known for rarely buying (much less investing in) other companies, would pump so much money in a financially-healthy startup like Twitter.

In a new report today, The Wall Street Journal sheds more light on Apple’s relationship with Twitter, highlighting that the two companies have been focusing on how to tie Twitter into Apple’s OS X and iOS platforms. Interestingly, Apple is currently working to add deeper iTunes integration with Twitter.

Create A PC Hackintosh Running OS X Mountain Lion With The New UniBeast Tool

By

unibeast_mtnlion

OS X is designed to run seamlessly on Mac hardware, but did you know that you can actually install Apple’s desktop operating system on a Windows PC and make what’s called a “Hackintosh?” Apple released OS X Mountain Lion in the Mac App Store last week, and it has already been downloaded 3 million times. But if you’re stuck with a PC, you can’t taste the forbidden fruits… until now. UniBeast, the tool used for creating a Hackintosh, has been updated with support for Mountain Lion.

Hackintoshing is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re up to the challenge, it’s possible to get Mountain Lion up and running on your PC.

Apple Brings Power Nap To Retina MacBook Pro With New Update

By

Screen Shot 2012-07-27 at 6.36.22 PM

One of the new features in OS X Mountain Lion is called Power Nap. Touted as a tool that get things done while your Mac is sleeping, Power Nap enables a Mac running Mountain Lion to download email, sync with iCloud, check for system updates, etc. while in sleep mode. There is a big caveat, however. Power Nap will only run on Macs with an internal solid-state hard drive (SSD).

During the developer beta phase of Mountain Lion and continuing into its public release stage, it was noticed that certain compatible Macs didn’t have Power Nap installed by default on the final release of Mountain Lion. Apple has since issued a firmware update to bring Power Nap to the MacBook Air, and now a new update today has been issued for the new MacBook Pro with Retina display.

Mountain Lion’s Power Nap Feature Brought To MacBook Air With New Firmware Update

By

Apple unveiled Power Nap in Mountain Lion during the WWDC conference in June.
Apple unveiled Power Nap in Mountain Lion during the WWDC conference in June.

Can’t find Mountain Lion’s Power Nap feature anywhere on your MacBook Air? Apple has issued a new firmware update to bring the feature to 2011-2012 models. In case you didn’t know, Power Nap is a system management feature in Mountain Lion that silently fetches your emails, iCloud data, software updates, etc. while your Mac sleeps. For Power Nap to work, your Mac must be connected to a power source. The Mountain Lion feature works only on Macs with an internal SSD drive, like the MacBook Air and mid-2012 MacBook Pro models.

Power Nap doesn’t seem to be included on all Macs running the newly-released Mountain Lion OS, but this new firmware update should restore any issues for MacBook Air users.

Yes, Microsoft’s Office 2011 Is Compatible With OS X Mountain Lion

By

Photo: Microsoft
Photo: Microsoft

If you’re worried about Microsoft’s 2011 Office Suite not working with Apple’s latest jungle cat, don’t sweat it. The guys and gals in Redmond have confirmed that both the 2011 and 2008 versions of Office are indeed fully compatible with the newly-released OS X Mountain Lion.

Microsoft wants its users to make sure Office for Mac’s AutoUpdate is enabled “to make the most of the upgrade to Mountain Lion” with future updates. Mountain Lion’s Gatekeeper security means that you’ll need to use Microsoft’s AutoUpdate tool to keep Office for Mac current. 

Turn On Notification Center’s Hidden Do Not Disturb Setting In Mountain Lion [OS X Tips]

By

Keep your notifications under control with this handy tip.
Keep your notifications under control with this handy tip.

As you probably know already, Mountain Lion was released this morning, and we at Cult of Mac have been digging through the beta versions for months. There are some subtle and hidden things in Mountain Lion you may not notice, like the fact that Apple has actually included a stealthy “do not disturb” setting for Notification Center. You can mute all notifications from bugging you for a day at a time by flipping a switch that sneakily sits at the very top of the Notification Center window.

Mountain Lion Updates Time Machine With Better Multi-Disk Backup Support

By

Time Machine

Time Machine, Apple’s amazingly simple backup solution, debuted in Mac OS X 10 Leopard and changed the way a lot of us kept our Macs backed up. No longer were we tied to complex software like Retrospect, or easily forgotten manual backup systems. Time Machine made backing up our Macs easy and automatic. Even more importantly, it just worked.

Flash forward to today’s release of Mountain Lion, and Apple has quietly added a feature many of us have been wishing for, whether we knew it or not – multi-disk backups. One of the best practices in data backup plans is to create more than one backup, and then take one of them off site (if at a business, say) for safekeeping. At home, having more than one cheap, capacious hard drive to backup to is added peace of mind, considering how often those cheap, capacious drives can fail.

How To Make A Bootable Disk Or USB Drive Of OS X Mountain Lion

By

Screen Shot 2012-07-25 at 12.05.21 PM

Apple only sells OS X Mountain Lion as a digital download in the Mac App Store. The installer weighs in at a hefty 4.05GB, but the good news is that you can install your copy of Mountain Lion on all of your Macs for no extra charge. Technically, the Mountain Lion installer can be used on an infinite number of Macs once you have it; you just need to make a bootable disk or drive.

See, the Mountain Lion installer is set to self-destruct once it’s used. When your Mac reboots running Mountain Lion, the installer will be gone and you’ll have to re-download it if you want to use it again. Another reason to create a bootable copy of Mountain Lion is if you want to do a clean install. Apple’s installer will keep your files and personal setup intact while installing Mountain Lion, but a bootable disk will allow you to erase your Mac and start completely anew.

The good news is that creating a bootable disk or USB drive of Mountain Lion is pretty simple.

10 Killer Features To Check Out First In Mountain Lion [Feature]

By

Mountain Lion could revolutionize Mac management
Mountain Lion could revolutionize Mac management

Now that Apple has released OS X Mountain Lion into the wild, millions of Mac users have a shiny new operating system to play with. If you haven’t been closely following our Mountain Lion coverage over the past several months, you may not know some of the marquee features Apple has added in its latest Mac OS.

But you’re in luck! Whether you just need a Mountain Lion refresher or you’re getting a glimpse of it for the first time, we’ve got 10 killer features for you to check out first.

Apple Tech Support Acknowledges Issue With Mountain Lion Download Codes, Fix Coming Later Today

By

It's free, but you'll have to wait for it if you're in the up-to-date program.
Free to eligible customers, but you'll have to wait for it.

Several readers have contacted Cult of Mac to report that Apple is issuing them used redemption codes for OS X Mountain Lion through the free up-to-date program. The Cupertino company’s customer support line has acknowledged the issue, and promises a fix is coming later today.

How To Install Mountain Lion On Your Mac The Right Way [Feature]

By

OS-X-10-8-Mountain-Lion-System-Requirements

Apple’s latest jungle cat is called Mountain Lion, and the new version of OS X is available as a $20 purchase in the Mac App Store. If you’ve updated to a new version of OS X before, you know that getting everything in order isn’t always as easy as Apple makes it out to be. In this how-to guide, Cult of Mac will show you how to get your Mac ready to install OS X Mountain Lion the right way.

Apple Releases Safari 6 For OS X Lion

By

A little treat for those sticking to OS X Lion.
A little treat for those sticking to OS X Lion.

If you’ve decided to wait for OS X Mountain Lion until all of your apps are compatible, don’t think Apple has forgotten all about you already. The Cupertino company has just released Safari 6 for OS X Lion, which introduces a number of new features, including the smart search field, an offline Reading List, and more.

iPhoto Gets Mountain Lion Compatibility With Messages & Twitter Sharing

By

iPhoto's latest update brings new sharing options for those running Mountain Lion.
iPhoto's latest update brings new sharing options for those running Mountain Lion.

Following the release of OS X Mountain Lion this morning, it seems Apple is also pushing out updates to its applications to ensure they’re compatible, and to take advantage of new features. One of the apps on that list is iPhoto, which now has new sharing options in version 9.3.2.