Apple pulling the plug on Messages beta for OS X Lion on December 14th

DNP Apple reportedly pulling the plug on Messages beta for OS X Lion on December 14th 2012

Apple is notifying OS X Lion users that the platform's preview of Messages will end on December 14th. Originally available as a free beta download for Lion 10.7, Messages went on to become an official feature of Mountain Lion 10.8. Obtained by Cult of Mac, the email from Apple advises that in order to continue using Messages, you'll need to upgrade to Mountain Lion. While it's saddening to have pay for an app that you're accustomed to having for free, keep in mind that this was only a preview. Besides, the upgrade to Mountain Lion is $20 and if you can afford any of Apple's products, we're pretty sure that this expense won't be too much of a stretch. Be sure to take a look at the email in question after the break, because it could be lurking somewhere in your junk mail folder.

Continue reading Apple pulling the plug on Messages beta for OS X Lion on December 14th

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Apple pulling the plug on Messages beta for OS X Lion on December 14th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OS X Lion hits 10.7.5 with most recent update, brings improved security with Gatekeeper

OS X Lion hits 10.7.5 with most recent update, brings improved security with Gatekeeper

While the latest software for OS X Lion isn't nearly as exciting as a couple of other updates that Apple released today, Lion users will find a few worthwhile improvements within the new OS X 10.7.5 update. Most importantly, the latest software introduces Gatekeeper, a security feature from Mountain Lion that makes it more difficult to inadvertently install malicious software. The update also brings improved WiFi reliability for the iMac (late 2009 and newer) and squashes a bug that'd caused Launchpad icons to become rearranged. You'll find an even greater number of fixes / improvements after the break, and it's also worth a mention that even Snow Leopard users have received a bit of love today in the form of a security update. Want to prove you're a good cat owner? Go ahead and check for new updates right away.

Continue reading OS X Lion hits 10.7.5 with most recent update, brings improved security with Gatekeeper

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OS X Lion hits 10.7.5 with most recent update, brings improved security with Gatekeeper originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zorro Macsk review: instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 21.5-inch iMac

DNP Zorro Macsk review instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 215inch iMac

Over the years we've come across a few signs that pointed to the possibility of touchscreen-enabled iMacs, but Steve Jobs had already dismissed this as a possibility for current Mac form factors. Quoting the man at the "Back to the Mac" keynote from two years ago: "It gives great demo, but after a while your arm feels like it's going to fall off. Touch surfaces want to be horizontal."

So perhaps our fantasy's still stuck in the "research project" phase.

Luckily, the more adventurous touchscreen lovers can look to third-party solutions. For MacBooks you have Axiotron's Modbook, except you lose the keyboard and you can't perform the modification yourself. As for iMacs and Cinema Displays, we've been following Troll Touch for its resistive touchscreen replacement panels, but they aren't exactly affordable and most of them have to be installed by the company. Even its user-installable SlipCover series starts from $899, anyway.

This leaves us with the Zorro Macsk, a cheekily named iMac accessory hailing from TMDtouch of Shenzhen, China. The 21.5-inch model is priced at just $199 on Amazon with no modifications required. Plus, it supports multitouch -- a glaring omission from Troll Touch's Mac lineup. So is this truly a bargain? Or is it just a case of "you get what you pay for?" Follow past the break to see how we got on with the Zorro Macsk.

Continue reading Zorro Macsk review: instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 21.5-inch iMac

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Zorro Macsk review: instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 21.5-inch iMac originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple unveils Safari 6: goes well with your new Mountain Lion (update: Windows version absent)

Apple unveils Safari 6 goes well with your new Mountain Lion

Apple's web browser has joined its latest OS, and joins the dots on a raft of new features that we've been promised for a while. These include iCloud tabs and a new tab view -- both Mountain Lion only -- alongside a new smart search and unified search (with support for Chinese search giant Baidu) and address bar. If your older OS is missing out on those iCloud tabs, there's some other good news, Reading Lists will now work without being online -- which all sounds very in-flight friendly. There's also a Do Not Track option to cover your internet tracks, but for all the minute detail on some new developer additions, we'd advise hitting the source below.

Update 1: We're not spotting a Windows release yet -- and nor can we see whether it will work on Snow Leopard. Let us know in the comments if you manage to grab the latest iteration. For anyone on Lion, the update will be available from the Mac App Store.

Update 2: The latest version may not arrive on Windows -- with all references to the old version now gone from Apple's site. As 9to5Mac notes, nightly WebKit builds are still out there if you have a sudden pang for Safari. We've reached out to Apple to confirm.

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Apple unveils Safari 6: goes well with your new Mountain Lion (update: Windows version absent) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple releases OS X 10.7.4, FileVault bug gets addressed

Hey, Mac users: are you ready for an update? Because Apple is dropping its latest OS version on your heads. 10.7.4 just hit, and it brings with it a number of small fixes to help improve things like security, stability and compatibility for your system. The update promises to fix an issue with the "Reopen windows when logging back in" setting, compatibility with some third-party keyboards and the ability to copy files to SMB servers, among others. You can check out a more complete list of fixes just after the break.

Update: Looks as if that nasty FileVault security issue is also being addressed in the update.

Continue reading Apple releases OS X 10.7.4, FileVault bug gets addressed

Apple releases OS X 10.7.4, FileVault bug gets addressed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple issues Flashback removal tool for 10.7 Lion systems not running Java

Apple issues Flashback removal tool for 10.7 Lion systems not running Java
The Flashback OS X trojan continues to cast a rainy shadow over Mac owners' sense of security, and even though a fix has been released, this was only for what Apple considered "the most common variants." Users of Lion, who don't have Java installed, weren't included in that initial run, but there is a new removal tool just for them. So, if you're running 10.7 and never installed Oracle's virtual machine, make sure you point your browser at the source link below.

Apple issues Flashback removal tool for 10.7 Lion systems not running Java originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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