Following the release of iOS 5.1.1 for most iOS devices, Apple has updated its custom firmware for the second- and third-generation Apple TV to v5.0.1 (build 9B206F). Because the version of iOS running on Apple TV is customized and offers a different UI, the company numbers it slightly differently, but the new release roughly corresponds to firmware on other devices.
OS X 10.7.3 contains a debug flag which makes system passwords readable, checks show. Depending on the system configuration, people who update to v10.7.3 may have a widely-viewable debug log file containing passwords for all users accessing a system. The passwords are stored in plain text, making for a potentially serious security risk.
Microsoft's Skype division has updated its self-named video-chatting and calling mobile apps to version 4.0, bringing enhancements but no major new features to the chat, audio- and video-conferencing utility. Version 4 adds auto-restarting if the application should crash, and the ability to move the users' own video preview window during a video chat. Minor UI improvements and a new sign-in screen add to the usual bug fixes and improved stability features.
An update has been released for the Sony Tablet S. The previously promised upgrade installs Android 4.0 onto the tablet and offers an updated interface as well as other extras such as Face Unlock.
Apple today released a new build of the forthcoming 10.7.4 for developers, asking them to focus on interactions with the App Store, graphics, e-mail, QuickTime, Screen Sharing and Time Machine. The new version, build 11E46, comes two weeks after the previous one (11E35) and barely a month since the first external beta (11E27). The new version has no known issues, and developers are asked to focus on the same areas as in the previous build.
Apple and Adobe both chose Thursday to offer minor updates to each company's most well-known photo-management programs. Apple has boosted iPhoto to v9.2.3, addressing a specific multiple-user bug and overall stability, while Adobe has issued the first Release Candidate of Lightroom 4.1, which fixes a number of issues including possible lost book layouts, performance in certain situations, and properly opening external apps for further editing.
Apple has updated its music-creation and editing program Logic Pro, and has extended the update to the recently-discontinued Logic Express. The update fixes an issue that produced error messages when editing fades on numerous regions, and updates compatibility with Garageband for iOS projects. The Logic Pro update also fixes downloading and installing content bugs.
In addition to a second developer preview of Mountain Lion released earlier today, Apple has given developers the first external beta of OS X Lion 10.7.4. The 508MB delta, which is labelled build 11E27, would be the fourth maintenance update to OS X Lion. Release notes indicate only one known bug, but asks developers to focus testing on several different areas. Separately, the company also released a matching beta for OS X Lion Server.
Late today Apple has updated almost all Epson printer drivers with built-in support for Snow Leopard and Lion, and has posted a minor update to its pro-photography tool Aperture to grant it the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream, an iCloud feature that can be set to wirelessly copy photos from mobile devices to desktop and notebooks and vice versa. The Epson update is number v2.9, while Aperture is now v3.2.3.
Barnes & Noble has released a maintenance update for its Simple Touch e-book reader. The company's website suggests v1.1.2 brings "minor system enhancements," though representatives have confirmed that it attempts to address a Wi-Fi reliability issue that has affected some users.
Apple has quietly updated the iPad version of the App Store for iOS with minor tweaks ahead of (and possibly in preparation for) the iPad 3 debut on Wednesday, AppleInsider reports. The changes mostly involve using more unhinted horizontal scrolling, which allows (for example) the Top Paid and Top Free iPad apps to be on screen in a more pleasing manner with more information available per app. Users can swipe each "list" to the left to see additional selections.
Apple has issued an update over the weekend specifically for iMacs (late 2009 and newer) entitled Wi-Fi Update v1.0 that is said to correct an issue where the unit does not automatically re-connect to a known Wi-Fi network after waking from sleep. The update requires that users be running the latest version of Lion (10.7.3) and weighs in at 25.81MB. It's available for all supported OS X languages.
SoftRAID has announced that the latest version of its self-titled software for creating and managing disk arrays is fully compatible with OS X Mountain Lion. SoftRAID 4.3 also improves the robustness of mirror volumes, allowing the driver to better handle disk failures that occur during the middle of a read or write operation. Other changes include support for Macintosh Firmware updates, updated SSD support, and improved command line functions. SoftRAID is $129 for the electronic download version and includes one year of free technical support via e-mail. It can be purchased via the SoftRAID website and via retail outlets worldwide.
Over the last week, Mac and Windows utility maker Koingo Software has been updating most of its Mac and Windows product lines, fixing bugs and updating requirements. Almost all programs for the Mac now require OS X 10.5 or later, though in many cases older versions that are compatible with previous OS releases are still available. All are minor upgrades that are free for registered users. The company has been on a tear of updates since February 7th.
Users of the still-available TextMate text editor have waited a long time for this day. Over five years ago, a 2.0 release of the popular hand-coding application was announced, following the program's debut two years earlier. Following a complete rewrite of the program, developer Allan Odgaard has finally released a "public alpha" of TextMate 2.0, available only to current TextMate license holders and requiring an Intel Mac.
Late this afternoon, Apple issued a fix for a fan noise issue that affected a small number of Apple Thunderbolt Displays in a firmware update labeled version 1.1. The 942KB file launches automatically once installed in the Utilities folder and shows on-screen instructions on going through the firmware update procedure. This is the first update specifically for Thunderbolt Display devices, though an earlier patch was issued for Thunderbolt-capable Macs generally in June.
In response to complaints on various forums about how importing or playing some audio CDs results in distorted sound, Apple has issued an update to iTunes, now at version 10.5.2 which is said to fix the problem, as well as makes unspecified improvements to iTunes Match. The download is available for both Mac and Windows, the latter having separate 32- and 64-bit versions available.
Web blogging tool MarsEdit has been updated to v3.4, which offers a number of bug fixes as well as support for iPhoto's Faces feature, Lightroom Photo Collection Sets, a zoom control for browser thumbnail sizes and Flickr browser improvements. In addition, the company has made some external editing improvements and squashed a number of bugs, including a crashing issue with SVG images and other improvements.
Virtualization specialists VMWare have updated VMWare Fusion to version 4.1, which resolves a number of issues from v4.0 as well as bringing in new features including native full-screen support in Lion, "smart" full screen that is aware of multiple monitors, the return of a feature where favorite virtual machines are automatically loaded when Fusion starts up, support for FileVault 2 and significant graphics performance.
Apple has silently updated the App Store to make it easier for iPad users to scroll through the latest "featured apps" and "new and noteworthy" additions on both the main page of the App Store and in each category section, Apple'n'Apps reports. The change, while small, makes the pages more touch-friendly by removing small arrows on each end of the featured boxes and instead making the grid swipe-driven.
Apple today put out a minor bugfix upgrade to Xcode, now bringing the company's Mac OS integrated development environment to version 4.2.1. The update fixes a malfunctioning conversion operation, resolves an issue of "missing" developer profiles, and squashes a bug showing a locked file dialog where it shouldn't be. The updates adds to the improvements added to Xcode 4.2, which was updated a little more than a month ago.
Apple late Wednesday updated its flagship pro video-editing software Final Cut Pro X to version 10.0.2, fixing three issues related to fonts, playback and stability. The update fixes a troublesome issue where fonts in a title will revert back to the default font after restarting the program, and is in addition to the significant updates made in v10.0.1 in mid-September that added XML import and export, Lion full-screen view and more.
Numeric Notes, a desktop notes app that integrates calculator functionality, has recently been updated in the App Store. Any calculation typed into the application is automatically solved, while text input allows users to add helpful descriptions and notes. Formatting occurs automatically as text is entered, allowing users to enter data naturally. Version 2.0 features a new calculation engine, as well as improved formatting and pasteboard operations. Numeric Notes is available as a $6 purchase in the Mac App Store.
Late on Thursday, Apple released firmware updates for the MacBook Pro (all models), as well as the Airport and Time Capsule wireless base stations (802.11n capable models only). The update to the MacBook Pros, which brings the firmware up to version 1.5, resolves an issue where the MBP may shut down under heavy load when the battery charge is very low, even if the unit is actually plugged into power at the time.
Apple has quietly posted a Java SE 6 update for Lion (version 1.6.0_29), as well as updating the Java runtime for Snow Leopard to the same version. The release fixes multiple security vulnerabilities that exist in Java 1.6.0_26.
Apple today updated iPhoto '11 to v9.2.1, a bugfix update the corrects a crashing and importing issue that appeared whenever there was an old 3ivx codec present when users upgraded iPhoto to v9.2. The update, which is only available via Software Update at present, fixes the issue without requiring users to remove the 3ivx codec, which resolved the issue for users prior to the update. The codec was most commonly installed on Mac systems via the Flip digital video recorder.
Smile Software has released an updated version of its PDF editing tool, PDFpen. Version 5.6 allows users to set the name used with notes and comments, and adds support for anonymous notes and comments. The update also features a new preference that allows documents to be displayed at their physical size. Additionally, numerous bugs and crashes have been resolved. PDFpen 5.6 and PDFpen Pro 5.6 can be purchased online for $60 and $100 respectively.
Apple has again released an update for the firmware of its Apple TV device, re-releasing v4.4.1, which was pulled on Monday after users reported serious problems with their devices after installing the update. The new version has fixed the issue, and now does what the original v4.4.1 was supposed to do -- resolve an issue present in v4.4 that caused some Apple TVs to be connected to iTunes in order to update.
In addition to the last-minute iTunes 10.5 beta and accidental "Welcome to iCloud" e-mails sent out earlier today, Apple has posted another developer beta of Lion 10.7.2 (build 11C71) to ADC members. The update carries no new issues, but does include an update to the Lion Recovery feature, and addresses an issue with firmware passwords and the Find My Mac service. The company seeded build 11C62 just a week ago.
Apple has released updated drivers from Lexmark that cover all supported models under Snow Leopard and Lion, including all-in-one (AIO) models and scanner drivers. The company has only added support for one series -- the 6500e and 6500e Fax units -- but brings most updated drivers to version 10.6.4 or 10.7.0, the latter of which indicates support for Lion. In all, over 276 models or series of models have been updated.
Adobe Labs has updated the release candidates of Lightroom 3.5 and Camera RAW 6.5, bringing RAW file support for 12 new and recent RAW file variations as well as adding lens profiles for 25 new lenses. The profiles help photographers automatically correct known flaws or distortions inherent in lenses, such as chromatic aberrations. Release Candidates are not to be confused with final releases, but do indicate that development work is almost complete and that an official release is forthcoming.
Popular file-sharing service Dropbox is in the process of rolling out a "silent upgrade" that will offer full compatibility with Lion, according to a post on the company's support forum. While the basic service has continued to work, the contextual menu that allowed users to copy a public URL for sharing their file was absent.
Absoft Corporation have launched an updated suite of visual code editing, management, compiling and optimization tools for Lion and Xcode 4.1 as part of its Pro Fortran v11.1 IDE, which is also compatible with Snow Leopard. The v11.1.3 update includes Absoft's dynamic AP load balancing technology, which optimizes code for 20 percent better performance, along with an SMP and vector analyzing tool.
HTC may be dropping plans to offer a Gingerbread update for the original Droid Incredible smartphone. Although the company has repeatedly committed to the upgrade, a customer service representative has reportedly told a customer that the Incredible is not on the list of handsets that the company plans to update to the newer Android build.
A further follow-up from other sources has produced evidence that Apple may simply be upgrading the Magic Mouse to a newer model rather than discontinuing it as earlier claims had said. A new Magic Mouse model could offer upgraded Bluetooth connectivity (to version 4.0) and better support for Lion-oriented gestures, Cult of Mac is reporting.
[Updated: now available, new video below] SquareEnix has released Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions to the iPhone, now available on the App Store, along with a new English-language gameplay trailer. The version for the iPhone features upgraded, Retina-quality graphics and speed, an autosaving feature and English voices (in the North American version), but lacks multiplayer, Game Center support or add-on options at present.
Apple has issued updates to the printer drivers for Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion for customers using HP, Brother and Samsung printers, as well as Lion users with HP printers. The HP drivers require at least OS X 10.6.1, while the Brother and Samsung drivers require only 10.6.0 or higher. The Brother and HP drivers are mostly updates for existing supported printers, while the Samsung drivers expand the number of supported devices.
For security reasons, Apple has updated the Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) and Windows (XP SP2 and later) versions of QuickTime to version 7.7, addressing 13 security issues. The update is not available to Macs running OS X 10.6 or later, as the security fixes in this update have already been addressed in OS X 10.6.7, 10.6.8 and later releases. Apple recommends the update for all QuickTime users on Windows or Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8.
Agile Bits, makes of the popular 1Password utility, had already brought Lion support and Safari 5.1 support to its product before either was actually released, but updated its blog post on the topic to keep readers informed on issues that have come up with the inevitable changes. The Safari plug-in for 1Password was completely re-designed for Safari v5.1 as a "proper" extension, and as a result is still missing a few features from the previous version.
Apple today released a significant bugfix update to their pro-photography management program Aperture, bringing it up to version 3.1.3 and addressing numerous issues, ranging from increasing reliability and performance when syncing web-published albums to improving stability when browsing video clips. Gesture support, a new Web section of the Projects Inspector and foreign character input are among the many improvements.
In addition to earlier updates for iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband, Apple has also today issued updates for iWeb and iDVD, the original five parts of its popular iLife suite. The updates for iWeb and iDVD come as a small surprise, as the company did not upgrade the two programs as part of the iLife '11 package and has been seen to be letting them wither on the vine.
Developers who have been testing Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview 4, which was first issued at the WWDC conference earlier this month will receive an update to it through Software Update which is simply titled "Lion Developer Preview Update" with no notes on changes covered by the patch, AppleInsider notes. It is recommended for all users running DP4 and weighs in at 656.6MB.
Apple has updated two of its most popular iOS apps, with iMovie for the iPad 2, iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod Touch being updated to v1.2.1, and Garageband for iPad getting a significant boost in features with v1.0.1. Both now support audio playing to HDTVs through the Apple Digital AV Adapter, with iMovie also now being able to play full screen from Marquee using the adapter. Garageband also gains audio output over Airplay, HDMI and Bluetooth devices.
Yesterday Apple posted Mac OS X 10.6.7, and MacNN forum goers quickly converged in this thread to discuss this most recent update. Also yesterday one forum goer asked for some advice on what they should do with their iMac that is having screen issues.
Apple has issued software updates for iDVD -- bringing it up to v7.1.1 -- and the latest models of MacBook Air. The iDVD update improves overall stability and ensures compatibility when sending slideshows from iPhoto '11 to iDVD, while the MacBook Air update (labeled "Software Update 2.0") resolves an issue with some units that prevents the system from sleeping.
Decimus Software has updated their flagship backup and synchronization software Synk to v7, taking their previous ZeroScan feature and enhancing it into a live sync engine that continuously updates backups. The software still features its easy but customizable "scripts" for creating a custom backup, its multi-way and one-to-many syncing, but now offers a continual "RAID-like" backup that means files are instantly and always in sync.
DevonTechnologies have updated their flagship information manager DevonThink and their note-taking application DevonNote to v2.0.6, fixing bugs and improving performance -- along with a fix for some sporadic issues with DevonThink To Go ($15), the iOS companion to DevonThink.
Just days after issuing a quick fix for a critical library bug, Apple has rolled out the first major iLife '11 upgrade with iPhoto 9.1, which restores the ability to create and order calendars, a feature that went missing on the initial release. It also fixes an issue that prevented videos downloaded from MobileMe or Flickr from importing correctly into iPhoto events, and adds some holiday-themed letterpress card options. The update addresses only the version of iPhoto that shipped with the new iLife '11 suite.
Just three weeks after their fifth public beta, German software house Times For Fun have updated their photo image editor Red Pill to 1.0. The program features over a dozen Photoshop-like tools, including the clone stamp, magic wand and a "Smart Fill" similar to the "content-aware" fill offering in Photoshop CS5.
Santa Ana accessory maker Macessity has resized three of its support products for the 2010 Mac mini to accommodate the changes in dimensions of the latest model. Offerings include a rack tray for server setups that supports up to four Mac minis, a "hanging" housing meant to be mounted as an under-shelf with full swivel accessibility, and a revision of their original "Hang With Mi" that features a four-port USB2 hub.
