macOS is Apple’s operating system for the Mac. It has been around quite a long time, but in its current form it really started in 2001 with Mac OS X 10.1. It’s built on top of a UNIX core, which makes it very stable, versatile, and great for developers. It’s popular with creators too, as a good platform for video editing and photography. More recently, Apple has begun working to bring iOS apps to the Mac, which could change how MacBooks, iMacs, Mac Pros, and Mac Minis work for everybody.
It’s really frustrating when your phone or laptop hits that 15 percent mark halfway through the day. But don’t always blame the battery — the responsibility may lie with the apps you’re using. Here’s how to check to see which apps are pulling the most power, and how you can (maybe) fix things.
With iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, Apple has dropped its “profile” system for betas and instead lets you pick a beta channel from settings, and the next releases of macOS and watchOS will move to a similar system, according to 9to5Mac. The change means that you can’t just install a developer beta profile to get access to that bleeding-edge software; instead, you’ll need to pay to be part of the Apple Developer Program to get those developer betas.
Get your fresh and (mostly) security updates, both for anyone with a Google Pixel phone on Android 13, as well as folks running Apple devices on previous-generation software, like iOS 15 and macOS Big Sur or Monterey.
Google’s Android security notes are here, while Apple’s security notes for iOS / iPadOS 15.7.5, macOS 11.7.6, and macOS 12.6.5 show it addresses flaws fixed in last week’s iOS 16.4.1 update, which Apple says “may have been actively exploited” so you should update ASAP.
lo-rain is a very goofy $7.99 app that does one thing, it makes it rain on your dock and other apps. It’s like the most useless Übersicht widget ever. While it’s currently pretty buggy it sounds like the developer is hustling to improve it.
[lo.cafe]
Beyond unplugging Internet Explorer and improving crash detection, updates for both Microsoft and Apple operating systems are fixing security flaws that they report have already been exploited by attackers.
A WebKit exploit on iOS applies no matter which browser you’re using, so you’ll want to update right away.
BleepingComputer has a rundown of the security fixes, which includes one for the Microsoft Store on Windows, so make sure you have updates turned on for that app specifically — it won’t get patched via Windows Update alone.
Maybe you agree, or maybe you disagree with my take on macOS multitasking (I‘m not a fan, and for my tastes, it relies too heavily on knowledge of arcane gestures or third-party add-ons to efficiently handle the work I do).
But if you’re a Windows-first user on a Mac, this AltTab add-on (via LifeHacker) might be worth trying out. With this, Option + Tab works the same way as your usual Windows shortcut.
[alt-tab-macos.netlify.app]
But no more. Now, all the more popular operating systems — macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, and ChromeOS — include that ability as part of their toolkits. Here’s now you can zip and unzip files in order to save space, no matter which OS you use.
Apple’s new pro laptops right the wrongs of the past half decade
Coder Sébastien Matos has created an interactive webpage that faithfully recreates the scrollbars of various operating systems from the last 30 years (seen via Creative Bloq). Which is your favorite? I’m now hunting for extensions to give my scrollbars an updated (or retro) look.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro 16 with M2 Max has exactly one significant upgrade from the 2021 model: a more powerful chip.
It turns out you might be better off just selling it. The apparent trade-in value of a maxed-out $50,000 Mac Pro is just $970 at Apple, not even enough to cover the price of a $999 iPhone 14 Pro.
Yeah, macOS isn’t perfect — and its notifications system could be better — but that’s why learning how to take control of them is important. Perhaps you’ve never liked your text messages to pop up and be readable by passersby, or you wished those email notifications would stick around until you acknowledge them. Here’s how to fix that.
