OS X

iTunes 11.0.3 released with revamped MiniPlayer

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 16, 2013

Apple just dropped a 129 MB iTunes 11.0.3 update and it brings quite a few new features to the iconic app. The big ticket item, if you will, is a new MiniPlayer, which is a bit ironic given the release schedule of the jailbreak version of MiniPlayer for iOS.

iTunes' updated MiniPlayer now features a beautiful new view that shows off album artwork. The new MiniPlayer also includes a handy progress bar this time around to track the song's playhead location.

You'll also find an improved songs view, which allows you to enjoy album artwork in that view. Lastly, you'll notice support for proper multi-disc albums. Check inside for the full change log.

OS X 10.9 said to feature tabbed Finder with tags, iOS style multitasking and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 29, 2013

OS X 10.9, the next major revision to Apple's operating system for Macs internally codenamed 'Cabernet', is up for introduction later this year, according to a well-informed writer. Specifically, Apple is apparently bringing more of core iOS features to its desktop operating system.

This entails stuff like iOS style multitasking that should prove functional by allowing background tasks to pause like on the iPhone and iPad. Finder, the Mac's long-standing default file manager, is understood to gain power features such as tabbed browsing modes and tags.

An enhanced Safari browser is thought to include a redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed and efficiency, which reminds us a lot of Turbo browsing mode from the Opera mini browser...

Apple announces WWDC 2013 for June 10-14, confirms iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 previews

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Having posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings yesterday, Apple this morning officially announced that its annual developers conference will take place at Moscone West in San Francisco from Monday, June 10 until Friday, June 14. I know what you must be wondering: will the five-day conference serve as a launchpad for a next major revision to Apple's iOS and OS X operating systems, right?

According to Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller, that's in fact in the cards. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps," he was quoted as saying in a press release...

Computer Chronicles episode highlights Apple in the late 90’s

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 12, 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-hD7xT_SbU

TUAW stumbled upon an old episode of Computer Chronicles — a show that aired on PBS during the 80's and 90's — which highlighted Apple's late 90's recovery, the iMac, and various other interesting Apple tidbits.

If you're feeling nostalgic, I highly recommend that you check out this episode, which was uploaded last August to YouTube. It just helps you to put into perspective how close Apple was to death back then.

New evidence shows 802.11ac headed to future Macs

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 9, 2013

Are you ready for faster wireless speeds? How about better range? If so, then you'll be happy to hear that new evidence shows that Apple is implementing 802.11ac support into its latest version of its desktop OS.

The OS X 10.8.4 beta release, that we told you about earlier, contains code not contained in previous versions of the OS. This code suggests that Apple is adding Gigabit wireless support, which is also known as 802.11ac, to future Mac hardware.

OS X 10.8.4 build 12E30 seeded to developers

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 9, 2013

If you're a registered OS X developer, you may be interested in this news. Just a week after Apple seeded the 12E27 beta build of OS X 10.8.4, it seeded this new build — dubbed 12E30. As with the previous build, Apple is asking developers to focus on specific areas of the OS, namely Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers and Safari.

Apple releases OS X 10.8.4 beta to developers

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 2, 2013

The latest beta version of Apple's desktop operating system — OS X 10.8.4 — has been released to developers. This new iteration of Mountain Lion is labeled as build 12E27, and thus far, details on what new features it contains are scarce.

Like Apple often does with its desktop beta releases, it has asked developers to focus on specific aspects of the OS, those being Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers and Safari.

Apple releases OS X 10.8.3

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 14, 2013

Just a few moments ago, Apple released an update to Mountain Lion — OS X 10.8.3. The update, which has been in beta since December of 2012, brings quite a few new changes into the fold.

The main people that will be happy with this update are Boot Camp users. First of all, Windows 8 is now supported with Boot Camp, which is obviously a big deal for those of you who dual boot your Macs. Secondly, Boot Camp now supports Macs with a 3TB drive. Check inside for more details on the release...

How to stop Google Chrome’s annoying keychain access request messages

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Have you ever had Google Chrome on OS X present a pop up message that states: Google Chrome wants to use your confidential information stored in the...blah, blah, blah...in your keychain?

Even if you select Always Allow, Deny, or Allow, the message continues to pop up each time you visit specific sites. I tried disabling password syncing in Chrome's settings, clearing all saved passwords, etc., all to no avail. Basically, I got to the point where If I saw that message one more time, I was going to rip my hair out!

But I solved the issue, and it was actually easier, and more obvious than I expected. If you're having the same problem, which apparently many Chrome users on the Mac are, then take a look inside for the fix...

ActiveDock now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTafIirge1c

ActiveDock — a tweak inspired by the dock featured in OS X — is now available on Cydia for download. Last week, we took an in-depth look at ActiveDock, and determined that it is hands-down better looking than the stock dock in iOS. There are also features for alerting you when an app is launched and when an app receives a notification.

Take a look at our video walkthrough for more information. In the meantime, if you're browsing this post on your jailbroken iOS device, hit up this link to be taken directly to ActiveDock's Cydia page. You can find it on the BigBoss repo for $1.99. Be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

ActiveDock brings an OS X inspired dock to iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 21, 2013

When you hear about an upcoming tweak collaboration between jailbreak community staples like Filippo Bigarella and Surenix, then the tweak is pretty much destined to be good. Unsurprisingly, that is the case for the upcoming ActiveDock, a jailbreak tweak that brings an OS X styled dock to the small screen.

We've gone hands-on with ActiveDock and put it through its paces. Needless to say, we came away impressed. Check out our video walkthrough inside.

Firefox 19 lands with built-in PDF viewer

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 28, 2016

The Firefox browser by Mozilla, the non-profit organization, was once hailed as the biggest threat to Internet Explorer's dominance, but boy do times change fast.

In just a few short years following its release, Google's Chrome has become the most popular browser out there. And while Firefox certainly doesn't lack a punch, it does fall behind Google's baby in several aspects.

I've always loved Chrome's built-in Adobe Flash player (because it doesn't pollute the entire system with Adobe's buggy plug-in). Another Chrome feature I love: a nice PDF viewer, also built-in. Starting today, a new major release of Firefox for Mac, Windows and Linux is available for download and it comes with a built-in HTML5-based PDF viewer, just like Chrome...