New OS X 10.8.3 build, SMC updates for MacBooks
updated 06:11 pm EST, Wed January 30, 2013
Apple seeds ninth OS X beta to developers for testing
Apple has continued its longer-than-usual development cycle for Mountain Lion v10.8.3 with a ninth beta release today to developers. The new build, 12D61, comes just six days after the previous one. No new changes have been made to the release notes, nor are any known issues listed. Testers are asked to focus on the same areas as with the previous few betas: Safari, Game Center, AirPlay, AirPort, and graphics drivers. As with one of the previous betas, Apple says the new build features further enhancements to Wi-Fi.
SMC update issued for MacBooks, Airs, Pros
A trio of updates for recent-vintage MacBook owners was issued by Apple today, all patching the SMC firmware to address an unusual issue where a battery that has accumulated more than 1,000 charge cycles "may unexpectedly shut down or stop functioning." SMC firmware updates require slightly different instructions than standard software updates and will cause the unit to restart, possibly more than once. As with any firmware update, the unit must be plugged in with no interruption in power during the operation.
Unusually, Apple does not list the specific models affected by the issue, but the units must be running 10.6.8, 10.7.5 (for Lion users) or 10.8.2 (for Mountain Lion users). The MacBook SMC update is version 1.5, while the MacBook Air one is v1.8 and the MacBook Pro version is at version 1.6. The appropriate update will show up in users' Software Update as needed, but can also be downloaded from Apple's support website (MacBook version, MacBook Air version, MacBook Pro version). The file sizes are 494KB, 928KB and 666KB, respectively.
