Tag - Tiger

Study: Apple gaining corporate traction
Apple is beginning to pave significant paths into the corporate world, says the research firm Yankee Group. Following a recent web survey of 750 global IT administrators and C-level executives, the firm says it has discovered that approximately four out of every five businesses have Macs running on their network. In general, says Yankee analyst Laura DiDio, adoption of Apple computers is said to be growing at a "steady and sustained pace not seen since the late 1980s."

Snow Leopard shows modest performance gains
At its current stage of development, the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard beta is not outperforming 10.5 Leopard by any wide stretches, as developers dive into the new OS with GeekBench. The Netherlands' Mac Zone writes that benchmarking numbers indicate that 10.6 performs better than 10.5, but only by a small margin. This hardly is conclusive of the final product, however, given that 10.6 Snow Leopard is still under early development – early betas of 10.5 Leopard had a very Tiger-like interface and poorer performance than the final build.

Logitech rolls Mac-ready high end webcam
Logitech this morning made one of its rare webcam offerings for Macs with the advent of the QuickCam Vision Pro. A close cousin of the QuickCam Pro 9000, the USB camera is targeted at Mac mini and Mac Pro owners whose computers don't already have built-in iSight cameras but who want a better-than-average replacement for iChat, Skype, or other video apps. The Vision Pro not only has true glass optics from Carl Zeiss, rather than plastic, but also has a voice coil motor for autofocusing which is much faster and more fine-grained than the stepper motors on most webcams.

Remote Management exploit found in Mac OS X
A new vulnerability connected to Mac OS X's Remote Management feature has been discovered, says the security firm Intego. The issue is specifically associated with ARDAgent, a component of the feature, which has a "setuid" bit set. Running an executable of this type gains root control, and so ARDAagent may potentially be used to gain access to base functions without a password.
Apple issues critical updates for Tiger, Leopard
Apple on Wednesday released dozens of security updates part of its Mac OS X 10.5.3 update for Leopard and Security Update 2008-003(PPC Tiger client, Intel Tiger client, PPC Server, Universal Server) for Mac OS X Tiger, including critical bugs for remote shutdown, arbitrary code execution (multiple including JPG2000 issues), denial of service (via viewing PNG files), private information information disclosure (via SSL, Tiger Mail, Unicode, malicious BMP/GIF files and Image Capture) as well as a critical code execution bug for the continually updated Adobe Flash plugin. Apple also updated its Single Sign-On feature (CVE-ID: CVE-2008-1578) to prevent passwords from being supplied other local users.
Apps: FmPro Migrator, Sitemap Automator
FmPro Migrator Developer Edition 4.14 ($200) for migrating FileMaker databases. The new release as been enhanced with an automated 2-pass dependency resolution feature for FileMaker table consolidation conversion projects. Additionally, the XML code defining each layout can now be exported as a raw XML file, containing all of the embedded images, and layout object definitions. Layout XML files can be post-processed separately and used for projects in which FileMaker Layouts need to be re-purposed for other development projects. [Download - 16MB] Google Sitemap Automator 1.9.5 ($30) helps web-masters get their web site listed in Google, Yahoo and MSN search. XML Sitemap files were first introduced by Google in 2005 and adopted by all major search engines, including Yahoo, MSN/Live and Ask.com shortly after. With version 1.9.5 RAGE Sitemap Automator can now find every single web page on an iWeb created website and automatically publish your XML Sitemap file to your iDisk. [Download - 7.9MB] EarthDesk 4.2 ($25) replaces the static desktop with an image of the Earth showing current sun, moon and city illumination, as well as real-time global cloud coverage, allowing users to track hurricanes and other weather systems. EarthDesk 4.2 adds an option to allow use as a screen saver only rather than strictly a desktop, and is fully compatible with Leopard (and Tiger). It also improves communication between the EarthDesk prefpane and the rendering engine. [Download - 6.9MB] VideoDrive 1.4.4 ($15) a new application to easily add your video collection to iTunes. VideoDrive supports all current video formats and will import your videos fast and without reconversion, so you can easily manage and watch them from within iTunes and Front Row, or export them to iPod, iPhone and AppleTV. VideoDrive will analyze your videos and browse online for metadata and cover art, cleanup file names, merge multiple video parts and add season and episode numbering to TV Shows. [Download - 5MB] Agenda 4.0.1 ($40) an application that keeps track of your events and tasks, lets you enter your thoughts, and easily create calendar or journal websites. The new release includes fixes and improvements when exporting to and importing from iCal files and also fixes a character encoding issue in the iEvents feature when building or previewing a calendar or journal website. [Download - 4.4MB]

Major security update fixes AFP, CUPS, more
Apple today unveiled Security Update 2008-002, which provides a number of fixes for several system vulnerabilities found in AFP, CUPS, AppKit, and several other system-level resources. Most of the vulnerabilities revolve around maliciously crafted URLs granting access to system-level privileges, while others allow users to bypass system security. The majority of fixes are for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Tiger Server users, while some apply to the 10.5 Leopard equivalents.

Tiger, Leopard flaw an "enhancement"?
Similar to the Office 2008-related permissions problem reported earlier today, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard users may be susceptible to additional vulnerabilities. MacNN reader Robert Myers reports that when using a standard user account to copy software in to the Applications folder, the authentication that takes place not only allows the software to be inserted in to the folder (as it should) but also changes the owner of the application to the current user.

HighPoint adds Leopard support to RAID adapter
HighPoint Technologies today updated its RocketRAID 3120 to support Apple's Power Mac G5 and Mac Pro systems under both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard. The RocketRAID 3120 is a PCI-Express x1 dual port SATA RAID controller featuring the Marvell 5182 (400MHz) hardware RAID engine and with 128MB of DDR2 local memory. The RocketRAID 3120 is available for $170.

Java for Mac OS X 10.4 hits Release 6
Apple has officially released a new Java client, specifically tailored to Mac OS X 10.4. Release 6 requires that a Mac be updated to Mac OS X 10.4.10, specifically, and is an 80MB download. The update is said to improve "reliability and compatibility" for Java SE 5.0 and Java 1.4; the former shifts to v1.5.0_13, while Java 1.4 has been patched to v1.4.2_16. The download is a Universal Binary; as of press time, Apple has not properly updated its release notes page to document all changes.
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Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj

Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket

The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94

Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa

SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If

Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm

Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE
