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Google Chrome 22 dev release drops OS X Leopard support
Changes are coming for Chrome users who are running Mac OS X Leopard. According to reports in Ars Technica and CNET, Google is dropping support for OS X 10.5 with Chrome version 22.0.1201.0, which is now available in Chrome's developer channel. This version will make its way eventually into the public arena in the next few months. At that point, Leopard users will be stuck at the most recent version of Chrome. With Mountain Lion coming out later this month, now might be a good time for users to look into upgrading their OS if their hardware supports it (see Apple's Mountain Lion upgrade page) or start shopping for the new Mac hardware. I hear the new Retina Mac Book Pros are really nice. [Via CNET and Ars Technica]
Google drops OS X Leopard support for Chrome 22 dev release
Just as we catch wind that Apple's released the Gold Master version of Mountain Lion, the latest version of Chrome to hit the browser's developer channel -- that's version 22.0.1201.0, for the record -- isn't so supportive of OSX 10.5 and lower. Perhaps Leopard enthusiasts should take this as a friendly nudge toward to wild, snowy world of 10.6.
Daily Update for May 15, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple releases Leopard update, Flashback removal tool
Apple has released a security update for Leopard, the first in quite a while, as well as a Flashback removal tool for that version of the OS. According to Apple, Leopard Security Update 2012-003 "disables versions of Adobe Flash Player that do not include the latest security updates and provides the option to get the current version from Adobe's website." Also, the Flashback Removal Security Update "removes the most common variants of the Flashback malware. If the Flashback malware is found, a dialog will notify you that malware was removed. In some cases, the update may need to restart your computer in order to completely remove the Flashback malware." Grab them both to secure your Leopard machine.
Apple issues Leopard update with Flashback removal tool
Folks still rocking Apple's Leopard may have been feeling left out after Lion and Snow Leopard both got an update for addressing that Flashback malware. If you're one of them, you'll be glad to know that Apple has finally issued a Leopard fix that comes with a removal tool for the vulnerability afflicting its big cats. In addition to a 1.23MB Flashback update, Apple also released a second 1.11MB fix for Leopard that disables versions of Adobe Flash Player that don't have the requisite security updates. Both should further whittle down the number of Apple computers affected by the Flashback trojan. For the actual updates, feel free to pounce on the source links below.
Apple offering free Snow Leopard update to MobileMe holdouts
Mama had it right -- procrastination is bad -- but mama never knew Apple. For Leopard users still clinging tightly to their MobileMe account, it looks like the path to iCloud just got a wee bit cheaper. Qualifying MobileMe holdouts are reportedly receiving email notifications that point them to a special portal; behind a registration form, folks are finding a free copy of OS X 10.6 (on DVD, no less). The goal here is to get customers to make yet another jump to Lion (an extra $29), but the idea of keeping most of that cloud functionality via iCloud is certainly enticing. As MacNN so accurately points out, it's odd that Apple's not including the $69 USB drive version of Lion, which contains the ability to boost even Leopard users to OS X 10.7. If you're one that generally skips out on reading those automated Apple emails, you might want to make an exception for this one.
Mozilla ponders ending Firefox support for Leopard
Leopard owners, it might be time for you to update your operating system. It's four years old, and companies, including Apple, are no longer supporting it. Earlier this year, 1Password dropped support for OS X 10.5 Leopard, and now Mozilla may do the same with Firefox. Mozilla engineering manager Josh Aas proposed ending support for OS X Leopard in six months. It lets Mozilla address any final bug or security fixes and gives Leopard owners time to upgrade if they want. Leopard owners don't have to upgrade as the current version of Firefox will continue to work. They just won't receive any supplemental security fixes or enhancements to the browser. If you want to upgrade your system, we are publishing a series of Holiday Gift Guides that'll help you choose the right Mac and all the accessories to go along with it. Apple also recently upgraded its Migration Assistant App to support a move from Leopard to Lion. It's free, and it'll make sure your apps and data make the transition successfully. [Via ComputerWorld]
Fusion 4.1 support for pre-Lion, non-server OS X is a mistake, says VMware
Late on Friday, Macworld's Jason Snell discovered that the new 4.1 version of virtualization tool VMware Fusion had a special talent. Up until 4.1, Fusion would refuse to install non-server versions of Snow Leopard and Leopard into a virtual machine, since Apple's licensing for those OS builds did not include a virtualization option. Only the server versions of 10.5 and 10.6 were legit for VM use; for 10.7, Apple moved to allow virtualization of either client or server. In the new Fusion build, however, client versions of 10.6 and 10.5 are OK for installation in a new VM; the install tool just prompts you to make sure you're license-compliant. While a Lion virtual machine is pretty useful, a Snow Leopard VM has something Lion doesn't have: the Rosetta PPC compatibility option, letting users run older applications that rely on PowerPC code. For some apps (Quicken Deluxe being the primary example), that's a workable way to keep them compatible for the time being. It wasn't clear from the Fusion 4.1 release notes whether VMware had sought Apple's permission to make this adjustment to the install process, and I asked the Fusion team for comment. Earlier this evening, in a blog post, the company announced that the licensing check for Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server (the only legitimately virtualizable versions of 10.5 or 10.6) was left out of the 4.1 build of Fusion. A subsequent update is likely to restore the checking routines that prevent the installation of non-server 10.5 and 10.6 OS versions. In the meantime, Fusion 4.1 remains a downloadable update for the virtualization app, which normally retails for $79.99 but is currently on sale for $49.99. A 30-day demo download is also available.
VMware Fusion now virtualizes standard builds of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard
VMware released the latest dot update to its flagship Mac virtualization product today. The free update, Fusion 4.1, improves Lion full-screen compatibility, graphics performance and startup options; it can be downloaded immediately for all Fusion customers. While those changes are certainly nice, they aren't the big story in this build. Macworld's Jason Snell has discovered that alongside the acknowledged changes and improvements, a less obvious adjustment has appeared in Fusion 4.1 in the area of virtualizing Mac OS X itself. Unlike previous versions of Fusion (and other virtualization products for the Mac like Parallels and VirtualBox), which included a built-in limiter to prevent users from installing a non-server version of Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6 in a virtual machine, the new Fusion build simply reminds you to respect Apple's licensing restrictions -- and then lets you go ahead and install vanilla Leopard or Snow Leopard anyway. Up until now, the only versions of 10.5 or 10.6 that were considered 'legal' for virtualization were the pricey Mac OS X Server versions. This may seem like a small difference, but it's a seismic shift in the Mac OS X virtualization landscape, and one that could have a major impact for specific 'abandonware' applications on the Mac platform. With the ability to virtualize Snow Leopard easily, VMware users can create a virtual machine that retains the Rosetta code translation stack Apple removed in Lion -- giving those people back the ability to run PowerPC applications. Quicken Deluxe is the most prominent app on the PPC roster, but older versions of Adobe's Creative Suite and QuarkXPress are also up for revitalization in a 10.6 VM. When I spoke to the Fusion product team during the Fusion 4 announcement, they were somewhat coy about the possibilities for virtualizing Rosetta-capable builds of Mac OS X other than the server versions; the decision on licensing was up to Apple, they said, while they would of course continue to explore their options and keep the lines of communication open to Cupertino. I don't know whether this move towards liberalizing the install was done with or without Apple's knowledge and consent, but I'll ask. In the meantime, if you're still holding off on your Lion upgrade because you've got PowerPC applications that aren't ready (or willing) to make the leap to Intel code, your options just got much more interesting.
Apple updates Migration Assistant for Leopard-to-Lion compatibility
Apple previously updated its Migration Assistant app for compatibility between Lion and Snow Leopard, and now here's the original Leopard update. The Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Leopard smooths out the transfer from a Leopard Mac to one running with the newest Lion OS, making sure your data, settings, and apps all make the trip over. Yes, it's not exactly groundbreaking. But if you've got a Leopard Mac sitting around and have been planning on picking up a new one complete with a Lion install, this will definitely be helpful in the transition. The update is of course free, and can be picked up from Apple's site. [via MacRumors]
QuickTime 7.7 released for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows
QuickTime 7.7 has been released for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows 7, Vista, and XP. The update addresses several security holes in this older version of QuickTime and is a recommended update for systems running QuickTime 7.6.9 or earlier. Mac users who are running Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Lion need not bother with this update, as QuickTime X is the default version of QuickTime Player on those systems and is not under the umbrella of this security update. More information on QuickTime 7.7 is available on Apple's site. The update is about 70 MB and should show up if you run Software Update.
Software Update: Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5, Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10
Java for Mac OS X 10.6 has just been updated to Update 5, and a visit to Software Update will bring the latest and greatest version of Java to your Mac. If you're still using Leopard, Java for Mac OS X 10.5 is now at Update 10. According to the release notes, "Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 delivers improved reliability, security, and compatibility for Java SE 6. Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 supersedes all previous versions of Java for Mac OS X 10.6." The Snow Leopard release is only for Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later. The Leopard updater is available for Mac OS X 10.5.8 and Mac OS X Server 10.5.8. The security notes for the updates state that the new version fixes "multiple vulnerabilities in Java 1.6.0_24, the most serious of which may allow an untrusted Java applet to execute arbitrary code outside the Java sandbox." The updaters bump Java to version 1.6.0_26. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4593 has more details about the updates. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 will be the location for information about the security content of the updates, although that information had not yet been posted by Apple at the time this article was written. You can check out all our software update posts on the right hand side of TUAW.com or on this page.
1Password 3.6 adds Lion support, drops Leopard/PowerPCs (Updated)
1Password 3.6 is out now with a plethora of changes. Most notably, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is now supported while OS X 10.5 Leopard and PowerPC support has been dropped. David Chartier writes that the number of 1Password customers who are using Leopard or a PowerPC-based Mac has fallen into the single digits. Dropping Leopard/PowerPC support enables developers to shrink 1Password's size by 12 percent. Chartier told TUAW that AgileBits looked into adopting Snow Leopard features such as Grand Central Dispatch in January 2010. The Snow Leopard features make it easier to do things under the hood, having a big impact on user-end experience, but essentially weren't possible with Leopard. AgileBits co-founders made the final decision to pull Leopard support after consulting with the rest of the team, including support personnel and developers. Chartier said that less than six percent of 1Password users are on Leopard. Leopard users can download an older version of 1Password as needed. Lion support, on the other hand, means that 1Password will be compatible with the OS from the day it's available in the Mac App Store. The Safari extension also received an update to match it to the Chrome extension that debuted in November. Other changes to 1Password include: Adds support for Firefox 5 while dropping support for Firefox 3. Adds support for Fluid Adds support for the upcoming Dropbox 1.2 Changed the About page to reflect the company's name change to AgileBits. Removed Camino extension Can use Amazon CloudFront as an alternate download location A number of other bug fixes and changes 1Password 3.6 for Mac requires OS X 10.6 or higher. A single-user license is US$39.99 and a family license is $59.99. Upgrade pricing varies, depending on the original date of purchase. A free trial is available. Update: Chartier clarified that the redesigned Safari extension will only be seen in Lion. Snow Leopard users retain the current extension. Update 2: Chartier let us know that the redesigned Safari extension will be available to Snow Leopard users once Apple releases Safari 5.1, which is currently in developer preview.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Breeze
There are plenty of window management apps on the Mac platform. Some allow you to snap windows to the edges of your screen like BetterSnapTool, but others, like Autumn Apps' Breeze (which we covered last year), allow you to record a desired window size and position. Breeze sits in your menu bar and lets you define "states" of windows by positioning them on your screen wherever you want and selecting "Save State As." You can save states for one application and apply them to any window from any program or just for that one specific program. States can be bound to keyboard shortcuts or selected from a drop-down list from the menu bar. Once you've got all the window states you want defined, you can quickly and easily move your windows around with just a few key presses. Some programs don't react well to being manhandled like that, with one poignant example being Photoshop, but most programs behave as they should. If for some reason you have a problem with a window (maybe it moves too far off screen), Breeze has a handy "Rescue window" function that brings the window back on-screen for you to deal with. There's a free trial available from Autumn Apps' website, while purchasing the app will set you back US$8. Breeze works on Mac OS X 10.5 and up, including PPC-based Macs.
iTunes, Tiger, and irrational ire: The difference between updates and upgrades
Update: After we posted this story, reader Nate emailed us to suggest that if you find yourself in Rupert Jones' shoes (with a new iOS device that requires Leopard/iTunes 10 for sync support, but still running Tiger on your Intel Mac), call AppleCare. He says that Apple's support team will ask you for your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch serial number... and then send you a copy of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, free of charge. No word on whether this is official policy or merely an ad-hoc accommodation, and it's possible that the upgrade deal is only available to US customers, but it's worth a shot. --- Rupert Jones of the Guardian recently discovered -- to his utter shock and dismay -- that his four-year-old MacBook running a nearly four-year-old OS can't run current software without being upgraded. His MacBook runs Tiger, which means he can't run iTunes 10, which further means he can't sync with any of Apple's latest portable gear. Anyone reading this probably knows the next step: pay to upgrade to Leopard, download iTunes 10, and get on with your day/week/life. In fact, I'm willing to bet that our readers knew about OS X Leopard when it first launched in late 2007, and chose an upgrade path long ago, whether it was buying Leopard on a disc or upgrading to a new Mac with the OS pre-installed. Most of you probably also moved up to Snow Leopard when it launched, or within a few months. Rupert Jones didn't do either of those things. In the three and a half years since OS X Leopard's release, he chose to stick with an older iteration of Mac OS X. And four years later, he's blaming Apple for his inability to run current software or sync with current hardware. According to Jones, Apple is "penalizing" him and "thousands of other loyal customers," and not enabling iTunes 10 to run on older versions of Mac OS X amounts to telling these customers their computers are obsolete. "It seems we have been left with gadgets we can't use, unless we pay more money for a software update," Jones opines. There's a basic problem underlying this argument: like many people, Jones apparently doesn't understand the difference between a software update and an upgrade. That difference is usually simple, and it boils down to dollars. Updates are (mostly) free. Upgrades are (mostly) not.
Report: 68% of Mac users running Snow Leopard
As GigaOm points out, a new report from Net Applications shows that 68% of Mac users are running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Mac OS X 10.5 is a distant second at 24%, while Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger holds just 6% of the Mac market. The remaining 2% is made up of Macs running Mac OS X 10.3 or below. For those of you keeping track, the highest ever adoption of a Mac OS was 10.5 Leopard, which reached a 71% Mac market share in July 2009, a month before Snow Leopard shipped. Net Application's numbers are interesting, but I'd like to find out what OS a majority of our readers are running. Vote in the poll below -- and if anyone is still running OS 9, you're gonna have to let me know why in the comments. %Poll-63270%
TenFourFox brings Firefox 4 to PPC Macs
Firefox 4 received quite a bit of fanfare when it finally rolled out of beta. Unfortunately for some Mac users, Mozilla decided to drop support for PowerPC processors and therefore Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger from FF4, meaning that G3, G4 and G5 users were left out in the cold. If you're one of these users lovingly still using PPC Macs, the folks behind the Mac Classic browser, Classilla, have come to your rescue and brought Firefox 4, with nearly all the trimmings, to the now discarded Mac architecture. TenFourFox takes code from Firefox 4 and tunes it for OS X 10.4 (compatible with 10.5) and the PPC-architecture. In fact, TenFourFox is offered in hand-tuned builds for each PPC processor: the G3, the G4/7400 and /7450 and, of course, the G5. With the upgrade from Firefox 3.6, you get all the JavaScript speed improvements that Mozilla rolled into Firefox 4, making it by far the fastest browser available for the PPC-Mac. You'll also get WebM video support, access to most of the Firefox 4 add-ons and, of course, HTML5 and CSS3 support. If you're using a perfectly decent and still loved PPC Mac, now is the time to furnish it with a modern browser and extend its life on the Web for years to come. [via MacStories]
Smithsonian captures 201,000 wild photos with automated cameras
We have this big, fang-filled, claw-sharpened big cat all up in our grill thanks to the researchers at the Smithsonian, who have created a new database filled with over 201,000 pictures of elusive animals in their natural habitats. These candid shots were made possible with motion-activated automated cameras scattered around the world, and feature over 200 species of birds and mammals, and here's most impressive part -- these photos are au naturel. That's right... there's no editing here, these are untouched raw shots straight from the rain forests of places like Peru and China -- which allow us to see these magnificent creatures as scientists do. If you want more info or desire to check out these wild photos, hop over to the source link or check out the gallery below. %Gallery-118866%
USB 3.0 for Mac review and benchmarks (with a LaCie 2big USB 3.0)
It took LaCie nearly a full year to ship the 2big USB 3.0 RAID drive -- a device that was announced in the fall of 2009 -- but now that it's here, it's being accompanied by a concept that actually far outshines the unit itself: USB 3.0 on a Mac. For whatever reason, Apple has refused to offer SuperSpeed USB on any of its machines, even a fully specced-out Mac Pro costing well north of $10,000. We've seen purported emails from Steve Jobs noting that USB 3.0 just isn't mainstream enough to sweat just yet, but coming from the guy who's still bearish on Blu-ray, we get the feeling that it'll be quite some time far too long before Apple finally caves and upgrades from USB 2.0. We're obviously no fans of the holdout -- after all, even a few sub-$500 netbooks are enjoying the SuperSpeed spoils already -- so we couldn't have possibly been more excited to hear that a longstanding storage vendor was about to fill the void that Cupertino continues to ignore. We were able to pick up a LaCie USB 3.0 PCIe expansion card as well as a 4TB (2 x 2TB) 2big USB 3.0 drive and put the whole setup through its paces on our in-house Mac Pro. Care to see how it stacked up against USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800? Head on past the break for the grisly details. %Gallery-111542%
Apple Mac App Store: open for business starting January 6th
Consider the rumors quelled. Despite whispers that Apple would be starting up the Mac App Store in the final year of this decade (or the first of the next, depending on perspective), the Cupertino giant has just affirmed that it'll be 2011 before the general populace gets to dig their hands into it. January 6th is the opening date for the Mac App Store, and unfortunately for those still humming along on OS X 10.5, it'll be a Snow Leopard-only affair. Smack dab in the middle of CES, Apple plans to unleash the store in 90 countries, and it'll feature "paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities." Naturally, it'll be a free update, and it'll work more or less exactly like the App Store does on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. As with those outlets, developers are able to set their own prices and then keep 70 percent of the revenue (provided it's a paid app). So, who's ready to blow a little Santa cash to ring in the new year?
