The written musings of a long-time Apple //e and Macintosh tech nerd. Opinions are my own.
A day after rolling out the Mac OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 update, Apple today released the iTunes 11.1.5 update.
MacWorld Magazine does a fantastic job describing the SSL security bug that was recently discovered in iOS and OS X.
“News of a serious vulnerability within Apple’s implementation of a key encryption technology has been making the rounds this weekend. Read on to find out more about what the flaw is, and how it affects you.”
Read more at MacWorld.com…
Happy birthday, Steve. Thanks for the many wonderful gadgets.
Learn more about Steve Jobs on Wikipedia, or better yet, read Steve’s biography written by Walter Isaacon.
Apple is continuing their push to deploy patches for their iOS and OS X operating systems to plug a hole in the way their devices handle SSL security.
Late on Friday evening, an update appeared on my third-generation Apple TVs presumably to address the same SSL patch. After applying the update, both of Apple TVs now show as having OS version 6.0.2 (6646.81.1) installed.
In a statement to the Reuters news agency yesterday, Apple indicated that there would also be an updated made available for desktop and laptop computers running Mac OS X software.
“We are aware of this issue,” said Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller, “and already have a software fix that will be released very soon.”
The defect in the security software could allow unauthorized access to documents, email, and other personal information stored on iOS devices and Mac OS X computers. The revelation that these publicly unscheduled software updates shows how serious the SSL software defect really is and how responsive Apple is to ensuring their customer’s safety.
Apple’s second and third-generation Apple TVs run a version of the company’s iOS software. As previously noted, Apple deployed over-the-air updates to iOS 7.0.6 to current model iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners, while iPhone 3GS and iPod touch fourth-generation owners received iOS 6.1.6.
There also has been talk that these security vulnerabilities and/or weaknesses had be intentionally left in iOS and Mac OS X as a kind of “back door” for government agencies to use to snoop on American citizens. I for one believe Apple CEO Tim Cook’s statements from earlier this year when he said that Apple has not worked with U.S. government to compromise the computer security of their customers. I think the speed at which Apple has made these patches and rolled them out to customers confirms that.
Apple’s latest security patch information can be found on the Apple support website.
[Via Reuters.com…]
Earlier today, Apple released what you might consider an “unscheduled” iOS update, iOS 7.0.6.
According to the notes provided in the summary screen, iOS 7.0.6 is a security fix for SSL connections.
It doesn’t look like the release notes have been replicated around to Apple’s servers because I wasn’t able to find mention of iOS 7.0.6 on the referenced Apple Support page. One can assume, however, that this update will be rolling out for current supported models of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches.
Update
9to5Mac has a note on their iOS update article that says Apple also rolled out iOS 6.1.6 to update the iPhone 3GS and fourth generation iPod touch handsets. After upgrading my iPod touch 4th-generation, it now lists iOS at version 6.1.6 (10B500).
From AppleInsider:
“According to people familiar with Apple’s plans, the company has made the decision to ramp down iPad 2 production given that customers are resoundingly shifting purchases towards its more modern and capable iPads, namely the iPad mini and iPad Air.”
It’s about time. The iPad mini at the same price as the iPad 2 is such a better deal it should be a no brainer.
[Via AppleInsider.com…]
Ok, so the iPhone 5S has been out for about five months now. It is hard to not notice the Apple rumor sites going full tilt crazy with new rumors and supposed hardware leaks.
Just in the last few days, we’ve seen an alleged future iPhone chassis, overall thinning due to thinner backlights, new larger sapphire displays, new front and back side cameras from Sony, and a new bezel-free design. Throw in a healthy does of “iWatch” and AppleTV rumors and any Apple fanboy should be blown out of their iSocks.
Except I’m not.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my iPhone 5S and iPad Air and I’m planning on getting a new MacBook Air this summer. But I’m having a hard time getting excited about these rumors.
First of all, the alleged iPhone chassis has already been debunked by eagle-eyed observers. I’m sure there will be many more faked competent leaks between now and whenever the new phones arrive. (And I do expect two flavors again this year.)
For me, I’m more interested in what the software is doing to do. Apple is putting the final wraps on iOS 7.1. All indicators are pointing to a March-ish release. iOS 8 is, I’m sure, already under development. While component leaks are just part of doing business these days, the software, the real heart and soul of our favorite iDevices, is what’s really interesting.
Will Apple finally leverage it’s massive iTunes business to process credit card transactions for things other than it’s own goods? What new delightful features will our iOS devices be able to do in 12 months?
What about the “iWatch”? Apple has been bulking up their “wearables” team. Whatever they have ins store, I’m sure the device or devices will be able to tell time. I envision an Apple device to be something that might look like a Nike+ FuelBand with with all kinds of interesting sensors inside. Oh, and a clock.
Whatever Apple is cooking up in their labs I’m sure it will be interesting, easy to use, and no doubt will delight us. But as for the iPhone 6? Meh. I can wait until June, or September, or whenever Apple gets around to releasing it.
Earlier today web analytics firm Net Applications released PC operating system numbers.
In a nutshell, today’s report keys on trends we would expect: Windows XP, first released back in 2001, is still hanging on at just below 30%. Windows 8/8.1 are in a dead heat with Vista, with Windows 8 finally starting to gain ground and Windows 7 is still by far, the Windows desktop champ.
On the Apple front, Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks saw a huge 21% market share jump in November. Compared to December’s numbers, Mavericks looked to be standing still with a 5% increase.
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[Via ComputerWorld.com…]
Yesterday, Apple rolled out the first update for Mac OS X Mavericks.
The 10.9.1 update, a 243MB download, should be welcomed as an early Christmas present for anyone who uses the build in Mail application with Gmail. It was widely reported after the initial release of Mavericks that there were issues keeping email in sync between the client and the Google servers. This update should address the Gmail issues. (I don’t use the Apple Mail application, so I can’t really comment on the issues Gmail users were reporting.)
In addition to the Mail update, Mavericks 10.9.1 also updates Safari to version 7.0.1. The latest version of Safari fixes an issue where Safari could become unresponsive when filling out web forms and improves the credit card autofill feature’s compatibility with websites. (I have been using the credit card autofill features this Christmas season and it’s been working well.)
This latest Mavericks update will install on any Macintosh that is capable of running OS X 10.9, including some models going all the way back to 2007.
A full list of changes, fixes, and enhancements can be found on the Apple website.
If you haven’t already done, so, you can download and install the Mac OS X 10.9.1 update on your Macintosh by going to the App Store icon and clicking on the Updates tab.
