• apple,  ios 11,  mac os x,  security,  update

    Apple Issues ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Spectre’ Patches for iOS, macOS, Safari

    January 8, 2018 /

    apple_ios_1122_mealtdown_spectre_patch_20180108

    Today, Apple has posted a set of updates that are designed to patch recently reported vulnerabilities found in Intel and ARM CPU processors. These are very important security updates. You should install them as soon as you can.

    Apple Software Updates

    apple_macos_high_sierra_mealtdown_spectre_cpu_patch_20180108

    Ready for your downloading and installing pleasure are:
    * iOS 11.2.2 for iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, and iPod touch 6th generation
    * macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Supplemental Update
    * Safari 11.0.2 for OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and macOS Sierra 10.12.6

    The Apple support website always links to the latest security patch updates.

    The Short Story

    The vulnerability, which impacts all modern Intel and ARM CPUs, can be found in just about every PC, smartphone, and tablet on sale. Microsoft Windows, Linux distributions, and hardware vendors all need to update patches to prevent the “Meltdown” and “Spectre” vulnerabilities from being exploited and granting cyber-attackers access to highly sensitive data that is held in a computer’s protected memory space.

    Confused about all of this processor vulnerabilities and patching? It’s totally understandable. If you really want to understand what’s going on, check out Rene Ritchie’s excellent Meltdown and Spectre FAQ at iMore.com.

     

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  • apple,  apple //e

    Happy Birthday, Apple //e!

    January 1, 2018 /
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    Image via TechHive.com

    Apple fan blog Cult of Mac.com reminds us that the famous Apple //e turns 35 years old today.

    The Apple //e was the undisputed sales winner when compared with the other two Apple computers released that same year, the Apple Lisa and the Apple ///.

    I have found memories of the Apple //e. It was the second computer that I owned, my first was a vTech Laser 128 – an Apple // clone, and my first computer from Apple. I had the same setup as the one pictured above. I loved that thing and used it form many years until the system board finally failed. The thing that I really enjoyed about the Apple //e was that it embodied that hacker sense instilled in the product by Steve “Woz” Wozniak. The //e was super easy to open (the top case just popped off), giving the user easy access to the many expansion bays and add-on cards. This computer fueled my interests in operating systems and hardware which would play a major role in my decision to enter the Information Technology field many years later.

    I still have my old Apple //e 5.25-inch floppy disks, including the disk with my favorite Apple //e program, Apple Presents Apple. It was the first Apple //-series program I used. As the name implies, Apple Presents Apple, was the program Apple included with the //e that taught people how to use their new computer. My favorite game was the apple bin game, which taught you how to use the open and closed Apple keys (which would later become the Command key) as keyboard shortcut modifiers.

    Happy Birthday, Apple //e!

     

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