All of the Apple-related focus may have been on the new iPhone models and imminent release of iOS 7 but it seems the OS X engineers are still beavering away in the background. With an expected October release time ticking away for the Mac software team to eradicate any reported bugs and glitches within OS X 10.9 and get it ready for the primetime, the company has taken an additional step to reaching that end-goal with the release of OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 8 which also includes an updated version of iTunes 11.1.
Some analysts and Mac users expected Apple to use Tuesday's iPhone event to announce the availability of the OS X Mavericks 10.9 Gold Master seed for registered developers. It didn't happen. The general acceptance is that the Cupertino based company applied all of its collective efforts and resources into ensuring that iOS 7 and the two new iPhone models were launched without issue. We now expect OS X 10.9 to land next month at some point, but for those who simply can't wait for new stuff, Apple has today pushed out a point version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 that fixes a number of niggling issues.
The first beta of SimCity first rolled out at the beginning of the year, and a short while ago, it was confirmed by EA that SimCity for Mac would be ready for prime time at the end of August. Right on cue, SimCity has just made an appearance over at the Mac App Store, and considering how badly the PC launch went down thanks to its requirement of an always-on Internet connection, the publisher will be hoping for a lot less controversy this time around.
Apple likes to keep its nose clean when it comes to security flaws, and prides itself on offering consumers a slightly better deal than rivals when it comes to keeping its products water-tight from potential attacks. By and large, the company manages to remain a top of any such issues, and when such time comes as they do arise, the response is usually swift and successful. However, an old, and as-yet unpatched security flaw within OS X offers intruders a route to root, so to speak, and the method, which involves playing around with certain clock and user timestamp settings, is rather alarming.
Parallels has built its name up from a series of software allowing consumers to run Microsoft's Windows on a Mac. There are, of course, numerous apps offering a similar service, but with ease of use and generally smooth functionality, Parallels Desktop has become the go-to choice for many looking to enjoy the best of both worlds. Now, the company has come through with Parallels Access, an app for iPad that allows convenient remote control access to both Windows and OS X desktops and notebooks.
Apple's MacBook is an expensive commodity to say the least, and once we've forked out such hefty sums for the privilege of owning a shiny aluminum notebook, it stands to reason that we'll want to spend a little extra on making the experience of using it as joyous as possible. Thus, MacBook peripherals and accessories are in high demand, and few companies offer the kind of range and quality as Twelve South. The makers of the BookBook for iPhone 5 and others are back with another great product - GhostStand for MacBook.
Intel's latest Haswell processors may not have increased performance a grand jot over last year's Ivy Bridge, but in terms of efficiency, the improvements are clear for all to see. With Apple's MacBook Air 2013 range already reaping the benefits with vastly increased battery life, the MacBook Pro notebook would seem next in line, and according to a report, Haswell-powered MacBook Pros will begin shipping next month.
Since the focus of mainstream attention has remained almost squarely upon the progress of Apple's iOS 7 betas, it's rather easy to forget about OS X Mavericks 10.9, which is also currently being readied for prime time. While the name may have raised one or two eyebrows after a series of big cat releases, the changes made to the Mac operating system are very much business as usual, and the sixth developer preview doesn't appear to offer anything radically different from the previous offering.
All new Apple products go through a process of extensive, meticulous testing before hitting the market, a move that ensures that each device is safe to use and free of any mechanical error. But despite this, it is often the case that unforeseen issues do arise, and a problem with the graphics card for some mid-2011 iMac computers has meant that the fruit company will be taking remedial steps by means of a replacement program.
With Apple currently in the process of developing a bunch of new software products ready for release later on this year, the technology industry has been looking on with great intrigue. iOS 7 has, quite naturally, dominated the headlines, but OS X Mavericks 10.9 is also clocking up its fair share of preview releases ahead of its own debut, which should come significantly earlier than its mobile-tailored counterpart. In recent times, we've seen Apple bring quite a few of iOS's features over to its desktop OS in what has been dubbed an "iOS-ification," and whilst the changes to Mavericks don't seem to bear as many iOS hallmarks as Mountain Lion, designer Stu Crew has tried to paint a picture of what OS X Mavericks could look like if given the same design makeover as iOS 7.
