Yesterday in the MacNN forums, ghporter asks "is it worth upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion?" read more here. Also yesterday one Senior User discovered they were having problems copying and pasting from e-mails and have turned to the forums for some advice.
This week in the MacNN forums, one Forum Regular noticed that the only way to quit Chrome in OS X Lion is by using Force Quit and they are looking for any possible better solutions, read more here. Forum members discuss App store terms in this thread started by Grizzled Veteran Doc HM earlier this week.
Apple has released a fourth preview of Mountain Lion Server to developers. The code is also listed as build 12S219n, and follows just a day after a third update of the main Mountain Lion preview. A number of known issues are listed in the Server preview; among others, there are several problems each in the use of FileVault, Time Machine, and Game Center.
Yesterday in the MacNN forums Mac Enthusiast bojangles points out a quiet bug fix in Mac OS X 10.7.4 that affects Screen Sharing on multiple displays, click here to read more. Also Yesterday one forum member was replacing a G5 Xserve with a late 2008 Xserve and had some questions, read more here.
Apple has posted two separate security updates for OS X Leopard. The first, Leopard Security Update 2012-003, disables versions of Flash without the most recent security updates, and instead provides a method of getting the latest release from Adobe. Apple's update is 1.11MB and requires at least OS X 10.5.8.
A Monday morning iCloud outage affected 12 percent of subscribers, or about 15 million people, according to the service's status page. Between 8 and 9:30 AM Pacific time, iCloud email was inaccessible for the affected group. As of 9:42 AM, all services were listed as online.
Today in the MacNN forums, Forum Regular Nassifer has a question about the album artwork that shows in iTunes, read more here. "Is anyone else tired of waiting?" is the question posed by one Fresh-Faced Recruit who want's to see a MacBook Pro update.
Following the release of iOS 5.1.1 for most iOS devices, Apple has updated its custom firmware for the second- and third-generation Apple TV to v5.0.1 (build 9B206F). Because the version of iOS running on Apple TV is customized and offers a different UI, the company numbers it slightly differently, but the new release roughly corresponds to firmware on other devices.
Apple Korea has agreed to change the way it handles replacing defective iPads and iPods in the country, reports say. Until recently, people bringing in faulty hardware would typically get a refurbished device if a replacement was needed. Apple has been persuaded by South Korea's Fair Trade Commission, however, to follow local laws, and will now replace defective iPads and iPods with entirely new units for a period of up to one month after purchase.
Following several weeks of developer testing, Apple has released the completed version of OS X 10.7.4. Now available though Lion's Software Update mechanism, the upgrade deals with several security, reliability and compatibility problems. Most notably it fixes a security issue in FileVault which could potentially expose a person's passwords in plain text.
Lenovo's earlier recall of its ThinkCentre M90z and ThinkCentre M70z all-in-one desktop computers has been expanded to include more units. The voluntary recall -- involving both the manufacturer and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission -- now has a higher number of affected machines, up from 50,500 to 188,000.
Today in the MacNN forums, user osiris noticed a strange issue with Google image searches in iOS 5.1.1 and has turned to the forums asking if anyone else has experienced similar problems. A debate about repairing permissions can be found in this thread started by one Fresh-Faced Recruit looking for an answer to a question about a warning message.
The Genius Bars at Apple Stores are now in some cases replacing black iPhone 4 models with equivalent iPhone 4S models, 9to5Mac claims. Recently it was said that Geniuses were replacing broken white, GSM 16GB iPhone 4 units with 4S models instead, owing to shortages of the former. As of earlier this week though, Apple is said to have "almost" caught up with demand for white 16GB iPhone 4 units, but developed new constraints involving black 16 and 32GB iPhone 4 models.
An iPhone that started smoking on a flight to Sydney last November has been explained. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau conducted the investigation and found that a misplaced screw within the handset had punctured the battery casing. The resulting short circuit caused the battery to overheat and start smoking. According to the ATSB, the screw was misplaced by an unauthorized service center during a screen replacement. Although no one was hurt during the flight from the faulty handset, the chief comissioner of the ATSB, Martin Dolan, warned passengers to carry electronic devices in the cabin and to not store them with checked-in baggage.
Less than two weeks after Nikon acknowledged problems with a batch of camera batteries, the company has confirmed that some D4 and D800 cameras also face reliability issues. Some users have reported that the DSLRs may lock up during usage, interrupting shooting sessions and forcing users to reset the camera by removing and reinserting the battery.
Today in the MacNN forums one concerned Mac Enthusiast is looking for help with a Mac Mini audio problem, join in here. Also today check out iLinguist West, a multilingual English Dictionary for the iPhone, read more here.
Today in the MacNN forums, AvisNocturna is looking for some Beta testers for a new Logo Design App, click here to join in. Rumors that the 17-inch MacBook Pro is going to be discontinued were brought up in this thread started by Forum Regular Negrol earlier this week.
Microsoft has posted a new version of Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 2, listed as v14.2.1. The update can be installed by all Office for Mac users, but is mainly designed to replace a problematic earlier version of the Service Pack, which caused Outlook database corruption problems. Microsoft was forced to pull the patch from AutoUpdate.
Canon tackled some of the teething issues of the EOS 5D Mark III, including its exposure bug. In a statement, it said that the LCD was skewing the displayed exposure value, but not the actual shot. The company would inspect DSLRs on request starting in mid-May, but it didn't see cause for a fix.
CoreCode, the developers of disk drive health checker SMARTReporter, released the final version of the free, open-source version and have debuted an overhauled SMARTReporter 3 with substantial new features, new system requirements, a new distribution model and a new price ($5). The program has been completely rewritten and redesigned and adds support for external disk I/O checking, hot-plugged disks, an integrated log-viewer and many other features.
After first advising users on how to work around the flaw, Microsoft today pulled the Service Pack 2 update for its Office 2011 Mac software in order to find the cause of an issue that was corrupting identity databases in its Outlook e-mail client. Though the SP2 update is still available for manual download, the company has stopped pushing SP2 out using AutoUpdate until it resolves the problem, according to a post on its Office for Mac blog.
Today in the MacNN forums Fresh-Faced Recruit AtomicGTR started a thread looking for help with a slow graphics card in their MacBook Pro, click here to read more. Also today moderator P was looking for advice on what to do with an iMac G5 that doesn't boot, read more here.
[Updated: Full service resumed at 10:30 p.m. PT] Some iCloud users have been affected by mail and notes outages, according to reader reports and status updates from Apple. The problem is said to affect less than one percent of iCloud users, but causes those users to be unable to retrieve e-mail. The problem began around 7 a.m. (Pacific Time) and was partially resolved late in the afternoon, but delays of incoming mail was ongoing until around 10:30 p.m. PT.
Today Forum Regular Nergol asks "is my Disk Doubler drive slow?", read more here. Forum goers discuss Outlook 2011 in a thread started yesterday by Senior User jeff k.
Nokia gave a surprise for the weekend with word that its promised data fix for the Lumia 900 was already available. The new update solves a problem where all cellular data would stop working after the phone was restarted, requiring an extensive trick to get it back. Nokia had previously pinned the flaw on a memory management hiccup.
Canon has posted a warning about a potentially serious issue with the EOS 5D Mark III. Lighting up the LCD while photographic dark scenes can confuse the autoexposure sensor, making it think the scene is brighter and skewing the final results. The company was preparing "countermeasures" to combat the problem, but what those were hadn't been mentioned.
Yesterday in the MacNN forums Junior Member porrid asks if the Flashback Trojan is still prevalent after downloading some questionable files, read more here. Also yesterday Forum Regular wetstuff started a thread looking for ways to transfer files from 10.7 to an older computer, join in here.
While almost all legitimate Mac applications make at least occasional connections to outside web servers for perfectly legitimate reasons (validating registrations, checking for updates and so on), some programs "phone home" for other reasons, often without the user's active knowledge. Metakine has updated its own outgoing-connection monitor program, Hands Off! to version 2, adding support for wildcard options along with small general improvements.
HTC has promised an "immediate fix" for a number of One S handsets that have reportedly suffered damage to the unique coating material. Posts on XDA-Developers show several handsets bearing their aluminum base metal in certain areas, rather than the layer of "microarc oxidization."
A growing amount of complaints are being made on Apple's support forums regarding 3G issues with the new iPad. Affected users will have trouble connecting to a 3G network, even in cases where an iPad is reporting a strong signal. Toggling cellular and/or Wi-Fi data may not work; one temporary solution is said to involve rebooting an iPad, which may force an iPad to reacquire a connection.
Apple is pushing out two new patches to Mac users via Software Update. Of these the most critical is Java for OS X 2012-002, which actually replaces 2012-001, released earlier this week. Apple rarely outright removes an earlier update; 001 may have had a critical bug or security flaw that was somehow missed in a rush put out the code, which was meant to combat the Flashback Trojan.
An internal AppleCare document has revealed that Apple engineers are investigating reports of poor or inconsistent Wi-Fi issues with some units of the 2012 Wi-Fi only iPad. Reports have been spotted from users in Mac forums and in Apple's own Support Communities, most of them owners of previous iPads or iPhones who say the new iPad cannot maintain a connection or suffers slow speeds and lesser reception than their other iOS devices in the same circumstances.
After months in beta, Piriform has announced a formal release of CCleaner is available as a free download for the Mac, either via the Mac App Store or directly from Piriform itself. The program, which has a large following for Windows, advertises itself as a cleanup tool for temporary or unused files, as well as a utility for erasing a user's internet and downloading history that can compromise privacy. The first official release also fixes a few issues.
In new rankings, Consumer Reports says it is positioning the third-generation iPad as the best tablet currently available. "The high-resolution screen of the new iPad establishes a new benchmark in excellence, providing the best rendering of detail and color accuracy we’ve ever seen on a tablet display," the publication writes. "As a result, the iPad tops our new tablet Ratings, posted today.
Apple has silently updated its European websites -- such as the one for the UK -- with a table on the differences between Apple's warranties and ones mandated by the European Union, reports observe. The document is divided into columns for EU law, the default warranties for Apple products, and extended AppleCare coverage. The most contentious point has been that EU law covers two years, whereas Apple only promises one without AppleCare.
Nokia has started up a "Where's My Phone Update?" page for owners of their own Windows Phone handsets, helping users keep track of which updates are available for their model in their region. The new page is a revamp of a service originally offered by Microsoft for a time, which was later abandoned due to the complexities of cross-matching updates with specific countries, carriers and phone models.
Apple is seeding a new beta of OS X 10.7.4 to developers, reports say. The build is listed as build 11E35, and release notes for the software claim "no known issues" at the moment. Apple is nevertheless asking developers to test several different components, including Mail, iCal, QuickTime, graphics, and the Mac App Store.
Apple's VP for iPad product marketing, Michael Tchao, has responded to recent controversy surrounding the way the third-gen device handles charging. The executive tells AllThingsD that an iPad does indeed report 100 percent charge before it's actually finished, but that overcharging is not an issue. Once an iPad genuinely hits the 100 percent mark, it will discharge slightly and then recharge, repeating the cycle until the charge cable is disconnected.
An apparent Google Play malfunction has caused surprise among some Android users who have discovered a Russian e-mail app installed on their Samsung device. The app, titled "МТС Мобильная Почта" and translated to MTS Mobile Mail, has led many users to believe their device has been affected by malware.
The bad battery indicator in the new third-generation iPad has been further tested by Dr. Ray Soneira, the president of DisplayMate and the leading scientist testing and explaining the technology behind the new iPad's doubled resolution and advanced "Retina Display" screen, as well as one of the first to uncover that the battery indicator falsely reads "100%" more than an hour before it is actually fully charged. He has since clarified some of his findings.
Apple has posted a new version of Safari, v5.1.5. The update is a minor one, simply resolving a glitch that "could affect website usability" when running in 32-bit mode. Separate Windows, Lion, and Snow Leopard downloads are available.
A leading researcher examining the third-generation iPad has discovered through testing and actual voltage readings that the latest iPad requires around two hours of additional charging beyond the point where the indicator reads "100%" in order to truly achieve maximum charge. Initial testing indicates that the problem lies only in the accuracy of the on-screen battery charge indicator rather than a hardware fault, but could lead to consumer confusion on performance.
Apple confirmed an issue with iTunes in the Cloud earlier this evening that was preventing some users from streaming or downloading content from their iCloud account for a short period, AppleInsider reports. The issue appears to have begun around 6:30 p.m. Eastern time but was apparently resolved around two and a half hours later, judging from reports in an Apple Support community thread.
After reporting yesterday that some older Apple Smart Covers and third-party covers with the same "sleep/wake" magnetic functionality don't consistently work with the latest third-generation iPad, some accessory manufacturers are offering free replacement covers if a customer's iPad 2-compatible cover doesn't work. Long-time accessory maker Targus confirmed that it would replace cases free of charge for new iPad customers, AppleInsider reports.
Dell has released several updated drivers for its XPS 13 ultrabook, addressing hardware issues that have affected the new device. A touchpad driver is designed for improved multi-touch functionality, including scrolling performance and palm recognition to avoid accidental input.
(Updated with temporary Wi-Fi fixes) Apple has resumed offering in-store pickup for orders from the company's online store, checks show. The option was briefly disabled beginning with the launch of the new iPad on March 16th. Many or most stores are still ineligible for pickup, though, suggesting that the company is still working to meet demand. Online deliveries are still only shipping in one to two weeks.
Google has begun distributing $5 credits to Google Prepaid Card accounts, after the fledgling Google Wallet NFC payment service encountered several problems. In response to a security vulnerability, the company had temporarily barred users from creating new cards and blocked the ability to reset the system.
(Updated with results) Consumer Reports is looking into anecdotes of third-gen iPads running unusually hot, Reuters reports. The publication says it will announce results on Tuesday after conducting a series of tests. While not everyone with an iPad has noticed the problem, affected iPads may grow several degrees hotter on one side, making it uncomfortable if still bearable to hold.
Apple has issued an official response to complaints of third-gen iPads generating extra heat. A PR representative for the company, Trudy Muller, tells The Loop that the tablet operates "well within our [Apple's] thermal specifications," and that anyone worried about the matter "should contact AppleCare."
Apple late yesterday took an unusual step in posting a software update specifically for Snow Leopard users that resolves an issue where certain Apple software fails to install properly. The update is for users on the last version of Snow Leopard, 10.6.8, and is recommended for all such users. It will show up automatically in Software Update on qualifying machines, and is available from Apple's support website with a filesize of 1.34MB.
