Earlier today Facebook unveiled a dedicated website for its Messenger service, accompanying dedicated apps for the iPhone and iPad. Now, however, a third-party developer has taken that newly unveiled web interface and put it into a dedicated OS X desktop app.
An Associated Press review of the new Photos app for the Mac suggests that OS X 10.10.3 will be available for general download later today. The first pre-release seed of the latest version of Yosemite was made available to developers and testers back in February, with the first public beta following at the beginning of March.
Apple’s new Photos app for Mac computers, available Wednesday as a free software update, makes it easy to organize and edit your pictures.
AP’s Anick Jesdanun was impressed with Photos, Apple’s replacement for iPhoto and Aperture, saying that the auto-fix features were particularly impressive …
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After Google Reader announced its closure, popular RSS client Reeder was forced to step back, retool, and eventually relaunch its Mac client with support for multiple RSS services. Now, Reeder is preparing to launch another major update to its Mac app with heavy design tweaks for OS X Yosemite.
Three days after the last release, Apple has seeded an updated build of the OS X 10.10.3 software update for Mac. The new build ranks in at 14D130a, just a few steps above the 14D127 build released at the start of the week, for both developers and public beta testers. The update measures in at 1.52GB and highlights stability and security improvements.
The new version of OS X Yosemite includes the all-new Photos for Mac app, new and diverse emoji characters, improved login for Google accounts, and developer APIs for Force Touch on the new 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. While Apple has not shared the exact release date for OS X 10.10.3, it describes the included Photos app as “coming this spring” meaning the public release is likely imminent.
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Apple this week has begun rolling out its Apple Maps Connect feature to a trio of new countries: Italy, Switzerland, and Mexico. Apple Maps Connect allows business owners to alter their business listing on Apple Maps for OS X and iOS as well as add their businesses to the platform. The additions are noted on the portal, while Apple has also begun emailing users. Business listing updates can take about a week. Apple first launched the service in the U.S. last October, expanded it to the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Singapore in January, and brought it to Canada, France & Germany in February. The same online portal allows businesses with over 1 million annual visitors to apply for Apple’s indoor mapping technology.
Apple has released an updated build of the OS X 10.10.3 beta for both developers and public beta testers. The latest build is the same for both: 14D113C. Developers, however, also have access to Yosemite Recovery Update 3.0. OS X 10.10.3 includes the brand new Photos app which replaces both iPhoto and Aperture with support for iCloud Photo Libraries and an overhauled design. The first public beta for OS X 10.10.3 launched earlier this month, while registered developers have been testing the update due out this spring since early last month.
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Apple has released a new security update for OS X Yosemite, and a separate version of the update for Macs released in early 2015, including the new 13″ MacBook Pro with Force Touch trackpads and the upcoming MacBook.
The update is available for users running OS X 10.10.2 in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store, or as a standalone installer at the links above. Users on the public beta of OS X 10.10.3 apparently do not need the update, since the newer operating system likely already includes fixes for the problems addressed by this release.
Apple has not yet released the update notes to explain what has been fixed.
iPhoto has also been updated to improve compatibility with the upcoming Photos app that replaces it:
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Apple today has released a pair of Safari betas for earlier version of OS X. Safari 7.1.5 beta for OS X Mavericks and version 6.2.5 beta for OS X Mountain Lion are both available on the Mac Developer Center for registered developers. Safari 8.0.5, which includes the same upgrades as the Mavericks and Mountain Lion versions, is not available as a separate download, but it comes as part of the OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 developer and public betas. Here are the focus areas for these Safari betas:
Less than a week following the previous seed, Apple has released build 14D105 of the upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 to both developers and users of the Public Beta. Apple has not yet said when 10.10.3 will be released to all OS X Yosemite users, but the increase in seeds in recent weeks likely indicates that a wider launch is fast approaching. As we’ve previously detailed, 10.10.3 will include the all new iCloud-based Photos app for the Mac, developer APIs for the new Force Touch Trackpad on the MacBook and MacBook Pro with Retina display, and a new Emoji picker across the system.
Apple has pushed security updates to both iOS and OS X, ending their vulnerability to the FREAK exploit which allowed hackers access to personal data during encrypted sessions on a number of major websites. Android and Windows devices were also vulnerable.
At the time the exploit was discovered, affected websites included American Express, Airtel, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Groupon, Marriott and, ironically, the FBI, NSA and White House sites. Hackers could force the sites to use a less-secure form of encryption that could be relatively easily cracked. Apple’s fix prevents iOS and OS X from using the lower level of encryption even if the site requests it.
The fix is included in iOS 8.2, released yesterday. iOS 8.2 added support for the Apple Watch, improved the Health app and fixed a number of bugs, including an SMS reboot. It was also rolled into today’s Apple TV 7.1 update. The OS X fix is available as a standalone software update. From the Apple menu, select App Store then the Updates tab; a restart is required.
Apple has issued a small update to iMovie for users running the OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 developer and public betas. This new update, version 10.0.7, brings integration with the all-new Photos app, announced last year at WWDC and currently in beta. You’ll now be able to browse your moments, collections, favorites and albums in iMovie. Full release notes below:
CNN today pushed out an update to its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with a pair of features that some users will find significant: a Today widget for iOS 8’s Notification Center and a sports section. The widget is populated with the latest top stories from CNN, while the sports section sources its content from Bleacher Report, which has a dedicated App Store app (iPhone, iPad). CNN also says this version includes various bug fixes, like every app update that has come before it.
Apple today released the first Public Beta of the upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3. The new release includes the iCloud-based Photos application for the Mac, new Emojis across the system, and simpler login to Google accounts for profiles with two-factor authentication enabled. This beta is labeled as build 14D87, which is the same as the second 10.10.3 beta for developers, which was released a week ago. The Public Beta is available in the Mac App Store Software Update tab for registered beta users. Apple plans to release the first Public Beta of iOS 8.3 in mid-March, according to sources. Thanks, DJ!
Earlier this month, Apple released the first OS X 10.10.3 pre-release update to testers with a beta version of the iPhoto replacement app called Photos. Today an updated build is rolling out to testers through the Mac App Store. Apple has also released a new beta of iOS 8.3 for testers. We’ll dig in.
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When Apple develops a new technology or feature for its hardware, it typically rolls it out on one product then expands it to the rest of the line. For example, Touch ID launched for the iPhone in 2013 and made its way to the iPad with the iPad Air 2 in 2014. For 2015, Touch ID may make its debut on the Mac, according to a rumor from website apple.club.tw. According to the blog, which published legitimate photos of iPad Air 2 Touch ID and A8X chip components last fall, Touch ID will come to Macs this year to enable Apple Pay functionality…
[tweet https://twitter.com/wilshipley/status/565001293975257091]
Wil Shipley, a developer whose association with Apple began with a contract for NeXT, has posted two tweets in praise of Swift shortly after Apple’s “significant update” to the programming language.
Shipley says he feels the same way about Swift that he did when he first saw Cocoa on the NeXT platform, and that Objective-C is a “crapshack” of a language in comparison.
The developer co-founded The Omni Group in 1991, one of the few companies to create apps for NeXT and eventually OS X. He won a record five Apple Design Awards while at Omni, winning three more at the second company he founded, Delicious Monster. All of Delicious Monster’s other staff were later hired by Apple.
Shipley spoke at WWDC in 2005 and 2007, and was listed as one of the most influential members of the Mac community by MacTech Magazine for two years running.
While Swift has been very well received by other developers, its rapidly-changing nature does pose some challenges. New versions are backwards-compatible, but developers have to make changes to code in order to fully support new versions of iOS.
Grab a $29 Swift Assets+ Tutorial Here or jump on Stanford’s iTunes Swift Course for free.
Upcoming changes to OS X will soon make setting up Google accounts that use 2-step verification with the Mac much simpler. Added in the developer beta of OS X 10.10.3 released yesterday, setting up a Google account in the Internet Accounts section of the System Preferences app now supports 2-step verification just like the web.
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While the highlight of the OS X 10.10.3 pre-release seed yesterday was the iPhoto replacement app simply called Photos, the beta version of the OS X software update also contains changes to how and which Emoji characters are presented.
First, the new Emoji picker found in the OS X 10.10.3 beta has been redesigned with a new window that allows you to scroll through each category of Emoji characters. The new design is similar to some third-party Emoji keyboards for iOS 8 including Emoji++ as sections no longer require choosing between various pages of characters.
Next, it appears Apple is preparing to include more diverse Emoji characters in the next OS X release as various place holders have been spotted on the beta’s current character picker.
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Apple released a preview version of its new Photos for Mac app to testers today, and some developers noticed a new private framework used to build the iPhoto replacement called UXKit. While Apple often uses private frameworks that never become accessible to developers, the UXKit framework is notable as it appears to be a version of UIKit based on AppKit.
Mac developers have long wanted a version of UIKit, the framework upon which apps are constructed and managed including the user interface and app interactions, as it would offer app makers a powerful tool for creating software for the desktop just like it has on the smartphone and tablet.
While UXKit remains a private framework accessible only by developers within Apple, it’s possible UXKit could be a hint of how Apple will encourage iOS developers to create apps on the Mac as well making it much simpler to create apps for both iOS and Mac.
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Apple is rolling out the first pre-release seed of OS X 10.10.3 to testers and developers today including the all-new Photos app with support for iCloud Photo Library beta. Previously, iCloud Photo Library was only available for desktop users through iCloud.com using a web app. The new Photos app replaces iPhoto while Aperture is also no longer being developed. Apple first announced the new Photos app at WWDC 2014 and later added that development would no longer continue on either iPhoto or Aperture. Adobe released a tool last fall to help Aperture users migrate photos to their pro app Lightroom.
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After several preview releases to testers, Apple has pushed yet another OS X 10.10.2 build to pre-release Yosemite testers through the Updates section of the Mac App Store. Previous builds of the Mac operating system focused on improving bugs with WiFi, Mail, and VoiceOver, and this pre-release seed is no exception. We’ll update our coverage with what we find in the latest pre-release seed.
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Image via Brad Sams
Microsoft announced today at its Windows 10 briefing that it will make the next major version of its operating system free for consumers. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for for the first year for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 users. Users who upgrade will continue to have access to the latest versions for free when using the same device. For comparison, Apple has offered updates to each of its software updates, including major operating system versions, for free since 2013 with the release of OS X 10.9 Mavericks for the Mac.
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Dropbox has announced through an email to users on older versions of OS X that it will soon be discontinuing support for computers running Leopard or other older versions of the operating system. Users still running anything older than OS X 10.6 will need to upgrade in order to continue using future versions of the Dropbox app.
Users who don’t upgrade will still be able to use the web-based Dropbox manager, but will be automatically signed out of the Mac app. From that point forward, they will not be able to login back into the Mac client until they are on a newer version of OS X.
The changes will go into effect on May 18th, so users still have plenty of time to upgrade their software (or hardware, if necessary). The full email is included below:
Google is today rolling out Chrome 40 for iOS and with it introducing a redesigned UI, OS X Handoff support, and optimizations for iOS 8 and the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
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