Apple has launched a new iOS Beta Testing Program for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. Much like the beta test program for OS X Yosemite, this allows users who opt to participate in the software testing program to receive beta versions of iOS system software before they are released to the wider public.
Apple has released a new developer version of OS X 10.10.3 for Mac. The new beta build of 14D98g includes Photos app, as well as support for Force Touch API, which is the redesigned touch-sensitive trackpad included in the new 12″ MacBook and MacBook Pro 13″ Retina. The new diverse Emoji characters and some other features from iOS 8.3 beta 3 are also included in the release.
A third beta version of iOS 8.3 has been released to developers. The new beta build is 12F5047f and includes bug fixes and feature enhancements for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.
The Green Button in OS X window bars used to maximize windows to fit the Mac screen, but since OS X Yosemite the Green Button now sends windows or apps into full screen mode by default. This can be modified one-off by Option+Clicking the maximize button, but a better solution for some users is to permanently modify the behavior of the green maximize button to work like it used to instead.
Apple will introduce Force Touch technology on the next models of iPhone, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
Now that we know Apple Watch will take pre-orders at the beginning of next month for a later release date in April, interested users may want to have a better idea of just how big or small given Apple Watch models are. Rounding the numbers, 42MM is 1.65 inches, and 38MM is 1.5 inches. For most of us, hearing 38mm or 42mm means just about nothing, but the Apple Store app has a really handy feature that displays the actual size of each Apple Watch model, giving you an excellent idea of the exact physical size of the device.
Some users who have updated to iOS 8.2 have discovered the Safari web browser no longer works as it should on their iPhone or iPad. There seems to be a few variations of Safari issues with iOS 8.2, but typically the problems manifest as an inability for Safari to launch or stay open, Safari becoming unresponsive to touch input, Safari loading blank pages, and the Safari search / URL bar becoming unworkable. If you’ve experienced one of these problems with iOS 8.2, you may be able to remedy it with one of solutions outlined below.
Apple has released an important security update for Mac users running a variety of versions of OS X. Labeled as “Security Update 2015-02”, the small update weighs in around 60MB and is available now for OS X Yosemite, OS X Mavericks, and OS X Mountain Lion.
iOS 8.2 has been released for all compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The new release includes bug fixes and feature improvements, and is required for iPhone users who wish to use an Apple Watch when it is released on April 24, as the new iOS version ships with the Watch companion application.
Apple spent a good amount of time detailing specifics about the Apple Watch product, revealing pricing, pre-orders, and a specific release date.
Apple has released an all new redesigned unibody MacBook with Retina display. The new Mac laptop looks absolutely gorgeous and is intended to be extremely portable. The computer is available in a trio of colors, much like the iPhone and iPad, don’t miss the specs and gallery images below, this is one impressive portable Mac.
Some advanced Mac users require having the root user enabled in Mac OS X for administrative or troubleshooting purposes. While many will keep the root user account password the same as their general administrator password, this is not always recommended for some situations, and thus these Mac users may wish to change the root user account password in Mac OS X.
Using FileVault full disk encryption is one of the better ways to protect your Mac and personal documents from prying eyes and password resets, but if you’re troubleshooting a Mac with FileVault, either your own or someone else’s, it’s kind of annoying to have another layer of passwords necessary to enter before you’ll be able to get in. Additionally, for situations where you’re performing remote management or administration tasks through SSH or Remote Login, if you were to need to reboot the remote Mac to install an OS X update, you wouldn’t be able to enter the necessary FileVault password, right? Well, yes, unless you temporarily bypass FileVault with an authorized restart.
The Apple logo is iconic and used frequently by fans, but if you’re looking to type the Apple logo () on an iPhone or iPad you won’t find it in the standard keyboard options or special characters. Indeed, for the time being anyway, the Apple logo does not have an easily accessible character option in the iOS keyboard (it probably deserves a place in the Emoji keyboard at least). That doesn’t mean you can’t type out the Apple icon from an iOS device though, you’ll just need to use one of the following tricks.
Microsoft has released a free public preview version of the Microsoft Office 2016 Suite for Mac. The Office suite includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and OneNote, which are arguably the most popular productivity apps in existence.
If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on a larger screen iPad, you’ll need to wait a bit longer. Apple is said to be delaying the release of a larger screened 12.9″ iPad model until later in the year, according to a set of new reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.
A notable amount of Mac users have discovered that a random Mac OS X password popup window can appear from iCloud, FaceTime, or Messages, any of each asking for the respective iCloud password. The random password request is very non-specific and just has the logo, “iCloud Password – Please enter your password for email@address” with options to cancel or ‘Log In’. This seems to happen in Mac OS X Mavericks with some regularity , but it can happen in later Mac OS releases too.
Rarely, an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch will become completely unresponsive and errant, leading to what amounts to a frozen device that just won’t do anything. The most obvious indicator of this is when something on screen just cease up completely and the touch screen becomes unresponsive to all input, and clicking on any of the hardware buttons also does nothing. Fortunately you can almost always remedy these unusual situations by forcibly rebooting the iOS device, a low tech solution that works to remedy most of these issues, it only takes a few seconds, and which is really pretty easy.
The tutorial here will show you how to force restart any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a clickable Home button.
