No matter what device you are reading this article on, it would not be possible without the invention of the transistor nearly 70 years ago. Transistors are basically just mini-semiconductors that regulate voltage flow, and when many transistors are combined in large numbers, they create microprocessors (the Apple M1 chip has 16 billion transistors, for example).

Now, imagine being back in the early 1950s, where the mere concept of microprocessors, talking watches, and portable electronics were nothing more than imaginations of science fiction, and that’s the setting of this short fun 1953 documentary from AT&T’s Tech Archives about the transistor.

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If you are excited about MacOS Sonoma and it’s new features like the return of desktop widgets or new screen savers, you likely want to know when the release date of MacOS Sonoma will be.

If you’re wondering when the final version of MacOS Sonoma will be released, you’re certainly not alone. Let’s discuss some of the knowns and unknowns regarding the official release date of MacOS Sonoma 14, the upcoming macOS system software version.

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While the newest model 15″ MacBook Air is an amazing machine, and the 16″ M2 Max MacBook Pro is a dream to use, not everyone has the latest and greatest hardware. In fact, many Mac users rely on hardware and operating systems that are considered old by some standards, finding tons of life left in 10+ year old computers. Maybe you’ve got an adored 2015 MacBook Pro running outdated system software. Maybe you’ve got a favorite 2010 iMac that you still use every day. Maybe your 2009 polycarbonate MacBook is still good enough for your computing needs.

It turns out that using an older Mac can still be a very productive experience, and even be just plain enjoyable. If you’ve got an older Mac, or you’re considering getting one, this is for you, so let’s review 12 helpful tips to get the most and best use out of an older Mac.

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Apple has released iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8 for older model iPhone and iPad devices that are not able to run the latest iOS 16.6 & iPadOS 16.6 updates.

The small software updates include security fixes, and are therefore recommended for all eligible users to download and install onto their devices.

Additionally, macOS Ventura 13.5, iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, and macOS Big Sur 11.7.9 are also available as updates.

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Apple has issued MacOS Monterey 12.6.8 and MacOS Big Sur 11.7.9 for eligible Macs that are continuing to run the macOS Monterey and macOS Big Sur operating systems. Additionally, Safari 16.6 is available as an update for those operating systems.

The updates include security fixes, and are therefore recommended for all users to install onto their Macs.

Separately, macOS Ventura 13.5, iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, iOS 15.7.8, iPadOS 15.7.8, and updates to watchOS and TvOS are also available.

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Excited about iOS 17 and the fancy new wallpapers available for iPhone? That’s reasonable, given that with every new iOS release comes new default wallpapers, and iOS 17 is no different.

But you don’t have to install the iOS 17 beta to enjoy the new wallpapers right now, because you can download the iOS 17 wallpaper separately to your device and use them on whatever iOS version you’re running currently. You could even use the iOS 17 wallpaper on another device entirely, like an iPad, Mac, or even Android or PC.

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One way to test out MacOS Sonoma beta but without installing it directly on a Mac is to install the Sonoma beta into a virtual machine instead. There are several different ways to do this, but for this particular article we will show you how you can setup and install MacOS Sonoma beta in a virtual machine by using the free UTM software.

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iOS 17 beta 4 has been released by Apple for iPhone users who are participating in the developer beta testing program for iPhone system software.

While the dev beta is the first to get the latest 4th beta update, and it remains to be seen if the public beta will be updated concurrently (which would be public beta 2), any person can install iOS 17 beta on iPhone by joining the free Apple developer program, which makes it available as a software update on their device.

Additionally, Apple has simultaneously released updates for MacOS Sonoma beta 4, iPadOS 17 beta 4, watchOS 10 beta 4, and tvOS 17 beta 4.

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MacOS Sonoma beta 4 has been released by Apple to all Mac users participating in the developer beta testing program for MacOS software.

The fourth beta is currently available for registered developers, but a matching build will likely be released soon for public beta users as well. There’s not really a difference between the public beta and developer beta versions now that the dev beta is also free, meaning that anyone can install MacOS Sonoma beta on a Mac by joining the free Apple developer beta program.

Separately, iOS 17 beta 4, iPadOS 17 beta 4, watchOS 10 beta 4, and tvOS 17 beta 4, are also available as updates to beta testers.

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iPad beta testers can now download and install iPadOS 17 beta 4 on their devices that are actively enrolled in the developer beta testing program for ipadOS system software.

While this updated beta is versioned as beta 4 for developers, presumably an updated beta 2 for public beta testers that matches the same build will also be released soon. Technically speaking, anyone can install iPadOS 17 dev beta right now for free by joining the Apple developer program.

Separately, Apple has also released iOS 17 beta 4 for iPhone, MacOS Sonoma beta 4 for Mac, watchOS 10 beta 4 for Apple Watch, and tvOS 17 beta 4 for Apple TV.

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Apple has released iOS 16.6 for iPhone and iPadOS 16.6 for iPad, to all users who are running the iOS/iPadOS 16 operating systems.

iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 are said to include important bug fixes and security fixes for iPhone and iPad, making them recommended to install for eligible users. No new features are included.

Separately, updates are also available for MacOS Ventura 13.5, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6, along with small point release updates for macOS Big Sur and Monterey, and older iPhone and iPad models.

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Apple has released macOS Ventura 13.5 as an update to Mac users running the Ventura operating system. The update includes important bug fixes and security updates, making it recommended to install. No new features are expected.

Separately, Apple has also released iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, and watchOS 9.6, along with updates to macOS Monterey and Big Sur.

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As many of you likely know, the entire modern Apple operating system suite – from MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS, and tvOS – are all based on UNIX, powering the Apple tech we all know and love. But way back in 1973, UNIX was a very different operating system running in a very different environment in Bell Labs (then part of AT&T).

These fun retro computing videos from AT&T offer an amazing look at the earliest days of computers, programmers, and storage. If you’re interested in computing history, or just want to get a glimpse of how far things have come in five decades, don’t miss these videos embedded below, and enjoy the fun music too.

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If you have Fortnite on your Mac, and you no longer want to play it or you simply need some disk space, uninstalling Fortnite will free up a huge amount of storage on the Mac drive.

Downloading and installing Fortnite on the Mac takes up nearly 100 GB of storage, making it one of the most enormously bloated and large games available on the macOS platform. If you’re done playing Fortnite on Mac, you will want to recover all that storage space taken up by the game by uninstalling and removing Fortnite from the Mac completely. There are several ways to do this, but we will show you the proper way to delete Fortnite from a Mac, recovering your precious disk space.

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The iTerm app for Mac is a great terminal alternative that has some unique features, one of which is that you can setup a hotkey or keyboard shortcut to instantly access an iTerm2 terminal as a slide-out command line from the top of the screen, from anywhere in MacOS.

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The Mac comes well equipped by default, but even though MacOS comes with some excellent apps from Apple, there are a handful of features and tools that are missing. Maybe you’ve downloaded an archive file that you can’t open, or maybe your friend from the Windows world sent you a video you can’t watch, or maybe you tried to remove an app from the Mac but you keep running into an updater from that removed app running in the background. These common issues are exactly the kind of thing we’re looking to address here, by offering up some excellent free apps to solve those problems.

From a proper and thorough uninstaller to help you remove applications, to a broadly encompassing archive extractor utility, to an app that lets you open and watch virtually any video file format you’ll come across, these three Mac apps will make your computing life a bit easier.

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Amazon is back at it again offering the M1 MacBook Air base model for $749.99, with a jumbo $250 discount, this great Mac laptop is at its lowest price ever available. Apple sells the exact same laptop for $999, but why pay more than you need to?

Previously, Amazon had briefly offered this fantastic deal price during Prime Day, but now it’s available to all Amazon customers again at the huge discount.

The M1 MacBook Air features an M1 processor, 13″ Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, and Touch ID. You can find it in three colors; silver, Space Gray, and gold.

• M1 MacBook Air 13″ – 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD for $749.99 (discounted from $999)

If you missed out on this deal, it’s back again, but who knows for how long it will be available from Amazon so if you’re in the market for a speedy portable Mac at a great discount, now is the time.

If the M1 MacBook Air isn’t the Mac for you, check out other great Apple deals at Amazon.com.

OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

If you’re excited about updating your iPhone to iOS 17 when it is released to the general public, you’re probably filled with the same questions that many of us have; when does iOS 17 come out? When does iOS 17 leave beta? What is the release date of iOS 17? What is the release date of iPadOS 17?

These are all fantastic questions that we will delve into and offer some guidance, discussing the potential release dates for iOS 17 for iPhone, and iPadOS 17 for iPad.

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