Category: Apple Computing

The introduction of Passbook in iOS 6 this month was interesting in that it brought Apple up to the level that many companies have already been at with their offerings.  While this introduction was good in one respect, it also left me once again pondering what this means for the world of personal information security.  It has a number of us actually pondering what Apple is thinking about other than ease of use. Passbook gives the user a really easy…

If you haven’t updated your iTunes to the latest version yet, you might want to think about doing it relatively soon.   A new proof of concept shows that a malicious playlist could execute any code it wants on your Mac.  At this point, the vulnerability is only a proof of concept and no real world application of the issue has been seen yet.  For more on the vulnerability, you can check out SC Magazine posting on the topic: http://www.scmagazine.com/itunes-vulnerability-may-enable-remote-code-execution/article/246207/ The…

Filemaker, Inc. has released the latest version of their Bento database creator for the iPad. Bento 4 is a completely stand alone database creator in its own right and can also sync with the Mac based version of Bento.  Bento 4 has a number of new features, including One-tap linking to the Bento Template Exchange to access hundreds of free, ready-to-use templates to get started in seconds Powerful design tools that let users customize templates, create forms and organize information…

The Application Loader, the app which allows developers to package Apps for the Apple App Store through iTunes Connect has been updated.  Version 2.7 of the Application loader addresses a host of issues including: You can download the update through the Software Update option under the Apple Menu or by going to the iTunes Connect Support page at:  http://itunesconnect.apple.com

Apple has released an update to their Thunderbolt Software, bringing it to version 1.2.1. The latest version of the software adds the support for the Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter which comes as an option with the new Mac Book Pro. You can download the update through the Software Update menu under the Apple Menu or from the Apple Support website at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1544

In response to Microsoft’s release of their new “Surface” tablet, Apple has done exactly what one would expect they would do in lieu of a new product release.  Release a commercial. The new commercial entitled “Do it all”, highlights the capabilities of the iPad and takes a swipe at the Microsoft product without mentioning it by focusing squarely on the high density retina display.  

Early this morning, I was joined by about 50 people in front of the Tokyo Apple Store.  All of those in line were hoping that there were still machines in stock, but just as the doors appeared to open, a staffer walked out and boldly announced that while there were display models of the new machine, no actual for sale items were available. Funnily, I needed to go to the store to have an iPhone repaired but figured I would…

As we were chatting away in IRC pre-WWDC Keynote, I mentioned that I would like to see a new MBP with Flash and dual SSD.   Now that I look on that configuration, I had it all wrong but then that was before the keynote.  Tim Cook and his merry men brought us all to our knees again with the new offerings from Cupertino. It seemed quite funny at the time but one person mentioned that a MacBook Pro with Flash…

Apple has released an update to Safari to address several issues with Adobe Flash.  Safari 5.1.7 brings the app up to date and in line with Mac OS X 10.7.4 and addresses the following issues with the browser: Improve the browser’s responsiveness when the system is low on memory Fix an issue that could prevent webpages from responding after using a pinch to zoom gesture Fix an issue that could affect websites using forms to authenticate users Disable versions of…

Apple has released the latest update to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.  The Mac OS X 10.7.4 update addresses a number of issues including: Resolve an issue where the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to a server Improve the reliability of copying files to an SMB server You can download the latest update through the Software Update…

New screen shots of the impending Macintosh version of Eamon Deluxe version 5.0 have been posted on the Eamon Adventurers Guild Online Blog.  The screen shots show that the new software is nearly complete and seems to be operating nominally.  Although the site does not discuss any time frame for the actual release, the screen shots do make it appear that the release date will be very soon. You can check out the new screen shots at the Eamon Adventurers…

XperimentalZ Games has released a second update this week on the iOS game Don’t Run With A Plasma Sword.  This latest update was released to address an issue with resolution being a bit fuzzy on the New iPad and also a bug we discovered here at A.P.P.L.E., freezing of the game if you exited during screen loading. You can download version 1.1.4 of DRWAPS from the Apple iTunes store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dont-run-with-a-plasma-sword/id479907900?mt=8

Dont Run With A Plasma Sword, the runner game from XperimentalZ Games has been updated to Version 1.1.3.  This version of the software was released to address a number of bugs, several of which were discovered by A.P.P.L.E. Staff in our testing of the game, including a bug which caused objectives to be auto completed in one particular level of the game. DRWAPS is a high speed runner game that pits the user against a number of levels of play…

Brian Fargo and his InXile team set a lofty goal when they started flirting with the idea of creating the followup to the game Wasteland.   With Kick Starter being the go to place for game producers these days, Brian took his ideas to the website and laid out a number of rewards for each level of support.   With a funding goal of 900,000 USD, it seemed to be a long shot according to his posts, yet it was funded and…

Apple has released the same Flashback Trojan Removal Tool that is found in the Java update for OS X 2012-003 as a standalone tool.  The new standalone version of the tool is for those users without Java installed. You can download the Flashback malware Removal Tool from the Software Update feature under the Apple menu or from the Apple support website at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1517

Apple has released a third update to Java for both Mac OS x Lion and Mac OS X 10.6 to deal with the infections of the Flashback Trojan.  Infections reached a whopping 600,000 machines globally according to three anti-virus companies that were monitoring it (Dr. Web, the discoverer of the Trojan, Kaspersky, and Symantec) , however, that number has dropped to 270,000 in recent days. The update on the Apple Support Website updates Java to Version 1.6.0_31.  This brings it…

Apple has had a knee-jerk reaction to the discovery of the Flashback Trojan that has infected up to 600,000 Macs globally.  Dr. Web, a small Russian anti-virus company, first discovered the Flashback Trojan and has been monitoring infections on a global basis.  Now Apple has sent a Shutdown notice trying to shutdown the company’s server, saying it is being used for command and control in the Flashback Trojan bot-net.  The Flashback Trojan is attacking a hole in Java and Apple…

After media reports yesterday of more than 600,000 Macs globally being infected by a Trojan taking advantage of a Known Java vulnerability, Apple has responded by releasing the second update to Java in two days.  The update, 2012-002 is available for download via the Software Update feature of the Apple Menu, or from the Apple Support website at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1515  

XperimentalZ Games has released an update to their popular iPad and iPhone runner game, Don’t Run With  A Plasma Sword or DRWAPS.  Version 1.1.2 adds a number of new features to the game and includes: – Revamped the objectives system in endless to add much more variations– Added an indicator in story mode, to let the player know when the section will finish– Added new leaderboards– Fixed several minor bugs The game is a high paced runner game with high…

Apple has released an update to Java for Mac OS X Lion.  The update 2012-001 is intended to address issues with reliability and security.  It also addresses compatibility issues for Java SE 6.  This update require Mac OS X Lion 10.7.  You can download the update through the software update option on the Apple menu or from the Apple support website at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1515