There's a rumor this week that Apple's diving back in to the desktop business head first. Not that the company ever really left, but given the amount of users that are now either working from home or plan on staying home after months and months of global pandemic and quarantine due to COVID-19, Apple seems to be seeing the opportunity to ramp up their desktop efforts once more.
The Mac isn't exactly impervious to malware, as evidenced by ransomware and adware reports in the past years. The popularity of the Apple M1 Silicon has even made it a bigger target for hackers these days. There has now been at least two reported malware designed to run specifically on Apple's latest and most powerful chip and this second, codenamed Silver Sparrow, has security experts perplexed and fearful because of its potential to do serious damage.
Apple has released an updated macOS Big Sur installer bringing the software to version 11.2.1. This version of the installer can correctly check for available free disk space to prevent errors during the installation process. The update is a patch for a critical bug in previous installers for Big Sur that could result in installation failure and data loss.
This week the folks behind the video player app VLC announced that they'd be bringing a major new version of the product to the public later this year. VLC 4.0 will be released in the year 2021 with a brand new user interface, making the entire video watching experience more intuitive and full of features for videos of all sorts. This new update will bring VLC into the future with more than just local video playback - they'll be rolling with extensions for online content, too.
Every so often, we hear about software updates that bring their own set of bugs even as they fix others. Most of the time, these bugs only affect software features but there are rare times that they may affect even a device's hardware. The past few days have been a stressful one for MacBook Pro owners exactly because of that rare case of bad luck over battery issues and Apple is now offering free battery replacements for those affected by a highly inconvenient bug.
Apple has released the macOS 11.3 developer beta, just a day after the new iOS 14.5 beta addressed Face ID while wearing masks on iPhone. The new software for Mac actually has some overlap with its iOS counterpart, including bringing support for next-gen console game controllers such as those for the Xbox Series X and Sony PS5.
Apple's M1 Silicon opened the doors for more iOS and iPadOS apps to run on macOS beyond the very few supported by Mac Catalyst on Intel-based Macs. Unsurprisingly, some consider the doors still not opened wide enough as some apps are still unavailable from the Mac App Store. That has pushed some to look for a workaround that allowed them to install almost any iPhone or iPad app on M1 Macs. Unfortunately for them, Apple has now closed that window, perhaps for good.
Apple's ARM-based M1 Macs have definitely conquered the computing and tech news, at least until Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous launch took over. The chip's power and capabilities have definitely impressed both users and pundits but all that is for naught if apps don't take advantage of it. While the Rosetta 2 emulation layer also does a surprisingly impressive job, nothing still beats running native software directly. That's why it's no small news when a popular program announces support for M1 Macs, especially when that program happens to come from Adobe.
Although originally conceived for serious meetings, Zoom has quickly become the buzzword for video conferencing, no matter the purpose, and Zoom knows that too well. Proof of that is how it's waiving its 40-minute limit for free accounts on certain holidays, expecting and hoping its service will be used for virtual family and friends gatherings. One other step it's taking is to roll out a native version of its app for Apple's shiny new M1 Macs so extend your chatting time by a few more hours.
Apple just published a document called "Device and Data Access when Personal Safety is At Risk." This document was published as a PDF, made to exist as a guide for users of all sorts, be they your average smartphone, tablet, or computer user or a hardened internet-ready professional. This document is very important, not just because it's handy, but because it'll act as a line in the sand for Apple, providing a level of support for everyday users that hasn't been available anywhere before.
Microsoft 365 for Mac has been updated with native support for Apple Silicon, with the core Office apps now running at their best on chipsets like the M1 in the newest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. The update, released today, also brings a redesign to Microsoft 365, bringing it in line with the rest of macOS Big Sur.
Apple has released macOS Big Sur 11.1, adding a number of new features including App Store 'privacy labels' and support for the AirPods Max model. This marks the first big update for Big Sur following the macOS 11 release in recent weeks, and it's available now for Mac owners to download from the Software Update menu.