OS X

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is only a few days away, but it's looking more and more like one of the announcements we can expect at the keynote is a rebranding of the Mac's OS X to simply "macOS." Following similar discoveries earlier this year, a page on the company's developer replaced "OS X" with "macOS" (specifically with a lower-case M) alongside Apple's other operating systems like iOS, tvOS, and watch OS.

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One of the coolest features that the iPhone and other smartphones have gained in recent years is the ability to unlock the devices with a fingerprint rather than a passcode. A report claims that Apple is looking to make it easier to unlock your Mac computer by being able to swipe a finger on your iPhone to unlock the computer via Touch ID.

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We've been hearing rumors about Apple bringing virtual assistant Siri to the Mac with this year's version of OS X (AKA "macOS") for several months now, and with the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) just a month away, some new evidence has surfaced pointing towards an announcement. MacRumors has obtained a pair of screenshots with Siri logos revealing where in the desktop OS's UI users will find the assistant.

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Before there was Viber, LINE, WhatsApp or even Facebook Messenger, instant messaging on smartphones were dominated by the likes of BlackBerry's BBM and Apple's iMessage. While BBM has already opened its doors to other platforms, iMessage remains an exclusive party for owners of Apple's devices. Until now. Somewhat. PieMessage is a new open source project that appeared on GitHub that tries to bring iMessage to Android. Except it really doesn't. You will be able to receive and even send iMessages from your Android device, but if and only if you have an OS X computer.

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Users in Brazil aren't able to use WhatsApp to communicate with friends, family, or anyone else, thanks to a government shutdown. Thankfully, the blackout is only set to last 72 hours, which is a small price to pay for showing a government that users want access to encrypted communication. And it would seem that the makers of the popular app are looking at a new way for you to use it.

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The folks responsible for LOUD on Planet X have given the music-friendly gaming scene a real kick in the pants. In this game - for multiple platforms - is a new generation of gameplay, taking the best bits of both Plants VS Zombies and Rock Band - or Dance Dance Revolution, if you prefer - combining them into a game that's neigh on impossible to resist once you've played. Even better - some of the most awesome "Indy" bands are here to play along.

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It's looking more and more likely that this year will see Apple announce a change in branding of the Mac's operating system from OS X to just "MacOS." This possibility was first discovered in late March when a developer found a hidden file in the latest update to OS X 10.11 El Capitan that made reference to "macOS" in its name. The latest hint, however, comes from Apple itself, with the term being used on an official webpage for the company's Earth Day 2016 efforts.

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Sometimes, app developers have ideas for fancy new features that just clashes with the ideas and policies of operating system developers. Sometimes, when you're big enough, you get to push your own way anyway. And sometimes, that eventually turns out to be a bad idea. Google Chrome's Notification Center was one such example, which Google eventually retired because, in the end, no one was using it. Resolving to be better citizens on its respective platforms, Google has added support for Mac OS X's native notifications in the latest experimental builds of the Chrome browser.

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Apple has a number of different operating systems for its various device these days, including iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and, of course, OS X for the Mac itself. Ever notice that one of those is not like the other when it comes to the naming convention? Turns out, Apple may already be planning to address this, with OS X possibly being rebranded as "macOS" sometime in the near future. A developer has spotted a hidden file in the latest update to OS X 10.11 El Capitan that makes mention of "macOS" in the name.

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Kits created by OWC for expanding storage on a litany of legacy MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks have been revealed this week. These pieces of hardware allow most any MacBook Pro or Air unit released in the past several years (back to mid-2013) to upgrade their internal storage with relative ease. OWC brings this Aura SSD to the masses not just for the newest in new - no! They've made way for generations of Apple notebooks to take part.

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When speaking of malware, Windows is usually the poster boy for an OS that gets infected a lot almost by nature. In truth, however, no operating system is totally bulletproof. Even Apple's OS X and iOS, usually considered to be tightly guarded silos, have their fair share of intrusions. This latest incident is one such example but this time the affected platform is Apple's much larger Mac OS X. Named by security firm Palo Alto Networks as KeRanger, the ransomware's damage is worsened by the fact that it infected even legitimate installers of the Transmission BitTorrent client.

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An interview with Oculus founder Luckey Palmer this week made clear the company's position on Mac support: it's "up to Apple." Whether or not "they ever release a good computer," said Palmer, "[Oculus] will do it." Palmer went on to suggest that Apple just needed to return to an earlier age of different prioritization: "If they prioritize higher-end GPUs like they used to for awhile back in the day I think we'd love to support Mac."

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