It’s a 2.44 GB download on my Mac Pro for what Apple describes as a WebKit security update.
And there’s still no Combo Updater.
Category: Apple
iMac Pro For Sale ‘While Supplies Last’⇢
It appears that Apple is winding down production of the Xeon-powered iMac Pro. As of this writing, the machine is still for sale, but only in its base configuration, with all custom options disabled.
There’s been some debate as to the future of this machine in an Apple silicon world, and I gotta say, it doesn’t look good for our space gray friend.
Update: Apple has confirmed the news to MacRumors, saying that the 5k iMac is the “preferred choice” for pros wanting an iMac.
Inside the Fitness+ Studio⇢
It’s a blue-sky December day in Santa Monica and Men’s Health is on an exclusive virtual tour of Apple’s new 23,000-square-foot, three-story Fitness+ Studio, led by Jay Blahnik, Apple’s senior director of fitness for health technologies. The interior is Apple-modern, all-white everything, wood accents, lots of glass, lots of screens. All the screens show whatever is going on in the wood-walled and wood-floored fitness studio, which has three sliding glass doors opened to reveal a verdant garden. Outside the door to the studio, there’s a quote that reads: “Please be responsible for the energy you bring into this space.” (A different team member selects a quote or mantra every month.) Blahnik opens the door, and inside, an instructor is warming up on a spin bike, about to start a cycling workout with two other trainers. Seven robotic cameras are focusing on the trainers from the front, the sides, and even directly above. Arrays of bulbs shine down, bathing the riders in warm, welcoming light. When Blahnik closes the door, the spinning—and shooting—will start.
Mars Perseverance Rover Powered by PowerPC 750⇢
Joanna Nelius at Gizmodo, writing about the CPU at the heart of NASA’s newest rover:
The PowerPC 750 was a single-core, 233MHz processor, and compared to the multi-core, 5.0GHz-plus frequencies modern consumer chips can achieve, 233MHz is incredibly slow. But the 750 was the first to incorporate dynamic branch prediction, which is still used in modern processors today. Basically, the CPU architecture is making an educated guess on what instructions the CPU is going to process as a way to improve efficiency. The more information that’s processed, the better the chip gets at predicting what it needs to do next.
Apple Looking into Reports of Pink Squares on M1 Mac mini HDMI Displays⇢
In an internal memo this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple informed service providers that it is aware of and investigating an issue that may result in “pink squares or pixels” appearing on displays connected to an M1 Mac mini.
According to this report, Apple has a suggestion on clearing up the small squares:
- Put the Mac mini to sleep
- Wait two minutes and wake the Mac mini
- Unplug the display from the Mac mini, and then plug the display back in
- Adjust the display’s resolution in System Preferences > Displays
That sure makes me think this is something that’ll be fixed in a future version of macOS Big Sur. I’ve gotten a few emails from readers and listeners about this, so hopefully that fix comes soon.
Apple TV App Released for Chromecast with Google TV⇢
The Apple TV app comes to the $50 streaming device just in time for season 2 of For All Mankind to start tomorrow.
On watchOS 7.3.1 and Dead Apple Watches⇢
Apple released watchOS 7.3.1 on Monday, and it could help fix an issue that prevents some Apple Watch Series 5 or SE smartwatches from charging while in the battery-saving Power Reserve Mode. But even the software update might not fix the issue, according to Apple. If it doesn’t, the company will repair your watch for free.
To check if your Apple Watch is affected by this issue, place your watch on the charger that you normally use, then wait at least 30 minutes.
Apple Launches ‘For All Mankind’ Podcast⇢
Apple has launched a new podcast to coincide with season two of For All Mankind, which debuts on AppleTV+ on Friday.1 It is hosted by Krys Marshall, who plays astronaut Danielle Poole on the show, and will offer a behind-the-scene look at the show. Oddly, the podcast is coming out every other week, even though the show will be weekly.
I’m really excited about this season of the show. Keep an eye on Liftoff, the space podcast I do with Jason Snell.. Later this week, we’ll be posting an interview with someone involved in the show.
Apple Releases Big Sur 11.2.1⇢
The update addresses an issue that may prevent the battery from charging in some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models. It also patches a nasty root access bug. Update: It seems that the battery issue is part of a bigger deal.
Nightmare Fuel: Updating watchOS on a Series 3⇢
I’ve seen a lot of reports from people with the Series 3 Apple Watch having trouble trying to update to new versions of watchOS, but Dr. Drang’s tale may be the worst I’ve read yet:
A few days ago, I updated my Apple Watch Series 3 to watchOS 7.3. It was, as many Series 3 owners would have predicted, a nightmare. The worst Apple experience I’ve had in the 35 years I’ve been a customer.
Macs, But Not⇢
I love this, but it makes me feel weird inside, too.
Apple Releases macOS Big Sur 11.2⇢
According to Apple, the update improves Bluetooth reliability and addresses the following issues:
- External displays may show a black screen when connected to a Mac mini ( M1 , 2020) using an HDMI to DVI converter
- Edits to Apple ProRAW photos in the Photos app may not save
- iCloud Drive could turn off after disabling the iCloud Drive Desktop & Documents Folders option
- System Preferences may not unlock when entering your administrator password
- Globe key may not display the Emoji & Symbols pane when pressed
It’s available in Software Update now.