Skip to content
Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 33 years
and the TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals

TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 14 March 2011

TechTool Pro 6 — Micromat has released TechTool Pro 6. The new version of the long-standing utility adds support for creating a bootable volume on the Mac’s active drive, eliminating the need for a bootable DVD. That means your emergency startup volume no longer requires Apple’s boot disk updates to remain current. TechTool Pro 6 also makes it easier to diagnose and repair hardware issues. Other new features include Volume Cloning, for quickly creating exact volume duplicates, and the Local Network Tool, which lists active services and ports on each Mac and Bonjour device on the local network. ($99.99 new, $39.99 upgrade)

Read/post comments about TechTool Pro 6.

Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 4 / Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 9 — Apple has released Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 4 and Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 9, which the company says provide improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0-24. (On Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 that aren’t 64-bit capable, Java is updated to 1.5.0-28.) Apple suggests that you quit any Web browsers and Java applications before installing the update. (Free, 75.81 MB / 119.83 MB)

Read/post comments about Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 4 / Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 9.

iTunes 10.2.1 — Hot on the heels of iTunes 10.2, Apple has released iTunes 10.2.1. The update helps with syncing iOS devices running iOS 4.3. It also improves Home Sharing for iOS 4.3, which allows you to stream music from your iTunes collection on your Mac to your iOS devices. In addition, an issue where syncing photos to your iOS devices could take longer than expected is corrected. (Free, 75.61 MB)

Read/post comments about iTunes 10.2.1.

Safari 5.0.4 — Attention surfer girls (and boys): Apple has released Safari 5.0.4. The new version of the company’s Web browser contains numerous stability, compatibility, accessibility, and security improvements. Web pages with multiple instances of plug-in content, image reflections, and transition effects should all work better. An issue that caused some Web sites to print incorrectly is fixed, too. Also fixed are VoiceOver bugs and an issue where the screen saver could appear while watching video in the browser. Additionally, the update patches more than 50 security
vulnerabilities
. (Free, 37.65 MB for Snow Leopard, 46.83 MB for Leopard)

Read/post comments about Safari 5.0.4.

Cyberduck 4.0.1 — File-transfer utility Cyberduck has reached version 4.0.1. The software — which is now also available for Windows — features a new implementation of FTP and adds support for connecting to Azure and Dropbox. Cyberduck now also supports multipart uploads with parallelism and the new 5 TB Object Size Limit when working with Amazon S3 servers. Other improvements include an option to purge CDN files with Cloud Files and Akamai, new localizations, and an Upload command in the Finder’s contextual menu. The new version also includes numerous bug fixes; detailed release notes
are available at Cyberduck’s Web site. (Free, 22 MB)

Read/post comments about Cyberduck 4.0.1.

Toast Titanium 11 — If you’re feeling a yearning for burning, take note: Roxio has released Toast Titanium 11, a substantial upgrade to its software for burning optical discs. Toast 11 sports a wholly redesigned interface with refined workflows, and includes built-in video tutorials to explain various features. New features include support for recording to multiple drives simultaneously, easier auto-updating, an option to save custom video profiles, Internet audio and video capture, disc spanning, dual-platform compatible disc creation, TiVo-to-Go support, and built-in support for uploading
directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook. Also new is VideoBoost, which Roxio says will dramatically speed up H.264 video encoding. ($99.99 new, $79.99 with $20 mail-in rebate, variable upgrade pricing)

Read/post comments about Toast Titanium 11.

Subscribe today so you don’t miss any TidBITS articles!

Every week you’ll get tech tips, in-depth reviews, and insightful news analysis for discerning Apple users. For over 33 years, we’ve published professional, member-supported tech journalism that makes you smarter.

Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.