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TidBITS#1197/28-Oct-2013

It was a huge week for Apple users, with the releases of OS X 10.9 Mavericks and iOS 7.0.3, an overhaul of the MacBook Pro, the unveiling of the Mac Pro, the iPad mini with Retina display, and the all-new iPad Air. Apple also redesigned its iWork and iLife apps for iOS and Mac and is now giving them away with device purchases. But that’s not all — Take Control is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the release of “Take Control of Upgrading to Mavericks.” Alas, not all went perfectly, so Joe Kissell details the significant failings of Apple Mail in Mavericks and Adam Engst explains the confusing new way of activating system control utilities. Changing gears, we’re giving away three bags of Tonx coffee in our latest DealBITS drawing, and in FunBITS, Michael Cohen looks at Scribd and Oyster, two services aiming to be the Netflix of ebooks. Notable software releases this week include Alfred 2.1, SpamSieve 2.9.10, ChronoSync 4.4.2 and ChronoAgent 1.4.3, DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.7.1, Safari 6.1, Pixelmator 3.0, BusyCal 2.5.3, iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.1, iMac 10.8.5 Supplemental Update 1.0, Carbon Copy Cloner 3.5.3, Scrivener 2.5, Hazel 3.2, Voila 3.6, iTunes 11.1.2, and iBooks Author 2.1.

Tonya Engst 6 comments

The Feel-Good Mavericks Upgrade

When our 14-year-old son Tristan announced that he wanted to install 10.9 Mavericks on his laptop, we tossed him a copy of Joe Kissell’s “Take Control of Upgrading to Mavericks” and told him to let us know if he had any questions. Tristan’s upgrade went well, and yours can too. But if you use Apple Mail with Gmail, you might want to hold off for a bit.

Adam Engst 6 comments

Enabling System-Controlling Utilities in Mavericks

With Mavericks, Apple changed how the accessibility options work, and although the company did so in a useful way, numerous mainstream Mac utilities must adjust how they request permission to perform their magic behind the scenes. Read on for Adam Engst’s explanation of what happened to “Enable access for assistive devices.”

Adam Engst 27 comments

Lion and Mountain Lion Still Available, Unlike iOS 6

For those who want to upgrade a Snow Leopard Mac to Lion or Mountain Lion, it’s still possible thanks to $19.99 redemption codes that Apple helpfully makes available via the Apple Online Store. How could this be the same company that won’t let iOS device owners downgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 6 if they can’t read the new interface?

Adam Engst 6 comments

Celebrating Ten Years of Take Control

We’ve been publishing the Take Control series of electronic books for ten years this month. Adam Engst looks back at where we started and how far we’ve come in the decade, sharing behind-the-scenes stats and systems.

TidBITS Staff No comments

TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 28 October 2013

Notable software releases this week include Alfred 2.1, SpamSieve 2.9.10, ChronoSync 4.4.2 and ChronoAgent 1.4.3, DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.7.1, Safari 6.1, Pixelmator 3.0, BusyCal 2.5.3, iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.1, MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) Software Update 1.0, iMac 10.8.5 Supplemental Update 1.0, Carbon Copy Cloner 3.5.3, Scrivener 2.5, Hazel 3.2, Voila 3.6, iTunes 11.1.2, and iBooks Author 2.1.