Mac OS X

The Finder's labels have been a convenient aspect of the Mac OS since early in the classic Mac's development. Applying labels gives a file an extended attribute that the Finder can use to sort or group files, making them easy to find and manage. By default the Finder should not be applying any labels to files; however, some people may see this happening.

Apple Discussion member "JimFerguson" writes:

"Sometime after upgrading to 10.6.4 on my MacBook Pro, I noticed that new files created by any application are labeled yellow. I've looked at … Read more

CNET TV's Brian Tong discusses the latest in Apple news, rumors, tips, and tricks. This week, the iPad gets more television than you can shake a stick at, iPhone 4 rumors heat up with reports of Apple testing near field communications, and a quick tip for reading PDFs in iOS 4.

Can't see the video? Have an iPhone or iPad? Click the following link to download this week's Apple Byte (should show in the HTML5 viewer in Safari):

→ Apple Byte 8/20/2010 for iPad and iPhone ←

Is near field communications the next big feature for iPhone? … Read more

Apple's latest graphics update brought a number of speed improvements to the graphics drivers, especially for games, but a few people have reported a couple of problems after installing them. One is a minor flicker on some Mac displays, and another is some sites that issue videos through Flash, specifically those at Gametrailers.com, are not working properly.

The Mac screen flickering is an intermittent issue, and has been reported to happen on iMac and MacBook Pro systems. It also seems to happen randomly for affected people.

This issue is not shared among all people with the same system, … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on extending wireless networks with AirPort Express devices, new Macs not booting to a retail upgrade DVD for Snow Leopard, QuickTime not able to play some media files, and changing from the less secure WEP wireless security scheme to WPA or WPA2.

Question: Extending wireless networks with an AirPort express

MacFixIt reader "Mark" asks:

How can I get my Airport Express to act as a bridge (extend my Wi-Fi signal)? I only have a 2Wire (WEP password) router, and … Read more

When it comes to graphics performance in OS X, Apple has taken the conservative approach and focused on compatibility and stability in drivers instead of including the cutting-edge and highly tweaked drivers and graphics systems that bring the best quality to performance-related applications like games.

This compatibility-based approach may be good for productivity applications to prevent potential crashes, but has kept Apple behind when it comes to gaming performance. For awhile this was not an issue, but the recent release of Valve's "Steam" client for the Mac along with a few other gaming titles have not only … Read more

Keyboard shortcuts for various commands are exceptionally useful for speeding up your workflow, and many applications have some set of custom keyboard shortcuts (beyond those reserved for system functions), that can be used for common functions. Though these are convenient, many times applications will have frequently used functions that do not have an associated keyboard shortcut.

MacFixIt reader "Richard" recently wrote in asking about the options for setting custom keyboard shortcuts:

Program menus list keystroke combinations (presumably the most popular) for some functions; for the others you must position the cursor on it and click. Using Pages (4.… Read more

A few users have complained about a problem in OS X 10.6 where Mail will display the text "Missing plug-in" in place of embedded images, both on received mail and on sent messages. This may have occurred after installing a software update for Snow Leopard, but seems to be isolated to OS X 10.6 so far.

This problem should only be affecting the affected client e-mail program, so any mail recipients should still be receiving their mail with properly embedded images. Therefore, if you are experiencing this problem you can still compose e-mails, its just that … Read more

Creating Disk Images in OS X is relatively simple and an easy way to package items either for presentation, portability over electronic media, or encryption to protect data on otherwise unencrypted media. To create images you will need to use Disk Utility, but in doing so you may find yourself lost among the various options for creating a disk image.

The very first source of confusion may come from clicking the "New Image" button in Disk Utility's toolbar, which will only present you with a limited set of options for creating an image. To be provided with … Read more

Apple recently issued software that lets iPhoto and Aperture handle raw photos from a range of new compact, higher-end cameras from several manufacturers.

Camera makers are racing to compete in a new market pioneered by Micro Four Thirds models from Olympus and Panasonic that feature small camera bodies but also interchangeable lenses. The Apple update adds support for Olympus' newer E-PL1 model and Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G10 and G2 models in this range.

Others are getting into the market too, and Apple supports them as well: Samsung's NX10 and Sony's NEX-5 and NEX-3. Each of these ranges has its own incompatible lens mount compared with the Micro Four Thirds models.

Also supported in the update is Sony's recently released lower-end Alpha A390 SLR, a more traditional design. … Read more