os x 10.6

Amid the fanfare of Steve Jobs' return to the stage for the WWDC 2011 conference, Apple went into plenty of detail on how the latest big-cat OS will integrate with iOS devices, mimic iOS features, work with iCloud, and much more.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, set for release next month and priced at $29.99, introduces a big shift toward centralizing all your content, whether it's on your desktop, your iOS device, or in the newly launched iCloud.

Many of the features in Mac OS X Lion have been made public in the past and all point … Read more

While OS X 10.7 Lion is just around the corner, a number of people running older Intel Macs that came with OS X 10.5 Leopard or even 10.4 Tiger installed have written in wondering whether they should upgrade to the latest current release of OS X, version 10.6 Snow Leopard. Apple offers Snow Leopard upgrade DVDs for $29, but despite this relatively cheap price the decision to upgrade will depend on your uses. Here are some things to think about to help make the decision.

Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion will likely be easier This … Read more

Recently a MacFixIt reader wrote in mentioning a problem people have been having after updating to OS X 10.6.7, where Bluetooth devices (namely Apple's wireless keyboards and mice) are being reported as having 100 percent battery level, even though the battery levels were at lower percentages immediately before applying the OS update.

Some initially suspected that the problem was a bug that always reported battery levels at 100 percent, regardless of the actual charge level. However, over time some people have found that the levels have dropped. In some instances the charge drops fast, but others seem … Read more

Yesterday Apple issued a supplemental update for OS X 10.6.7 that addresses a few hangs that owners of the 13-inch MacBook Air (late 2010 model) were experiencing after applying the initial OS X 10.6.7 release. The hangs happened when users would play and manage music in their iTunes libraries, and was caused by an error with how protected audio files were being handled.

The update is a small 461KB patch that addresses compatibility issues with the AppleUpstreamUserClient and AudioAUUC system components, which are extensions that help manage protected audio content. It should be available via Software … Read more

Apple has released the anticipated OS X 10.6.7 update, after weeks of developer build seeds that were issued with no new features or fixes. The update is available in the normal versions of delta and combo updaters for both the client and server versions of OS X, and should be available via Software Update for most people. This update is especially important for owners of the new 2011 MacBook Pro systems because it addresses a graphics bug that caused hangs and crashes under heavy graphics load.

You can download the standalone updaters from the following links:

Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update (… Read more

Apple is seeding the seventh beta of Mac OS X 10.6.7 to developers for testing. This version, build 10J868, like the last few builds, contains no known issues, suggesting that Apple may be prepared for a public release of the update.

Similar to the previous build of 10.6.7 beta, the applications and functionality under scrutiny include the Mac App Store, Bonjour, SMB, and Safari. Graphics performance is also a focus for developers testing their software against the operating system.

Though Mac OS X 10.6.7 will provide some much-needed updates and enhancements for current features … Read more

Apple has released the third beta of Mac OS X 10.6.7 for developers to thoroughly explore. No new issues have been included in this build (10J850) and developers are again asked to test graphics, AirPort, and Bonjour reliability.

The Mac App Store, introduced in the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update in early January, is also a major focus of the Mac OS X 10.6.7 update, which, given the lack of new issues in the latest build, should signal a public release in the next couple weeks.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is expected … Read more

The new Mac App Store can be a useful way to find software for OS X, but a few people have expressed their dislike of the store and prefer to not have it on their systems. Some have even avoided updating to OS X 10.6.6 to prevent the store from being put on their systems. While this is one way to avoid the store, doing so will also prevent you from benefiting from the latest security and bug fixes that future OS updates will bring.

The requirement of OS X 10.6.6 for the Mac App Store … Read more

In addition to having some downloads pausing and hanging when users attempt to download them, the new Mac App Store is also giving users an "unknown error 100" when they attempt to navigate.

This problem is likely another "break in" issue, and so far has been addressed by users in the following ways:

Restart the Mac Some people have found that simply restarting their computer makes this problem go away. You might try rebooting into Safe Mode and then restart normally again to have the system run a few diagnostics and cleanup routines that may also … Read more