December 17th to 21st, 2018 News and mac App and Software Updates - xlr8yourmac.com
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Archive of December 17th to 21st, 2018 News     Go to Current News Page

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Apple/products related News, Tips, Op-Ed, Updates, PR
  • Bill sent a note about a free utility to convert APFS to HFS+
    "The problem with the method in the blog post (below) is it erases the subject disk in the process of converting from APFS to HFS+. There is an app which makes the change without (normally) affecting the content of the disk, although it does need space for temporarily storing files. It can be found at the link below and is a free download. I have used it with success, i.e. it worked and in the process did not delete any data.
    Basically it moves data, makes the conversion, and puts the data back into an HFS+ file system on the same disk.
    https://www.paragon-software.com/home/apfs-hfs-converter/
    (Requirements: MacOS 10.12 or later.
    Sufficient internal or external disk space for conversion output, based on volume size.)
    (They note the App has an option to backup data before conversion.)

    My experience with Paragon APFS-to-HFS+ Converter was with a 2013 13" MacBook Air on which I had updated to High Sierra from El Capitan. I used the Paragon app to convert to HFS+ after the automatic install of APFS by the High Sierra installer.
    (FYI, before installing the OS update, I had replaced the Apple 128 GB NVMe SSD with a Kingston SA-1000 480 GB NVMe SSD.)

    (I know Paragon has been around for years but always leery of 'free' software that may have adware, or result in unwanted email offers/spam, etc. so asked Bill about that.-M)
    Nope, although I do use AdBlock, so if somehow it had introduced spam, etc, I would not have seen it anyway.
    -Bill"

    Thanks Bill.
    (In Nov. Bill sent NVMe SSD vs SATA SSD benchmarks from his hackintosh.)

  • Performance Gains when Migrating Storage from Older Mac Pro to 2018 Mac mini
    - with RAIDed 4x 5TB HDDs in 2009 Mac Pro vs same HDDs in Thunderbolt Case.
    (Mac Pro SATA is SATA2 (3Gb/sec), not SATA3 (6Gb/sec). TBalt case has SATA3.)

  • How to Revert a drive from APFS back to HFS+ (sponsor blog)

  • Developer News - Beta 2 of macOS 10.14.3, iOS 12.1.3, tvOS 12.1.2, watchOS 5.1.3

  • OWC Announces Availability of 72-piece Advanced Toolkit (sponsor pr)

  • Sid Meier's Railroads! for macOS updated to 64-bit, Metal Graphics (feral interactive)
    Version 1.2 at mac app store (lists macOS Mojave reqd)
    - Uses the Metal graphics API instead of OpenGL
    - Updates the game from 32-bit to 64-bit
    - Fixes a number of minor issues

  • 3 Months of Mojave: What Works, and What Still Doesn't (sponsor blog)

  • iOS 12.1.2 Released (appeared again in Dev list on Thu Dec 20th - re-release?)
    - Fixes bugs with eSIM activation for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.
    - Addresses an issue that could affect cellular connectivity in Turkey for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.

  • OWC VP of Software Engineering Talks APFS, T2 Chip at MacSysAdmin 2018
    (T2 chip is in iMac Pro and 2018 Mac mini, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro models.)

  • Geekbench 4.3.2
    - Fix a crash that could occur on startup on iOS devices.
    - Fix an issue where Geekbench may not identify the Mac mini (Late 2018).

  • Civilization VI for iOS v1.0.6 (iOS 11 or later)
    - Revamped 60-turn trial.
    - Added support for latest iPhones and iPads.
    - Minor bug fixes and UI tweeks.
    (Aspyr article below says update fixes Graphic corruption on iPhone XR models
    and Black bars appearing on either side of the game window.
    )
  • Civilization VI iOS: Known Issues (aspyr)

  • Optimizing Siri on HomePod in Far-Field Settings (apple machine learning journal)

  • Apple's $1 Billion Bet Imperils a Tech Hub's Rare Bargain Homes (bloomberg)

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Apple Support/How-To/Troubleshooting Article Updates
Page of How-To, Troubleshooting & Tips for Mac/OS X/iOS Users from Airplay to Thunderbolt.

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Other News, Reviews, Updates, OT
Recent Updates, Tips, DIY Upgrades and Repairs:
List of Updates, DIY Upgrades, Repair Articles, Tips and more you may have missed. (Topics range from OS/software updates and troubleshooting, to hardware upgrades and repairs.)

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Previous News Archive Summary:
    December 10th to 14th, 2018 News Archive
  • Carbon Copy Cloner v5.1.7 Update (6 improvements/fixes)
  • Nvidia Graphics Driver Update for macOS 10.13.6 build with Security Update 2018-003
  • Nvidia Graphics Driver Update for macOS 10.12.6 build with Security Update 2018-006
  • Benchmarks of Radeon RX580 vs 7950, 5870, 5770 in Mac Pro 5,1 Tower
  • Compressor 4.4.3 adds ProRes RAW/ProRes RAW HQ Support for Metal Macs
  • Little Snitch 4.2.4 (bug fix for startup delay on some Mojave Macs)
  • Apple to build new campus in Austin and add jobs across the US
  • The Top Five Reasons To Switch To SSD
  • Microsoft Office for Mac (365/2019) 16.20 (18120801) Update
  • Chrome 71.0.3578.98 stable channel update (1 security fix)
  • Firefox 64.0 release notes (with security fixes)
  • Firefox ESR 60.4.0 release notes (with security fixes)
  • Security Updates for Adobe Acrobat and Reader
  • DiRT 4 on track for macOS in 2019 (with trailer)
  • Intel's Architecture Day: Future of Core, Intel GPUs, 10nm, Hybrid x86
  • Liqid Element AIC Review (7.68TB PCIe SSD)
  • Nvidia TITAN RTX Ultimate PC Graphics Card with Turing
  • 05.80.15 Update for 2017 LG OLED TVs (B7/C7/E7/G7/W7 US models)
  • Microsoft December 2018 Patch Tuesday
  • WordPress 5.0.1 Security Release
  • Apple Support/Troubleshooting/How-To Article Updates:
    - If sound quality is reduced when using Bluetooth headphones with your Mac.
    - Potential sources of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference (with Tips).
    - How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
    - How to change or remove your Apple ID payment information.
    - How to AirPlay video and mirror your device's screen to Apple TV.
    - If you see 'itunes.com/bill' or an unfamiliar charge on your statement.
    - Apple Vintage and Obsolete Products Listing updated.
    - How to redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple Books.

For links to older news pages, see the Archives.
  


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