14 DAY TRIAL // Apple this week rolled out the third scheduled Mountain Lion update. After four months of development, the Cupertino giant decided to unleash the software on exactly the same day Samsung debuted its Galaxy S4 phone, likely in an attempt to steal away some of its show.
While not as major as a new OS X release (i.e. Lion, Mountain Lion), OS X 10.8.3 does deliver a few noteworthy changes, not to mention a ton of security patches, and other types of fixes.
For example, OS X 10.8.3 comes with the neat ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera.
You can now install Windows 8 without problems in Boot Camp, and you’ll be able to do so on a 3 TB hard drive even. The Cupertino company also unleashed some new Boot Camp Windows drivers so you can enjoy a smoother Windows 7 experience too.
Several improvements have been made in the following areas: compatibility with IMAP servers in the Notes app; when using a Microsoft Exchange account in Mail; and Xsan (server software).
The software update deals a heavy blow to numerous glitches, including one crazy bug discovered a couple of weeks ago which caused apps to crash whenever the user typed “File,” colon, followed by three slashes.
Apple documents the fix, stating, “A fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly.”
Some audio fixes are included. One deals with Logic Pro, the other fixes audio stutter on 2011 iMacs.
An issue in Messages caused messages to appear out of order after waking from sleep. Apple has fixed this problem as well.
Also noteworthy, the Slideshow screen saver is now able to display photos located in a subfolder.
OS X 10.8.3 includes Safari 6.0.3, a new version of Apple’s web browser. Released only for Macs this time around, Safari 6.0.3 contains fixes that improve performance, stability, and security.
Social networking fans will experience improved scrolling on facebook.com, as well as improved performance on webpages with plug-in content.
Some issues involving bookmarks are fixed, including one that could cause duplicate bookmarks to appear on an iOS device after editing bookmarks with Safari in OS X.
A bug thwarting search filters when searching from google.com with Parental Controls has also been patched. The update further corrects an issue that prevented Safari from restoring the last position on a webpage a user navigated back to.
Scroll below for the official OS X 10.8.3 Mountain Lion changelog in full (which also includes the release notes from Safari 6.0.3). For the security contents of OS X 10.8.3, check out this post.
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About the update
This update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users and includes features and fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including:
· The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera · Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8 · Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3 TB hard drive · A fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly · A fix for an issue that may cause Logic Pro to become unresponsive when using certain plug-ins · A fix for an issue that may cause audio to stutter on 2011 iMacs · A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause cards to print out of order · A fix for an issue that may cause the desktop picture to change after logging out or restarting · A fix for an issue in Messages that may cause messages to appear out of order after waking from sleep · A fix for an issue that may cause the screen to display incorrectly after waking from sleep · Improves compatibility with IMAP servers in the Notes app · Allows the Slideshow screen saver to display photos located in a subfolder · A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause addresses to print in the wrong location · Reliability improvements when using a Microsoft Exchange account in Mail · Xsan reliability improvements · A fix for an issue that could cause Active Directory accounts to be locked out after accessing the Security & Privacy pane in System Preferences · A fix for an issue that could cause link aggregation to not complete after a restart · A fix for an issue that could cause delays when logging into an Active Directory account on high latency networks
Safari 6.0.3
Safari 6.0.3 is included in the OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.3 Update and contains fixes that improve performance, stability, and security, including:
· Improves scrolling on facebook.com · Improves scrolling while zoomed in on a webpage · Improves performance on webpages with plug-in content · A fix for an issue that could cause the inaccurate appearance of an alert that bookmarks can't be changed · A fix for an issue that could cause duplicate bookmarks to appear on an iOS device after editing bookmarks with Safari in OS X · A fix for an issue that permitted users to access unfiltered search results when searching from google.com when Parental Controls are enabled · A fix for an issue that could prevent Safari from restoring the last position on a webpage a user navigated back to."