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At Apple's WWDC keynote, one may rightly expect updates to the iOS and OS X operating systems, new software features and apps, and also a couple of new Mac hardware announcements. For example, at the 2012 WWDC keynote, Apple introduced the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, along with some MacBook Air component updates.

In 2013, however, as it's been so long since many of the current Mac laptops and desktops have gotten a significant overhaul, there's an outside chance that we'll see new designs and/or hardware for everything from MacBooks to the Mac Pro desktop. … Read more

Back in the days before Mac OS X Lion (not to mention Mountain Lion), I used a handy trackpad gesture when I found myself mired in a particularly lengthy web page that would let me jump back to the top. I just swiped upward on the trackpad with three fingers and I was right back at the top of the page.

When OS X Lion hit, one of the many features it introduced was Mission Control, which you accessed by swiping up with three fingers (or all four, if you tweaked a setting in System Preferences). Mission Control is great … Read more

Once you commit to the Task Switcher in Mac OS X, it quickly becomes an essential tool in your workflow. With it, you can easily switch among open apps.

To call up the Task Switcher, hit Command-Tab and then while still holding down the Command key, you can hit the Tab key repeatedly to cycle through the icons in a rightward direction. If you have many apps open, however, it might be quicker to move to the left to make you desired app switch. Moving to the left is also useful if you overshot your intended app and want to … Read more

If you regularly script tasks in the Terminal, you might find at times that handling windows can be a burden. While an unused Terminal window can quickly be closed by pressing Command-W or clicking the red button at the top of the window, if you run numerous scripts then you may be left with a number of windows to close.

One way you can better manage these windows is to change the default Terminal behavior for when a terminal shell exits. By default, the Terminal will keep the window open and display the text "[process completed]," leaving you … Read more

After learning a few keyboard shortcuts, my embrace of Mission Control has tightened. Because my 13.3-inch MacBook Pro has only so much screen real estate, I spread out the applications I use most frequently across a handful of virtual desktops in Mission Control in an effort to avoid feeling cramped when multitasking. I have come to rely on it and its virtual workspaces throughout the workday, and I get in and out of it more quickly now than when I relied solely on my MacBook's trackpad to navigate my way around it.

Without further ado, I present a … Read more

The generic icons that Apple and third-party developers provide for files and folders are usually enough to help you identify file types in OS X, but there are times when you might want to use a different representation. One option that Apple offers is the ability to show file previews as icons, but this is only available for some file types and not for others.

An alternative option is to add custom icons to files and folders, which can be a fun and useful way to give your system a unique look. To do this, simply select an item and … Read more

Apple's 24th annual developers conference kicks off next week, and will be the company's first event in more than seven months.

The conference lasts the entire week, but the highlight is Monday's keynote address, where Apple typically announces new products and services. This year, Apple has only said it will give developers new versions of iOS and OS X software, though there's likely to be a surprise or two.

Expectations are high, in no small part because it's been so long since Apple has released … Read more

Yesterday Apple released the OS X 10.8.4 update for Mac users, which brings a number of fixes for network connectivity, VoiceOver, Boot Camp, and online services like FaceTime and Exchange.

While the update has been relatively smooth so far, a few people are experiencing problems in which the update does not properly install. In some cases the update will download and then give an error when running; in other instances the update will appear to work properly but then the system will reboot to OS X 10.8.3.

If you experience these or similar problems when attempting … Read more

Following the release of OS X 10.8.4, Apple has issued an update to iTunes, bringing the version number to 11.0.4.

This latest update includes the recent new MiniPlayer and song view features of the program, and in addition fixes a bug that would cause iTunes to quit when switching between wired and wireless syncing, and also potentially require you to repeatedly log in to the iTunes store.

The update also includes a number of security improvements, and brings back album artwork as a view option when in list view.

To apply this update, choose Software Update … Read more