So what would happen if you installed Vista on a Mac Pro and ran OS X alongside it? This is possible with the use of a hardware emulator, Parallels Desktop.

After discovering that Vista runs faster than OS X on an Intel Mac Pro, the guys at Gizmodo got curious about how the two operating systems would do when running side by side. They installed Vista on their MacBook Pro and waited to see what happens. It worked, but with assorted problems.

They encountered problems with Vista support in Parallels - describing it as "still quite developmental" - and Aero graphics which was explained by Parallels' inadequate graphics card support. Networking problems (the complete non existence of it) were also encountered. They tried getting a Windows Experience Index score but their plan to compare scores were botched by an error pop up window.

Parallels isn't perfect - atleast not yet. We'll see how it goes in the near future when Parallels updates their Beta. Stay tuned.

There was one other feature of Mac OS X that didn't slip out with the screenies from a couple of days ago. Of course, this feature had to wait for the Apple TV to rear its head. Folks from Loop Rumors had a sneak peek - their words - at the secrets of OS X tight-lipped Cupertino hasn't disclosed to the media or the public yet, and the one on top was that OS X will wirelessly transmit the desktop to Apple TV - hence, your living room HDTV.

 

That is one huge high-def computer monitor.

Yeah, the first thought in our minds was that this was one workaround to having only 40GB of storage in the Apple TV - just keep 'em (the video media) in the Mac Mini and play it off there, but that defeats the purpose of Apple TV, which is to be the Mac Mini of your TV (Other than that, there's controlling the Mac Mini and OS X from the living room). Loop Rumors also suggests that OS X will also transmit to digital projectors too - they didn't clarify if it's direct Wi-Fi connection or through Apple TV, but it's probably the former. Who lugs an Apple TV box to work for a presentation?

Come on Mac users, huddle up. Once again, another product has slipped through Apple's tight grip, and this time it sure is plenty. We got hold of leaked screenshots of certain OS X Leopard features such as a jittery screensaver.

There are also some Bluetooth controls, a stepped-up media browser, parental controls, and a wad of terminal options. We're pretty impressed with the Retro screensaver already.

Perhaps this means that the Leopard is headed in the right direction. But is it just us or is the timeliness of this leak just had to happen before the launch of Vista's consumer edition on January 30? Even with all the hopes of Mac users everywhere, we guess it's okay to accept that Vista will cross the finish line first. Still, hopefully, 10.5 will be out soon enough.

You can click Full Article to take a peek at the screenies.

January was just deemed to be "The Month of Apple Bugs." Why is that? Well, a pair of "security researchers" has picked January 2007 as the start of their month-long project wherein for every day of the said month, they will feature a previously unknown and/or undocumented security hole in Apple's operating system, the OS X, or in Apple apps that will run on it. Call it a wild goose chase, but hey, whatever floats their boat, right?

The security researcher behind it asked to be identified only by his online pseudonym, "LMH". You might remember him as the same guy who ran "The Month of Kernel Bugs" last November. LMH isn't alone as he'll be doing this OS X expose with researcher Kevin Finisterre who has reported a lot of bugs to the Cupertino company over the past few years.

LMH said that Apple will not be given any advance notice with the Month of Apple Bugs since he did the same thing with the Kernel bugs gig. He believes that in the long run, their "Month of" project will improve OS X security. He adds that "right now, many OS X users still think their system is bulletproof, and some people are interested on making it look that way".

There's no word if Apple is pulling some strings to stop this project. But as always, we will keep you posted.

To all Apple aficionados out there, we currently have the latest batch of screenshots of the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5, a.k.a., Leopard. The screens show where Leopard already is in terms of development, as its current build is still at 9A321. We're not exactly sure, but we're guessing that these screenies were taken during the time that the news broke out that the developers' copy of the OS was already being seeded in P2P file-sharing sites. Whether Apple will be chasing down these people once again is another topic that we can tackle some other time.

In any case, these screenshots show the OS, right from the installation phase, to the part where the user gets to tinker with the programs. One screen shows Quick View being used to play a QuickTime movie file,

Before we ramble on, here are the screenies, as promised, though we're still wondering just how close these screens would be to the look of this OS once it's finally released in Spring 2007.

More screens after the Jump!

Parallels has released Parallels Desktop for Mac build 3036 Beta. Parallels Desktop for Mac (US$79.99) gives Apple users the ability to run Windows side by side with Mac OS X in a secure, isolated, virtual machine. The software runs on Intel-powered Apples, including iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro.

Download Parallels Desktop for Mac Beta Build 3036. It will be a FREE update once it becomes generally available. However, this is beta software, and you know what that means, right? No? Well it means you should treat it very carefully. Do not install this beta into the production environment yet. Do backup your virtual machines before starting them.

IMPORTANT:
Resume and shut down all suspended Virtual Machines prior to upgrade.

You can read the list of features of the Parallels Desktop for Mac build 3036 Beta after the jump (that means you click on the "Full Article" link to see the full article).

Download: [Parallels Desktop for Mac build 3036 Beta]

It seems Apple's Rosetta emulation technology is finally starting to flex its proverbial muscles to their full extent thanks to Mac OS X 10.4.8. According to Macworld Lab tests, some non-Intel-native apps have received significant performance boosts on systems running September's OS X update. Some systems were even reported to have experienced a performance boost of up to 30 percent.

For a peek at the improvements that Rosetta experienced in OS X 10.4.8, check out the image below. If you can't read the text, just click on it for a larger version.

So, what accounts for the boost? There's a bit in Apple's release notes that says OS X 10.4.8 "improves the accuracy of Rosetta numerics and addresses Altivec translation issues on Intel-based Macs," but other than that there's not a lot. Still, these new gains are very welcome, even more so for those who are starting to lose their patience while waiting for their favorite applications to become universal.

Apple finally released the latest update for Mac OS X 10.4.7 -- the Mac OS X 10.4.8 Update, also called "delta". Those who are updating from Mac OS X 10.4, 10.4.1, 10.4.2, 10.4.3, 10.4.4, 10.4.5, or 10.4.6  to 10.4.8 should install Apple's "combo" update instead.

Apple offers troubleshooting tips if your installation encounters issues. Basically, you use one of the two methods in updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8: The Software Update or the standalone installer.

The update addresses some important issues in the printing, Finder and other Apple applications, networking and modem, and third party software, and security among other things. It's a leap from the 10.4.7 version, especially when it comes to improving reliability and support with other apps as well as enhancing the software's general performance.

With the latest version, it's now possible to sync iTunes with other iPod models with less hassle. Furthermore, the external Apple USB modem has improved the connection reliability when faxing in France or Belgium. Issues with Microsoft Word's OpenType fonts, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, Canon EOS Utility and even with the TV Tracker 2 Dashboard widget have also been resolved.

Note that the update applies for both Intel- and Power-PC-based Macs. Download your standalone installer for PowerPC and Intel-based Macs here.

If operating systems are your thing, it's time to start getting excited as Apple beta testers have themselves claimed that Mac OS X 10.4.8 is bug-free and very much ready for release. For those of you that aren't keeping track, the Mac OS X 10.4.8 Update will be the  eighth maintenance release issued to users of the operating system named 'Tiger' since its launch in April 2005. It has been said that Apple has addressed issues with Image RAW, ImageIO, ColorSync, Xsan, Xsan File Manager, CoreImage and web images in the latest update for both traditional and Intel-based Macs.

According to reports across the internet, the Mac OS X 10.4.8 will also introduce improvements to AFP, DVD Player, Graphics and Graphics applications, iCal, iPhoto, Mail, Microsoft Word & OpenType fonts, Modem usage, Networking, Printing, Safari and USB, as well as stability and performance updates. This latest release is also likely to include support for new lines of Core 2 Duo-based MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks that are due for release in November.

According to Apple, "Attackers on the wireless network may cause arbitrary code execution." If you want something without all that messy jargon, Apple is basically trying to say that intruders can commandeer your system over Wi-Fi.

The company just recently released security updates to repair the "hijack" problems, which together affect the AirPort wireless driver in Mac OS X 10 Panther version 10.3.9 and Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.7. Although there are no known exploits for the security weaknesses addressed by the patch, it's better to be safe than sorry.

The three vulnerabilities all have to do with how the AirPort wireless driver uses "frames." An attacker could exploit the flaws buy crafting malicious frames and making it available on a wireless network used by Macs.

The patches come a month after researchers at SecureWorks demonstrated at the Black Hat Security confab how to go about gaining complete control over a laptop. However, according to Apple the patches are not related to the Black Hat presentation, and that the company found the bug themselves. Regardless if Apple's statement is accurate or marketing spin, at least they're dedicated to rectifying their mistakes.