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A week of Apple releases
On Monday, Apple released all the dot-one system updates with new Apple Intelligence features. Many Mac admins will have to block or restrict these features in their deployments, and there are quite a few posts about this below.
Apple also released new iMacs with the M4 chip, slightly different colors, and improved external display support.
Tuesday brought the new Mac mini, with the M4 or M4 Pro chip and a new, smaller design.
On Wednesday, the MacBook Pro line was updated, also with (you guessed it) M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max. The 'plain' M4 MacBook Pro 14" can now support up to two external displays, as well as the internal display at the same time.
The MacBook Air models retain the M2 or M3 chips, but the base RAM configuration is raised to 16GB. Mac Studio and Mac Pro remain with M2 family chips.
Every release was accompanied by a 10 to 16-minute video, very much in the style of Apple's longer Keynotes. I enjoyed this new format, even though the continuous repetition of Apple Intelligence features got a bit annoying. Especially since they, quite untypically for a non-WWDC event, talked a lot about features that are yet to be released or not available in non-English languages or in the EU yet.
The Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, and Mouse peripherals also received a USB-C port in a minor update. This leaves the iPhone SE, the first-generation Apple Pencil, and some older generations of iPhone that are still sold with Lightning. The ultimate retirement for that port is near.
While not part of the major announcements, Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager also received significant updates this week, adding new options and workflows for claiming domains for your organizations that were announced at WWDC earlier this year.
Overall, this was a week of solid and exciting updates. Apple has not just refreshed most of the Mac product line and their systems, but also demonstrated their commitment to the Mac, as well as to the requirements and needs of managed deployments.
📰 News and Opinion
Apple in the Enterprise: 2024's Latest Trends
Our third annual “Apple in the Enterprise” survey explores Apple’s continued growth in the enterprise, the security and reliability benefits of Apple products, and how IT professionals feel about the use and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace.
Apple Tsunami Drives Urgent Need for Device Security
Apple devices have been sneaking up on businesses, and now the tsunami is here.
Apple’s M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max compared to past generations, and to each other
Because Apple staggered its product and chip announcements, we've gathered some basic specs from all versions of the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max to help compare them to the outgoing M2 and M3 chip families
⚙️ Apple Updates
October 2024 Platform Updates
macOS
- macOS Sequoia 15.1, 24B83 (M4 Hardware: 24B2083): What's new, Developer Release Notes, Security, Enterprise, App Store, IPSW, PKG installer: 24B83, 24B2083 (M4 Macs)
- macOS Sonoma 14.7.1 (23H222): What's new, Security, Enterprise, PKG installer
- macOS Ventura 13.7.1 (22H221): What's new, Enterprise, Security, PKG installer
- Safari 18.0: WebKit Features, Developer Release Notes, Security
- Xcode 16.1: Mac App Store, Developer Downloads, Developer Release Notes
iOS and iPadOS
- iOS 18.1: About, Enterprise
- iPadOS 18.0.1: About, Enterprise
- iOS 17.7.1: About, Enterprise
- iPadOS 17.7.1: About, Enterprise
- iOS and iPadOS 18.0.1: Developer Release Notes, Security
- iOS and iPadOS 17.7.1: Security
Other Platforms
- watchOS 11.1: About, Developer Release Notes, Security
- tvOS 18.1: About, Developer Release Notes, Security
- visionOS 2.1: About, Developer Release Notes, Security, Enterprise
- HomePod Software 18.1: About
- Studio Display Firmware Update 17: About
- AirPods: Firmware updates
- Apple Business Manager: Release notes, User Guide, Document revision history
- Apple School Manager: Release notes, User Guide, Document revision history
- Apple Business Essentials: Release notes, User Guide, Document revision history
Deployment Guides
- Apple Platform Deployment: Welcome, What's new, Document revision history
- Apple Platform Certifications: Welcome, Document revision history
- Private Cloud Compute Security Guide
Support
What has changed in macOS Sequoia 15.1?
macOS captures details of all AI use in its Apple Intelligence Report (AIR)
iOS and iPadOS 18.1: Everything New Besides Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence isn’t the only highlight of this release. It also includes a series of changes to the system, from Control Center and the Camera app to Shortcuts and the arrival of new health features for AirPods Pro 2 users.
Apple Reveals A Partial Timeline for the Rollout of More Apple Intelligence Features
In its press release about the Apple Intelligence features released today, Apple revealed that the next round is coming in December
This April, Apple Intelligence features will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU.
Apple's New USB-C Accessories Require macOS Sequoia, Don't Work Properly With macOS 15.2 Beta
The new USB-C accessories require macOS Sequoia 15.1 to work properly
Raising Your IQ on Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is finally here now that iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 has shipped. However, many people and organizations want to know how they can block it.
Suppressing Apple Intelligence notifications on macOS Sequoia
Shops who want to block use of Apple Intelligence for security reasons may also want to stop these notifications from appearing.
Update your iPhone, Mac, Watch: Apple issues patches for several vulnerabilities
Noteworthy are four vulnerabilities in Siri and another vulnerability in Accessibility which would allow an attacker with physical access to view sensitive user information.
Apple Intelligence Extension Attribute
Yet another Jamf Pro Extension Attribute which returns the status of Apple Intelligence
Check Writing Tools using AIR
macOS captures details of all AI use in its Apple Intelligence Report (AIR)
🔐 Security and Privacy
Securing the modern Mac: an overview
Modern Macs and macOS feature multiple layers of protection […]. This article tries to assemble them into an overview to see how they all fit together, and protect your Mac from startup to shutdown.
🔨 Support and Tutorials
Disabling iPhone mirroring on macOS Sequoia
This new screen sharing capability may not be acceptable for security reasons in all Mac environments, so Apple has provided management options for disabling the use of iPhone mirroring.
Jamf package inventory recalculation - GUI, API, JamfUploader
Since the release of Jamf Pro 11.10, it is now possible to force a recalculation of the packages list in the GUI, using the Refresh button that is displayed within any of the packages that are listed as “availability pending”.
Jamf Migrate
a comprehensive service that eliminates the struggle of moving devices from an existing MDM provider to Jamf’s industry-leading solutions.
Config Profile and Manage All the Things…
You can manage so many more settings than Apple documents.
Bob Gendler on Tech Thoughts
🤖 Scripting and Automation
GitHub Copilot for Xcode
Copilot for Xcode is an Xcode extension that provides inline coding suggestions as you type.
Michael Tsai's summary of comments
Cambrionix Intents
Cambrionix Intents are specialised actions that allow you to interact with Cambrionix devices through the Cambrionix API.
♻️ Updates and Releases
🎧 Listen
Streamlining Business with Addigy: A Strategic Shift
the hosts discuss leveraging Addigy to replicate some features of Watchman Monitoring
Password manager at the dinner table
Hans Raj Kumar from Dashlane about Apple's new password application.
The Art of Conferencing
Tom and Marcus look back on the conference year that was and discuss how to get the most out of these awesome events
🦣 Social Media
Timothy Perfitt
twocanoes.com