macOS Sierra: Apple’s New Era Operating System

In the past few years, Apple has worked to integrate features from their highly successful iOS to the desktop realm. The newest version, macOS Sierra, is the most integrated version yet. The connection between the Mac desktop and Apple’s mobile devices is stronger than ever. Continue reading macOS Sierra: Apple’s New Era Operating System

Apple WWDC 2016: What’s New

macOS with SiriIt’s that time of year again! Apple is hosting their annual Worldwide Developers Conference this week in San Francisco. The WWDC isn’t usually as flashy as the iPhone reveals, but there’s still a lot of cool features and products you can expect to find on your Apple devices in the coming months.

One of the bigger talking points during WWDC is OS X, and this year is no exception. The most noticeable change is the name. After fifteen years, OS X will now be known simply as macOS. The next upgrade of the operating system will be called Sierra, named after the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The new macOS will also include the debut of the iPhone’s voice-activated assistant, Siri. This will allow Mac users to use the same voice commands they use on their iPhone on their desktop as well. Siri has been studying, too! She will now have a huge amount of additional knowledge and commands to interact with desktop apps. The underlying technology behind Siri is now opened up to developers as well, so expect to see third-party apps using the technology soon.

Also on the horizon is the latest version of iOS: version 10. iOS 10 brings additional security features to iPhones and iPads, along with streamlined notifications on your lock screen.

Issues with Outlook for Mac and El Capitan

Looks like another major application is having problems with Apple’s latest OS release, El Capitan. This time, the popular email client Microsoft Outlook for Mac is having difficulty with the OS. The problem identifies itself when the application tries to connect to the server to sync email and the application locks up. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you are highly encouraged not to update to the last Mac OS at this time.

In an emailed statement to Computerworld, a Microsoft spokeswoman said the company is looking into the problem.

“We know that some users may be experiencing issues with Office 2016 for Mac running on El Capitan,” the statement read. “We are actively investigating the matter with Apple. Until there is a fix, we recommend people install the latest updates to Office 2016 for Mac using Microsoft AutoUpdate.”

The Project Manager for Outlook, Faisal Jeelani, recently commented on a post on the company’s support forum.

We are aware of the issue with Outlook 2011 on El Capitan and of Office 2016 on El Capitan.

We are working on a fix for 2011 and for 2016 we are working closely with Apple to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Unfortunately we do not have any timelines for either fix, please stay tuned and thank you for your understanding.

While Microsoft is acknowledging that users of its Office for Mac 2016 application suite are encountering frequent crashes and that their team is working on a fix, there is no timeline for an update. Until then, Microsoft suggests that users can work around this issue by running Outlook for Mac 2011 on Mac OS X Yosemite (version 10.10) or an earlier version.