With Apple Launching High Sierra, it comes with many new updates, features and also potential bugs and issues.
So in this article, we will cover each update and what this means to you as the end user.
What Is High Sierra?
High Sierra (HS) is the latest update for Apple’s Mac and MacBook operating system — which was launched on 25 September 2017.
They’ve since released a number of smaller software updates that have introduced new features and fixed certain bugs / vulnerabilities.
As of writing, the latest update issued to HS is 10.13.4, with the developer beta (10.13.5) currently available.
New Features With High Sierra 10.13.4
Some features are currently still in Beta testing, there have been several features that have been announced so far.
For example, Messages will now be on your iCloud, allowing for better syncing across all your devices.
Here are a list of the major updates for HS 10.13.4:
- A new Apple File System that will make copying files faster
- Improvements to enhance video playback on 4K quality (which will also reduce the amount of space taken by these videos)
- Better graphics capabilities which also allows VR (Virtual Reality) devices to be supported by Macs
More Features Coming
Along with the features mentioned above, you can also expect updates in the near future to:
Safari — Safari 11 will give new options to help personalise your experience, such as making text bigger on one site.
- Another significant change is that Safari will no longer autoplay videos and will not let cookies track your surfing habits (which advertisers use to target you with specific ads)
Mail — Searching will be easier in your inbox and the “Top Hits” feature will show a section at the top of your search results that are most relevant to your search.
Siri — Siri’s voice is being updated to become much more expressive and less robotic. It can also be learn about your preferences in music and can make song recommendations based on what you like.
Spotlight — Spotlight will soon integrate with your flight information — and you’ll be able to enter your flight number to see arrival / departure times, delays, gates etc.
Notes — Have a lot of notes? Then you’ll love this new feature. Soon, you’ll be able to pin your most commonly used notes to the top, making itr easy to find them.
Messages — As mentioned earlier, your messages will now be saved in the iCloud — so all of your messages will be synced across your devices. For example, you won’t see alerts for messages on your Mac, if you’ve already read them on your iPhone.
High Sierra Vulnerabilities
With the new updates, came some vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Here are the major vulnerabilities and how to fix them:
Terminal can be used to reveal your password:
One bug was discovered in March 2018, that could allow malicious users to reveal your private passwords.
How to fix it — if you’ve updated HS to 10.13.4 or later, then this bug will have been fixed.
If you have yet to update your operating system, we highly recommend you do this now.
High Sierra Root Bug:
If you leave your Mac logged on and unattended, there’s a flaw that would allow a malicious user to enter root as a User Name and gain access to your settings in System Preferences.
How to fix it — if you’ve updated High Sierra to 10.13.2 or later, this issue will have been fixed. However, if you haven’t, we highly recommend you do this now.
High Sierra Issues And Technical Problems
Here we’ll address the various technical problems that might arise through regular use (non-security related problems).
Problems with updating the macOS:
Some users experienced an error message when updating from 10.13.2 to 10.13.3:
“MacOS could not be installed on your computer.”
And that “the path /System/Installation?packages?OSinstall.mpkg appears to be missing or damaged. Quit the installer and restart your computer and try again.”
How to fix it — there are a variety of methods you can try to see if the issue gets fixed here on the Stack Exchange boards.
App compatibility issues:
Sometimes, new updates can create incompatibility with certain apps that aren’t designed to work with newer Mac versions.
Some common Apps that might have incompatibility issues:
- Final Cut Pro X 10.3.4
- Office 2011
- Adobe CS and earlier versions
- Google Drive
- AutoCAD
More details on each individual app issue can be found here.
Need Help Updating Or Securing Your Mac?
If you’d like us to handle updating or securing your Mac / Macbook for you, please feel free to contact us at 09 444 8823 for more details.
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