Release week! If this were a printed newsletter, it would be quite heavy: lots of links and posts, both from Apple and the MacAdmin community.
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I think it is fair to say that the Ventura beta and release has some challenges for system administrators. On the other hand, the updated Apple Platform Deployment guide and several support articles were ready on day one with lots of great information.
Many MacAdmins were awaiting the release and the end of the NDA and ready with several posts on topics they learned about during the beta. The most posts were on the new “Login and Background Items management” but several other posts on other new features and issues, as well. As always, thanks to everyone who shares their knowledge!
Aside from the major releases for macOS Ventura 13.0 and iPadOS 16.1, we also got iOS 16.1, watchOS 9.1, updates for tvOS, HomePod, the apps formerly known as iWork (Numbers, Keynote, and Pages), a new Xcode 14.1 RC, updates for Apple Business Essentials, Safari, macOS Monterey 12.6.1, Big Sur 11.7.1, and iPadOS and iOS 15.7.1. Also, the next round of updates for all the platforms is available in beta on AppleSeed for IT and for Developers, and we got a beta for the iCloud web interface.
Much to catch up on. I hope this collection of links and posts will help.
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News and Opinion
macOS Ventura and iOS 16
macOS Ventura 13.0
- What’s new in the updates for macOS Ventura
- What’s new for enterprise in macOS Ventura 13.0
- Security content of macOS Ventura 13
- macOS Ventura is compatible with these computers
- macOS Ventura 13 Developer Release Notes
iPadOS and iOS 16.1
- About iPadOS 16.1
- What’s new for enterprise in iPadOS 16
- About iOS 16.1
- What’s new for enterprise in iOS 16.1
- iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 are compatible with these devices
- iOS & iPadOS Developer Release Notes
watchOS 9.1
tvOS 16.1
- About Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD software updates
- tvOS 16.1 Developer Release Notes
- Security content of tvOS 16.1
HomePod Software
Services
- iCloud beta
- Apple Previews Redesigned iCloud.com Website – John Voorhees, MacStories
- Apple Business Essentials release notes
Applications
- Xcode 14.1 RC2 Developer Release Notes
- Pages 12.2: Mac, iOS, iCloud
- Keynote 12.2: Mac, iOS, iCloud
- Numbers 12.2: Mac, iOS, iCloud
- WebKit Features in Safari 16.1 – Jen Simmons, WebKit
- Security content of Safari 16.1
User Guides
Apple Support
- Manage upgrading to macOS Ventura in your organization
- Rapid Security Responses on Apple devices
- Manage Thunderbolt and USB pairing with Apple devices
- Use MDM to manage background tasks on Mac
- Use Clean Energy Charging on your iPhone
- Fonts included with macOS Ventura
- Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac
- Use Stage Manager to organize apps and windows on Mac
- Move, resize, and organize windows with Stage Manager on iPad
- View .ps and .eps files on Mac
- Automatically renew certificates delivered via a configuration profile
Reviews
- macOS Ventura: The MacStories Review – John Voorhees, MacStories
- macOS 13 Ventura: The Ars Technica review – Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica
- Stage Manager in iPadOS 16: At the Intersection of Bugs, Missing Features, and Flawed Design – Federico Viticci, MacStories
- macOS Ventura review: A work in progress – Jason Snell, Six Colors
- Apple Releases macOS 13 Ventura, iPadOS 16.1, iOS 16.1, watchOS 9.1, and More – Josh Centers, TidBITS
- macOS Ventura: 50 New Features and Changes Worth Checking Out – Tim Hardwick, MacRumors
- macOS 13.0 Ventura – Michael Tsai
- V for Ventura: How Will Upgrading to macOS 13 Impact Organizations? – Phil Stokes, SentinelOne
Reactions and Posts
- macOS Ventura 13.0 (22A380) is Live! What’s New? – Mr. Macintosh
- macOS Monterey 12.6.1 Update (21G217) What’s New? – Mr. Macintosh
- macOS Big Sur 11.7.1 (20G918) Update! What’s New? – Mr. Macintosh
- Apple has released Ventura, and security updates to Monterey and Big Sur – Howard Oakley
- Can’t Schedule Reboots in Ventura: Mac Observer’s Gotcha
- macOS Ventura and bypassing the new SystemPolicyAppBundles privacy policy control – Ben Toms
- Software Update, macOS Ventura, and the Mac Admin – Tom Bridge
- Deep Dives: The Security and IT Admin’s Guide to macOS Ventura – Elaine Atwell, Kolide
- macOS Ventura Rapid Security Response Extension Attribute – Dan K. Snelson
- How macOS Ventura App Management works and doesn’t work – Jeff Johnson
- macOS Ventura & Sophos-signed Configuration Profiles – Dan K. Snelson
- PIN Prompting when Screen Sharing on macOS 13 Ventura – Twocanoes Software
- How to block macOS Ventura? – Guilleaume Gète. (French)
- Ventura volume layout – Howard Oakley
- “Ventura may break Endpoint Security clients (e.g BlockBlock) – Objective-See on Twitter
- Opening macOS Ventura’s System Settings to desired locations via the command line – Rich Trouton
- Ventura for early adopters – Howard Oakley
Login Items in Ventura
- Login and Background Item Management in macOS Ventura 13 – Nate Felton
- Managing “Login Items” for macOS Ventura – Robert Hammen
- Manage Background Tasks with Jamf Pro – HCS Technology Group
- Manage and enforce custom Login and Background items in macOS Ventura – Matthew Warren
- macOS Ventura “Managing Login Items” caveat when TeamIdentifier is used – Patrick van Nerum
- Adding hidden Login Items on macOS Ventura – Rich Trouton
- Ventura’s “Open at Login” vs. “Allow in the Background” – Micheal Tsai
macOS and iOS Updates
- What’s new for enterprise in macOS Monterey 12.6.1
- Security content of macOS Monterey 12.6.1 – Apple Support
- Security content of macOS Big Sur 11.7.1
- Security content of iOS 15.7.1 and iPadOS 15.7.1
- site
Social Media
- Mischa vd Bent: “Did you know about this nice feature with GitHub? Visual Studio Code is build into their website.”
- John C. Welch: “One nice thing about MS (unlike Apple) having such detailed documentation about the powershell/VBA scripting implementation for Office, is that same model is the source for the AppleScript implementation, so you can use the PS/VBA docs to help you with AppleScript.”
- Rosyna Keller: “In tons of places in macOS, including in Xcode’s log when notarization fails, there’s typically a “?” button in dialogs that if you click it, will bring you either to local or online documentation. In the notarization case, these buttons will take you to specific online docs.”
Security and Privacy
- SiriSpy – iOS bug allowed apps to eavesdrop on your conversations with Siri – Guilherme Rambo
- New Apple Security Research Blog (sadly, no RSS feed)
- Apple clarifies security update policy: Only the latest OSes are fully patched – Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica (A small step in the right direction. However, we all sort of knew this before. Without a list which CVEs affect which macOS versions and which are fixed where, proper risk assessment of running N-1 or even N-2 is not really possible.)
Support and HowTos
- ScreenNudge: A macOS Screen Recording Approval Prompt – macOS Adventures
- Preventing Burnout: The Darker Side of IT Admin Roles – Ashley Gwilliam, JumpCloud
- Changing an Xsan .auth_secret cleanly – Eric Hemmeter
- Signed Configuration Profile Inspection – Dan K. Snelson
Scripting and Automation
- Extension Attributes: The What, The Why, and The How – Steve Wood, Jamf Tech Thoughts
- Inventory Update Progress with swiftDialog – Dan K. Snelson
- Nudge Post-install 0.0.16 – Dan K. Snelson
- Your Internal Beta Test Program: Opt-in / Opt-out via Self Service – Dan K. Snelson, Jamf Tech Thoughts
- Ricky Mondello: “Have you ever wished Apple’s password manager was something you could open directly from the Home Screen or Dock? This shortcut, compatible on iOS and macOS (Monterey and Ventura) can help with that.”
- Shortcuts For Work and Fun – Pam Lefkowitz, JumpCloud
Updates and Releases
- Suspicious Package 4.3
- Apparency 1.5
- Jamf Compliance Editor v1
- Munki 6.0.1
- Finally. You Can Write Your Own Checks! – Jason Meller, Kolide Blog
- Integration with Microsoft Teams – Kandji Updates
To Listen
Support
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