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macOS 10.12.2 Update
MPG installed macOS 10.12.2 on three Macs: 2013 Mac Pro, 2013 MacBook Pro, 2015 iMac 5K. The iMac 5K install hung and had to be forcibly restarted (just like with macOS 10.12.1).
Apple has issued macOS 10.12.2, a good thing, and also demonstration of the “ship it and then fix it” mentality at work with Apple Core Rot—the second update in less than 3 months.
About the macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Update
This update is recommended for all macOS Sierra users.
- The macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update:
- Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock.
- Allows addition of a Chinese Trackpad Handwriting button to the Touch Bar Control Strip.
- Adds support for taking screenshots of the Touch Bar using the Grab app or Command-Shift-6 shortcut.
- Fixes an issue that caused the Touch Bar emoji picker to appear on the display.
- Resolves graphics issues on MacBook Pro (Late 2016) computers. [MPG: Apple could try a new strategy: hold off ship product when both hardware and software are ready for market]
- Fixes an issue where System Integrity Protection was disabled on some MacBook Pro (Late 2016) computers
- Improves setup and opt-out experience for iCloud Desktop and Documents. [MPG considers this a solution in search of a problem that may be hazardous to your data as well as a privacy and security hazard].
- Fixes an issue with the delivery of Optimized Storage alerts.
- Improves audio quality when using Siri and FaceTime with Bluetooth headphones.
- Improves the stability of Photos when creating and ordering books.
- Fixes an issue where incoming Mail messages did not appear when using a Microsoft Exchange account.
- Fixes an issue that prevented installation of Safari Extensions downloaded outside the Safari Extensions Gallery.
- Adds support for new installations of Windows 8 and Windows 7 using Boot Camp on supported Macs.
- Fixes an issue that prevented some screen resolutions from being available on third-party displays.
- Adds support for more digital camera RAW formats.
It looks like slow File Open and File Save dialogs are now art of the permanent performance clusterf**k since macOS 10.12.2 is now even slower (3 or 4 seconds for File Save dialog). Why the geniuses at Apple cannot make basic things work like they always used to work is mind boggling. Two steps forward, three steps back.
As for iCloud storage, below is MPG’s recommendation given the destruction of backup protocols it entails (and other reasons). At any rate, Apple’s maximum available storage option is not only a rip-off but about 1/20 of what Lloyd would need for “all”.
Security
There are also various security updates including Safari security fixes and macOS security fixes.
That macOS is not immune from serious security breaches, particularly by a sophisticated hacker or government with a targeted exploit should be clear from the partial list below. Worse, the more Apple adds crapware to the core OS, the more vectors are created for a breach.
The term “arbitrary code execution” means that you are screwed, totally. Just a few examples:
- Core Foundation: Processing malicious strings may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
- CoreGraphics: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to unexpected application termination
- CoreMedia External Displays: A local application may be able to execute arbitrary code in the context of the mediaserver daemon.
- CoreText: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution.
- curl: An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to leak sensitive user information
- Disk Images: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- IOKit: An application may be able to read kernel memory
- Kernel: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- Power Management: A local user may be able to gain root privileges
- Security: Certificates may be unexpectedly evaluated as trusted
- ...
Kudos to Apple for aggressively fixing security bugs. But MPG would like to see performance/reliability security be the ONLY focus of macOS 10.13—no new crapware, no new features.
