MacRumors

Apple today updated its macOS Server Mac app with a collection of new features in Version 5.2 that bring integration with Apple School Manager, various streamlining updates to the Setup Assistant of some apps, and security restrictions for new macOS features like auto-unlock with Apple Watch.

Specifically, macOS Server users can now choose to skip the new Siri Setup Assistant in Sierra, as well as the setup panes in iOS 10 for iMessage and FaceTime.

Previously dubbed "OS X Server," the app introduces "even more power to your business, home office, or school," by turning any Mac into a powerful server. macOS Server can make it easier to share files, synchronize contacts, host a website, configure iOS devices, remotely access your home network, and more.

What's New in Version 5.2
Profile Manager
• Integration with Apple School Manager to get Managed Apple ID and class information
• Skip the iMessage & FaceTime Setup Assistant pane in iOS 10
• Skip the Siri Setup Assistant pane in macOS Sierra version 10.12
• Choose default app for audio calls for Contacts, Exchange, and Google accounts
• Set Bluetooth Modification restriction on supervised devices
• Set Apple Music; iCloud Keychain Sync; and Sharing to Notes, Reminders, or LinkedIn restrictions for macOS Sierra version 10.12
• Set new IKEv2 authentication method option or specify IPSec disconnect on idle timeout for VPN
• Restrict Cisco fast lane Quality of Service marking or disable captive network detection for Wi-Fi networks
• Restrict unlocking a Mac using Apple Watch
• Configure IP firewall

Caching Server
• Enhanced control over peer replication

SMB
• To improve security, SMB connections now require signing by default.

NFS
• AES is now a supported encryption type for Kerberized NFS

Xsan 5
• macOS Sierra and Server 5.2 include support for the Xsan 5 file system. Xsan 5 is compatible with the Quantum StorNext 5.3 file system.
• See Xsan Compatibility information before upgrading to Xsan 5.

Anyone interested can download macOS Server from the Mac App Store for $19.99. [Direct Link]

Apple released macOS Sierra today with Safari 10 preinstalled, but Mac users still running the latest versions of OS X El Capitan or OS X Yosemite can now download the all-new version of the web browser too from the Mac App Store.

Safari 10 for OS X Yosemite and OS X El Capitan does not include all of the new features available in macOS Sierra, like Apple Pay on the web and picture-in-picture support for videos, but the update includes the following new functions:

• Safari Extensions such as 1Password, Save to Pocket, and DuckDuckGo
• New Bookmarks sidebar, including double-click to focus in on a folder
• Redesigned Bookmarks and History views
• Site-specific zoom: Safari remembers and re-applies your zoom level to websites
• Improved AutoFill from Contacts card
• Reader improvements, including in-line sub-headlines, bylines, and publish dates
• Legacy plug-ins are turned off by default in favor of HTML5 versions of websites
• Allow reopening of recently closed tabs through the History menu, holding the "+" button in the tab bar, and using Shift-Command-T
• When a link opens in a new tab, it is now possible to hit the back button or swipe to close it and go back to the original tab
• Improved ranking of Frequently Visited Sites
• Web Inspector Timelines Tab
• Debugging using Web Inspector

Safari 10 also includes a number of security updates, including fixes for six WebKit vulnerabilities and issues related to Reader and Tabs.

macOS Sierra, available today, includes a built-in storage optimization feature that's designed to free up storage space on a Mac by storing rarely used files in iCloud, regularly emptying the trash, removing unnecessary files, and more.

It's a handy feature that can give you a good amount of additional storage space with a set of tools that you normally had to download a third-party storage optimization app to use. Here's how to take advantage of Sierra's Optimize Storage feature:

1. Click on the Apple logo at the top of the menubar and select "About This Mac" from the list of options.
2. Choose the "Storage" tab at the top to see an overview of how much storage you're using on your Mac.

   

3. Click on "Manage" to open up the optimization options.

When you open up Optimize Storage, there's a breakdown of where your files are stored and a list of recommended actions you can take to free up space, all of which is new.

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

With the release of macOS Sierra today, Apple also updated its line of iWork apps, including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. The new update for each app introduces the same real-time collaboration feature, in beta form, brought to the iOS versions of each app last week.

Using real-time collaboration, users are able to edit one document in any iWork app simultaneously, no matter if they're using a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com. Within Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, live updates of each user's cursor and a list of document editors keep everyone up-to-date on the progress of any document, spreadsheet, or presentation.

What's New in Version 6.0
- Real-time collaboration (feature in beta)
- Edit a document with others at the same time in Pages on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iCloud.com
- Share your document publicly or with specific people
- See who else is in a document
- See participants' cursors as they're editing

- Open and edit Pages '05 documents
- Use tabs to work with multiple documents in one window
- Wide color gamut image support

In Keynote, there's a new "Keynote Live" feature that lets users present a slideshow that anyone can follow from a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com. Pages and Keynote also both feature support for opening and editing Pages and Keynote '05 documents.

Apple's line of iWork apps are free to users who have recently purchased a new Mac or iOS device. Otherwise, each iWork app for Mac is available for $19.99 while each iWork app for iOS is available for $9.99.

Pages for macOS [Direct Link]
Keynote for macOS [Direct Link]
Numbers for macOS [Direct Link]

macOS Sierra and iOS 10 both include a new Continuity feature that allows Apple Pay to be used to make purchases on the web using Safari, giving Apple users an alternative to other web-based payment services like PayPal.

On Macs, Apple Pay for the web requires an iPhone with Touch ID and Apple Pay support or an Apple Watch, as payments are authenticated through the phone or watch. Apple Pay on the web requires merchants to adopt Apple Pay, so it isn't yet available everywhere, but support has started rolling out.

Sites like Time Inc., Wayfair, and Apple's own online Apple Store have started accepting Apple Pay, and payment processors like Stripe, Big Commerce, Shopify, and Squarespace all offer support, so it may be almost everywhere in just a couple of months.

Here's how it works:

1. Visit a website that supports Apple Pay on the web, like Apple.com. I'll be using Apple's online store as an example.

   

2. Choose a product you want to purchase and click "Add to Bag."
3. On Apple's site, you're automatically taken to the cart, where "Check out with Apple Pay" is an option. Choose it.
4. At the next checkout screen, choose delivery options and then click on the Apple Pay button.
5. If you're wearing an authenticated Apple Watch, you'll be asked to verify the payment with the watch. Double tap on the side button (watchOS 3) to confirm and make the purchase.

   

6. With no Apple Watch, a confirmation screen will pop up on a connected iPhone, locked or unlocked. It requires a fingerprint to be placed on the Touch ID home button to confirm the payment.

   

7. Once the payment is confirmed on the Apple Watch or the iPhone, that's it. The purchase is made and on its way.

When checking out on the web, all payment and shipping information is entered automatically, so you don't need to do anything but tap the confirm button to pay. It's quick, simple, fast, and safe. There is, however, a popup that will let you select the card you want to use, choose the shipping address, and more, if you need to make alterations.

Apple Pay on the web is a Continuity feature so it requires a Mac with Bluetooth 4.0 support. It is compatible with the following machines running macOS Sierra:

- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
- Mac mini (2012 or newer)
- iMac (2012 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Apple Pay also requires an iPhone 6 or later running iOS 10 or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3, and it only works with the Safari browser. Apple Pay on the web is also available on iOS devices and will be available as long as one card has been added to the Wallet app on the iPhone.

Following the release of macOS Sierra moments ago, Tweetbot for Mac has been updated with support for the latest operating system. The update also includes support for extended tweets, uploading videos up to 140 seconds long to Twitter, and better media previews for search results.

In terms of extended tweets, Twitter no longer counts photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and quote tweets towards its 140-character limit. Previously, media content took up approximately 24 of the 140 available characters, and older versions of Tweetbot still enforce the 140 character limit accordingly.

Tweetbot for Mac version 2.4.2 is available now as a free update [Direct Link] for existing users on the Mac App Store. The app initially costs $9.99.

Apple has announced its all-new store in Birmingham, England, located at 128 New Street, opens on Saturday, September 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time. Apple's nearby Bullring Shopping Centre store will permanently close on Friday, just one week after customers lined up for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple has taken over a six-story building recently vacated by British bookstore Waterstones, and originally built in 1879 for Midland Bank.

Major planning documents for the inside of the 20,000-square-foot former banking hall were submitted to the Birmingham City Council last year, and renovations have been in progress for the past several months. Apple's logo and the grand opening date were added to a construction barrier outside of the building last week.

Apple Bullring opened in April 2005, and like many of its earlier locations, it is now too small and narrow to accommodate for increased foot traffic. Apple is in the process of relocating several of its retail stores to larger spaces, based on the company's next-generation retail design language inspired by Jony Ive.

Norway-based company Opera Software has brought its VPN feature to the masses with the release of Opera 40 desktop browser for Mac.

For those unfamiliar with the technology, a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel from the user's computer to the VPN server, which hides browsing activity from other users on the local network and enhances security and privacy online. It shields a user's real IP address, allowing them to bypass firewalls, block tracking cookies, and access geo-restricted content regardless of their true location.

"If people knew how the internet truly works, I believe they all would use a VPN," said Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Opera browser for desktops, in a blog post. "By making our browser VPN free and easy to use, we hope to make it an essential tool, just as the lock and key is to your house."

We know that people are concerned about their privacy online and that the interest for VPN is increasing. However, two major obstacles are blocking people from using it: VPNs are too complicated to use, and they require a monthly subscription. Opera resolves both issues by introducing its free and easy-to-use service right into the browser.

Opera's VPN supports AES-256 encryption and auto-selects the best server to route users' traffic through, based on speed, latency, and traffic congestion. Currently the service has server locations in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands.

VPNs typically come in the form of separate plug-ins or client apps, making Opera one the first major browsers to include one as standard. The feature comes after the company's acquisition of U.S. VPN company SurfEasy last March. Opera has been testing the VPN in developer betas since April, and says that neither it nor SurfEasy logs any information about a user's browsing history.

Opera 40 also includes an automatic battery saving feature, Chromecast support, video pop-outs, a newsreader with RSS support, built-in ad-blocking, and an overhauled browser engine.

The Norwegian firm is on the verge of a $600 million deal with a Chinese consortium which will transfer ownership of its apps to a group that includes anti-virus company Qihoo 360.

Users can download Opera 40 browser from the company's website.