Apple Releases OS X 10.8.3 With Mac App Store Gift Card Camera Redemption and Boot Camp Enhancements

Following Tuesday's seed of the latest beta, Apple today released OS X 10.8.3 to the public. The update brings several enhancements including support for camera redemption of gift cards in the Mac App Store to mirror functionality introduced for the iTunes Store in iTunes 11 last November.

OS X 10.8.3 also adds several enhancements to Apple's Boot Camp solution for booting Windows on Macs, such as Windows 8 support and support for Macs with 3 TB hard drives.

10_8_3_mas

The 10.8.3 update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users and includes features and fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including the following:

- The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera
- Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8
- Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3TB hard drive
- A fix for an issue that may cause Logic Pro to become unresponsive when using certain plug-ins
- A fix for an issue that may cause audio to stutter on 2011 iMacs
- Includes Safari 6.0.3

For detailed information about this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5612

With 13 different beta seeds for developers, OS X 10.8.3 spent three and a half months in testing before seeing a public release. The public version of OS X 10.8.3 is the same 12D78 build provided to developers on Tuesday.

- OS X Mountain Lion Update v10.8.3 (540.46 MB)
- OS X Mountain Lion Update v10.8.3 (Combo) (793.69 MB)

Apple has also released security updates for OS X Lion and Snow Leopard:

- Security Update 2013-001 (Lion) (31.42 MB)
- Security Update 2013-001 Server (Lion) (79.33 MB)

- Security Update 2013-001 (Snow Leopard) (316.63 MB)
- Security Update 2013-001 Server (Snow Leopard) (391.63 MB)

Update: The Mac Observer discovered that Retina MacBook Pro models see a 20+ minute battery life increase in battery life over 10.8.2. Previously, the site had seen a serious decrease in battery life upon updating Retina MBPs from Lion to Mountain Lion. Standard MacBook Pro and Air models did not see any significant gains under 10.8.3.

We decided to also run tests on our 2012 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (rMBP). We privately tested each beta build of 10.8.3 on both MacBooks as they were released and, starting with build 12D76, we saw a noticeable jump in battery life on the rMBP. Running time went from 398 minutes, which was roughly the same as the public release of 10.8.2, to 421 minutes, a change that persisted with the final build. These are averaged results that we ran three times to confirm.

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

cmChimera Avatar
161 months ago
Windows 8 would suck on a Mac, since there's no touch screen

Windows 8 sucks on everything.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Steve.P.JobsFan Avatar
161 months ago
Breaking news today out of Cupertino: White smoke can be seen from the smokestack upon Apple's headquarters -- they've finally chosen their candidate for the 10.8.3 update, and have released him into the public. :p
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JackieTreehorn Avatar
161 months ago
Safari really does seem snappier...

.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jan1024188 Avatar
161 months ago
I am afraid to upgrade, I wish they had done some beta testing first!
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
161 months ago
Holy crap! Now that this has happened, my money's on the PowerBook G5 being released tomorrow ;)
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madsci954 Avatar
161 months ago
I think this is the equivalent of the Vatican yesterday.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)