From Apple’s perspective, allowing system files to be copied inherently introduces opportunities for attackers to modify system components. Since macOS 10.15 Catalina, the separate system volume is immutable, locked, and validated using cryptography—what Apple calls the “signed system volume.” Any method that allows it to be copied onto a bootable drive must preserve the same verification to ensure nothing has changed.
To mitigate this move away from easily making bootable backups, Apple has invested a lot of effort into macOS Recovery and Migration Assistant. It is now trivial and streamlined to boot a Mac into macOS Recovery, install macOS, and restore user files using Migration Assistant. With a separate system volume, a reinstallation just creates a new, secured, immutable volume and then copies your user files to the data volume. Because Apple controls every part of that process, there’s no worry about the security of the system being compromised.
Almost three years after “Severance” Season 1 premiered on Apple TV+, the first eight minutes of Season 2 are now available on the streaming service. Apple released the opening of Season 2, Episode 1 nearly a month before its scheduled premiere on January 17, 2025.
The latest update to the app adds improvements to health metrics, as well as the long-awaited Activity Recap 2024.
Lux, the developers behind celebrated iPhone camera app Halide, and the award-winning mobile video app Kino teased Halide Mark III today, previewing some of the features coming to Halide 3.0 next year (hopefully).
Of the returning series over at Apple TV+ that I am currently watching: Shrinking, Silo, and Bad Sisters, I find that two out of three doesn't have as good as a season as the first. Silo seemed to have lost the momentum that it built up previously, while Bad Sisters seemed to have lost its sharp focus.
I am looking forward to the new season of Severance, but I am, as they say, cautiously optimistic. Yes, I know all four shows are made by different teams. But still, cautious.
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Speaking of Apple and television: how did Apple fail to get the US broadcast rights for Fifa Women's World Cups to Netflix? Doesn't Apple want to expand its football (ie. soccer) empire?
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Merry Christmas! Thanks for reading.