There are a lot of Apple developers out there these days. And it often seems like few groups like to share information more than those who work in the Apple space. So where can you go to learn more about Apple development? There are a lots of websites and code camps, but what about annual conferences? WWDC: San Jose, CA – This is the grandaddy of them all. Hear from the people who build the frameworks and IDEs directly! But registration is limited and no everyone can go to that one place at that one date and time of the year. Also, different conferences can give different perspectives, so even…
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Check Versions of Common Apps and Services on macOS
Just some little one-liners to grab the version of a few common Apple services/built-in apps you might need the version of for another project I’m working on kinda’: cups: cups-config –version Finder: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 Help Viewer: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /System/Library/CoreServices/HelpViewer.app | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 iBooks Author: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Application/iTunes\ Author.app | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 ical/Calendar: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/Calendar.app/ | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 ichat/Messages: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/Calendar.app/ | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 iMovie: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/iMovie.app | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 installer: /usr/sbin/installer -vers Photos/iPhoto: mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/Photos.app | cut -d ‘”‘ -f2 iTunes: mdls -name…
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Upgrade macOS Server
The latest version of macOS Server (5.4) is now available to be installed. To do so, first backup your server. Then, backup your server again, making sure you have a functional, bootable clone. Once you’re sure you have a solid backup of your server, open the App Store and search for Server. When you find the Server app, click on it. Once downloaded, you’ll be prompted that the Server app has been replaced.Go into Applications and open the Server app. When prompted, click on Install (or Open if the server is already installed). The download will begin. Once complete, you’ll see a notice that the “Server app replacement detected.” Click OK.…
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Setup Profile Manager On macOS Server 5.4
Profile Manager first appeared in OS X Lion Server as the Apple-provided tool for managing Apple devices, including Mobile Device Management (MDM) for iOS based devices as well as Profile management for macOS based computers, including MacBooks, MacBook Airs, Mac Minis, Mac Pros and iMacs running Mac OS X 10.7 and up. Profile Manager has seen a few more updates over the years, primarily in integrating new MDM options provided by Apple and keeping up with the rapidly changing MDM landscape. Apple has added DEP functionality, content distribution, VPP, and other features over the years. In macOS Server 5.4, there are plenty of new options, including the ability to deploy VPP…
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Mapping New SQLite Databases
I’ve written about SQLite databases here and there over the years. A number of Apple tools and third party tools for the platform run on SQLite and it’s usually a pretty straight forward process to get into a database and inspect what’s there and how you might programmatically interact with tools that store data in SQLite. And I’ll frequently use a tool like Navicat to quickly and visually hop in and look at what happens when I edit data that then gets committed to the database. But I don’t always have tools like that around. So when I want to inspect new databases, or at least those new to me,…
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5 Lessons App Developers Can Learn From Pokémon Go
Published 5 Lessons App Developers Can Learn From Pokémon Go with App Developer Magazine. Really more focused around the business of app development and release, and a quick read. Hope you enjoy!
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Install Apps To iOS Devices Using Apple Configurator 2
One of the primary use cases for Apple Configurator 1 and Apple Configurator 2 is to get apps on devices. Even with MDM, you can use Apple Configurator 2 for app deployment. The value here might be that you end up transferring 10 gigs of apps over a USB cable, rather than over the air in larger deployments. Here, we’ll look at a basic app deployment using Apple Configurator 2. To get started, first download the app and get it in iTunes. This can be accomplished by copying the .ipa file for an app onto a device, or syncing an iOS device with iTunes that has the app installed. Take care that…
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Remove Apps From A 4th Generation Apple TV
The 4th Generation of the Apple TV supports installing apps. And part of playing around with new apps is sometimes you’re not going to want them on your TV any more. To remove apps, the process is similar to that of an iPad. Highlight an app that you’d like to remove and then hold down the clicker on the app. The app will go a little larger. Click on it again and you’ll get the option to Delete the app. Click Delete and the app disappears. That’s it. The app, and any storage that is being consumed by the app, is then freed up.
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Install Apps On The 4th Generation Apple TV
The most substantial part of the update to the 4th generation of the Apple TV is the addition of an App Store. Awesome! There are a nice number of apps so far. Not too many, just yet. Let’s look at installing an app. To do so, start your Apple TV and from the home screen, click on the App Store icon. From the App Store, search for an app and click on it. If you like the screenshots, click on the Get button (it’s a free app so it says Get). Once installed, click on Open. The app opens. Yay. Very easy. Some of the apps from your other devices may…
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Bushel: VPP App Distribution Without Apple IDs
Starting today, Bushel can be used to deploy Volume Purchase Program (VPP) apps to Apple devices running iOS 9 or OS X 10.11 El Capitan without the need for an Apple ID. That’s right, no Apple ID required! Read More About VPP App Distribution Without Apple IDs on the Bushel Blog