Apple Adds Official Support For Windows 8 Installations With OS X 10.8.3 Update

Got a Mac? Running Mountain Lion? If so, it's time to fire up the Software Update. Apple has just pushed out v10.8.3 to its newest desktop OS, and while there are no major overhauls, patches or fixes, there are quite a few minor things that add up to a fairly significant update. On the quirky side, users can now redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera, but on the more serious side, Apple's Boot Camp software now fully (and officially) supports Windows 8 installations. In other words, the newest Mountain Lion update may help Windows users more than anything else.


Boot Camp also plays nice with HDDs larger than 3TB now, and the update has fixed an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly. Other resolutions include: 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; a fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause cards to print out of order; a fix for an issue that may cause the desktop picture to change after logging out or restarting; a fix for an issue in Messages that may cause messages to appear out of order after waking from sleep; a fix for an issue that may cause the screen to display incorrectly after waking from sleep.

The update also brings Safari up to v6.0.3, and you can view the full changelog below.

OS X 10.8.3

This 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 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 3 TB hard drive
• A fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly
• 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
• A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause cards to print out of order
• A fix for an issue that may cause the desktop picture to change after logging out or restarting
• A fix for an issue in Messages that may cause messages to appear out of order after waking from sleep
• A fix for an issue that may cause the screen to display incorrectly after waking from sleep
• Improves compatibility with IMAP servers in the Notes app
• Allows the Slideshow screen saver to display photos located in a subfolder
• A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause addresses to print in the wrong location
• Reliability improvements when using a Microsoft Exchange account in Mail
• Xsan reliability improvements
• A fix for an issue that could cause Active Directory accounts to be locked out after accessing the Security & Privacy pane in System Preferences
• A fix for an issue that could cause link aggregation to not complete after a restart
• A fix for an issue that could cause delays when logging into an Active Directory account on high latency networks

Safari 6.0.3

Safari 6.0.3 is included in the OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.3 Update and contains fixes that improve performance, stability, and security, including:

• Improves scrolling on facebook.com
• Improves scrolling while zoomed in on a webpage
• Improves performance on webpages with plug-in content
• A fix for an issue that could cause the inaccurate appearance of an alert that bookmarks can't be changed
• A fix for an issue that could cause duplicate bookmarks to appear on an iOS device after editing bookmarks with Safari in OS X
• A fix for an issue that permitted users to access unfiltered search results when searching from google.com when Parental Controls are enabled
• A fix for an issue that could prevent Safari from restoring the last position on a webpage a user navigated back to