Apple started rolling out MacOS Sierra 10.12.3 on Monday through the Mac App Store. This latest update includes long overdue fixes to graphics, performance, and battery issues affecting the new MacBook Pro laptops.
Along with these system patches, developers are also taking care of some hiccups running some software and several security holes that allowed third party access to Mac computers.
The tech giant also released minor updates across its whole set of dedicated software products, including iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Apple last updated their systems in mid-December, and since then, the company has released only a few security patches.
What is new in MacOS Sierra 10.12.3?
Release notes for MacOS Sierra 10.12.3 specify this new software version “improves the stability and security” of all Mac products, solving issues that Apple allegedly had addressed with update 10.12.2 last December.
Users complained about a glitch on the 2016 MacBook Pro that caused its GPU to act up under certain circumstances. With 10.12.2, the company stated it had resolved graphic issues on said laptop models.
However, online reports claimed the problem persisted in spite of the update, and that performance-heavy tasks kept making the computers crash. Apple has heard loud and clear and, apparently, worked on the glitches affecting new users.
For starters, the 15-inch model of the 2016 MacBook Pro will receive improved automatic switching of graphic elements, as well as fixes for any issues when rendering or encoding video on Adobe Premiere Pro. This last patch will also work on the 13-inch laptop with TouchBar.
Apple addresses battery drain controversy with 10.12.3
In addition to stabilized visual performance, Apple is finally putting to rest a short-lived controversy about battery life on its latest series of laptops.
The agency Consumer Reports issued a review in late 2016 MacBook Pros in which it stated the laptops did not meet quality standards due to its poor results in battery life tests.
The organization found the notebooks kept true to their maker’s word in the first round, standing up to 19 hours on a single charge but then dropping significantly on successive trials.
Apple found that an issue with Safari was using way more resources than it should, draining power from the computer. It tested a patch on the 3rd beta of 10.12.3, and the final version is rolling out today includes the fix along with update 10.0.3 for the browser.
Security updates launching along with the latest software version block common threats from “executing arbitrary code with kernel privileges,” ensuring user safety on Mac devices.
Source: Apple
