Apple preparing Java runtime shift to Oracle

21200updated 09:30 pm EDT, Fri May 4, 2012 Getting out of its own version entirely

Apple is now preparing a pair of Java 6 runtime updates for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 that will mark the last Apple-custom versions of Java, handing over all future development and responsibility for Java on the Mac platform directly to Oracle. Apple had already stopped shipping a default version of Java with new Macs beginning with the release of Lion last summer, but had made in-house versions available to Lion users as well as continued supporting the Snow Leopard version.Most recently, Apple was forced to quickly issue a series of updates to Java in order to curb the spread of the Flashback.K malware, which (unlike previous versions handled by OS X's built-in malware protector) used an exploit in the Mac's unpatched Java SE 6 runtime to gain admin privileges without the user being aware or involved. It was the most serious exploit to reach Mac users, though the actual threat was minimized by swift action on the part of authorities to shut down the servers controlling the Trojan.

Oracle, for its part, had already patched the exploit in its own release a number of weeks earlier, and Apple has not offered an explanation about why it was slow to update its own version, leaving many Macs vulnerable. Despite the coincidence, plans were long underway for Apple to disengage from making its own versions of the Java runtime before the Flashback incident occurred.

Starting with the consumer release of Java 7 later this summer, Oracle will make its own version directly available to Mac users, though support is expected to be limited to just Intel Macs running 10.6 or later. Going forward, Oracle will be responsible for making future updates available to Mac users. A Java 7 development kit is already available for developers.

The final Apple updates will add support for co-existing with any future Java 7 runtime, and implement the automatic disabling of the Java web plug-in after 35 days of non-usage. Consumer use of Java has dropped precipitously in recent years, though a number of game sites and enterprise sites still make heavy use of it. When a user encounters a website that relies on Java, a pop-up dialog automatically asks if the user would like to download or activate (as needed) the Java web plug-in.

The new updates, expected soon, will be known as "Java Update 9" on Snow Leopard and "Java Update 2012-004" on Lion. Users on older OS versions are advised to disable Java entirely on their machines, as their versions have not been upgraded to protect them from the existing exploits.

by MacNN Staff

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Rumor: Apple stores preparing for 'big event' soon?

111203updated 09:00 pm EDT, Wed May 2, 2012 May coincide with WWDC, details thin

An administrative assistant with UPS, the world's largest import-export brokerage firm as well as the familiar package-delivery service, says customs activity connected with Apple may indicate "something big" coming soon. Independent of that report, Apple stores are said to be doing some "all-hands" training sessions as well, lending some credence to the otherwise-thin report, which appeared on a speculative next-gen iPhone enthusiast blog.The source said that her team has been seeing a lot of high-security import-export activity connected with Apple as UPS normally would in advance of big product launch, with preparatory customs paperwork having increased recently. She was not able to say definitively what products were involved, but said the documents were being handled in special folders with limited access that went straight to Apple's Cupertino HQ.

The source, though new, was seen as credible by the iPhone 5 New Blog because of her detailed description of her duties, verification of her employment and other details not related to what specifically the new product might be. That fact that she chose to share information with an "iPhone 5" website might be indicative of the product she was not at liberty to discuss.

She went on to say that she did not think the paperwork was related to long-rumored MacBook Air and MacBook Pro upgrades that could be coming later this summer, and was "positive" it did not related to iPads. The paperwork was described as being used by UPS to clear brokerage issues with customs inspectors in various countries as well as the FCC. Most electronic products require clearance from the FCC to be sold in the US, but the presence of FCC documents does not make clear if the possible products are new, or just revised versions of existing products.

Other Apple projects that have been speculated on for the near-future include a revised low-end iPhone, a next-gen LTE-capable iPhone, a branded or co-branded HDTV set, a revamped Mac Pro and updates for most of the rest of the existing product line apart from the iPad. Apple will be holding its annual WWDC conference in early June, though new consumer products are only occasionally announced there.

The separate reports of "all hands" Apple staff training sessions may be coincidental, or may be related to the forthcoming product. If the latter, that could indicate a refreshed or new consumer-oriented product with some significant new feature or expected high demand.

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