Oracle today announced the release of several new Java software packages, including the new Java SE 7 Update 6 that brings full support for Java SE 7 to OS X for the first time. The release follows launch of Java development kits for OS X back in April.
- With this release, Oracle is providing full availability of Java SE 7 Update 6 on Mac OS X, including the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and the Java Development Kit (JDK), as well as the JavaFX 2.2 rich client platform and JavaFX Scene Builder.
- Consumers will soon be able to download the JRE for Mac OS X from Java.com, just as they do for all other operating systems, and Oracle will provide auto-updates for Mac OS X at the same time as for Windows platforms.
Apple announced in October 2010 that it was discontinuing its support for Java, with Steve Jobs noting that having Apple responsible for updates generally resulted in Java for OS X being one version behind Java for other platforms. Jobs noted that that "may not be the best way to do it", and his belief was proven true earlier this year after the Flashback malware was able to infect 600,000 Macs by taking advantage of a Java vulnerability that had already been patched in most versions of Java but not yet addressed by Apple.
Apple has continued to maintain Java SE 6 while contributing resources to the OpenJDK project to help Oracle and other developers build and maintain Java SE 7 and future versions. Notably, Apple's latest update to Java SE 6 came in sync with Oracle's updates for other platforms, indicating that Apple is working closely with Oracle to make sure Mac users are protected with up-to-date versions of Java on their systems.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Virtually useless for any ordinary end-user, but welcome news anyway.
Strange, BRLawyer is negative about something.
This is very good news for the "ordinary end-user" as this will, as the article states, continue to improve the speed of updates. If they result in needing to personally download or Apple just pipes these updates into Software Update this is VERY good news.
Is there a way to completely remove earlier Java versions once 7 gets installed or do they all just work together.
I've actually had this installed for quite awhile before this announcement. I'm not sure why they're announcing it now, but whatever. A screenshot of my current Java setup is attached. They work fine together. The version provided by Oracle is 64-bit only, and isn't 100% compatible with apps designed for the old Java provided by Apple, so it doesn't overwrite it.
Oracle today announced the release of several new Java software packages, including the new Java SE 7 Update 6 that brings full support for Java SE 7 to OS X for the first time. The release follows launch of Java development kits for OS X back in April.
