On March 27, 2017, Apple released macOS 10.12.4 to the public and is available for download as an update through the Mac App Store. Normally we don't comment extensively on minor updates to OS versions, but this one warrants a special mention.
The specific change included in macOS 10.12.4 that separates it from most minor updates is a fix for a bug introduced in macOS 10.12.1. This bug replaced the root certificate in an 802.1x certificate chain with a self-signed certificate during negotiation, causing the connection to fail. In practical terms, this meant that systems running macOS 10.12.1 through 10.12.3 would be unable to connect to AirPennNet using a standard configuration.
With this new fix, standard AirPennNet configurations will function as expected once more. The "workaround" profile for macOS devices currently available on AirPennNet-Help still functions; we will likely revert to the original profile at a later date, once the update has had time to propagate and a minimum number of unpatched macOS devices remain on campus. Please note that this bug was also present in iOS 10 and has been fixed in the newly-released iOS 10.3--an announcement will be sent to Mobile-SIG regarding those changes. We would like to thank the many University constituents in getting this annoying bug remediated-your reports were in no small part responsible for getting Apple to address it.
In terms of less University-specific changes, macOS 10.12.4 introduces Night Shift, a feature previously only available on specific iOS devices. Night Shift is a feature that adjusts the color of the system's display after sunset in an attempt to reduce users' eye strain and disruption of circadian rhythms.
Other changes include:
- Dictation Support for Shanghainese
- Fixes and improvements for the Touch Bar on MacBook Pros
- Fixes and improvements to Apple Mail, including a fix to an issue that prevented certain content from being displayed
- Siri support for cricket scores, schedules, and player rosters
- PDF Rendering fixes
Full notes for the release can be found on Apple's website: