Mac OS X Lion - Disable Guest User

Have you ever switched on your Mac to find a random "Guest User" account appear on the login screen?

Historically the Guest User account would only appear if specifically enabled from "System Preferences > Users & Groups". However with the introduction of iCloud, Apple modified this usage to work with a new feature called Find My Mac. 

Basically, if you enable Find My Mac from "System Preferences > iCloud" the Guest User account will automatically be enabled, providing users with the ability to access a secured Safari-only version of the OS. With this account enabled, if anyone attempts to access your Mac it will automatically trigger the location service and allow you to find your device.

This is a clever idea, but in my opinion it does have one critical flaw. If the user is aware of the Find My Mac feature, they will know not to login and instead perform a full restore (which with Lion can be done by simply holding the option key at startup). Therefore, for this feature to be successful, it really needs to be integrated at a lower level (either protected software or a dedicated hardware chip).

As a result I chose to fully disable the Guest User account and Find My Mac. To do this simply un-tick the Find My Mac option from "System Preferences > iCloud" (as shown below).

Other guides explain how to just disable the Guest User icon, however by doing so you are basically stopping the Find My Mac service and therefore might as well just disable it fully (and correctly).

Apple WWDC 2011

In the past hour Steve Jobs took the stage for the WWDC 2011 keynote. As previously predicted Steve announced a number of new software products and services, specifically Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5.0 and iCloud.

As a Mac geek I plan to provide a deeper analysis of each announcement, but I thought it was worth posting a quick summery and my initial reactions.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion

I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the Lion announcement, I truly expected a couple of secret new features that had not previously been revealed. Instead Apple spent the first part of the keynote going over familiar ground, showing Multi-Touch, Mission Control, Launchpad, Resume, Versions, etc. Although these new features look great, they have all been fully available for the past few months as part of the developer previews, therefore I felt it was a little underwhelming (especially at a developer focused event).

On the positive side, I can confirm first hand (as a developer) that Lion looks and works great and apparently includes over 250 new features, just don't expect a dramatic change from Snow Leopard (certainly not on the same scale as Windows 8). Due to this being an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary step, I didn't feel Lion was worth the normal £129 asking price. Thankfully Apple agree and Steve confirmed that Lion will be officially available in July for just £20.99. Also, as expected Lion, will be available exclusively via download from the Mac App Store (approximately 4GB), which also means you can officially install it on all your personal Macs (not bad for £20.99). 

Finally, if you are a Mac Developer you can download the "Developer Preview 4" today.

iOS 5.0

The next item on the agenda was iOS 5.0. As with previous years, iOS was the primary focus of the keynote, with a significant update that includes hundreds of new features. I have highlighted some of my favourites below:

• Over the Air Updates (iOS and Application via iCloud)
• New Notification System (known as Notification Center)
• iMessage - a new iOS messaging service (think BlackBerry Messenger)
• News Stand (Think iBooks for newspapers and magazines) 
• Twitter Integration
• Wireless Synchronisation (Also allowing un-tethered activation)
• Significant Mobile Safari Updates (Including tabbed browsing and a Safari Reader feature)

The majority of the new features were previously predicted, however I was impressed to see true wireless synchronisation and iMessage. These are two features that I think will be a big hit with the community and will continue to put pressure on the competition (specifically RIM).

iOS 5.0 is expected in autumn and will be compatible with the iPhone 3GS / 4, iPad 1 / 2 and iPod Touch 3G / 4G. Although autumn is still a long way off, the first preview build of iOS 5.0 is available today for iOS developers.

iCloud

Finally, as expected, Apple announced iCloud. This is a new service that essentially replaces MobileMe and ties together all of Apple's software offerings (including Mac OS X and iOS). iCloud automatically synchronises all of your music, photos, apps, calendars, documents, and more, across all of your devices (Mac, iOS, PC). This helps move the Apple ecosystem into the post PC era, as you no longer require a Mac or PC (iTunes) to act as a central point to synchronise all your data.

The other big part of iCloud is iTunes Match. Basically, iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to your iCloud library for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Therefore unlike Google and Amazon you don't need to upload your music (which could take a very long time), instead it's instantly available and all at 256-Kbps iTunes Plus quality.

The default iCloud capabilities are available for free (up to 5GB), with iTunes Match costing just $24.99 per year (no UK pricing yet). iCloud is currently available in a limited format as part of the beta, the full service will be available alongside iOS 5.0 in the autumn.

For more details on iCloud head over to the Apple iCloud website.