By Dan Moren

January 27, 2016 1:59 PM PT

Apple issues Snow Leopard update (not a typo)

Note: This story has not been updated for several years.

Ah, Mac OS X Snow Leopard. That OS has lived on in the hearts, minds, and Macs of many, since it was the last version of the Mac operating system that would run PowerPC applications from the pre-Intel era. If you’re holding on to a Mac running 10.6, brace yourself: there’s a reason to check for Software Updates.

Apple’s released a small patch for Snow Leopard, which debuted in 2009 and saw its last significant update in 2011. In particular, this update ensures that Macs running Snow Leopard will be able to continue to download and run apps from the Mac App Store, thanks to a renewed signing certificate.

Granted, there are probably a lot of apps since then that require newer versions of OS X, so I imagine that the utility of Snow Leopard is largely diminishing, but as Ars Technica points out, a reported 5 percent of Mac installed base is still running the long-in-the-snow-leopard-tooth operating system. Shine on, you crazy diamonds. And run Software Update.

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors. You can find him on Twitter at @dmoren or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. The latest novel in his Galactic Cold War series of sci-fi space adventures, The Nova Incident, is available now.]

If you appreciate articles like this one, support us by becoming a Six Colors subscriber. Subscribers get access to an exclusive podcast, members-only stories, and a special community.