Category Archives: Apple Software

Apple issues Snow Leopard Graphics Update

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Apple has released Snow Leopard Graphics Update 1.0 which corrects some graphics issues for selected Macs, including MacBooks, MacBook Pros, Mac Pros, iMacs, and Mac Minis released over the past 18 months.

Among other fixes, the update:

  • Resolves an image corruption issue that may occur when disconnecting and reconnecting external displays while the system is running.
  • Resolves an issue that could cause Aperture 3 or StarCraft II by Blizzard, to unexpectedly quit or become unresponsive.
  • Addresses frame rate issues occurring in Portal and Team Fortress 2 by Valve, on iMac (Late 2009 and Mid 2010), Mac mini (Early 2009 and Mid 2010), Mac Pro (Early 2009), MacBook (Early 2009 and Mid 2010) and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) or MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010) models.

A note issued via Twitter by Adobe Customer Support suggests the update may also address GPU driver issues affecting Photoshop.

The 66 Mb update can be downloaded directly or applied via Snow Leopard’s Software Update.

New HP & Epson Drivers for Snow Leopard

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Apple has issued updated driver packs for Hewlett-Packard and Epson printers and scanners. At this point, there is no specific news on what the new packages add/improve/correct. Details on the entire package of Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard printer and scanner drivers can be found here.

Note: This is one of the cases where it is better to use Software Update to apply the update rather than download and install manually. The full HP and Epson update files are very large, 738 Mb for the Epson / 388 Mb for HP, and will apply patches for the entire line. Using Software Update will only download and apply updates for the printers and scanners you have .. a considerably smaller size and faster download.

Snow Leopard ships early

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snowleopardboxApple today announced that its newest version of Mac OS X – 10.6 Snow Leopard will start appearing on doorsteps and in stores this Friday, August 28. This beats Apple’s original ship date of “sometime in September.”

More of a refinement of 10.5 Leopard than a re-do, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard touts much tighter code, more 64-bit processing capabilities, improved multi-processor support, and improved graphics processing. The refinements result in a much smaller footprint on your hard drive, according to Apple, up to 6-7 gigabytes of less space.

The new operating system also brings a new version of QuickTime plus support for Microsoft Exchange 2007.

QuickTime X boasts a new streamlined player with “a clean, uncluttered interface with controls that fade out when they’re not needed.” It professes smoother playback. QuickTime Player can now capture audio or video using a Mac’s built-in camera and microphone. Basic editing tools allow you to cut video to a desired length, and send it to iTunes for syncing to an iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV. It also has enhanced streaming capabilities.

For Mac users in the corporate world, you can now sync Apple Mail, Address Book, and iCal with Exchange services such as email, calendar invitations, and Global Addresses – if your company is running Microsoft Exchange 2007. While it doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles of full Outlook environment – e.g., public folders, this greatly streamlines getting Macs on the corporate grid.

The best news of Snow Leopard is its price for previous Leopard owners – $29.00 – $10.00 if you purchased your Mac after June 8 via Apple’s Up-to-Date program. Users of 10.4 Tiger can buy the Mac Box Set for $169.00 which not only includes Snow Leopard, but the latest iLife ’09 and iWork ’09.

The one downside, Snow Leopard is Intel Mac only. So 10.5 Leopard was the end of the line for owners of PowerPC (PPC) Macs.

Apple releases QuickTime 7.6

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Apple posted the latest version of QuickTime – version 7.6. The update applies a number of security patches and performance enhancements, including.

  • Improved compatibility with iChat and Photo Booth
  • Increased playback reliability of Motion JPEG media
  • Improved single-pass H.264 encoding quality (QuickTime Pro)
  • Improved AAC encoding fidelity (QuickTime Pro)
  • More consistent exporting of audio tracks from MPEG video files (QuickTime Pro)

Note: There are separate versions for Tiger (10.4.10 and above), and Leopard (10.5.x) systems. Support for Panther (10.3) has been terminated.

Apple ships iWork ’09

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Apple iWork '09Today, Apple released an upgrade to its iWork productivity suite. iWork ’09 includes enhancements to its Pages word processor and Keynote presentation package, and Numbers spreadsheet application.

Keynote ’09 adds adds Magic Move in which users set a start and endpoint for components in a slide and the Keynote provides options for moving objects between them. It also adds new new transitions and themes.

Numbers ’09 adds table categories, new formulas, more chart options, and the ability to link charts with Pages documents.

Pages ’09 adds a new full-screen view, dynamic outlining, support for MathType and EndNote formulas for scientists and academics, as well as new templates.

iWork ’09 Mac requires any Apple Macintosh computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (500 MHz or faster) processor running Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.11 (or later) or Mac OS X Panther 10.5.6 (or later). It is available immediately at a list price of $79.00.

A free 30-day trial is available for download (451 Mb).