Although the build has no known issues this is not necessarily an indication of development wrapping up, but the speed of releases is indicative of nearing public release.

Seed notes below.

Known Issues

• None

Focus Areas with Additional Information

MobileMe / Syncing:

Please help test MobileMe automatic syncing. We are particularly interested in testing automatic sync on portable computers and on networks with medium to high latency and or constrained bandwidth. Please include the ~/Library/Logs/Sync/dotmacsync.log with any radars you file.

If you are working behind a firewall (ie. corporate proxy), we would like to know your experience with the syncing. If you have auto sync turned on, and you make a change from me.com, or MobileMe website, does that change sync within a reasonable amount of time?  Also attempt general syncing of Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks and other sync data. Please watch for excessive syncing and file radars for any abnormal syncs.

AFP:

The 10.5.6 release includes changes to improve Time Machine reliability in both the AFP Client and Server. The changes in the client will detect conditions that lead to corruption of a Time Machine backup disk image and eject the AFP volume before damage to the disk image occurs. 

Mail:

We need people who send messages entirely in non Latin character sets, such as Hangul, Kotoeri, Traditional Chinese character sets. Including attachment names, punctuation, everything. We would also like to include those who send messages and enclosures in Latin character sets as well (French, German, Italian, etc). Cyrillic, Hebrew, and Arabic would be another good set of writing systems to extensively test

General Focus Areas

• AccountsPref
• AddressBook
• AFP
• AirPort
• apache
• AppKit
• AppleBacklight
• AppleDictionary
• AppleDisplays
• AppleFWAudio
• AppleGraphicsControl
• AppleGraphicsPowerManagement
• AppleHIDMouse
• AppleHWRaidUtility
• ApplicationFirewall
• AppleWWANSupport
• AutomatorActionsBinaries
• ATS
• Automator
• backupd
• BatteryMonitor
• BezelServices
• Bom
• BomArchiveHelper
• Bluetooth
• BootCache 
• Calculator
• CFNetwork
• Chess
• CoreAudio
• CoreFoundation
• CoreGraphics
• CoreMidi
• CoreServices
• CoreTypes
• cups
• DirectoryService
• DiscRecording
• diskdev_cmds
• DiskImages
• Dock
• DVDPlayer
• DVDPlayback
• Finder
• Foundation
• gnutar
• GraphicsDrivers/OpenGL
• HIToolbox
• iCal
• iChat
• ImageCapture
• Installation & Setup
• IOSerialFamily
• IOStorageFamily
• Keyboard & Mouse
• KeychainAccess 
• KeychainScripting
• LoginWindow
• Mail
• MobileMe
• Networking
• Network File System
• OpenSSH
• Parental Controls
• PDFKit
• Printing
• QuartzComposer
• QuartzCore
• RAWCameraSupport
• Safari: HTTP Cookies, HTTP Proxies
• SmartCardServices
• Spaces
• Spotlight Syncing
• System Preferences
• TimeMachine
• TimeZoneData
• udf
• Video Conferencing
• webdavfs
• xnu

Areas of Change

• Resolved issue with Automatic bookmark syncing and dotmacsyncclient
• Fixed issue with Sync Services and slow sync prompt
• Fixed issue with DVI and display detection
• Issue with Superdrive and eject sound resolved
• Fixed issue with MobileMe pref pane and periodic syncing
• Fixed issue with printing a PDF file from Mail.app
• Resolved issue with LaunchServices and downloading playlists
• Resolved problem with Sync Services and calendar syncing

Issues fixed in previous seeds:

• Resolved issue with FileSync and FileSyncAgent
• Fixed issue with syslog and duplicate message suppression
• Fixed multitouch issue with Finder
• Resolved issue with USB disconnect warning dialog
• Fixed issue with notified syncs and dotmacsyncclient
• Fixed issue with System Preferences and MobileMe sync tab
• Issue with KeychainAccess and prompting of passwords resolved
• AFP Server no longer caches FPGetSessionToken
• AFP Server now turns off replay cache for non replay clients
• AFP Client now advertises that it supports Replay cache
• Bluetooth and USB in closed lid mode compatibility fix
• FileSyncAgent syncing fix
• HTTP basic authentication with long URL containing username/password fix
• iCalExternalSync - you can now change the record identifier to RootNode
• Misc localization fixes
• Buenos Aires (Argentina) Local Time One Hour time change fix
• Fixed issue with CFNetwork and Content-Disposition file names
• Addressed issue with CoreTypes and certain zip file contents
• Fixed problem with USB OTG Disks and Mass Storage
• Fixed issue with Parental Controls and idle sleep
• Fixed issue with Parental Controls and curfew login
• Fixed issue with iDisk Syncing
• Fixed Calculator issue with Swiss German
• Fixed network server file copying issue
• Addressed issue with AudioQueue and CoreAudio
• Fix to Network Authorization UI
• Fixed issue with AirPort Drivers and “off” setting
• Issue with decoding GIF images and CoreGraphics resolved
• Fixed issue with Mail and authentication of inactive accounts
• Resolved issue with iCal Search and text search
• Fixed issue with iCal Alarms not firing in certain situations
• Problem with Quick Look and CoreGraphics resolved
• Issue with iChat setup assistant fixed
• Fixed issue with firewall configs being reset after upgrading
• Resolved issues with CFURLCookies
• Address books syncing fixes
• AFP server login fixes
• Graphic drivers performance fixes
• New iCal Events and AppleScript applet fix
• Safari and cookies compatibility fixes
• Core Audio and AU component version mismatch fix
• Multiple instances of MatrixReverb in separate threads fix
• Core Audio compressor threshold fix
• Switching default audio device’s output stream is now immediate
• More channels for Core Audio 3D mixer
• Programmatically created (public) aggregate device now plays correctly
• Audio Channel Layouts and Unique ID fix
• Changing the composition of an aggregate device audio dropout fix
• kAudioSubDevicePropertyDriftCompensation property can now be set on an aggregate device
• Renaming aggregate devices now propagate device name changes to all applications
• AudioFileOpenURL memory management fix
• CoreAudio AudioFileWritePackets file creation fix
• audioqueue compatibility fixes
• audio file stream compatibility fixes
• ExtAudioFileCreateNew memory management fix
• ADTS files now supports kAudioFilePropertyPacketSizeUpperBound
• Core Audio performance fixes
• CGDisplayBaseAddress and 64bit binaries compatibility fix
• Command-H and applications hiding fix
• FSCatalogSearch() on 64 bit binary app now returns correct results
• iCalExternalSync floating events and stability fixes
• iCal can now identify VTIMEZONE with a simple offset and no transition dates
• Setting iChat setting to “invisible” via AppleScript now keeps you logged in
• Embed ColorSync Profile” in Image Capture no longer leaves invisible file behind
• Image Capture Architecture performance fixes
• Show(Hide)Window() without Window menu memory management fixes
• Linked binary with NFS shares fix
• Keychain Access: Change Password now works for smart cards
• AppleScript/Keychain Scripting now saves passwords as UTF-8
• pthread operation support fixes
• Access times on FAT32 formatted USB external drive performance fix
• Fixed issue with large file (4gb+) writes to LINUX nfs server when initiated from finder
• NFS export and hostname resolution at startup fix
• copying from a framebuffer object to a texture via glCopyTexSubImage2D fix
• GL_ARB_occlusion_query now works with multiple in-flight queries
• Dealloc method of Cocoa PDE is now called when Print dialog is closed
• Two-Sided Checkbox now follows PPD UIConstraints
• Carbon Printing sheets and window flickering issue fix
• ‘Collated’ can now be set as default in print dialog
• Print sheet now honors first page/last page settings
• PDFView now works with undoManager when its document is set
• Paper sizes and some PPDs compatibility fixes
• AERecord-to-NSDictionary translation now handles ‘usrf’ fields.
• Support for serial smart card readers in pcscd
• SyncServer performance fix
• AppKit recognition of xml-format webarchives
• Latest time zone changes for Brazil, Europe, Argentina, etc
• Uploading of files to more than one webDAV volume at the same time fix
• X11 application gnubg segmentation fix

The latest builds of which the seed notes can be seen below show that Apple is improving compatibility and reliability between Mac OS X and MobileMe.

Known Issues

MobileMe syncing issues

• If automatic syncing is set and the user does not open the pref pane, automatic syncing will not occur.

Focus Areas with Additional Information

MobileMe / Syncing:

Please help test MobileMe automatic syncing. We are particularly interested in testing automatic sync on portable computers and on networks with medium to high latency and or constrained bandwidth. Please include the ~/Library/Logs/Sync/dotmacsync.log with any radars you file.

If you are working behind a firewall (ie. corporate proxy), we would like to know your experience with the syncing. If you have auto sync turned on, and you make a change from me.com, or MobileMe website, does that change sync within a reasonable amount of time?  Also attempt general syncing of Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks and other sync data. Please watch for excessive syncing and file radars for any abnormal syncs.

AFP:

The 10.5.6 release includes changes to improve Time Machine reliability in both the AFP Client and Server. The changes in the client will detect conditions that lead to corruption of a Time Machine backup disk image and eject the AFP volume before damage to the disk image occurs.

Mail:

We need people who send messages entirely in non Latin character sets, such as Hangul, Kotoeri, Traditional Chinese character sets. Including attachment names, punctuation, everything. We would also like to include those who send messages and enclosures in Latin character sets as well (French, German, Italian, etc). Cyrillic, Hebrew, and Arabic would be another good set of writing systems to extensively test.

General Focus Areas

• AccountsPref
• AddressBook
• AFP
• AirPort
• apache
• AppKit
• AppleBacklight
• AppleDictionary
• AppleDisplays
• AppleFWAudio
• AppleGraphicsControl
• AppleGraphicsPowerManagement
• AppleHIDMouse
• AppleHWRaidUtility
• ApplicationFirewall
• AppleWWANSupport
• AutomatorActionsBinaries
• ATS
• Automator
• backupd
• BatteryMonitor
• BezelServices
• Bom
• BomArchiveHelper
• Bluetooth
• BootCache 
• Calculator
• CFNetwork
• Chess
• CoreAudio
• CoreFoundation
• CoreGraphics
• CoreMidi
• CoreServices
• CoreTypes
• cups
• DirectoryService
• DiscRecording
• diskdev_cmds
• DiskImages
• Dock
• DVDPlayer
• DVDPlayback
• Finder
• Foundation
• gnutar
• GraphicsDrivers/OpenGL
• HIToolbox
• iCal
• iChat
• ImageCapture
• Installation & Setup
• IOSerialFamily
• IOStorageFamily
• Keyboard & Mouse
• KeychainAccess 
• KeychainScripting
• LoginWindow
• Mail
• MobileMe
• Networking
• Network File System
• OpenSSH
• Parental Controls
• PDFKit
• Printing
• QuartzComposer
• QuartzCore
• RAWCameraSupport
• Safari: HTTP Cookies, HTTP Proxies
• SmartCardServices
• Spaces
• Spotlight Syncing
• System Preferences
• TimeMachine
• TimeZoneData
• udf
• Video Conferencing
• webdavfs
• xnu

 
Areas of Change

• Resolved issue with FileSync and FileSyncAgent
• Fixed issue with syslog and duplicate message suppression
• Fixed multitouch issue with Finder
• Resolved issue with USB disconnect warning dialog
• Fixed issue with notified syncs and dotmacsyncclient
• Fixed issue with System Preferences and MobileMe sync tab
• Issue with KeychainAccess and prompting of passwords resolved

 
Issues fixed in previous seeds:

• AFP Server no longer caches FPGetSessionToken
• AFP Server now turns off replay cache for non replay clients
• AFP Client now advertises that it supports Replay cache
• Bluetooth and USB in closed lid mode compatibility fix
• FileSyncAgent syncing fix
• HTTP basic authentication with long URL containing username/password fix
• iCalExternalSync
• you can now change the record identifier to RootNode

• Misc localization fixes
• Buenos Aires (Argentina) Local Time One Hour time change fix
• Fixed issue with CFNetwork and Content-Disposition file names
• Addressed issue with CoreTypes and certain zip file contents
• Fixed problem with USB OTG Disks and Mass Storage
• Fixed issue with Parental Controls and idle sleep
• Fixed issue with Parental Controls and curfew login
• Fixed issue with iDisk Syncing
• Fixed Calculator issue with Swiss German
• Fixed network server file copying issue
• Addressed issue with AudioQueue and CoreAudio
• Fix to Network Authorization UI
• Fixed issue with AirPort Drivers and “off” setting
• Issue with decoding GIF images and CoreGraphics resolved
• Fixed issue with Mail and authentication of inactive accounts
• Resolved issue with iCal Search and text search
• Fixed issue with iCal Alarms not firing in certain situations
• Problem with Quick Look and CoreGraphics resolved
• Issue with iChat setup assistant fixed
• Fixed issue with firewall configs being reset after upgrading
• Resolved issues with CFURLCookies
• Address books syncing fixes
• AFP server login fixes
• Graphic drivers performance fixes
• New iCal Events and AppleScript applet fix
• Safari and cookies compatibility fixes
• Core Audio and AU component version mismatch fix
• Multiple instances of MatrixReverb in separate threads fix
• Core Audio compressor threshold fix
• Switching default audio device’s output stream is now immediate
• More channels for Core Audio 3D mixer
• Programmatically created (public) aggregate device now plays correctly
• Audio Channel Layouts and Unique ID fix
• Changing the composition of an aggregate device audio dropout fix
• kAudioSubDevicePropertyDriftCompensation property can now be set on an aggregate device
• Renaming aggregate devices now propagate device name changes to all applications
• AudioFileOpenURL memory management fix
• CoreAudio AudioFileWritePackets file creation fix
• audioqueue compatibility fixes
• audio file stream compatibility fixes
• ExtAudioFileCreateNew memory management fix
• ADTS files now supports kAudioFilePropertyPacketSizeUpperBound
• Core Audio performance fixes
• CGDisplayBaseAddress and 64bit binaries compatibility fix
• Command-H and applications hiding fix
• FSCatalogSearch() on 64 bit binary app now returns correct results
• iCalExternalSync floating events and stability fixes
• iCal can now identify VTIMEZONE with a simple offset and no transition dates
• Setting iChat setting to “invisible” via AppleScript now keeps you logged in
• Embed ColorSync Profile” in Image Capture no longer leaves invisible file behind
• Image Capture Architecture performance fixes
• Show(Hide)Window() without Window menu memory management fixes
• Linked binary with NFS shares fix
• Keychain Access: Change Password now works for smart cards
• AppleScript/Keychain Scripting now saves passwords as UTF-8
• pthread operation support fixes
• Access times on FAT32 formatted USB external drive performance fix
• Fixed issue with large file (4gb+) writes to LINUX nfs server when initiated from finder
• NFS export and hostname resolution at startup fix
• copying from a framebuffer object to a texture via glCopyTexSubImage2D fix
• GL_ARB_occlusion_query now works with multiple in-flight queries
• Dealloc method of Cocoa PDE is now called when Print dialog is closed
• Two-Sided Checkbox now follows PPD UIConstraints
• Carbon Printing sheets and window flickering issue fix
• ‘Collated’ can now be set as default in print dialog
• Print sheet now honors first page/last page settings
• PDFView now works with undoManager when its document is set
• Paper sizes and some PPDs compatibility fixes
• AERecord-to-NSDictionary translation now handles ‘usrf’ fields.
• Support for serial smart card readers in pcscd
• SyncServer performance fix
• AppKit recognition of xml-format webarchives
• Latest time zone changes for Brazil, Europe, Argentina, etc
• Uploading of files to more than one webDAV volume at the same time fix
• X11 application gnubg segmentation fix

The update which is expected to be one of the largest updates to Mac OS X Leopard includes over 50 fixes in its first iteration. The build which is labelled 9G21 is said to weigh in at 350MB in its delta form.

Seed notes after the jump.

Known Issues

• Automatic MobileMe syncing between Macs running 10.5.5 and 10.5.6 will not work; however, manual syncing works as expected.

Focus Areas

• AddressBook
• AppKit
• AppleHWRaidUtility
• ApplicationFirewall
• AppleWWANSupport
• ATS
• Automator
• Bom
• BootCache 
• Calculator
• CFNetwork
• Chess
• CoreAudio
• CoreFoundation
• CoreGraphics
• CoreServices
• CoreTypes
• DVDPlayback
• Finder
• Foundation
• gnutar
• GraphicsDrivers/OpenGL
• HIToolbox
• iCal
• iChat
• ImageCapture
• Installation & Setup
• IOSerialFamily
• IOStorageFamily
• Keyboard & Mouse
• KeychainAccess 
• KeychainScripting
• LoginWindow
• Mail
• MobileMe
• Networking
• Network File System
• OpenSSH
• Parental Controls
• PDFKit
• Printing
• QuartzComposer
• QuartzCore
• RAWCameraSupport
• Safari: HTTP Cookies, HTTP Proxies
• SmartCardServices
• Spaces
• Spotlight Syncing
• System Preferences
• TimeMachine
• TimeZoneData
• udf
• Video conferencing
• webdavfs
• xnu

Areas of Change

• Address books syncing fixes
• AFP server login fixes
• Graphic drivers performance fixes
• New iCal Events and AppleScript applet fix
• Safari and cookies compatibility fixes
• Core Audio and AU component version mismatch fix
• Multiple instances of MatrixReverb in separate threads fix
• Core Audio compressor threshold fix
• Switching default audio device’s output stream is now immediate
• More channels for Core Audio 3D mixer
• Programmatically created (public) aggregate device now plays correctly
• Audio Channel Layouts and Unique ID fix
• Changing the composition of an aggregate device audio dropout fix
• kAudioSubDevicePropertyDriftCompensation property can now be set on an aggregate device
• Renaming aggregate devices now propagate device name changes to all applications
• AudioFileOpenURL memory management fix
• CoreAudio AudioFileWritePackets file creation fix
• audioqueue compatibility fixes
• audio file stream compatibility fixes
• ExtAudioFileCreateNew memory management fix
• ADTS files now supports kAudioFilePropertyPacketSizeUpperBound
• Core Audio performance fixes
• CGDisplayBaseAddress and 64bit binaries compatibility fix
• Command-H and applications hiding fix
• FSCatalogSearch() on 64 bit binary app now returns correct results
• iCalExternalSync floating events and stability fixes
• iCal can now identify VTIMEZONE with a simple offset and no transition dates
• Setting iChat setting to “invisible” via AppleScript now keeps you logged in
• Embed ColorSync Profile” in Image Capture no longer leaves invisible file behind
• Image Capture Architecture performance fixes
• Show(Hide)Window() without Window menu memory management fixes
• Linked binary with NFS shares fix
• Keychain Access: Change Password now works for smart cards
• AppleScript/Keychain Scripting now saves passwords as UTF-8
• pthread operation support fixes
• Access times on FAT32 formatted USB external drive performance fix
• Fixed issue with large file (4gb+) writes to LINUX nfs server when initiated from finder
• NFS export and hostname resolution at startup fix
• copying from a framebuffer object to a texture via glCopyTexSubImage2D fix
• GL_ARB_occlusion_query now works with multiple in-flight queries
• Dealloc method of Cocoa PDE is now called when Print dialog is closed
• Two-Sided Checkbox now follows PPD UIConstraints
• Carbon Printing sheets and window flickering issue fix
• ‘Collated’ can now be set as default in print dialog
• Print sheet now honors first page/last page settings
• PDFView now works with undoManager when its document is set
• Paper sizes and some PPDs compatibility fixes
• AERecord-to-NSDictionary translation now handles ‘usrf’ fields.
• Support for serial smart card readers in pcscd
• SyncServer performance fix
• AppKit recognition of xml-format webarchives
• Latest time zone changes for Brazil, Europe, Argentina, etc
• Uploading of files to more than one webDAV volume at the same time fix
• X11 application gnubg segmentation fix

The security update which is available for both Mac OS X Leopard and Tiger fixes holes in ColorSync, Finder, general Mac OS X networking, PSNormalizer, QuickLook, root certificates, Script Editor and much more.

More details available here.

• Security Update 2008-007 Client (Leopard)
• Security Update 2008-007 Client (Intel)
• Security Update 2008-007 Client (PPC)
• Security Update 2008-007 Server (Leopard)
• Security Update 2008-007 Server (Universal)
• Security Update 2008-007 Server (PPC)

Details of the Mac OS X 10.5.5 update are available on the Apple website and security changes here.

Some of the highlights in the update include:

• Addresses stability issues with video playback, processor core idling, and remote disc sharing for MacBook Air.
• Improves iPhone sync reliability with iCal and Address Book.
• Includes extensive graphics enhancements.
• Improves Mail robustness when sending messages.
• Improves Back to My Mac reliability.
• Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule.
• Time Machine can now back up iPhone backups that are on your Mac, as well as other items in (~/Library/Application Support).

The update includes many security improvements but of particular attention is that Apple has fixed a serious DNS/BIND server vulnerability where an attacker could cause a Mac OS X DNS server to direct clients to forged websites.

• Mac OS X Leopard - 65 MB
• Mac OS X Tiger (Intel) - 143 MB
• Mac OS X Tiger (PPC) - 88MB
• Mac OS X Server (Intel) - 180 MB
• Mac OS X Server (PPC) - 135 MB

No word at the moment on what exactly the update will include.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1994.
For detailed information on security updates, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Apple began seeding Mac OS X 10.5.4 to developers only a month ago, it was rumoured that the update would come quickly as it packs updates required for MobileMe.

The latest build contains 12 additional bug fixes including the “hang on shutdown” fix.

Apple has requested that developers with the latest build focus on 21 areas within the operating system, in particular; iLife compatibility, printing, networking, AirPort, Mail, iCal, and iChat.

Mac OS X 10.5.4 is expected to be released prior to the July 11th release of MobileMe.

Seed notes included below.

Known Issues

• None

Focus Areas

• AirPort
• AFP
• Active Directory/Directory Services
• CFNetwork
• CoreFoundation
• CoreGraphics
• DirectoryService
• Expose
• iCal
• iChat
• iLife
• IPSec
• Keychain
• Mail
• Networking
• ppp
• printing
• ruby
• samba
• Security
• Spaces
• Spaces pref
• xnu

Areas of Change

New issues fixed in this seed:

• https and basic authentication compatibility fix
• NSURLConnection now times out
• NavCreatePutFileDialog crash fix
• DS: dsReleaseContinueData incorrectly returning -14072
• All windows are now shown in expose
• iCal version number fix
• Racoon and IPSec compatibility fixes
• Hang at shutdown fix
• Identity preference not remembered if cert is located on a smartcard
• DoD/SmartCard certificates now presented to DoD web sites
• Finder and switching spaces fixes
• Can now assign applications to Spaces by dragging from app list again

Issues fixed in previous seeds:

• LEAP connection in Airport 802.1x
• Saving and re-opening of some third-party application files on a remote server
• No HTTP header sometimes when using persistent connection
• Decoding support for some cameras
• Misc iCal fixes

Build 9E6 of Mac OS X 10.5.4 currently contains no known issues and only five bug fixes but this is likely to change over time.

Apple is asking developers to focus on some of the following key areas; AirPort, AFP, Active Directory, iCal and iChat.

Complete seed notes below.

Known Issues

• None

Focus Areas

• AirPort
• AFP
• Active Directory/Directory Services
• iCal
• iChat
• ppp
• printing
• ruby
• samba

Areas of Change
New issues fixed in this seed:

• LEAP connection in Airport 802.1x
• Saving and re-opening of some third-party application files on a remote server
• No HTTP header sometimes when using persistent connection
• Decoding support for some cameras
• Misc iCal fixes

• Security Update 2008-003 (PPC) - 72MB
• Security Update 2008-003 (Intel) - 111MB
• Security Update 2008-003 Server (PPC) - 89MB
• Security Update 2008-003 Server (Universal) - 118MB

Security Update 2008-003 is recommended for all servers/clients and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update.

The update which weighs in at a mighty 420MB is described as follows by Apple:

The 10.5.3 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.

Apple also has a document listing the massive list of improvements that Mac OS X 10.5.3 brings, some highlights include:

• RAW support for more cameras
• Address Book can now sync with Google Contacts
• Includes multiple fixes with Time Machine and Time Capsule
• Improves 802.1X behavior and reliability

Image Courtesy of AppleInsider.com

Time Machine backs up data every hour but when notebooks are on battery life Time Machine stops running. A new option in Mac OS X 10.5.3 allows users to allow Time Machine to continue its hourly back ups while on battery power.

The toggle checkbox is accessible by selecting the “Options” button in the Time Machine system preferences.

The five-day WWDC event, which runs from June 9 to June 13, will feature the first ever iPhone track for mobile developers with in-depth sessions and hands-on labs to fully explore the capabilities of the OS X iPhone 2.0 software, including the iPhone SDK and the App Store, a breakthrough way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod touch users.

The iPhone track will also enable mobile developers to work side by side with Apple engineers to create amazing applications that leverage iPhone’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface, animation technology, rich set of APIs, including programming interfaces for Core OS, Core Services, Media and Cocoa Touch technologies, built-in three axis accelerometer and geographical location technology to deliver truly innovative mobile applications.

This year’s Mac track will give newcomers and seasoned veterans alike the technical foundation and techniques needed to develop world-class OS X Leopard applications with sessions that discuss every level of the system, including interface design and implementation, application frameworks, security, localization and networking.

WWDC 2008 will offer over 150 information-rich sessions and labs where Apple engineers will go in-depth on the innovative technologies that power OS X iPhone and OS X Leopard. Developers can bring code to the labs and work one-to-one with Apple engineers, applying development methods and best-practices gained from sessions to enhance their applications.

Other activities at Apple’s WWDC 2008 include:

• presentation sessions led by engineers that provide an in-depth look at OS X iPhone, OS X Leopard and innovative tools and technologies such as the iPhone SDK, Cocoa Touch, Interface Builder, Xcode and more;
• practical hands-on sessions where attendees can learn Apple’s own coding strategies and techniques;
• technology labs where attendees can work one-to-one with Apple engineers; and
• special events, including the Welcome Reception, Apple Design Awards, Lunchtime Speakers and Stump the Experts.

This Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 1 adds Java SE 6 version 1.6.0_05 to your Mac. This update does not replace the existing installation of J2SE 5.0 or change the default version of Java.

Build 9D11 of Mac OS X 10.5.3 contains 20 extra fixes on top of those of build 9D10.

Of note this build of Mac OS X 10.5.3 contains zero known issues and offers some users hope, especially those wishing to Time Machine backup to remote servers, and those having issues with AirPort and Back to my Mac.

The update which is currently weighing in at 410MB in Delta form and 530MB in Combo will be the third significant update to Mac OS X Leopard which debuted in October 2007.

Full change log below (Emphasis made by World of Apple).

Known Issues

• None

Focus Areas

• Active Directory/Directory Services
• Address Book
• AFP
• AirPort
• AppleScript
• Audio
• Automator
• Back To My Mac
• Dashboard
• Dictionary
• Directory Services
• Dock
• DVD Player
• Finder
• Graphics
• iCal
• Installer
• Mail
• Portable Home Directories
• Printing
• Rosetta
• Spaces
• Spotlight
• Time Machine
• VoiceOver

Areas of Change

New issues fixed in this seed:

• HLTB Events issue with opening document from Finder resolved
• Automator Find Mail Items now works correctly
• Time Machine backupd and new AFP backups
• Issue with password auto retrieve and AirPort 802.1X fixed
• Fixed issue with Spaces preferences
• NSConnection now notifies ports when a thread exits
• CUPS “-P” option for the “lp” command now works correctly
• Graphics corruption issue resolved
• Issue where Mail messages may not display correctly fixed
• Layering issue with Spaces fixed
• launchd and FCS2 restart now works properly
• KerberosHelper now finds ticket from managed realm
• Fix to CoreFoundation and Xcode run log
• Fixed Automator Action with To, CC, and BCC fields
• Fix to Comms SW and Ethernet Adaptor
• Fixed Sleep issue with MBA
• Resolved issue with AppleUSBEthernet plist
• Fixed communication issue with Back to My Mac and .Mac servers
• Resolved AirPort connection issue

Issues fixed in previous seeds:

• DashboardClient processes now work correctly after .Mac syncing
• Adding a Mobile account and Portable Home Directories issue fixed
• Text-to-Speech and Japanese text
• Dashboard sync and placement of widgets with different screen resolutions
• Web Content Filter and Parental Controls
• iCal Synchronization and adding Task with Attendee no longer gives an incorrect error
• twisted.mail.module now installed with Python 2.5
• ImageIO fix
• Fixed issue with Go to Folder and Finder
• Date arithmetic now gives correct results
• AppleScript 2.0 and formUniqueID fix
• NTLM auth and CFURLauthentication working correctly
• Text-to-Speech and Hysterical voice no longer causes hang
• Minimizing a window with a negative size no longer causes Dock to hang
• When Dock hiding is enabled, activating Spaces while a Stack is open now works correctly
• AD DS Plug-in and Domain Controllers issue fixed
• Issue were running apps make display incorrectly in the Dock fixed
• Exiting Front Row with the remote control menu button works correctly
• Fixed memory leak issue with CoreAnimation
• Network pref pane now lists domain options correctly
• Folder permissions with archive and install fixed
• iCal now presents previously used alarms when creating a new event
• Calling lockFocus on NSImage in secondary thread no longer causes crash
• Selecting login items for mobile accounts no longer freezes preferences
• Fixed issue with Installer App
• Printer Proxy now integrates with the Apple Help system
• SpotlightIndex and issue with rebooting fixed
• Binding client to a directory no longer creates multiple copies
• NSString isEqual now works correctly
• Mobile Account group MCX settings now preserved when offline
• iCal no longer sets all-day exception date to local time
• Fixed iCal syncing issue with recurring events
• Printer Proxy and language display issue resolved
• Fixed memory leak issue with iCal
• Error getting external address 3 with mDNSResponder fixed
• Fix to CoreImage and NSBitmapImageRep
• Issue where FireWire camera may block FireWire device recognition resolved
• CATransaction no longer crashes when committing in layoutSublayersOfLayer
• Fixed ToDo due date time zone issue in iCal
• Disk Utility Repair Permissions progress bar now behaves correctly
• Issue with NSView and opening & closing windows with GC on fixed
• Layer-backed view printing now works correctly
• URLMount fixed
• NSBrowser now works with NSTreeController with countKeyPath set
• Spotlight search on server shares now return correct results
• Fixed issue with printing PDFs from Preview app.
• AFP X Client now creates folders with correct privileges
• Issue with infinite loop and NSCoding fixed
• Venezuela time zone issue fixed
• Debug bild of DVDPlayback.framework now allows running in gdb
• ICADownloadFile now works correctly
• HLTB DataBrowser: Scrolling in languages issue fixed
• IKPictureTaker no longer crashes when garbage Collection is enabled
• CISunbeemsGenerator no longer crashes when Garbage Collection is enabled
• Fix to CoreAnimation
• MCX Client setting fixed
• Mail no longer deletes or adds Alarms on a Task when Alarm is changed on a Task
• CIFilter objects no longer lead to crash when released
• When checking domains multiple times, CFPreferences now checks correctly
• fsck_hfs now handles file hard links properly
• Pax archives now extracted correctly into File Systems
• BSD Kernel and unbuffered i/o no longer hangs
• Fix to Type 1 Scaler
• Fix to 802.1x authentication
• Saving an Automator Workflow now saves correctly when right-clicking from menu
• Searching for files by date with Automator Action now behaves correctly
• Fix to ‘New iCal Event’ Automator Action
• Fix to ‘Get Selected Finder Items’ Automator Action
• Password authentication and Mail POP fix
• Mail IMAP and change to IP address issue fixed
• NSGraphicsContext printing problem fixed
• Fix to dynamic menu issue with HLTB Menus
• Mail message list no longer shrinks after search
• Fixed issue with recently used fonts and NSFontPanel
• AppleScript Automator Action now saved correctly

Security Update 2008-002 is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update.

The feature which was touted prior to Leopards release in October was mysteriously removed from the product features page causing outrage among those who purchased AirPort Extremes.

But it appears that after tonights updates to both the software and AirPort Extreme firmware the long awaited feature has finally begun working.

Managed to get Time Machine backups working via an AirPort Extreme? Let us know in the comments.

Security Update 2008-002 is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update.

• Security Update 2008-002 v1.0 (PPC)
• Security Update 2008-002 v1.0 (Universal)
• Security Update 2008-002 v1.0 (Leopard)
• Security Update 2008-002 v1.0 Server (Leopard)
• Security Update 2008-002 v1.0 Server (PPC)
• Security Update 2008-002 v1.0 Server (Universal)

Apple has once again released another build of Mac OS X 10.5.2 to developers.

Build 9C30 once again lists “no known issues” with Time Machine remaining one of the key areas of testing as well as audio input, Back To My Mac, Bluetooth, Safari, and graphics drivers.

iPhone US Smartphone Share Rises to 28 Percent

According to a report by market research firm Canalys, Apple has managed to garner approximately 28 percent of the US smartphone market during the fourth calendar quarter of 2007.

According to the report iPhone’s 28 percent share placed it second in the US market behind only RIM’s with 41 percent share.

“When you consider that it launched part way through the year, with limited operator and country coverage, and essentially just one product, Apple has shown very clearly that it can make a difference and has sent a wakeup call to the market leaders,” said senior analyst Pete Cunningham. “What it must demonstrate now is that it can build a sustainable business in the converged device space, expanding its coverage and product portfolio.

During January’s Macworld Expo, Steve Jobs announced during his keynote that Apple had won 19.5% of the smartphone market during the 3rd quarter of 2007.

The build now reportedly features over 130 improvements and bug fixes with the latest round focusing on the Finder sidebar, desktop backgrounds, iChats bluetooth functionality, Time Machine and disk space management.

As with previous builds Apple has asked developers to focus on key areas; Audio Input, Bluetooth, the Finder, Graphics Drivers and Spotlight.

Build 9C23 is reported to fix issues with CoreGraphics, DVD Playback, File Systems, BackupCore and Web Content Filter.

The release of Mac OS X 10.5.2 is expected imminently.

The ability to share a DVD/CD with the MacBook Air has been added to Mac OS X 10.5.2.

Ability to share DVD/CD’s to MacBook Air

Time Machine can reportedly use a disk connected to an Airport Extreme base station for backups, Time Machine now has a dedicated drop down menubar and once again has the ability to backup to network drives.

Time Machine can now backup to a remote network drive

Time Machine has its own dedicated menubar drop-down

Time Machine can now use external drives connected to Airport Extreme base stations for backups

Under Desktop preferences the menubar can either be translucent or not.

Ability to adjust appearnce of menubar has been added

MacRumors writes that a new build has been released to developers today (seed 9C20) and lists no known issues. Graphics driver updates have also reportedly been separated from the OS X 10.5.2 update.

MacRumors notes of unconfirmed reports that Apple is aiming for a public release of Mac OS X 10.5.2 this coming Friday.

During last weeks Macworld Expo, Apple quietly released a new seed of Mac OS X 10.5.2 numbered 9C16. The accompanying notes back up AppleInsider’s article with an almost endless list of fixes.

The seed note asks developers to focus on the following areas; Active Directory/Directory Services, AirPort, AppKit, Application, Firewall, Audio, Automator, Back To My Mac, Chinese Input Methods, CoreData, CoreFoundation, Dashboard Widgets, Data Detectors, Directory Services, Dock, Finder, Foundation, Grammar Checking, Graphics Drivers, High Level Toolbox, iCal, iChat, iDisk, Keyboard Layouts, Mail, Networking, Parental Controls, Podcast Producer, Printing/CUPS, Quick Look, Rosetta, Safari, SMB, Spotlight, SQLite, Terminal, Time Machine, X11.

Issues fixed in the seed are listed as:

• Border now draws correctly when 2-up printing

• Preview Image and scrolling horizontally with keys

• CFNetwork and Proxy error messages

• NTFS Volume and System UIServer fix

• DVDPlayback and second display hookup

• Preview PDF and Mail Document fix

• Resolved tabbing issue with PDFView

• Fixed issue with Time Machine Preferences

• Icon Services and file attachments

• Time Machine and resumed backups

• Images captured in tethered mode fixed

• CoreAudio Toolbox and EstAudioFileRead

• ImageCapture and file creation

• SharedFileLists and SMB guest issue resolved

• BackupCore and backup preparation

• Japanese localization and CUPS

• NSTextView and scroll bar thumb scrolling direction

• SMB File Server and name resolving order

• CFNetwork and Windows proxy ISA server fix

• Fixed deinterlacing issue with DVDPlayback

In previous seeds of Mac OS X 10.5.2 the following fixes were made:

• CoreData Framework and NSFetchRequest
• AD DS Plug-in
• HLTB Menus
• Memory leak with Rosetta
• X11.app and customized menu commands
• AirPort shared printer fix
• Disk Utility and FAT32
• HFS and allocated space
• Fix to Process Manager and VISE
• NSNavigationServices and NavServices from a Cocoa application fix
• Reprinting Hold jobs and CUPS
• Fixed issue with Text Input Sources
• Mail Message Body Display issues with certain font types
• DAVKit and iCal redirects
• Calendar Store Framework and CalRecurrenceRule fix
• CoreText Font and PUA unicode characters now work correctly
• rsh jobs no longer waits for backgrounded processes to complete
• Fixed issue HLTB and Finder
• Fixed issue with AppleEvents
• ImageIO preiew issue in Finder fixed
• HIClock now accepts user entries
• smb now handles “%” in password field
• Fixed issue with CUPS and reverse page ordering
• NSTableView and special keys now works correctly
• AF_UNSPEC& null address Networking issue fixed
• Resolved issue with Xquartz and CPU cycles
• Fixed exception issue with KeyChainAccess
• Quartz Composer no longer brings up an error when saving a composition
• Fixed ScreenCapture issue
• Addressed issue with Web Content Filter and Parental Controls
• CUPS no longer prints a blank page when 2-up print setting is selected
• CoreData Framework fix to XML data creation
• Fixed Quick Look plug-in loading issue
• Mail to iCal Data Detectors now work correctly
• Fixed issue with Finder and column view
• Core Audio fix now allows empty m4a files to behave correctly
• Fixed horizontal scroll issue with Finder and Spotlight
• Fixed iChat audio issue with fast user switching
• Core Data apps now save correctly when no document changes have been made
• Fixed issue with Firewall customization settings
• Fixed Active Directory binding issue
• NSTable View -selectAll setting now works correctly
• HLTB Dyhmanic Menus now behave correctly
• Resolved issue with HIImageView
• Fixed issue with ATSCreateFontQueryRunLoopSource
• Mail now treats flags correctly
• Fixed day selection issue with NSDatePicker
• Invalid RR queries problem now resolved
• Input issue with NSTokenField fixed
• Archive & Install problem with Sync Services Translators resolved
• Fixed Spotlight issue with arithmetic expressions
• Fixed problem with Podcast Producer and Wiki running via SSL
• HLTB ApplyTHemeBackground memory leak fixed
• Fixed Numbers printing issue with CoreGraphics
• Fixed permissions problem with NFS
• NSManagedObject now implements dictionaryWithValuesForKeys correctly
• Fixed memory leak in CoreData Framework
• Bitmap-only fonts now work correctly in QuickDraw
• Issue with MusicSequenceSaveSMFData fixed
• SMB File Server reboot issue resolved
• Fixed issue where running a MAC application from a NTFS volume may not work correctly
• NSXMLNSNumberTransformerName now handles NSDecimalNumbers correctly
• Addressed issue with ToDo recurrences and iCal Synchronization
• Issue with NSNavigationServices and kNavCBTerminate resolved
• Fix to AppKit and popup menus
• CTFontCreateCopyWithFamily() now works correctly
• Fixed issue with Tamil IM
• Networking issue with records over sockets fixed
• HIShape symbols in HLTB fixed
• Fixed window flicker issue with PrintManager
• NSArrayController and Lazy Fetching issue resolved
• Save PDF to Web Receipts Folder now works correctly when there’s a / in the title
• Fixed issue with “Find Next” and the spelling panel
• Issue with NSTreeController resolved
• Resolved issue with local SOCKS proxy and iChat
• Logged iChats now open quickly

As of the latest seed there are only two issues remaining unfixed. The update currently weighs in at 450.8MB for the Delta release.

Rent and download your favorite movies with iTunes on your computer or directly to your living room on Apple TV. Enjoy rented movies in sizes up to 720p HD with surround sound on your Apple TV and sizes up to DVD-quality on your computer. Transfer your rented movies from iTunes to your iPod or iPhone and enjoy them on the go.

Also, purchase and download your favorite TV shows, music, and more directly on your Apple TV. Effortlessly transfer purchases made on Apple TV back to your computer with iTunes.

Front Row 2.1.2 - 16.8MB

This Front Row update provides for bug fixes and improved iTunes compatibility.

iMovie 7.1.1 - 16MB

This update addresses issues when publishing movies to a .Mac Web Gallery, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.

QuickTime 7.4 - Leopard - Tiger - Panther - Windows

QuickTime 7.4 addresses security issues and delivers:
- Numerous bug fixes
- Support for iTunes

“Bring Time Capsule home, plug it in, click a few buttons on your Macs and voila—all the Macs in your house are being backed up automatically, every hour of every day,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With Time Capsule and Time Machine, all your irreplaceable photos, movies and documents are automatically protected and incredibly easy to retrieve if they are ever lost.”

Built to work seamlessly with Time Machine, Time Capsule lets users wirelessly back up all of the data on their Macs, find lost files and even restore all of their software. In the event a file is lost, users can wirelessly search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file. If it’s ever necessary, Leopard can also easily restore an entire system from the Time Machine backup on Time Capsule.

At $299 for a 500GB model and $499 for a 1TB model and a fully integrated 802.11n AirPort Extreme® Base Station, Time Capsule can serve as a backup solution for multiple computers as well as the backbone for a high-speed, 802.11n wireless network, making it effortless and affordable for everyone at home, school or work to protect their digital files.

Additional Time Capsule features include:

• dual-band antennas for 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequencies;
• three Gigabit LAN ports;
• one Gigabit Ethernet WAN port;
• one USB 2.0 port;
• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA-2), 128-bit WEP encryption; and
• a built-in NAT firewall supporting NAT-PMP for features like Back to My Mac.

Time Capsule will be available in February.

The features “Mac and “PC” characters, Justin Long and John Hodgman, respectively. In the ad, PC is confronted with the fact that Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard comes with “Time Machine,” and PC doesn’t.

According to Apple’s support site:

Security Update 2007-009 v1.1 addresses an issue introduced in Security Update 2007-009 that may cause Safari to unexpectedly quit when browsing to certain websites.

There is no change to the security content provided in Security Update 2007-009

Security Update 2007-009 1.1 (10.5.1) - 35.6MB
Security Update 2007-009 1.1 (10.4.11 PPC) - 15.9MB
Security Update 2007-009 1.1 (10.4.11 Universal) - 27.4MB

Macenstein has published a screenshot and accompanying article regarding the first build of Mac OS X 10.5.2 that hit Apple’s developer site on Tuesday.

The screenshot reveals that Apple has added the option to include a List-View in stacks.

Also added is the ability to display the traditional Folder icon instead of the “stack” of icons in the Dock.

According to the source, “you can display it as a stack or an icon so you know what you’re looking at. The animations seem smoother now, too. Grid view looks bit better as well.” writes Macenstein.

Those familiar with the seed state that it first appeared on Tuesday evening and was labelled Mac OS X 10.5.2 build 9C7.

Developers have been advised to focus testing on Data Detectors, the Dock, the Finder, grammar checking, iCal, iChat, Mail. Parental Controls, Rosetta, Quick Look, Safari, Time Machine, and 802.11 AirPort operation.

The seed comes with a 76 item long fix list with significant fixes to CUPS (Common Unix Printing System), Mail and Rosetta.

Previous rumours have suggested that Mac OS X 10.5.2 will be released during Macworld Expo next month.

Security Update 2007-009 (10.5.1) is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:

Security Update 2007-009 (10.4.11 Universal) is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:

Security Update 2007-009 (10.5.1)
Security Update 2007-009 (10.4.11 Universal)
Security Update 2007-009 (10.4.11 PPC)

The update was previously only available via an online update, now new buyers of Macs or those upgrading using the retail box copy will not have to run the update.

The French site reports that the new Mac Pros will see an update to 45nm quad-core Penryn processors, clocking up to 3.2GHz and include NVIDIA’s new Quadro FX.

A Blu-Ray drive will also reportedly be an option.

The site goes onto report that due to the significant update, Apple is also planning to simultaneously release Mac OS X 10.5.2. With the update will come a new set of SSE4 instructions built for the Penryn processors which should see Leopard given a big speed boost on top of the clock-speed increase.

The update is said to be the most significant interim update is OS X’s history.

[Update] - Blu-ray plaback will reportedly not be included due to a conflict between Apple and AACS LA.

Following extensive testing over the last few weeks, Apple has finally released the first update to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

The mighty 110MB update is recommended for all users of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

The 10.5.1 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.

Apple offers detailed notes about the update in this support document.

The latest build labelled 9B16 has “no known issues” in its current state, a note accompanying the seed mentions a fix for a serious bug in which file loss can occur in the Finder when moved between directories.

Developers are asked to focus their testing on Time Machine, Mail, iCal, Back To My Mac, Bonjour, AirPort, gaming graphics, networking and the Finder.

Apple states that the following areas should be targeted for testing; Mail Sync, Spotlight Index, Disk Management, Text Drawing, iCal and CalDAV syncing, Keychain login, Read-Only Issue with SMB, AirPort 802.1X, Application Firewall, To-Do Notes, and Smart Mailboxes.

[Update] It appears that AppleInsider is able to shed more light on the seed.

The rumour site reports that the beta software weighs in at at a “hefty” 267MB.

Also reported is that Mac OS X 10.5.1 delivers a “significant number” of bug fixes and over two dozen fixes and code corrections.

Apple has reportedly asked that its developers test the update broadly, paying particular attention to Time Machine, Mail, iCal, Back To My Mac, Bonjour, AirPort, gaming graphics, networking and the Finder.

The timeframe for a public release of Mac OS X 10.5.1 is reportedly a few weeks.

The update will naturally help fix bugs and address security issues that are prevailing the shipping build of Mac OS Leopard.

The feature which was widely touted prior to Leopard’s release was pulled at the last minute with all mention of it being removed from Apple’s website.

According to a person familiar with Leopard’s ongoing development, Apple is internally classifying the inability to select an AirPort Disk under Time Machine as a known issue. The matter is documented under a unique “Bug ID” number and titled: “Cannot set Time Machine Backup to AirPort Disk.”

In the bug report Apple notes that the issue is “currently being investigated by engineering.”

The feature is widely expected to return in an upcoming update to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard which is well under development.

“Early indications are that Leopard will be a huge hit with customers,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Leopard’s innovative features are getting great reviews and making more people than ever think about switching to the Mac.”