World of Apple

OS X 10.5.2 Work Continues

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.

Although Mac OS X 10.5.2 has been expected any day it appears that Apple has continued the bug squashing process. Apple has very recently seeded another build of Mac OS X 10.5.2 to developers, and as with the previous build Mac OS X 10.5.2 build 9C27 is reportedly free of known issues.

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.

According to MacRumors, Apple has seeded another build of Mac OS X 10.5.2. The new build (9C23) comes just two days after the previous and continues to list “no known issues.”

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.

BabyGotMac.com details some features that will accompany the already huge upcoming update to Mac OS X Leopard.

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.

AppleInsider reports that the next update for Mac OS X Leopard is likely to pack nearly one hundred “code corrections and enhancements.”

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.

iTunes 7.6 Windows - Mac

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

Apple today introduced Time Capsule, a backup appliance that automatically and wirelessly backs up everything on one or more Macs running Leopard, the latest release of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system including the amazing Time Machine automatic backup software. Time Capsule combines an 802.11n base station with a server grade hard disk in one small package. Simply plug it in, then easily set up automatic wireless backup for every Mac in your house to a single Time Capsule with just a few clicks. Time Capsule offers the benefits of a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station, and comes in two models: a 500 gigabyte model for just $299 and a 1 terabyte model for just $499.

“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.

Apple has today posted its latest ‘Get a Mac’ advert online. The new advert highlights Tima Machine, one of the key features of Mac OS X Leopard.

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.

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Apple has updated Security Update 2007-009 to version 1.1.

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

List view in Mac OS X 10.5.2

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.