Apple has released the latest version of their operating system, Mac OS X Leopard version 10.5.7. I’ve been running the software for a couple of days on my MacBook, and everything seems to be fine so far.

What’s in the update? According to Apple, 10.5.7 includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.

Specifically :

General

* Includes latest security fixes.
* Includes additional RAW image support for several third-party cameras.
* Improves performance of video playback and cursor movements for recent Macs with NVIDIA graphics.
* Resolves an issue with Dvorak keyboard layout in Mac OS X 10.5.6.
* Improves the reliability and accuracy of Unit Converter, Stocks, Weather and Movies Dashboard widgets.
* Addresses a situation that may cause issues when logging into Gmail.
* Improves reliability when syncing contacts with Yahoo!.
* Expansion Slot Utility for Mac Pro now reports the correct PCIe slot configuration.
* Improves network performance when connected to certain Ethernet switches that have Flow Control enabled.
* Improves stability for network home directories hosted by Mac OS X Server v10.4.
* Improves Finder search results for network volumes that may not support Spotlight searching, such as Mac OS X Server v10.4, Time Capsule, and third-party AFP servers.
* Includes several improvements to Directory Service and Client Management.

iCal

* Improves overall reliability with CalDav.
* Improves reliability when automatically syncing with MobileMe.

Mail

* Addresses reliability and sync issues with Notes.
* Addresses an issue that may cause the BCC field to populate incorrectly when redirecting a message from the Sent mailbox.

Parental Controls

* Improves consistency with Parental Controls and application restrictions.
* Addresses an issue in which time limits may not work properly with full-screen games and Fast User Switching.

Printing

* Resolves an issue that may cause certain third-party printers to print to the incorrect paper tray.
* Non-admin user accounts can now be allowed to add and remove printers by enabling Parental Controls and selecting “Can administer printers”.
* Includes other printing reliability and stability improvements.

If you jailbreak your iPhone, you’ll be happy with this update. 10.5.7 has fixed the bug that prevented your Mac from recognizing an iPhone in DFU mode.

You can get 10.5.7 from Software Update on your Mac, or download the entire combo update from Apple. Beware — it’s over 700MB in total!

The most anticipated update is of course is the Mac mini, which was long overdue for a refresh. Over the past several days we saw a few leaks, which many people pooh-poohed because the Mac mini had a whopping 5 USB ports.

Well, it turned out to be true. The new Mac mini does indeed have five USB ports, a Firewire 800 port and supports both DVI and DisplayPort video-out. This is a lean, green machine, using only 13 watts of power when idle. Too bad Apple did not lower the price to sub-$500, the entry level Mac mini costs US$599 (RM2,299).

The iMac consumer desktop now has twice the memory and storage (2GB RAM, 320GB hard disk), as well as the new NVIDIA 9400M graphics subsystem. New iMacs start at US$1,499 (RM4,499).

Apple’s high end desktop, the Mac Pro will feature Intel’s Nehalem chip. You get an option of quad-core or 8-core processors. The new chipsets include an integrated memory controller, Intel’s QuickPath, Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading technologies — which means fast and faster. There are new graphics card options, and the interior has been redesigned. Mac Pros start from US$2,499 (RM9,299).

Apple’s wireless network devices, the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme base station have been updated to include Mobile Me support, dual band support (for iPhones) and the ability to allow network access to “guests”.

Check your Mac’s Software Update panel — there’s quite a few updates available.

When Apple did their final Macworld Keynote earlier this month, they promised that the new iLife ‘09 would be out by the end of this month.

iLife ‘09 is now available at the usual places, including your neighbourhood online Apple Store. The iLife suite will set you back US$80 (RM300) or $100 for the Family Pack (for up to 5 computers in your household).

iLife ‘09 includes iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb and Garageband, with iTunes as a separate download.

The third thing announced at the Macworld 09 keynote today is the new 17 inch MacBook Pro. All the other Apple notebooks have been refreshed in 2008, so this one is overdue.

This is the “world’s thinnest” 17 inch notebook, at .98 inches thick. Features:
- 1920×1200 LED backlit display
- 6.6 pounds light
- unibody construction
- anti glare option for an additional $50
- 3x USB ports, firewire 800
- 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo processor
- 4GB DDR3 RAM standard, up to 8GB memory
- 320GB hard disk standard, with option for 256GB SSD
- adaptive recharging battery : 3 x the battery life, 3 x charging lifespan. The battery is non-removable but should last for 8 hours.

The new 17inch MacBook Pro will sell for $2799, no change in price. It will be available later this month, January 2009.

New in Pages ‘09 (word processing app)
- full screen view
- dynamic outlines
- mail merge
- integration with MathType and EndNote
- 40 new templates

There’s no change in iWork ‘09 price : still $79 and it will ship in late January. Here’s something better : you’ll be able to buy a bundle of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, iWork 09 and iLife 09 for $169. The Mac Box Set also comes in a family pack (5 licences) for $229. Not a bad upgrade for your older Macs.

Finally, Apple also announced iWork.com, which allows you to share and collaborate on documents online. The beta of iWork.com is free, but the service will eventually cost you real money.

Interested? Here’s the video tour.

Download Picasa for Mac (beta) here.

Happy New Year!

On a day when lots of Microsoft Zune media players (thousands? millions?) suddenly stopped working, let’s do a quick round-up of the latest Mac-related news and rumours.

With Macworld just over a week away, the rumours are going strong as usual. Will we see a web-based iWork software suite? Apple’s iWork has its share of fans — it’s does 80% of what you expect from an office suite. After the much-publicised hiccups during the introduction of the web-based Mobile Me services by Apple, they seem to have gotten their act together. Today we have versions of iCal, Address Book and a photo organizer running “on the cloud”; it will be interesting to see how Apple implements word processing, spreadsheets and presentations on the web. It will certainly look better than Google Docs.

The Apple Mac mini has not been updated in a long while. Every time Apple holds an event, the Mac mini is sure to be in the line up of rumours. There are very little details this time around, but we could possibly see a second hard drive slot, and a similar look to Time Capsule, in a black plastic + aluminium casing.

What of the iPhone nano? The rumoured reduced-size iPhone, possibly with reduced functionality, may be announced at Macworld but would not appear until the second quarter of this year.

Lastly for today, what do you do when Steve Jobs doesn’t show up at Macworld? Get the other Steve involved. Steve Wozniak (aka The Woz) always attends Macworld. He’s not going to save the Keynote though, he’ll be helping to launch Axiotron’s Modbook. Since Apple didn’t do a tablet computer, Axiotron fills in the niche — at a hefty price, of course.