Apple has gone live with the latest build of the Mac OS X operating system this week, with 10.5.7 available for immediate download.
According to
MacRumours, the update – which weighs in at 442MB if you're already running Mac OS X 10.5.6 or 729MB to upgrade an older version of Mac OS Leopard – fixes a bunch of bugs that have been plaguing Apple's customer base for quite some time.
One of the most important fixes is with laggy video playback and cursor motion on the new Nvidia-based Macs, with the patch promising to return performance back to that owners of earlier models have been enjoying from the start. The Finder has been tweaked, too, with improved results for network drives that don't support searching via Apple's Spotlight service. Application restrictions functionality has been brought in line with the Parental Controls system, too – which should make life easier for anyone who lets their kids loose on their MacBook.
Artistic types will be pleased to hear that in-built support for the RAW image format from various manufacturers' digital cameras has been vastly improved, while Gmail and Yahoo! Users can rest assured that nasty bugs that prevented them from logging in or synchronising contacts have gone the way of the dodo.
Various tweaks have been made to the networking functionality within Mac OS X, too – most importantly a fix for poor network performance when a Mac is connected to a switch with flow control enabled has finally been implemented, along with improvements to the Directory Service and Client Management within Mac OS X Server.
Although the company hasn't mentioned anything official yet, it's likely that this latest build also lays the groundwork for a
rumoured transition to Intel's Capella platform, and the introduction of quad-core processors into the MacBook range for the first time.
As usual, the update is available from Apple's
website or via the System Update functionality within Mac OS.
Does the thought of a quad core MacBook fill you with joy, or are you just pleased that your performance issues with the Nvidia-based Macs have come to an end? Share your thoughts over in
the forums.
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