macintosh computer

April 8, 2008– This day in Apple updates

Apple issued another cluster of updates today. This time the theme is “Firmware Updates.” With the exception of the Keyboard update, Apple hasn’t gone into much detail yet on what stability issues are being addressed in the various Mac model Firmware updates.

Here’s your list:
Aluminum Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0

This firmware update addresses an issue with the aluminum Apple Keyboard and the aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard where a key may repeat unexpectedly while typing. The update also addresses other issues. Mac OS X 10.5.2 is required before installing this update.

iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.3

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of iMac computers.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers.

MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.2

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook computers.

MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 1.0

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Air computers.

Firmware Restoration CD 1.6

The Firmware Restoration CD can restore the firmware of an Intel-based Macintosh computer.

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Apple announces dates for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Mac OS X Server Leopard

leopardbox 20071016 064306 Apple announces dates for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Mac OS X Server LeopardApple today announced that Mac OS X Leopard will go on sale Friday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, and that Apple’s online store is now accepting pre-orders. As we have been shown low these many delayed months, Leopard is packed with more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac.
Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard will be available on October 26 for a suggested retail price of USD$129 for a single user license, and online pre-orders can be made through Apple’s online store starting today. The Mac OS X Leopard Family Pack is a single-household, five-user license that will be available for a suggested retail price of USD$199. Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1, 2007 for a shipping and handling fee of USD$9.95. Leopard requires a minimum of 512MB of RAM and is designed to run on any Macintosh computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 (867 Mhz or faster) processor. Full system requirements can be found online.

macserver 20071016 065005 Apple announces dates for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Mac OS X Server LeopardAlso announced today, Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard will also go on sale on Friday, October 26, at the same time as Mac OS X Leopard. Leopard Server extends Apple’s ease of use, making it easier to take advantage of the benefits of a server, and introduces Podcast Producer, the ideal way to automatically publish podcasts to iTunes or the web. Leopard Server packs more than 250 new features including wiki Server, allowing people to collaboratively create and modify their shared web sites with just a few clicks; and iCal Server, the world’s first commercial CalDAV standard-based calendar server.

Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard will be available for a suggested retail price of USD$499 for a 10-client edition and USD$999 for an unlimited-client edition. An unlimited client license of Leopard Server is included with Apple’s powerful Xserve rack-mount server hardware at no extra charge. Online pre-orders can be made through the Apple Store starting today and current subscribers to the Apple Maintenance Program will receive Leopard Server as part of their service agreement. Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Xserve system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1, 2007 for a shipping and handling fee of USD$9.95. Leopard Server can run on any Macintosh computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or G4 (867 Mhz or faster) processor, a minimum 1GB of RAM and at least 20GB of available disk space.
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EFI Firmware updates posted for iMac, MacPro, MacBook, MacBook Pro and Xserve

Workers at Apple seem to be focusing on updates this week. Today the company issued EFI Firmware updates for much of its hardware:

With the exception of the Xserves, these Firmware updates improve performance and reliability of Intel Core 2 Duo processors and fix issues with Boot Camp. The Xserve Firmware update is simply a “performance and reliability” update.

In addition, Apple has also posted a download for Firmware Restoration CD 1.4 which will allow you to restore the firmware of your Intel-based Macintosh computer in case of an interrupted or unsuccessful update. There are few things less satisfying than “updatus interruptus.”

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