What's New - Oct 18, 2006
By: Tony Sams - Revised: 2006-11-14 tony
Introduction
What's new for the Mac in the previous month:
- General issues, workarounds and fixes
- New Software and hardware
- Software and hardware updates/patches
Notable Updates
- connecting to wireless networks using the EAP-FAST protocol
- performance of the Translation widget
- broadband network performance
- Logic Express & Pro 7.2.3
- Logic Express 7.2.3 addresses performance issues on Mac Pro and G5 Quad computers.
- Existing Logic versions 7.2.2 are required for update.
- Aperture 1.5
- Aperture 1.5 delivers compelling new features, including flexible library management that lets you store images anywhere you’d like. The free update also introduces third-party export plug-ins that let you use Aperture as the front end to extended workflows. Aperture 1.5 offers RAW support for more than 50 camera models from a wide variety of manufacturers (including Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, and others) and extends support to all Intel-based Macs.
- Parallels v 2.2.1940.0
- Works on ANY Intel-Mac with ANY memory configuration with no system modification. This includes Mac Pros with up to 16GB of RAM, and the full line of Core 2 Duo iMacs
- Support for Windows Vista as a guest OS
- Support for Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard” as a Primary OS
- Better USB support, including support for isynchronous devices and Windows Mobile 5 devices
- BBedit 8.5.1
- URLs in file groups will display the icon of the application in which they will open if you double-click on them. FTP, SFTP and other URLs that BBEdit handles internally will show the generic "Internet link" icon.
- The Preferences window now remembers the state of the search drawer; if the drawer was open when you closed the Preferences window, the drawer will open the next time you open the Preferences window.
- iTunes 7.0.1
- iTunes 7.0.1 addresses stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more.
- iPhoto 6.0.5
- This update to iPhoto contains new calendar, greeting card, and postcard themes for use with Apple print services, including a variety of holiday card designs. It also addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in iPhoto.
- Pro Applications Update 2006-02
- This update addresses several issues with underlying frameworks and shared components for Apple’s professional applications
- Final Cut Pro 5.1.2
- Final Cut Pro Update 5.1.2 provides important bug fixes and compatibility updates for certain Canon, Sony, JVC and Panasonic devices.
- REALbasic 2006
- Databases that are included in the project crash when running on Intel Mac. To workaround, connect to your database in code.
- REAL SQL Database: Encrypting existing REAL SQL Databases may result in unreadable databases, even with the correct key. This does not affect database files created with Release 4 or later. DO NOT try and encrypt existing database files without creating a new database file and copying data. The exact details of this problem are still unclear and being investigated.
- Eudora 6.2.4 (open source coming 2007)
- Email moves to open source deployment
- Apple mail importer
- New importer works with Tiger
- Open SSL
- State-of-the-art email security
- Timbuktu 8.6
Runs natively on Intel and PowerPC Macs.
New Hardware
- Mac Mini Update
- Intel Core Duo
- Up to 1.83GHz
- More ports! and expansion options
- iPod Nano (PRODUCT) Red
- $10 from every iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED sold goes directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.
- Sleek, lightweight, and just $199, the 4GB(2) iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED delivers everything you’d expect from the world’s best-selling digital music player.
Issues
- Security Update 2006-005 (#2): Loss of AirPort connectivity, fixes; Startup problems -- kernel panics; more
- Loss of AirPort connectivity Like the AirPort 2006-001 updater, Security Update 2006-005 is causing significant issues with wireless connectivity for some users
- Little Snitch caching DNS information
- a tool for alerting the user of network activities -- appears to be caching DNS information which can cause problems with locating Web servers.
- Fix Terminal: lookupd -flushcache
Tip of the Month
- Super-Fast Way to Email a URL
- Opens mail and inserts URL.
Utility of the Month
- Drive Genius 1.5.1
- Essential Maintenance Tools
- Duplicate - Fast and easy volume or entire drive cloning.
- Integrity Check - Find problems before they find you with these comprehensive hardware verification tests.
- Rebuild - Rebuild and replace OS X volume structures to regain access to files that have become lost or hidden
- Fix Permissions - Reset OS X boot volume permissions to improve application performance and compatibility
- Verify - Check OS X volume structures for possible corruption
- Effective Optimization Tools
- Defragment - Get the most speed and efficiency possible by Optimizing your OS X volumes
- Benchtest - Make sure your hard drive performance is what it should be with comprehensive speed tests and graphical comparisons to other common configurations
- Surface Scan - Verify your hard drive's reliability with a complete suite of non-destructive read verification tests for any drive or OS X volume
- Sector Editor - Fine tune all aspects of your system with direct, advanced byte viewing and editing of all data on