Mac

The latest update to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard dropped Monday afternoon, with fixes for several different issues.

Apple posted a support document on its Web site and began informing Leopard users through the Software Update mechanism that Mac OS X 10.5.2 is now ready for public consumption. A combo update that includes some security patches is 343MB and can be downloaded immediately. The first update to Leopard, version 10.5.1, was released in November.

This time around, Apple has fixed some issues with Time Machine, the automatic backup software available in Leopard, as well as … Read more

With Apple's MacBook Air having reached store shelves, it might not be too much longer before the company updates the rest of its notebook lineup.

MacRumors notes fresh evidence--of sorts--that Apple is getting ready to launch revamped MacBook Pros in February. The site obtained screenshots reportedly from Best Buy's inventory system that point to a $1,999 MacBook Pro arriving at Best Buy in mid-February, although the site also notes that it has heard rumors of several dates in both February and March for the new systems.

It's been awhile since Apple released new MacBook Pros, … Read more

The PC industry is wasting little time getting in line behind Apple to use Intel's spiffy new notebook chip.

CNET News.com has learned that Lenovo and Fujitsu are in the process of putting together systems based on the special Core 2 Duo chip that Apple is using in the MacBook Air. The new laptops should be out shortly, according to sources familiar with the companies' plans, and will give customers a chance to see what the rest of the PC industry can do with the power-thrifty chips.

Representatives for Lenovo and Intel declined to comment, while a Fujitsu … Read more

Updated at 1:55 p.m. PST to reflect the fact that I'm an idiot.

Apple TV 2.0 needs a little more time in the oven.

Apple put out a press release Wednesday noting that the MacBook Air is now shipping. Check out my colleague Dan Ackerman's review of the extremely slim laptop if you're thinking about making a purchase. But the company also tucked in a sentence about Apple TV in that release, saying "Apple also announced that the new Apple TV software update, which allows users to rent high-definition movies directly from their … Read more

Macworld is a little like the Super Bowl: one big day where everything gets laid out on the table.

So, let's break down Macworld 2008, Super Bowl style. Instead of offense, defense, and special teams, however, I'll take each of the big four themes that Apple CEO Steve Jobs presented, and share my thoughts.

MacBook Air -- I'm not crazy about the name, but this is a nice-looking laptop. Ultraportable laptops are prestige products for both the vendor and the customer; Apple gets to show off what it's capable of designing, while the customer gets to … Read more

Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage Tuesday for his keynote speech at Macworld 2008. For CNET's complete Macworld coverage, go here. What follows is a record of continuous updates as his speech unfolded.

9:03 a.m. PST: Welcome once again to Macworld, Steve Jobs' annual dog-and-pony show from the Moscone Center in San Francisco. We're in place and waiting for the keynote to start. I think we'll be a little later than 9 a.m.; it took the doors some time to open. So far, standard Apple keynote music: Coldplay into Green Day.

9:14: … Read more

Apple has the third week of January all to itself this year, and although it probably won't top last year's Macworld, the company will likely make everyone forget about the Consumer Electronics Show.

Trade shows are a necessary evil in the tech industry. Everyone claims to hate them, but the opportunity to have all the major players in the same town at the same time is too much of a draw. And usually, the parties are decent, leading more than 140,000 business types to CES in Las Vegas this week for a chance to make deals and … Read more

Apple's store-within-a-store partnership with Best Buy is going to expand this year, according to Best Buy executives.

So says UBS analyst Ben Reitzes, who met with Best Buy during the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas. Best Buy wants to have Macs inside 500 of its stores by February of next year, up from around 270 stores at present. The Blue Shirts already sell iPods in about 900 stores, but the Mac operation is a little different.

Best Buy allows Apple to set up its own retail space within its stores in an attempt to re-create the … Read more

Correction 5:30 p.m. PST: This blog initially mischaracterized the nature of the unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server Leopard that comes with a new Apple Xserve. It allows purchasers to connect an unlimited number of clients to that server.

Apple got a little business out of the way before next week's Macworld extravaganza, announcing new versions of the Mac Pro and Xserve to go along with new Intel chips.

These systems are very high-end computers, designed for heavy work rather than organizing photos of your latest trip to St. Louis. Both the Mac Pro and … Read more