Filed under: Software Update

That wasn't a very long wait. Apple has finally published the Safari extensions gallery we've been anticipating for a few weeks. There's a large number of extensions available right off the bat, including some from The New York Times, Major League Baseball, Amazon and Bing.

There's also an official Twitter extension that looks similar to the Ostrich extension we pointed out yesterday. In fact, extensions are available across several categories, like social networking, news, photos, productivity and security. Root through and find something you'll like; we're partial to Brett's Tablinks extension for copying all the URLs from your open tabs.

Note that you'll need Safari 5.0.1, which was also released today (check Software Update). In addition to the extensions support, Safari 5.0.1 includes more accurate top hits results in the address field and improved scrolling through MobileMe Mail. It's also notable that the Safari Extensions Gallery is now an option in the Safari Menu, just below About Safari. A restart is required to complete installation.

Enjoy the new extensions gallery and point out any gems you find.

Apple released the Magic Trackpad this morning, but the OS update to make it work with your Mac is out now, available via Software Update on your Mac (drop down the Apple menu on the left if you've never done this before). Here's the link for a download of the update.

This update also enables three-finger drag gesture and inertial scrolling for older Mac portables listed on this support page for the update. Something our own Chris Rawson pointed out was possible.

Oh, and there's a new Preference pane! From Apple's page:

This update also installs a Trackpad System Preferences pane for configuring Magic Trackpad on Intel-based Mac desktop computers that support Mac OS X v10.6.4 and above.

If you find anything wonky, let us know in the comments (and report the bug to Apple as well).

iTunes 9.2.1 has just arrived in Software Update, bringing a host of bug fixes and new features.

According to the update, the new version disables older versions of incompatible third-party plugins, addresses minor issues, with dragging and dropping items, addresses a performance issue when doing a first sync to some devices, addresses an issue upgrading to iOS 4 on an iPhone or iPod touch with encrypted backups, and fixes some stability and performance issues.

The new features and improvements include syncing with iPhone 4, synchronization and reading books on iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4 and iBooks 1.1, organizing and syncing PDF documents as books for reading in iBooks 1.1, organizing apps on your iOS 4 home screens using iTunes, faster backups while syncing iPhone and iPod touch with iOS 4, and album artwork improvements to make artwork appear more quickly when exploring the library.

Information about the security aspects of the update can be downloaded from Apple's Support page. Enjoy!

Within the last few minutes, iOS 4.0.1 has become available for download. According to the release notes, the software "improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display."

The update works with iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4. To install, simply sync your iPhone to iTunes and click the Update button on the Summary tab for your device. The download took about 7 minutes on my broadband connection, with further time required for the installation. TUAW will be posting further information about the efficacy of the update as soon as possible.

Update - After installing 4.0.1 on my iPhone 4, this blogger saw his maximum signal strength at his location peak at 4 bars, as opposed to 5 bars previously. Applying the "grip of death," the signal strength dropped to 1 bar but a call to a fellow blogger never dropped. Further tests coming.

It's arrived; either via Software Update or from Apple's iTunes page, the new version 9.2 of the used-to-be-a-music-player, then-a-media-manager, now-a-software-store, gosh-we-should-probably-change-the-name multitasker supreme is now available for download. Both the Mac and Windows versions are live and ready.

Features and improvements (aside from compatibility with iOS 4 devices) include:

• Sync and read books with iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4 and iBooks 1.1
• Organize and sync PDF documents as books. Read PDFs with iBooks 1.1 on iPad and any iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
• Organize your apps on your iOS 4 home screens into folders using iTunes
• Faster back-ups while syncing an iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
• Album artwork improvements make artwork appear more quickly when exploring your library

Security fixes aren't published yet, but when the list is ready you'll find it here.

Head on over to Software Update to find the latest OS X dot release.10.6.4 is now available -- and in addition to the usual split between delta and combo updates, and regular/server versions, there's another wrinkle here: the Mac mini released today gets its very own flavor of the 10.6.4 update, presumably because of late changes that couldn't be tracked back into the trunk version of the OS.

The size of the update may vary if you pick it up via Software Update -- we saw 315 MB on a MacBook Pro running 10.6.3. The combo update for all 10.6 systems weighs in at a bandwidth-hogging 887.4 MB.

Here's Apple's write-up on the matter:

The 10.6.4 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It includes Safari 5 and general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that:

• resolve an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive
• resolve an issue that may prevent some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening
• address issues copying, renaming, or deleting files on SMB file servers
• improve reliability of VPN connections
• resolve a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing
• resolve an issue editing photos with iPhoto or Aperture in full screen view
• improve compatibility with some braille displays

For overall details look here, or find security information here.

It got no attention in Steve's WWDC keynote, and it's not showing up in Software Update as of yet, but according to an Apple press release, Safari 5 is out for release today. Many analysts expected Apple to discuss Safari 5 (among other hardware) during the keynote, but iPhone 4 and iOS 4 got all the attention.

The press release details several of the new features in Safari 5, including updates to HTML 5 features, the Nitro JavaScript engine, and more. Overall, Safari 5 is supposed to have 30% greater performance than Safari 4, and it will also include Bing as an optional search engine. More info on the features is available not only in the press release itself, but also a leak from earlier this week.

We attempted to confirm the release with Apple PR directly, but we haven't heard back. Since this isn't showing up on apple.com/pr, and as of yet it hasn't been released to Software Update, it's understandable that the PR Newswire release might be fishy to some. However, I used to work for PR Newswire, and I can say with 100% confidence that this release is legitimate; PR Newswire's releases come directly from the companies themselves.

We should see Safari 5 officially released sometime today.

Update: The press release has been pulled from PR Newswire. Based on my experience there, most likely this means the release was published prematurely. It will most likely go back up in the next few hours, around the time it was originally intended to be published. Meanwhile, the text of the press release is still viewable on Engadget.

Update 2: It's live! Here's the link.

Fire up your Software Update, because there's a Java update waiting for both Snow Leopard and Leopard users. For Snow Leopard (requires 10.6.3), there's Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 2, which weighs in at around 80 MB. For Leopard users (requires 10.5.8), there's Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 7, a much larger 122 MB download.

Both updates bring Java SE 6 to version 1.6.0_20 (compatible only with Intel-based Macs), while the Leopard-only update also updates Java SE 5 (compatible with Intel and PowerPC Macs) to 1.5.0_24. The upshot of these updates? "Improved reliability, security, and compatibility" of Java in OS X, with more detailed security notes available for the truly curious.

Apple has released an update to Aperture 3, its professional imaging software. The 3.0.3 update improves overall stability and fixes issues in a number of areas, including:

• Applying adjustments such as Retouch or Chromatic Aberration
• Creating and using Raw Fine Tuning presets
• Viewing, adding and removing detected faces
• Switching target printers and paper sizes when printing
• Duplicating Smart Albums
• Repairing and rebuilding Aperture libraries
• Reconnecting referenced files
• Working with GPS track files in Places
• Searching for keywords in the Query HUD or Keyword Controls

The Aperture 3.0.3 update weighs in at 69.4MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later, or Mac OS X 10.6.2 or later. The full release notes can be found here.

iTunes 9.1.1 just poked its head up in Software Update and said "download me."

According to the update notes, iTunes 9.1.1 provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• Addressing several stability issues with VoiceOver;
• Addressing a usability issue with VoiceOver and Genius Mixes;
• Addressing issues with converting songs to 128 kbps AAC while syncing; and
• Addressing other issues that improve stability and performance. (Probably the biggest and most important reason for the update, in our humble opinion.)

For more information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Apple has released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.2. The update extends RAW image format compatibility to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09 for the following cameras:

• Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D / Kiss X4
• Leica S2
• Olympus E-450
• Olympus E-600
• Olympus E-620
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A380
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A450

It also addresses RAW processing issues for the Canon EOS 30D, Pentax K-x, and Pentax K-7. The update weighs in at 5.2MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or above, or Mac OS X 10.6.2 or above.

Last week we told you about Mark Fiore, who won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning despite the cartoons' sole medium being the internet. What surprised many was that, though Fiore's cartoons were good enough for a Pulitzer, they were not good enough for the App Store.

Back in December, Fiore had submitted an app called NewsToons, which displayed a collection of his political cartoons, only to have it rejected by Apple for ridiculing public figures. However, shortly after he won the Pulitzer and the news broke that his app had previously been rejected, Apple invited Fiore to resubmit the app, with Steve Jobs saying that the rejection of Fiore's app "was a mistake that's being fixed."

I'm pleased to report that, as of yesterday, the mistake is fixed. Mark Fiore's NewsToons app is now in the App Store. The $0.99 app gives users access to automatically-updating political animation and the ability to dig deeper into the cartoon and see what news stories, events, and facts inspired each animation. Wonder if we'll see a Steve Jobs cartoon anytime soon?

Apple has released an update to its Final Cut Server asset management and workflow automation software.

Final Cut Server 1.5.2 fixes an issue that blocked the use of a transcode setting for the Matrox CompressHD H.264 encoding card. Plus, it fixes an expiring Java certificate in the Final Cut Server Java Client and fixes an issue that blocked the use of a transcode setting for the Matrox CompressHD H.264 encoding card.

The update weighs in at 41.9 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or above.

Apple has released a slew of updates in the last few days, including a security update that fixes the Zero Day bugs discovered by Charlie Miller and revealed at CanSecWest. In addition to the MacBook Pro and MobileMe Backup updates, Apple has also released:

27-inch iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.0
This update fixes Target Display Mode compatibility issues on 27-inch iMac computers. Weighs in at 397 KB.

27-inch iMac EFI FW Update 1.0
The update is recommended for all quad-core Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processor 27-inch iMacs.

This update addresses the following: Resolves an issue that sometimes caused high processor utilization while playing audio through the headphone output mini-jack. Resolves an issue that prevented the display backlight from turning on after powering on the iMac. Weighs in at 2.1 MB.

Security Update 2010-003 (Snow Leopard)

Security Update 2010-003 is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Weighs in at 6.50 MB.

Server Admin Tools 10.6.3
This update includes the latest releases of: iCal Server Utility, Podcast Composer, Server Admin, Server Monitor, Server Preferences, System Image Utility, Workgroup Manager, and Xgrid Admin. The update weighs in at 236MB.

Security Update 2010-003 (Leopard-Client)
This update improves the security of Mac OS X. Weighs in at 218.6 MB.

Security Update 2010-003 (Leopard-Server)
This update improves the security of Mac OS X. Weighs in at 379.5 MB.

Mac OS X v10.6.3 v1.1 Update (Combo)
The 10.6.3 v1.1 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. The update weighs in at 785.29 MB.

Mac OS X Server 10.6.3 v1.1 Update (Combo)
The 10.6.3 v1.1 update is recommended for all servers currently running Snow Leopard Server version 10.6 and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your server. The update weighs in at 897.32 MB.