Constant reader Joachim Bean alerted us that the an update to iPhoto '09. Version 8.0.4 is ready and available via Software Update.

Apple states that 'this update addresses a rarely encountered issue involving photos imported into a previous version that could affect overall stability, and corrects references to a few points of interest and location names that were labelled incorrectly. It's recommended for all users of iPhoto '09.'

The update also fixes the installation bug in 8.0.3 that we covered a few weeks back. The update screen contains a link to an Apple article explaining the fix of this problem.

While most of the focus of WWDC fell on the iPhone 3GS, the MacBook Pro line got some love from Apple last week as well, with several upgraded features on the 15" model and a re-branding of the 13" model from MacBook to MacBook Pro.

The Achilles' heel of the new upgrades, as reported last week, was that the MacBook Pro's SATA interface was limited to 1.5 Gbps in the latest models, down from 3.0 Gbps in previous models. Although this wasn't likely to be an issue unless you replaced the hard drive with a high-speed SSD, it still seemed like somewhat of a boneheaded move to downgrade the SATA interface without sufficient cause.

Today Apple has released MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.7, which makes the issue moot. The update allows the SATA interface to work at full speed once again.

If you have one of the affected models of MacBook Pro, grab this update either via Software Update, or else go here (requires OS X 10.5.7). More info on the firmware update can be found on its support page.

Thanks to reader Joachim Bean for sending this in.

I guess the iPhone 3.0 update and Safari 4.0.1 weren't enough for Apple. Along with the just released update to Safari, Apple has just tossed in one more Software Update:

Bluetooth Firmware Update
"This update provides bug fixes and better compatibility with the Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse and Apple Wireless Keyboard. It installs on all Macintosh systems with Bluetooth based on the Broadcom chipset."

This update is only applicable to certain hardware configurations (as noted above), so if you don't see it, you don't need it. After running, the Bluetooth Firmware update will provide you with an installation screen and require a reboot when it's done.

I wonder if Apple will throw us any other new surprises today.

We're back with another edition of Ask TUAW. This time around we've answering questions about how to resize windows too big for the screen, "compulsive" updating, booting from an SD card, Open GL in Snow Leopard, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Steph asks:

I recently switched from an iMac to a MacBook Pro and now many of my windows are sized to big for the screen of my laptop. I can't reach the corner to resize them and clicking the "Plus" sign in the corner doesn't help. What can I do?

Fortunately, this is very easy to fix. Instead of clicking on the "Plus" sign (the green button) in the top left corner of the window you are trying to resize, Option-click it and the window will fill your new screen size instead.

John asks:

I realize there's a method for updating Mac OSX all the time and sometimes I get the window popping up saying I have updates. Should I always update immedietly when it tells me I have some?

Today is a day of waiting. Waiting for Apple to send out the version 3.0 update. Waiting for the update to download. Waiting for the firmware to update, and then the restore of your apps and settings to finish. That's a lot of screen staring. Here's some helpful hints on things you can do while you wait.... and wait.

• Consider how nice it would be to send an MMS, but that involves more waiting (if you're an AT&T customer), maybe until fall
• Think about how to unload your current iPhone on eBay so you can get the 3G S and go through more reloading fun
  
• Pretend you can tether (thanks AT&T)
  
• Start making a list of all the missing features in version 3.0
• Prepare a note to TUAW saying reception is much better with the update (or worse)
• Prepare a note to TUAW complaining that reception hasn't changed
• Plan what your first tune will be after you update, or who you will call first (but they are updating too and won't be able to answer)
• Dream about your first copy and paste

See, it's easy to pass the time. Happy updating! What will you be doing?

Against my better judgment, I always download and install Mac OS X updates immediately. That has never caused an issue with any of my Macs until now. Since I installed 10.5.7 literally minutes after hearing about its release, I have been experiencing sporadic issues with USB on my first-generation Intel iMac.

A look through the Apple Support discussion forums showed that this isn't an isolated issue. A number of people have reported losing connectivity to USB hard disks and peripherals. What's rather discouraging to see, however, is that USB issues aren't the only problem that 10.5.7 hath wrought. Other frustrations reported in the forums include:

• Loss of connectivity to Bluetooth peripherals including keyboards, mice, and phones
• Monitor resolution issues (former resolution settings missing, colors "off", screen redraw oddities)
• Mac crashing as it goes to sleep, having problems waking from sleep
• No sound, or sound quality is bad
• Intermittent problems with WiFi connectivity
• Spontaneous shutdowns
• Older MacBook Pros overheating

The list goes on and on... Some forum regulars report that the problems go away after downloading and installing the 10.5.7 Combo Updater (available at http://support.apple.com/downloads/), while others are still experiencing frustrating crashes even after attempting this fix.

TUAW wants to hear from readers who have experienced issues of any sort since updating a Mac to 10.5.7. If you have, what kind of problems are you seeing? What, if any, fixes have worked for you?

Yeah, I know we haven't seen it yet, but based on what we do know, here's some things I'll bet Apple missed that I'd like to see ASAP.

• Unified mailbox as an option: This works great in OS X. I sure am getting tired of checking 3 email accounts with hundreds of extra finger swipes every day. Even an icon to get me to any inbox I want to see would be an improvement. Some people don't want this. A simple software switch would be fine.
• Louder speakerphone: I have no idea why this as been such a problem since day 1. The volume of this phone is just not loud enough in a noisy environment. Maybe this is a hardware thing, maybe it's software. Whatever. Just fix this!
• Getting to Bluetooth and location manager: These settings are just buried too deep. How about a switch in the top level of settings? Once again, save me all that tapping.
• Consistency of app settings: Sometimes they appear in settings, sometimes within the app. I shouldn't have to scrounge around trying to guess which app works which way.
• Moving icons around on the desktop: Have you ever tried to organize icons by type, or popularity? Gee whiz, what a nightmare. Maybe this could be done by dragging apps in iTunes, or some easy method on the phone itself would be even better. As it is now, it's like one of those old plastic puzzles where you had to get things in order. Every drag of an icon on the iPhone often has unexpected or at least unwanted results. This is not one of those 'it just works' things on the iPhone.
  

Apple might surprise me and sneak some of this stuff in. Or not. You probably have your own list. Let's hear it. C'mon Apple, we're counting on you to get these things right. For the rest of us.

Apple just released some updates for iLife '09 via Software Update. In a very un-Apple fashion, the release notes are actually sort of descriptive!

Here's the breakdown:

• iLife Support -- this is for iLife '09, iWork '09 and Aperture 2 users and it addresses some memory leaks, custom folder issues with Media Browser and maintaining the correct image date when importing from iPhoto to Aperture.
• iDVD gets an update to fix an issue where iDVD is unable to add a title/comment to an image. Recommended for all iDVD 7 users.
• iMovie now supports 720p AVCHD Lite cameras and camcorders and some other issues.
  
• iPhoto -- some fixes to publishing to MobileMe, Flickr and Facebook, slideshow playback and location GPS in emailed and exported JPEGs See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3532
• Digital Camera RAW update -- RAW support for iPhoto '08, iPhoto '09 and Aperture 2 for various Canon, Nikon and Olympus cameras.

This all looks like good stuff. I'm off to install/restart. Head to Software Update on your computer or hit up Apple Downloads to get the individual installers.

It has been a busy few days for Apple in the software update domain. iWork '09, iTunes, and Quicktime have all been updated, along with GarageBand.

Today, Apple is pushing out an Airport Utility software update. With the usual great and patented Apple detail, the update:

"..includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility and AirPort Base Station Agent. The update also installs AirPort Disk Utility on Macs running Tiger." There is also an update of the Airport Utility for Windows.

The new software is 18.9 MB, and does not require a restart. Hooray.

Thanks to Mikey for the tip.

iTunes 8.2 just became available in Software Update. According to the update notes, "iTunes 8.2 now supports iPhone or iPod touch with the iPhone 3.0 Software Update. iTunes 8.2 also includes many accessibility improvements and bug fixes." The update weighs in at 79.3 MB.

QuickTime 7.6.2 and GarageBand Update 5.0.2 also became available at the same time. In keeping with Apple's policy of full disclosure, there's not much information for users about what's in either of the updates, although subscribers to Apple's security notification list got an email with a list of 10 fixed vulnerabilities in the QT update (soon to be posted at Apple's security site and reproduced in the second half of this post).

The GarageBand update "addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and fixes a number of other minor issues [including] Improved purchasing experience for Artist Lessons in the GarageBand Lesson Store [&] Accessing installed Jam Packs in the loop browser." The update is required if you are purchasing lessons from the Lesson Store.

The iTunes update is one more clear sign that iPhone 3.0 is just around the corner. Be sure to stay tuned to our coverage of the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference next week for all your iPhone news!

Apple pushed out a couple of software updates late this afternoon. One is for regulating the fan speed under heavy loads on older MacBook Pro laptops.

The other is a more general 42.7 MB update for iWork '09. This is the second software revision for the word processing, spreadsheet and presentation package. The update says it improves reliability when saving some iWork documents. It also fixes some issues when Keynote sessions are played back multiple times.

Update: Users of Apple's pro video editing, photo and audio apps will also see the ProKit Update v4.5, which "improves reliability for Apple's professional applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Aperture, Logic Studio and Logic Express."

Your software update option under the Apple menu should get you one or all updates. The MacBook Pro update is a firmware update, and it will start up automatically after a download. If you don't see this update, your laptop doesn't require it.

Here are the included update instructions:

To update the SMC firmware on your MacBook Pro:

Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source.

1. Quit all other open applications.

2. Click Restart in the MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update window and wait for your computer to restart.

The SMC firmware update starts automatically. A status bar indicates the progress of the update. During the update your computer fans will run at full speed, but will return to normal once the update completes.

Important: Do not interrupt the update.

Your computer restarts automatically when the update is completed and opens the MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update.

3. Click OK. The SMC firmware is now up-to-date.

If these instructions appear on your screen again, the SMC firmware update was not successful. Repeat steps 2 and 3.

Thanks to Matt for the MacBook Pro tip!

I really didn't have any complaints about the latest Mac OS update. It went smoothly on 3 Macs, and I didn't hear any complaints from friends or associates.

While many people moan about things that didn't get fixed, I'm somewhat concerned about the things that the 10.5.7 update DID fix that I didn't know about.

A bit of background: For about a year I've had a Logitech Webcam. It was designed for the Mac, and was meant to replace the iSight firewire webcam that Apple unceremoniously discontinued.

The Logitech unit, a Quickcam Vision Pro for Mac, has a wonderful crisp image and a nice wide angle view. It is plug and play. That's the problem. As some other users have seen, its internal aperture adjustment sometimes goes haywire, and you have to unplug it, and re-plug it in again to get a picture that is not really, really dark. It's kind of plug and play, then unplug or don't play. Then plug it in again.

While Jason D. O'Grady considers anything more than ordinatrix inflagrante to be success when he's installing a new operating system, he and others are still reporting on the various and sundry issues that have cropped up since Tuesday's 10.5.7 update:

• I can't find my brain: Some users are reporting that their Buffalo (among other) external disks aren't mounting after installing the update. Solution: Nothing concrete, though many people are suggesting installing the combo update you can download from Apple's site, rather than using Software Update. You can participate in Apple's Support Discussion on the topic if you share this problem. [via MacNN.]

• Blue screen of death: No joke: since the update restarts your computer up to three times, some users are getting hung up on the first blue screen that appears after the gray Apple logo screen. Solution: Wait until disk activity stops, then shut down the computer hard by holding down the power button. [via PowerPage.]

• I was blind, but now I see: The update is causing some video cards to output non-native display resolutions. Instead of outputting 1920 x 1200, instead Mac OS X will try and output 1920 x 1080 (which works fine for HDMI, but not many widescreen displays). Solution: An oldie-but-goodie: Zap the PRAM by holding down command + option + P + R at startup until the computer restarts a few times, then letting go. [also via PowerPage.]

• Cold fusion: VMWare is suggesting people hold off on updating if their configuration includes an ATI graphics card and they use Fusion to run 3D Windows apps. (2D apps are just fine.) Slow and poor rendering and general crashiness are symptoms of the problem. Solution: None yet. Apple and ATI are working on an update. [via MacNN.]

Got problems of your own? Let us know by leaving a comment.

The updates keep coming from Apple today. Security Update 2009-002 for Tiger is now available, both Intel and PPC. According to Apple, this update "...is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update." It's nice to know what's being installed on your Mac, isn't it?

The Intel download is 165MB while the PPC version is just 75MB. As usual, if you notice anything especially good or bad after installing this update, please let us know.

Gee, quite a day for Apple software updates. Apple has put out an update to Safari beta 4, and the Leopard version requires OS X 10.5.7 which was just released today. There is also a version for Tiger that requires OS X 10.4.11 and security update 2009-002.

Here is a download link. As is often the case with Apple, no details on what this brings. I installed and used it for awhile and nothing new jumped out at me. The installer also comes with an uninstaller in case things get ugly. Let us know what you see, or don't see.

Thanks to Barry for spotting this update.