Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.8

Apple on Friday pushed what is likely the second-to-last update to Mac OS X 10.4, code-named "Tiger." The update includes several fixes to printing, Finder and Apple applications and networking, as well as several third-party fixes among other modifications.

The company said that on Intel-based Macs, the update would require two restarts, but did not specify the cause. PowerPC-based systems would require a single restart.

Among the updates comes a fix for the printing of documents containing certain Korean or Chinese characters, an issue that could cause preview to unexpectedly quit, and improved syncing with select iPod models.

In networking, Apple has corrected performance issues that could occur when connecting to a Comcast network, improved ExpressCard performance, and ended the need for a computer restart when restarting NFSD.

Third-party fixes include the repair of a flaw in Word that caused it to crash when saving documents with certain OpenType fonts, the addition and repair of issues related to RAW images, and corrects a problem with display resolution when switching from PowerPoint to another application using Command-Tab.

Other issues remedied include various USB issues with external devices, improved responsiveness of the translation Dashboard widget, and the inclusion of all recent Apple security updates.

Based on Apple's prior release schedules, the final update to Tiger before the company releases Mac OS X 10.5, codenamed "Leopard," would likely come close to the New Year. The Cupertino company said at WWDC 2006 that it expected to ship Leopard in Spring 2007.