Apple Briefs

I am usually one of the early-adopters of Mac OS X updates. This time, my tardiness may have saved me some trouble. A few people are reporting issues with the 10.5.2 release. Some have lost their iCal calendar data. If you’re an iCal user, you may want to consider backing up your iCal data to .Mac, Time Machine, or elsewhere before installing 10.5.2.

The 10.5.2 update also appears to break Linotype FontExplorer X. I am a big fan of FontExplorer X, so this is a real disappointment. I also own FontAgent Pro, but I find (the free) FontExplorer X to be much easier to use and much faster. Hopefully a fix will be released soon.

Today saw the release of three updates for Mac OS X: a new dot-release (10.5.2) for Leopard, a security update for Tiger, and a graphics update for Leopard. As usual, these updates are available through Software Update (although you have to download 10.5.2 before applying the graphics update).

The big news for 10.5.2 is that Apple turned back the clock on a couple of changes in Leopard. In 10.5.2, users now have the option to use the pre-Leopard List View when accessing a folder in the Dock. Leopard replaced the List View with Stacks, which only supported Fan and Grid view. The 10.5.2 update also reduced the translucency of the menu bar and menus and provides an option to turn off translucency altogether.

For all the press Microsoft has gotten lately over users “upgrading” from Vista to Windows XP, this has to be a little bit of a black eye for Apple. Steve Jobs has a reputation for being somewhat dictatorial when it comes to the design of Mac OS X interface. It’s nice to see Apple listen to their users when enough voices cry out together on one (or, in this case, two) issue(s).

I apologize for the downtime and lack of posts the last few days. My ISP had some software issues over the weekend, but they appear to have been resolved now. I expect to get back to regular posting tomorrow.

Apple announced the 16GB iPhone today. We all knew it was only a matter of time – I just don’t think anyone expected it so soon after MacWorld. The new model comes in at the old high-end price point of $499.

Is that 8GB worth an extra $100? I bought my 4GB iPhone right after the price drop, when they were selling for $299. I just don’t see myself watching movies and 4GB is enough storage for my music collection (which has been honed to fit perfectly on my 2GB iPod Nano). How about you? Do you need an extra 8GB enough to pay $100 more for it?

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I have posted an article called Why Use a Mac in Your Law Firm. I know that many of my readers are already Mac users. If that describes you, you may still learn a thing or two about your computer. If you’re not already a Mac user, then come in, get comfortable, and be prepared to be blown away.

The article doesn’t allow comments. I would love to hear your thoughts, though. So please leave any comments, suggestions, or criticisms for the article in the comments here.