After weeks of developer seeds and updated releases, Apple has finally released OSX 10.5.5 to the public.  Complete release notes can be found here; however, here are the highlights

Includes recent Apple security updates.
Addresses stability issues with video playback, processor core idling, and remote disc sharing for MacBook Air.
Addresses an issue in which some Macs could unexpectedly power on at the same time each day.
Resolves a stability issue in TextEdit that could be found when accessing the color palette.
Improves Spotlight indexing performance.
Fixes an issue in which contacts might not sync properly with PalmOS-based devices.
Improves iPhone sync reliability with iCal and Address Book.
Includes improvements to Active Directory (see this article for more information).
Improves Speech Dictionary.
Fixes Kerberos authentication issues for Mac OS X 10.5 clients that connect to certain Samba servers, such as Mac OS X Server version 10.4.
Includes extensive graphics enhancements.

Updates to Address book
Updates to iCal
Updates to Disk Utility and Directory Utility
Updates to Mail
Updates to MobileMe
Updates to Time Machine

So what are you waiting for??  Just an FYI, though… The update is about 140MB, give or take a few.  If you’re the Mac Type, then you need to fire up your ‘puter and either let it tell you there’s an update or click the Apple menu and select, “Software Update” and get all that Apple-Cinnamony goodness!

Hi Everyone. I’ve posted a few times for Gear Diary & you all know about my love of my iPhone and Apple products. That is until this past weekend. We’ve all heard the Mobileme horror stories. Add mine to the list…

This past Friday: (Been a .Mac member since the Spring. My 3G iphone has Mobileme with syncing for contacts and calendars) Waiting for my girlfriend for lunch in Central Park, I’m adding contacts to my favorites on my iPhone when suddenly, right before my eyes, the contacts screen moves from contacts to the listing of my groups and then back to my contacts, but my iPhone is suddenly showing a blank contact list!!! Where are my 659 contacts?

I calmly switch back to groups and back to all contacts. Nothing. I shut down the iphone and turn it back on. Not one contact. Now I’m really upset.

I call my brother and leave him a message: please help me get a Mobileme support phone number; all my contacts are gone from the iPhone…

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I noticed something (else) of interest on MacNN this morning - Apple has seeded a new build of Leopard 10.5.5 to developers.  This release, hot on the heals of the latest OSX update, isn’t due to hit a Mac near you for at least a couple of months or so.  While the update list is currently small for a 300MB+ download (see list below), the list of changes will likely grow as we get nearer to release day. However, currently on the list are -

• tweaks to HFS+,
• Tweaks to the BSD kernel
• Tweaks to Energy Saver and Power Management settings,
• Resolutions to Mail and Preferences syncing,
• Resolutions to multiple TCP connections through the Application Firewall.
• Resolution to fix crashes in the MobileMe Preference pane.

I am not having a “Happy Apple Week”.

First I bought an app from the iTunes App Store that I wanted to review over on WhatsOniPhone that just plain didn’t work. My attempts to contact Apple to get a refund have been nothing short of absurd. I’ve documented it in a small rant here.

As if that wasn’t bad enough my email stopped working for a few hours today. Yup, MobileMe was down- shocking isn’t it????

So I (finally) found the information to get on a Support Chat. (Why do they make it so impossible? I know, also shocking.) I don’t know about you, but I had nothing better to do today than wait for 64 minutes- yes 64 minutes- to get a support person. (Actually, come to think of it, “lack-of-support person” is more accurate.)

I’ve included the transcript below for your amusement but took the liberty of removing the Rep’s name and putting the more “significant” pieces in bold. Continue Reading

Apple yesterday posted an update on their highly publicized troubles with MobileMe which is an online replacement for their prior .Mac service. Using MobileMe users were supposed to get push email, calendar and contacts to either their Mac or iPhone. The service worked for most subscribers, but since iPhone launch day it has been unreachable or unstable for an estimated 1% (20,000) paying subscribers. The unsteadiness of a service that people rely on to run their business is very bad. What’s worse is that Apple failed to acknowledge or explain much of what was going on and when a fix might be expected. Too bad it took an unusually harsh public lashing by Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal and David Pogue of the New York Times to perhaps motivate Apple to provide this public status check. This is one area where Apple would have benefited greatly by providing some public updates rather than waiting for the press to rip the service with poor reviews and tales of lost email. Now we are left with a watered down explanation from Apple - which I think can be summed up in these words “we weren’t ready, sorry”.

Apple MobileMe Status

Looks like Apple is again experiencing issues with their MobileME email service (synchronization of calendar and contacts seems to still be working). I just tested my MobileMe account and was unable to receive any email. Users on the TUAW web site are reporting that email has sporadically been unavailable since Friday with one commenter indicating that Apple told him the outage could stretch for another day or two.

MobileMe is the replacement service for Apple’s .Mac online suite of tools. One component of MobileMe offers push email directly to the recently update iPhone OS version 2.0. Ultimately the MobileMe outage is opening Apple’s iPhone to the same criticism that I have levied against RIM. With push email dependent upon outside third party products you have an additional point of failure in your email delivery — that is prone to breakage at very inopportune moments.

TUAW

Apple sent an email this morning to subscribers of its MobilMe online service to apologize for delays during the launch which may have prevented some users from logging into accounts they had paid for. The email goes on to point out that while data IS pushed from their Web Apps to the iPhone, Apple now recognizes that data is not “pushed” when it is synchronized from the web to PC and MAC hardware (which only synchronizes on a 15 minute schedule or when manually initiated). For this, they are giving MobileMe subscribers an additional 30-day extension on their subscription. Full email on the next page.

Apple

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If you are a .Mac service subscriber, don’t forget today is the day by which Apple wants you to sync any online .Mac bookmarks to your computer. This is all part of the upcoming transition from the .Mac to MobileMe online service. While MobileMe is the replacement for .Mac (announced at the WorldWide Developers Conference) and retains or improves upon many of the .Mac features - web access to bookmarks is not a feature that will be continued. So if you have bookmarks saved on the web which are not synchronized to your Mac, today is the day by which Apple requests that you perform a sync.

New York Times