By Katie Marsal
Published: 04:45 PM EST (01:45 PM PST)
Apple on Tuesday released several fixes to improve the reliability of its Macs based on Intel's mobile platform as well as its newer aluminum keyboard. Also, beta 3 has surfaced for the iPhone developer SDK along with a new firmware beta.
iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.3
Firmware Update 1.3 (
1.6MB) improves the stability of Intel-based iMacs.
Apple doesn't mention which models are affected, though the fix is known to apply to aluminum models and requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later.
MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.2
Version 1.2 of the 13-inch MacBook's firmware (
1.8MB) improves the stability of all models.
It also requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later.
MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 1.0
The MacBook Air's first EFI upgrade (
2.3MB) improves its stability.
Apple incorrectly states that the update requires Mac OS X Tiger, as the Air first shipped with Leopard.
MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5
One of the larger updates, EFI Update 1.5 (
3.1MB) also addresses stability for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros and requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later.
Aluminum Keyboard Update
Affecting bundled keyboards with iMacs and Mac Pros as well as the stand-alone option, the Aluminum Keyboard Update (
1.5MB) resolves an issue where a key could unexpectedly 'stick' and repeat characters.
It also mends "other issues," according to Apple, and requires Mac OS X 10.5.2.
iPhone SDK Beta 3,
Early developers for the iPhone and iPod touch now have access to beta 3 of the Software Development Kit for the devices at Apple's
developer website.
The 1.4GB download is much smaller than the original 2GB version but is said by Apple to fix several bugs as well as enable support for the latest beta version of the iPhone's firmware, which is available at the same time.
Build 5A240d of the iPhone's operating system improves Microsoft Exchange support and fixes some outstanding bugs.
Updating to the new SDK requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 and is considered necessary, as the just-replaced iPhone 2.0 beta firmware expires as of Tuesday.
