By Kasper Jade
Published: 04:00 PM EST (01:00 PM PST)
A third planned maintenance and security update to Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system will include significant enhancements to QuickTime X while also improving printing and Logic performance, AppleInsider has learned.
The advancements were reportedly detailed alongside a new beta of
Mac OS X 10.6.3 released to a subset of the Mac maker's developer community on Friday, carrying build number 10D538.
It arrives roughly two weeks after company issued
build 10D522, which
included the foundation for supporting OpenGL 3.0 -- the latest version of an industry standard, cross-platform programming interface for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics.
More specifically, people familiar with Friday's beta say it includes an update to QuickTime X that, when finalized, will improve security and compatibility while simultaneously enhancing overall reliability. The release will also include tweaks that aim to enhance the performance of Apple's 64-bit Logic pro audio suite. Other planned improvements include better compatibility with third-party printers and OpenGL-grounded applications, those same people say.
In addition to those areas, Apple is reportedly asking developers to focus their evaluation efforts on a few other core system components, such as AirPort, VoiceOver and graphics drivers.
Only one known issue -- related to photo albums viewed via the company's Front Row media center software -- is said to be plaguing the latest beta. The 665+ megabyte release is expected to be made public sometime in the next six weeks.
