Among all of the new hardware debuts Tuesday, Apple also quietly updated its wireless keyboard with a more energy-efficient model. The latest iteration of the Bluetooth Apple Wireless Keyboard requires two AA batteries, down one from the previous model.

"And its intelligent power management system conserves battery life," Apple said. "So when you’re not using it, the keyboard automatically powers down. The instant you start typing, your keyboard turns on."

The new hardware requires a Bluetooth-enabled Mac computer, Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later with the Aluminum Keyboard Software Update 2.0, and an existing keyboard and mouse for initial setup. It comes with two AA batteries and costs $69.



The new keyboard was first revealed in filings with the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month. It was approved at the same time as Apple's new Magic Mouse.

Parallels confirmed Friday that a new version of their virtualization software for Mac OS X is in the works. Specific details on Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0 are said to be forthcoming.

"Our relentless drive to delight customers fuels our ongoing effort to deliver innovative solutions to our customers, as can be seen in our award winning Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac and our more recently delivered Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition," said Stefan Prestele, senior director of Consumer Marketing for Parallels. "We haven’t stood still since the release of Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac and are committed to delivering additional innovations in our upcoming releases."

In August, Parallels released a new bundle that aims to ease the switch from PC to Mac. Parallels Desktop Switch to a Mac Edition allows users to bring their files and familiar applications from a Microsoft Windows-based PC. It relies on the Parallels Desktop 4.0 software to give users the ability to run their PC applications within OS X without running Boot Camp. It is available for $99.99 direct from Parallels.



Earlier this month, competitor VMWare announced Fusion 3, with more than 50 new features.

This week Apple released an update for Intel-based systems running Mac OS X versions 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Performance Update 1.0 is available direct from Apple for Snow Leopard and Leopard. It can also be downloaded via Software Update.

According to Apple's support page, the update "addresses intermittent hard drive related pauses reported by a small number of customers." It requires Mac OS X 10.6.1 or Mac OS X 10.5.8.

The products affected include: MacBook Air (Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009), iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008), MacBook Air (Late 2008), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008), iMac (24-inch, Early 2009), iMac (20-inch, Early 2009), Mac mini (Early 2009)

Originally scheduled to expire Tuesday, support for Office 2004 for Mac has been extended to Jan. 10, 2012, Microsoft's Mac Team announced. While most customers have moved on to Office 2008 for Mac, the latest version does not offer support for Visual Basic for Applications, meaning some users have stuck with the predecessor. As a result, Microsoft has decided to extend its "Mainstream Support" date to accommodate those customers.

"The date has been extended to 2012 specifically to ensure continuous cross-platform compatibility for Office 2004 customers reliant on VBA until support for VBA is released in the next version of Office for Mac," said Mike Tedesco, senior product manager with the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft. "This extension does not change the 5-year support policy for other Office for Mac products, including future versions. Nor does it affect any other Microsoft products, including Office on the Windows platform. With the additional support, we will continue delivering all the types of support associated with Mainstream Support, including security updates and non-security bug fixes."

When it ships late next year, Office 2010 for Mac will have support for VBA. The new version will mark the return of Outlook with a new version written from the ground up in Cocoa for the Mac platform.

BlackBerry owners can now sync their contacts, calendar notes and more with their Mac systems, via the newly released Desktop Manager for Mac. The 26.73MB application is available from Research in Motion for Mac OS X 10.5.5 or later. It requires BlackBerry Device Software 4.2 or higher and iTunes 7.2 or later.

Key features include:

• iTunes synchronization with BlackBerry Media Sync: Whether it's a specific iTunes playlist or a random mix of tunes, it's easy to sync the music from your Mac computer to your BlackBerry smartphone.
  
  
• Sync your contacts and appointments: Your contacts, calendar, appointments, tasks and notes can be synchronized with popular Mac applications.
  
  
• Easily backup, restore and add and remove applications: Transfer data between BlackBerry smartphones, back up and restore information manually or automatically, and add or remove applications.

Apple this week released new drivers for HP printers in its latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The file, labeled version 2.2., is a 383MB download available from Apple.

A number of HP printers, including Photosmart, OfficeJet, DeskJet and LaserJet models, are affected by the driver update. A complete list with numerous HP printers is listed on Apple's Web site. The update requires Mac OS X 10.6.1 or later.

Since the release of Snow Leopard, Apple has advertised new printer-related features in the operating system upgrade. Apple's Software Update will automatically provide you with third-party printer software and updates, "Nearby Printers" is a list of available printers that will appear right inside your printer dialog box, and you can simply connect a USB printer and the print queue will be automatically created.

Microsoft Wednesday shipped its new SKU for Office 2008 for Mac: Business Edition. Announced last month, the new product will be sold alongside the current product available for students. Business Edition aims to simplify the product lineup, and includes Entourage Web Services Edition and Microsoft Document Connection for Mac.

Microsoft worked closely with its beta testers for the new Office 2008 in order to meet their requiremenets. The new SKU will also include over 200 new templates and clip art to help businesses project a more professional image. The suggested retail price for the new Business Edition is the same as the current Standard Edition, $399 for the full product and $239 to upgrade.

Office 2010 for Mac is expected to debut in time for the holidays next year. It will mark the return of Outlook, which will rely on a new database, sync with Microsoft Exchange, and be compatible with Outlook for Windows. In addition, the program will be written in Cocoa from the ground up, aiming to give Mac users a true native feel.

Apple this week released a number of updates for its Xsan clustered file system for Mac OS X. Version 2.2 addresses a screen sharing security issue, in which an error dialogue would display the username and password. Xsan Admin 2.2 is available for Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac OS X 10.5. It also includes fixes for using SAN Setup Assistant to configure volumes, LUNs and affinities, changing a computer between client and metadata controller roles, listing computers connected to the SAN, and visually displaying when LUNs have been truncated

The Xsan FileSystem is not affected by the username and password issue, though it has also been updated to version 2.2 for Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac OS X 10.5. Fixes include using native extended attributes, file system performance and reliability, and volume reliability during metadata controller failover scenarios.

Also available are the Xsan 2.2 installer, and the Xsan uninstaller.

Apple this week released Update 5 for Java on Mac OS X 10.5, a release that plugs 15 security holes. The Mac maker said the update will give users improved reliability, security, and compatibility for Java SE 6, J2SE 5.0 and J2SE 1.4.2 on Mac OS X 10.5.8 and later.

The update will upgrade all three platforms: Java SE 6 to version 1.6.0_15, J2SE 5.0 to version 1.5.0_20, and J2SE 1.4.2 to 1.4.2_22. The updates of J2SE 5.0 and J2SE 1.4.2 are said to support all Intel and PowerPC-based Macs, while Java SE 6 is available on 64-bit Intel-based Macs only.

Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 5 is available for download direct from Apple or via Software Update. It is a 161.35MB file.

Apple this week released updates for its desktop Macs in the form of SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0, which eliminates the noise made by optical disk drives during startup and wake from sleep, and Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2, which improves compatibility with the latest memory kits on Mac mini computers.

For Mac mini machines, the latest EFI update (2.4MB) is needed for the SuperDrive upgrade, while other Mac desktops will require the EFI Firmware Update 1.4, released in May. The SuperDrive firmware update (18.5MB) can be downloaded from Apple or via Software Update.

Also this week, Apple released updates for Mac OS X Server 10.5.8. The 978MB download is available for users of Mac OS X 10.5.7 and as a combo update. According to Apple, the update improves reliability of AFP for file services and Time Machine backups, propagates file system permissions, maintains history of users' previous passwords, ensures consistent VPN throughput regardless of load, improves Spotlight indexing and memory consumption, and resolves duplicate serial number alert for servers with multiple network interfaces.