Briefly: Leopard finalized?, 10.4.11 coming

In brief: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is complete according to reports from developers while Mac OS X 10.4.11 -- the last release of Tiger -- is on the way, new skins for the 2G iPod shuffle are shipping, Epson has launched its new fiber paper, and FileMaker will be exhibiting at the Zend/PHP Conference.... It appears that Apple has closed development of Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), and will soon be shipping to printers as a "golden master" -- just in time for Apple's October deadline. AppleInsider reports that the company has begun to provide Leopard-related support training materials to its support staff. The most recent build of Leopard, 9A559, asked developers test delivery of printer drivers through the Software Update mechanism, based on information provided to MacNN by an HP representative. It contained only one other known issue.

Mac OS X 10.4.11 nearing completion

Apple has released new builds of Mac OS X 10.4.11, likely to be the last build of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). The new builds are 8S161 (for PowerPC Macs) and 8S2161 (for Intel Macs). An AppleInsider report says the updates focus primarily on Dashboard, including a fix the the software's underlying Webkit foundation and word of two existing issues with number-oriented widgets. The update will deliver over four dozen minor bug fixes and code corrections to Mac OS X 10.4.

iPod Shuffle 2G skins

iStyles has begun shipping Skin sets for the iPod shuffle 2nd generation. The new skin sets feature ultra-high resolution full-color designs that are printed on premium grade adhesive-backed cast vinyl with UV resistant inks and then covered with a clear protective layer for ultimate durability. All iStyles Skins use a patented repositionable and removable adhesive backing.

Epson launches fiber paper

Epson has released its new "Signature Worthy" Exhibition Fiber Paper. The paper will be available in 25-sheet packages of 8.5"x 11," 13"x 19," 17"x 22," and 24"x 30" cut sheets. Epson says the paper delivers "extraordinary blacks, clean whites and a surface texture that is just like a true black-and-white silver gelatin print. Additionally, Exhibition Fiber Paper produces extraordinary color output enabling photographers to make stunning prints in both color and black-and-white."

FileMaker at Zend/PHP Conference

At this year's Zend/PHP Conference and Expo, FileMaker, Inc. will showcase the FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced, as well as FileMaker Server 9, Oct. 8-11 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. The company will also showcase how "anyone can make live connections to MySQL data sources, create reports and analyze data in a fraction of the time required for traditional programming tools." Also demonstrated will be PHP assistant, which asks step-by-step questions to produce PHP-based Web pages that address the most popular Web uses.

Filed under: Apple