June 29 - 8:20pm EDT   Apple on Friday released a System Management Controller (SMC) firmware update for its MacBook Air devices. The latest version expands compatibility for newer service-replacement batteries. Users can download the updater, close any open applications and follow the installation steps before restarting the machine. [full story]

June 24 - 12:30am EDT  Apple on Tuesday evening release an update to its software for its wireless router devices. The Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.4.2 (with 802.11n support) fixes five specific problems, according to the company: (1) some problems with extending and maintaining connectivity with extended networks; (2) an issue with clients that enable 802.11 "Power Save;" (3) Fixes connectivity issues with some third-party devices; (4) an issue when the base station is configured for PPPoE; and (5) some Back To My Mac issues with connectivity and support for third-party routers. Apple recommends that AirPort Utility 5.4.2 or later be installed before upgrading to Firmware version 7.4.2 (including ... [full story]

December 10 - 7:55pm EST   Apple has released firmware updates for the most recent MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models. An EFI update is available for each notebook, offering improved stability and bug fixes, although the exact reasons for the release remain unclear. Users can also download an SMC update which is claimed to improve the sensing and accuracy of the MagSafe adapter indicator light on all models, along with the battery charge indicator lights on the MacBook and MacBook Pro. [full story]

November 18 - 12:50am EST   Apple has released a software update that is designed to fix the glass trackpad problems with the new aluminum MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Owners had reported that the device would occasionally fail to recognize the click input. After downloading the update through the Software Update feature, the computer should be connected to the AC power source before executing the program. The company has not provided any details regarding the nature of the problem, but claims that the update addresses the issue. [full story]

September 12 - 7:55pm EDT   Forum roundup: MacNN forum goers today discuss the release of the new iPhone firmware 2.1 upgrade. One forum member contemplates the usefulness of the iPod touch and iPhone in this thread. Paranoia expressed in one story about a perceived security flaw in the iPhone is debated in the thread titled "your iPhone is watching you". Members discuss the Genius feature in iTunes 8 in response to a question posed about blocking data sharing. One Dedicated MacNNer is having problems with OS X frequently freezing and finds some tips and advice in this thread. [full story]

July 3 - 2:10am EDT   Only a few days after its D700 announcement (pictured at right), Nikon has released v2.0 firmware for its D3 digital SLR (Windows/Mac), bringing improved autofocus performance, improved Auto White Balance, and an issue that caused the battery indicator to blink, regardless of actual battery charge (which the company claims happened in "rare circumstances"). Nikon says that the firmware update incorporates a number of other fixes, including (1) allowing the aperture setting to be adjusted from the computer when shooting LiveView mode using Camera Control Pro 2 (ver. 2.2.0) or later with a PC-E lens. Other fixes include more "Vignette control" settings and fixes, more ... [full story]

July 1 - 12:00am EDT  Apple on Monday released an update to its 802.11n wireless AirPort products, including its wireless Time Capsule backup solution: The Time Capsule, AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n. The update says that Firmware 7.3.2 updates include bug fixes and that it requires AirPort Utility 5.3.2. AirPort Utility 5.3.2 -- both of which were released in early June and can be obtained via an automatic software update or as a manual download. [full story]

June 16 - 11:10pm EDT  Apple on Monday unveiled Xserve EFI Firmware Update 1.1 for Intel Xserve servers, stating that the patch offers users improved stability when applied. As with most recent Apple updates, little is revealed about what problems the update resolves; it is not known whether "stability improvements" refers to freezing, kernel panics, or other miscellaneous temporary failures. Xserve EFI Firmware Update 1.1 is available from Apple's support website, and through Software Update. [full story]

April 28 - 8:55pm EDT   Apple today posted the iMac ATI Radeon HD Graphics Firmware Update 1.0.1 for iMac owners with either the Radeon HD 2400 XT or HD 2600 Pro graphics cards. The update simply states that it addresses system stability issues in those systems, but does not mention whether any performance enhancing aspects are also included. Firmware updates require an uninterrupted patch process, so users are encouraged to follow the instructions included with the update. [full story]

April 21 - 7:30pm EDT   Apple today released its MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5.1, which it says provides fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers. The update revises a recently-issued MBP firmware update that came alongside similar updates for most of its other Mac families, including the MacBook, MacBook Air, and iMac computers -- as well as a specific MacBook Air Bluetooth update -- and also comes with updated version of the Firmware Restoration CD 1.7. "After the firmware is successfully applied to your Mac, your Boot ROM Version will be:
 MBP21.00A5.B08 or MBP31.0070.B07," the company notes. [full story]

April 14 - 7:00pm EDT   iPhone developers testing the latest v1.2.0 beta firmware have found that future implementations of the iPhone OS allows users to press and hold their finger over an image in Safari to save it to their Photo Album. According to Gizmodo, the method works with all new versions of the v1.2.0 beta, and is ideal for saving friends photos from Facebook or a similar service, allowing the photo to serve as a background or other interface element. [full story]

April 9 - 7:00pm EDT   HighPoint Technologies has announced that the RocketRAID 3522 now supports booting Mac OS X on Apple Mac Pro (2006-2007) models. The RocketRAID 3522 has a dual mini-SAS interface that supports up to eight external direct connect SATA hard drives. Some of the new features available in the RocketRAID 3522 include selectable RAID block sizes for application tuning. Advance RAID level 0,1,5,6 and new RAID 3 support. Upgradable firmware support via the HighPoint web GUI and 32-bit EFI boot capability with Mac Pro 2006-2007 models. Booting support for Mac Pro 2008 models will be coming soon and requires an firmware upgrade through the HighPoint web management GUI. [full story]

April 8 - 6:30pm EDT   Apple today released a number of updates, including firmware updates for its MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro as well as firmware for its iMac. The Mac BookAir EFI Firmware Update 1.0, MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.2, and Mac Book Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5 fixes several issues to improve the stability of the notebook computers, while the iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.3 fixes several issues to improve the stability of iMac computers. Apple's Firmware Restoration CD 1.6, for its Macs, can restore the firmware of an Intel-based Macintosh computer and the company notes that restoring the firmware will reset some of the computer's preferences to defaults. [full story]

April 8 - 5:05pm EDT   Developers participating in the iPhone SDK beta are discovering that the device is "bricking" itself after the limited-time beta expires. TUAW readers point out that this shouldn't come as a surprise, since a note posted for developers says that the beta would indeed expire if not kept current. Another user notes that the next development firmware version has yet to be seeded to non-enterprise developers, while another still says that a call to the Apple Developer Connection revealed an updated SDK masquerading as an older one. [full story]

March 27 - 11:25pm EDT   Apple today unveiled two updates, one for its Airport drivers under Mac OS X 10.4.x Tiger, and a firmware update for the Mac Pro (Early 2008), bringing the firmware to version 1.3. The AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 for Tiger is recommended for all users with Intel-based Macs equipped with Tiger, and is said to enhance the reliability of AirPort connections. The update is 1.3MB, and is available from Software Update, as well as Apple's support page. [full story]