Brief Hands-On Report--Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.10

Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.10 for Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs in client and server editions. The various editions are available via Software Update or as stand-alone updater files from this Apple Web page.

According to the ReadMe file,

The following improvements apply to both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs unless otherwise noted:

Bluetooth

• Addresses an issue in which a Bluetooth headset may show up as an available device for sound output in the Sound preference pane after it had been removed from Bluetooth preferences.
  

Third-party

• Adds RAW image decoding support for the following cameras: Panasonic DMC-LX1, Panasonic DMC-LX2, Leica M8, Leica D-LUX 2, Leica D-LUX 3, Fuji S5 Pro, Nikon D40x, and Canon EOS 1D Mk III.
• Resolves an issue in which some DNG images may appear tinted or distorted.
• Improves compatibility of Mathematica 6 with 64-bit Macs.
  

USB

• Improves reliability when using the IR remote control after waking from sleep.
• Improves reliability when mounting external USB hard drives.
• Resolves an issue in which a TomTom GO 910 may not be recognized when connected via USB to an Intel-based Mac.

Other

• Improves responsiveness when using the Control-Eject key combination to display a shutdown dialog.
• Addresses a specific issue in which users importing video from a DV camera may experience dropped frames.
• Includes recent Apple security updates.
• Addresses issues with calendar calculations in certain applications.
• Addresses issues when rounding decimal numbers for display in certain applications.
• For Motion, addresses an issue in which some texture corruption could appear in Motion if VRAM is full.

The details of the new security fix are:

Networking--CVE-2007-2242--Remote attackers may be able to adversely affect network performance. A design issue exists in the IPv6 protocol's handling of type 0 routing headers. Depending on network topology and capacity, the reception of specially crafted IPv6 packets may lead to a reduction in network bandwidth. This update addresses the issue by disabling the support for type 0 routing headers. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

We downloaded and installed Mac OS X 10.4.10 client via Software Update in a variety of Macs: MacBook Pro LED, MacBook Pro C2D, iMac C2D, iMac Core Duo, Power Mac G4 (client and server editions) and PowerBook G4. Each took longer than normal at the gray screen with Apple logo and "gear" and each restarted twice. No problems were encountered during installation and none were noted in several hours use.

Unfortunately, the issue with poor OpenGL performance, including the unplayability of Call of Duty 2, on the new 15" MacBook Pro LED with Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics noted in our Hands-On Review and confirmed by our readers was not fixed in this update. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]