Apple has released a software update for the new iMacs that are freezing up. Specifically, the updates are meant for MacBook Pro and iMac models. Separate updates are available for the Leopard and Tiger versions of Mac OS X.

Software Update 1.3 is for Leopard and is recommended for 20-inch and 24-inch iMac models with 2.0, 2.4, or 2.8GHz processors. Software Update 1.2 is for Tiger is meant for 2.2/2.4GHz MacBook Pro Models. Both of them can be downloaded from Apple's website as linked below.

Some iMac users have been complaining about problems on their new 24' iMacs, including the system locking up/freezing due to the ATI hardware installed on the systems and the appearance of condensation on the inside glass panel of the monitor.

The freezing issues due to the ATI hardware were explained on the mac4ever forums. One of the posters placed a call to Apple regarding his broken iMac, the technician dispatched to his house said that two kinds of graphic cards are being used inside the iMac assembly and that one of them has an inherent problem with the version 1.1 update.

Apple, already aware of the ATI hardware issue, has given an official statement on Macworld.com saying that they will be releasing a software update for this problem. Here's the exact statement from the Apple Spokesperson:

A small number of iMac users have made us aware that a recent software update issued by Apple can sometimes cause their iMacs to freeze, requiring them to restart their iMac. We are tracking down the root cause of this bug, and will issue a software update which corrects it as soon as we can Â? most likely later this month. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Unlike the previous problem, Apple has yet to release an official statement regarding the reported formation of condensation on the lower right side of the iMacs' monitor. Multiple users have complained about this and many theories have come up regarding what is causing the problem. One poster on the Apple forums said that the problem could probably stem from an inherent design flaw in the unit which has the fan for the optical drive directly behind that area of the iMac's monitor.

Hopefully, Apple comes out with a fix for both of these issues as many of those who bought the new iMacs are getting increasingly disgruntled.

A lot of people who are the proud owners of an iMac aren't satisfied with just serving one master, so to speak. Thanks to the Boot Camp utility developed by Apple Inc., iMac users are given the opportunity to run Windows based applications through a separate partition on their hard drives.

Unfortunately, a lot of problems have been surfacing when it comes to running their dual-OS iMacs properly. These were most commonly found on computers that used NVIDIA's MXM slot format for the 24-inch iMacs. However, word from AppleInsider is that testers from Apple are validating a small patch that can solve these hiccups in the system.

Customers are having an especially hard time convincing customer support that these glitches in their systems were inherent to the iMac and not just a glitch within Boot Camp. Also, because Boot Camp is considered a beta when run under Mac OS X Tiger, it receives no official technical support from Apple.

The new patch confirms that the system failures can be controlled through software alone and its success depends largely whether the testers can isolate the remaining bugs in the system. Labeled as "iMac MXM Updater 1.0," the new patch has yet to have a release date, but with the advent of the new Mac OS X Leopard this October, the MXM updater will have the opportunity to be tested on the newer operating system as well.

FastMac, a company specializing in upgrades for Apple products, announced that it plans on releasing the first 2X Blu-Ray burners for the Powerbook, iBook and MacBook Pro, iMac, and MacMini computers.

The new optical drives can read, write, and re-write to single and dual layer Blu-ray media up to 2x speed. The new component can also read and burn DVDs at 8x speed in single layer and 2.4x speed in dual/double layer modes.

In addition, it can rewrite both DVD-R and DVD+R at 4x speed. If for some reason you need to burn a CD or CD-RW, the new drive can also burn at 8x. Here's a short list of the different systems it is compatible with:

• iBook G4
• iMac G5
• iMac Intel
• MacBook Pro (17-inch)
• Mac mini
• PowerBook G3 Pismo
• PowerBook G4 Titanium (667 Mhz or higher)
• PowerBook G4 Aluminum

If you plan on picking up the FastMac Blu-Ray Drive, it is going for US$ 999.95. It comes with a one year warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee. If you want to know more, click on our Read link below.

  

The Apple Summer Mac product conference is already rolling hot with Steve Jobs manning the show. As expected, his keynote address is filled with surprising unveiling of new Apple projects and the "everybody saw this coming" types. Tab this one under the second category - as predicted and whispered around various boards the past few weeks, Apple is giving us brand new iMacs.

Sporting a retroish look, the sleek new iMacs are made of aluminum and glass. It comes in 20- and 24-inched versions, each equipped with the usual but impressive specs such as up to  2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme processor, up to 4GB of memory, ATI Radeon HD graphics card, up to 1TB of hard drive storage. 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0 built-in. There's also the usual compliment of ports like USB 2.0, Firewire 400/800, a slot loading SuperDrive, iSight camera etc.

What's also worth noting is that the oft-rumored new keyboard for the iMacs turns out to be true, with Steve Jobs himself confirming it. Boasting of large spacing and flat keys, Apple seems to be aiming to give the iMac users the laptop feel while typing. iMac purists seem to be a bit skeptic with the move, but let's all wait and see what happens. The 20-inch iMac goes for US$ 1,199 each (add three hundred bucks more for a processor and graphics enhancements), while the 24-inch monster demands US$ 1,799 per unit.

 

Take a very good look at the keyboard pictured above this article, and see if you can spot if it's a fake or not. Allegedly, it's the super-slim, brushed-aluminum keyboard that's rumored to be bundled with Apple's latest iMac computer.

While it does fit the much-speculated features, that being absurdly thin and sleek (as well as having that distinct Apple look of simplicity and elegance), the fact that 'Photoshop' is practically screaming out from the photo's exif data isn't helping its authenticity much. Still, it's quite pretty, isn't it?

Fake or not, though, it seems that someone in the Rhapsody Apple forum in Hong Kong is more than willing to sell you one of these suspicious beauties for HK $1200 a pop (that's US$ 153.40). Potential buyers should perhaps exhibit some self-control, though, as the new iMac itself could be blasting onto store shelves as early as August 7th, so it's not really that long a wait.

We'll also see if this is the real deal by then. Updates as we get them!

Come this July to August, frequent purveyors of Apple's product line may want to keep posted for a couple of possible info snippets regarding the company's line of iMac desktop computers.

First up is the possibility of a radically redesigned iMac line, which will come in a slimmer and sleeker package, and is further expected to come with 20 to 24-inch screens.

In line with this news, there was also the speculation that Apple would release iMacs featuring the "brushed metal" look. This new product line was expected to release shortly after the Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), although speculation suggested that the event was instead used to cover matters on Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, third-party iPhone development, and software strategy.

Apple is gearing up to unleash a wild bunch of new iMacs with the "brushed Metal" look popularized by the company. It'll come up big - literally - with a display planned to be larger than current 24 inch models.

The early word is that it'll ship shortly after the company's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). Pricing is set to be the same or very close to the current iMac roster on retail shelves. In addition, Apple will also get rid of the 17 inch version and will instead go to the more cost-efficient 20 inch model.

The Santa Rosa chipset will be utilized to power the new iMacs, and this means the thing should probably be as reliable as any of its predecessors ever were.

Investment banking firm PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster recently commented that it is very unlikely for Apple to showcase the iPhone at its upcoming event Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

In lieu of it, Munster added that the show will be highlighted by new MacBook Pros and quite possibly new iMacs. Munster's basis for this observation is Apple's update history for its products. According to the analyst, professional notebooks are updated every 182 days on the average.

The most recent generation of MacBook Pro was launched around 210 days ago. Likewise, an iMac update is also long overdue as the last time Apple had it was 257 days ago. The average release date for every generation is usually around 168 days.

While the above mentioned products are yet to be confirmed, Apple has promised in the past that a full-featured version of OSX 10.5 Leopard will be demonstrated and handed out at WWDC.

Quite the big "ouch" to the Redmond giant: the Department of Transportation (DoT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 7 from its offices. They are considering switching its operation to Macs and PCs running Novell's SuSe Linux.

The rather harsh policy was sanctioned back in January, but through the enactment of a moratorium, the blocking of Vista upgrades is still in effect. 15,000 users at the DoT and 45,000 employees at the FAA have been barred from upgrading to any new software from Microsoft.

The memorandum, dated January 19, was distributed to address concerns about licensing issues, upgrade costs, and backward compatibility with their existing key software and systems. They aren't scrapping Vista altogether if issues could be resolved, although they are considering alternatives to just going Vista all the way.

Aside from educational institutions and research associations, it seems that even the U.S. government is affected by the cost and compatibility problems regarding Bill Gates' new "Wow" product that shuns many XP compatible programs on its questionable platform.