At the ongoing WWDC conference being held by Apple, we finally get a release date on the highly anticipated Firmware 2.0 update for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. We also find out that it's able to write Chinese characters. Hen hao. Details in the full article.

Looks like Apple isn't through with dishing out the updates just yet. This batch of updates are for the AirPort Admin Utility and iWork's Keynote. Info and download details after the "read more" link below.

Apple users, heads up! Several updates for iWork '08 has just been released and they mostly tackle about compatibility with Mac OS X. This release bumps all the programs in iWork up to version 4.0.2

To see all the changes concerning applications Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, click the "read more" link below.

Apple has pulled the plug on AppleWorks relegating it to the realms of abandonware. As solid as this program was during the height of its run, it has reached the end of its software life-cycle and will no longer be supported by the company when iWork 08 comes out.

In the spirit of the moment, let's take a short look at the long and illustrious life of the program. Originally written by Robert Lissner, the software suite was released way back 1984. It was designed for use by both the Apple and the Apple II computers.

The company followed this up with AppleWorks 2.0 in 1986. The year after that, this project was turned over to Apple's then new software subsidiary Claris. They went to work immediately, releasing version 3.0 in 1989.

The next update wouldn't happen until 1993, when AppleWorks 4.0 was released and was followed by AppleWorks 5.0 the year after. The last iterations of the program resemble what most would expect from an office application suite with a word processor, a drawing program, a painting program, a spreadsheet, a database program, and even a terminal program for communications.

While it might be painful for the old school Mac user to let this program go, the iWork 08 looks to be a good successor. From all indications, it will live up and surpass the venerable old program in terms of functionality and ease.

Iljitsch van Beijnum, an avid fan of Apple products, wrote an opinion piece for Infinite Loop journal on Ars Technica which delved into why the next major OS X release's delay shouldn't be taken so lightly. Just last week, the official word on OS X 10.5, codenamed "Leopard," was to be delayed all the way until October 2007.

 

Despite Apple's consistent drive for a "spring release," Leopard won't make an appearance until fall of 2007. This proves that the speculation of the Mac OS revelation at the 2007 WWDC does signify that it's already in its polishing stages.

But Beijnum's concern isn't about its delay - he is far more concerned about the detrimental effects of the delay could do in relation to what Leopard could offer and what the current marketing strategy that accompanies the product. For the most part, the OS - as he says - comes with a feature set much needed by the Mac user community. iLife and iWork are claimed to be coming in Leopard-only versions.

Apple used to be the secretive product shipper: always being able to keep everything safely tucked in their closet until the big release date. This has always allowed Apple to slap giants like Sony and Microsoft with their new product releases. That character has been struggling to retain itself recently, with information leaks left and right before a product could even be put to production.

Unfortunately, the Mac community isn't such a forgiving crowd. There are those that don't even see a need for Leopard, and could care less about the release delays for 10.5. Tiger, according to them, is a safer bet to stay with instead of having to stave off months from purchasing a new Macbook.

It is possible that Leopard could be a disappointment to many once it releases, due to lack of HD support and hardware resolution independent support. Who, after all, is to say otherwise? Demonstrations are only slated for WWDC attendee eyes and most screenshots have either been debunked or unsatisfactorily rumored to many OS X users. So is the delay of Leopard really much of a big deal? Feel free to discuss.

 Living up to its name, the OS X Leopard just might be speeding into its eventual release into the wild (i.e. the consumer market) very soon - like, end-of-March-soon. Well, that's if web rumors are to be believed. Well Jobs did say they'd have OS X 10.5 available by Spring. That's a couple months earlier than what most of us expected.

With the release of Leopard also comes the new versions of iLife and iWork. We haven't heard follow ups from Apple HQ yet, but we're bound to spot something very soon. Stay tuned, folks.

Apple owners may want to set their calendars for June, as Apple has scheduled this year's World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) from June 10 to 15, with Steve Jobs making his keynotes presentation on the 11th.

In conjunction with the WWDC 2007, it is noted that this event heralds the coming of Apple's Leopard OS, with further info on the system being released in the following months. Readers may also want to double up on the iLife and iWork software packs, with Apple possible releasing more info on these two as they will for OS X Leopard.

The event will be held at the Moscone West convention center in downtown San Francisco, with Apple releasing a formal events announcement early next month. Stay tuned for this official release.

Word from Apple Recon is that come February 20, Apple will be holding a special introduction event for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), iLife '07 and iWork '07. Updated Mac Pros - which will be available immediately with a free upgrade to 10.5 when it ships - will also be in the spotlight during the rumored event.

Apple Recon also says that it is likely that the often-speculated-about March 24 release date for Leopard will also be announced during the event. Says Apple recon:

There is some speculation that we may see a week earlier or later for this event, depending on the status of Leopard, but this is the most likely date which is being planned (by this time, LeopardÂ?s new interface will be complete and the OS will be finishing up testing). What better way to demo Leopard than with a brand new 8-core Mac Pro?

Keep checking back here on the QJ Apple blog for more updates. We'll be keeping an eye on this to keep you guys abreast of the latest Apple news.

How soon? It's scheduled for release next year. I know you'll probably say that's too long a wait for the improvements, but I'm telling you, it's going to be worth the wait.

Apple's Pages software will contain significant improvements come version 3. These "improvements" include the introduction of two new modes - Layout and Word Processing. The current Pages software handles these two types of documents with only one common set of tools and templates, but in version 3, the new modes will be utilized and optimized for their respective tasks.

Document creation is expected to become easier with the new Word Processing mode. Features of this mode include a thesaurus that will be integrated with Wikipedia, Spotlight and Google, and a "robust grammar checking engine" for Pages.

Another improvement which will be in Pages 3 is the Inspector's "Mini-Inspectors" which will allow users to get to frequently accessed settings with just one click.

Mail Merge's functionality will also be dramatically improved as it will support mail merging to e-mail.

Pages 3 will be included in iWork '07 which is expected to be released January next year. Other softwares contained in iWork '07 are Keynote 4 and a new spreadsheet application.

According to reports, Apple's iWork productivity suite will welcome a new software to the family by it's second anniversary in January of 2007. It is assumed that it is meant to be a competitor for Microsoft's Excel. But Apple denies this, saying that it is more of a consumer friendly spreadsheet, without the added complicated functions of Excel. It is geared towards home users and small businesses. Charts will support importing and exporting Excel formatted documents, as well as legacy AppleWorks spreadsheets.

Rumored to come with this software is a built-in media browser, drag-and-drop support of spreadsheet and chart data view in new Mail messages, and some level of Address Book interoperability.

There is no news yet as to how big a hole it will cause in our pockets.