“New software is available for your computer,” according to the dialogue box that hailed Tuesday’s release of OS X 10.5.7, the latest improvement on the current Mac OS X. So, Mac OS X User, if you haven’t clicked on the little jumping globe icon in your menu bar, you should probably go ahead and do that now. Successfully completing the download will mean that you are completely up to date with Mac’s latest software, but please note, the update could take a while to download.

Any update that changes one digit that is three decimal points down the line isn’t going to be earth-shaking, so don’t expect a totally new OS. After all, Apple has almost run out of big cat names. (Can you think of any after cheetah, puma, jaguar, panther, tiger, and leopard? Maybe lion is next; who knows?)

Generically, the update contains improved security and some fixes to little bugs, plus better integration with certain hardware. Thus, nearly all the updates are things that you probably won’t notice unless you are carefully digging deep into the structure of the OS (e.g., the BOM file).

From a more detailed perspective, here are just some of the changes:
- RAW image improvement, which better integrates third-party digital cameras
- Smoother video playback for Macs with the Nvidia chip
- Fixed bugs that occasionally prevented access to third-party networks (e.g., Yahoo and Gmail)
- Smoothed out some potential conflicts with the Dvorak keyboard layout
- Refinement of Dashboard widgets, specifically Movies, Weather, Stocks, and Unit Converter
- A change to the printer removal options from the Parental Control Systems Preferences

As mentioned, the update will not be a huge change for any current Mac user, so you can continue to use your new update with ease. Just leave yourself enough time to download the update. Some users noted that this is Mac’s biggest update yet (in terms of byte size).

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