Anyone that happens to launch Software Update today will be greeted by a new Java Update. Java Update 5 for Snow Leopard and Java Update 10 for Leopard.

Java Update 5 for Snow Leopard addresses the following issues:
Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_26.

Java Update 10 for Leopard adresses the following issues:
Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating J2SE 5.0 to 1.5.0_30, and updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_26 for 64-bit capable Intel-based Macs.

J2SE 1.4.2 is no longer being updated to fix bugs or security issues and remains disabled by default in this update.

Unlike other Platforms Apple releases its own runtime for Mac OSX. However Apple is calling Java deprecated and won't allow it in the Mac App Store. Besides this Apple also announced it will stop releasing its own version of the runtime on the Mac platform and will be handing those 'keys' over to Oracle.

Java on Mac has been slow with updating compared to other platforms, so this could be a good thing in the longterm. Sadly it does mean the Java runtime won't come preinstalled on OSX Lion and higher.

I hadn't noticed this yet, but Bas notified me through Twitter. Because of the holidays, Apple is giving away free downloads through the iTunes Store. The link Bas showed me was for Dutch people only. And of course we have Dutch visitors, but we'd like to let our international visitors enjoy this special action as well.

Dutch - 12 dagen. 12 gratis downloads.
English (UK) - 12 days. 12 free downloads.

I tried to look up a US url for this but couldn't find one. When I change .co.uk to .com it just redirects to the .co.uk. That's not helping But I just found out through Wired that the US does not have this specific giveaway.

Today Apple released the new iMac line. On first sight you will notice the bigger 21,5" & 27" screens and the full aluminum casing. The screens are now backlit with LED's and boast a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 21,5" model features a 1920-by-1080 pixel display and the 27" model gets a 2560-by-1440 pixel display. All models ship with at least a Core 2 Duo 3,06Ghz Processor. And as with the MBP uni body line the iMac boasts an SD(HC) Card slot. Prices start at $1199,-

For the first time every the top of the line 27" iMac comes with an i5 or i7 Quad-Core Intel processor. This high end model starts at $1999,-. The 27" also has a mini Display input so you can use the iMac screen for other devices like your MacBook. The first reports coming in mention that only devices with an Mini Display output will work and that converter cables are a no go.

Click the Read More link for a full specification list from the Press Release.

Apple has recently released iWork '09 update 3.

This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, updates the help, and fixes a number of other minor issues in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. The issues addressed include:


Reducing file size of images that have Instant Alpha applied
Managing file size when inserting some movies
Working with dates and durations in the Chart Data Editor in Keynote and Pages
Exporting to CSV from Numbers when using table categories