Mac OS X 10.5

Amazon.com introduced a free software package Thursday that gives Mac computer users access to the online retailer's Kindle e-book store in more than 100 countries. Called Kindle for Mac, the beta e-reader completes Amazon's goal of offering consumers access to e-books and other digital content across a wide spectrum of electronic devices.

Kindle books can now be read on dedicated Kindle and Kindle DX devices, BlackBerry handsets, and PCs, as well as Apple's Mac, iPhone and iPod touch, Amazon said. Moreover, the company's e-reader software is expected to work on Apple's forthcoming iPad.

Apple has released MacBook Pro Drive Firmware Update 2.0, which "reduces certain infrequent noises made by 7200-rpm drives." Reportedly, some 500GB drives were beeping and briefly freezing.

The company said the drives affected were included with the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros it began shipping in June. The update Web site does not mention the 17-inch MacBook Pro shipped in January.

Once the update is installed, Apple said the new hard-drive firmware ID will be 0007APM2.

While the Mac-using world awaits the fall arrival of Snow Leopard, Apple is doing some cleanup work on the current version of its Macintosh operating system. On Wednesday, Apple patched 18 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X.

Despite the fact that this is Apple's lightest update this year, six of the flaws are rated critical. That means the bugs could open the door to attackers to hijack a computer by tricking victims into viewing malicious image files on the Internet.

Patch Tuesday is a Microsoft institution, but competing software companies are stealing some of the attention this week with security issues of their own. On Tuesday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.5.7, an update for its operating system that aims to improve application performance and stability -- and fix 68 security issues.

Apple has made good on Vice President Philip Schiller's promise at Macworld to release iLife 'O9 this month. Beginning Tuesday, all new Macs will have an upgraded version of iLife '09 with iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. The software suite is for Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later.

For those who already have a Mac, Apple is making iLife available through the online Apple Store, in its retail stores, and through authorized resellers.

iLife is one of the main reasons customers purchase a Mac over any other personal computer, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said when iLife '09 was announced.

Who said Macs are immune to viruses? Some malware makers aim to bust that myth with a Trojan horse that's being downloaded across the Internet.

Mac security software firm Intego identified a Trojan on Wednesday that affects computers running Mac OS X. The malware was found on some pirated copies of Apple's new iWork 09 productivity suite on peer-to-peer sites. iWork is Apple's answer to Microsoft Office.

Apple posted a free download of the Mac OS X 10.5.6 update Monday with significant fixes that "enhance the stability, compatibility and security" of its Mac computers. The update is for users of Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 to 10.5.5.

With more than 30 fixes in this update, Apple warned Mac users to be careful if they have modified the operating system or moved Apple applications outside the default Applications folder. The new system can be downloaded as an automatic update or in a standalone installer.

[Q] I'm getting a new computer for my family and want software to back up whatever we put on it. What's the difference between file-based backup and image-based backup software?