Last week, Apple issued Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D29 to devs, accompanied by notes. Build 9D29 addressed four main issues, bringing the total number of fixes in Mac OS X 10.5.3 to just over 220. Build 9D32 issued by Apple yesterday asks developers to focus on 15 areas of Leopard, while also adding another 6 fixes, thus pushing their total number to above 220. As usual, Apple lists no known issues for this build.

The same stability issues are still said to be delaying the release of the maintenance update, World of Apple reports, while the 15 areas Apple required additional focus on are as follows, according to the same source: 802.1x, Activity Directory, AFP, AirPort, audio, Back To My Mac, Dock, Finder, graphics, Installer, Mail, Spaces, Spotlight, Sync Services and Time Machine. As noted above, another 6 fixes have been added in the latest Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard build, bringing the total number of fixes to a whopping 220+.

Mac OS X 10.5.3 Build 9D32 Seed Notes:

Known Issues

- None

Focus Areas

- 802.1X
- Active Directory/Directory Services
- AFP
- AirPort
- Audio
- Back To My Mac
- Dock
- Finder
- Graphics
- Installer
- Mail
- Spaces
- Spotlight
- Sync Services
- Time Machine

Areas of Change

New issues fixed in this seed:

- eapolclient now in the ACL for password items that belong to an 802.1X profile;
- Fixed authentication to the wireless certificate crash;
- Graphics driver performance fix;
- Fixed System Preference and Screen and File Sharing issue;
- Fixed multiple application code signatures issue;
- Fixed Parental Controls and Active Directory compatibility issue.

Apple has been rapidly seeding build after build to its developer community during the past two months (sometimes two builds per week), indicating that the latest maintenance and service update for Leopard users is approaching fast. While Apple itself blames stability issues as the primary delay factor, sources for AppleInsider suggest that Apple is planning to release Mac OS X 10.5.3 around the same time iPhone firmware 2.0 is scheduled for launch. No specific reason is mentioned, though. It is also being hinted that there will be a one week difference in the schedule for both releases, which are allegedly dated for June.