Sources close to Apple are reporting that a release of Mac OS X 10.5.6 this week is imminent. Reportedly, developers have been seeded new beta builds of both the Client and Server face of 10.5.6. Not surprisingly, the builds list no known issues and almost no changes since the last 10.5.6 (9G62)  version handed to developers.

One indication that Mac OS X 10.5.6 is just around the corner is that both the Client and the Server versions of Leopard are now carrying the same build number – 9G55. Adding that the two builds are allegedly issue-free (as far as testers can tell), it is being suggested that Apple is very close to a public release. However, probably the most solid clue that OS X 10.5.6 is about to appear in our Software Updaters this week is that build 9G55 includes almost no changes since the last seeded beta of 10.5.6 – build 9G52.

Last week, we reported that Mac OS X 10.5.6 build 9G52 asked developers to focus on the MobileMe service, with an emphasis on syncing issues. In what was already a good indication that 10.5.6 was coming along nicely, the build listed no known issues. Furthermore, the release notes for build 9G52 list a total of 103 specific bug fixes. On the Server side (build 9G46 at the time), Apple asked developers to focus their testing efforts in areas like Podcast Producer, Password Server, Server Manager, Single Sign-On, and AFP Performance.

Back to our latest findings, the Client version of Mac OS X 10.5.6 allegedly weighs in at around 370MB, while the Server software is 100MB larger in size (470MB). As we wait for the actual seed notes for 9G55 to surface, you are welcome to leave a comment stressing which part of Leopard you are hoping to see improved.