A closer look at the changes included with Mac OS X 10.6.2

Nov 10, 2009 10:02 GMT  ·  By

By releasing the Mac OS X 10.6.2 update yesterday, Apple updated an array of system components in Snow Leopard, providing general operating system fixes, as well as fixes specific to a number of smaller areas, like Fonts, Printing, and MobileMe.

Speaking on a general level, Apple believes it has finally fixed the data-eating bug plaguing a small number of Snow Leopard users. The bug widely covered by reports caused data to be deleted when using a guest account. Apple has addressed the issue with Mac OS X 10.6.2, the second incremental update to Snow Leopard. The same software update addresses an issue that “might cause your system to logout unexpectedly”, Apple explains. Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts have also been addressed. The reliability of menu extras has been improved, while an issue in Dictionary when using Hebrew as the primary language has been fixed.

Also listed as addressed general issues are: shutter-click sound effect when taking a screenshot; an issue with the four-finger swipe gesture; an issue adding images to contacts in Address Book; an issue in Front Row that could cause sluggish or slow frame rates while watching videos; general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk; overall improvements to VoiceOver performance; video playback and performance issues for iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) and iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) computers that may occur in some situations while AirPort is turned on, and more.

As mentioned above, Support document HT3874 includes references to fixes for smaller areas of Mac OS X. According to the tech-note, fixes have been provided for a problem with font spacing, an issue in which some fonts are missing, font duplication errors, and incorrect handling of some PostScript Type 1 fonts.

Graphics issues have been addressed as well. Problems when connecting monitors to DVI and Mini DisplayPort adapters should be gone, after applying OS X 10.6.2, as should an issue in which the brightness setting may not be remembered on restart. The update addresses functionality with specific display models as well, and delivers general reliability and performance improvements when using some applications.

Mac OS X 10.6.2 offers mail fixes for “a situation in which Mail's unread count may not update properly as messages are read on another computer,” Apple reveals. Issues such as the following are now fixed: deleted RSS feeds may return, Mail cannot preview, Quick Look attachments when composing a new message, or email messages received from an Exchange Server are not formatted correctly . A problem that can cause Address Book and/or Mail to stop responding when opened is also addressed in the latest version of Snow Leopard.

More about the 10.6.2 update, which also provides fixes for issues with the MobileMe cloud-based service, network file systems, printing, and faxing, and the Safari web browser, can be found here. Those who haven’t had the chance to update their systems’ software can do so by using the download links below.