14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has seeded its developer community with a new build of Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), handing the 750 MB beta software via the Mac OS X built-in Software Update mechanism. Reportedly, the fresh seed comes just five days after the release of Build 10A402, the most recent Snow Leopard beta build.
AppleInsider reports that, as developers testing Snow Leopard received build 10A411 of the operating system over the next-gen system's Software Update mechanism, Apple reportedly told them that, "This Snow Leopard Developer Preview Update is recommended for all users running the Snow Leopard Developer Preview Build 10A402 or later. This update includes general operating system fixes for stability, compatibility, and security."
Unlike MacRumors, which is citing its own sources on the size of the update (750 MB), AppleInsider claims that the latest Snow Leopard update weighs in at "roughly 730 MB, about half the size of build 10A402a distributed last week." A quick look over at 9to5mac's coverage of the release has revealed that the former is right. A screenshot of a Snow Leopard's Software Updater indeed shows that Build 10A411 is close to 750 MB in size (precisely 748.1 MB).
The source, which, in the past, posted its own Snow Leopard findings, also informs that Snow Leopard Build 10A411 packs a fresh version of Apple's web browser, Safari. Version 4.0.3 (6531.4) currently looks unchanged, with Apple most likely tweaking the software internally, rather than externally. However, at least one Snow Leopard app has seen some UI changes – QuickTime X. Reportedly, the media player boasts a revamped interface.
As many of our readers should know, Apple is parallel-testing Snow Leopard as well as Mac OS X 10.5.8, the latest incremental update to the current version of the Leopard operating system. With the release of a couple of driver updates, Nvidia has indirectly confirmed that the update is just around the corner. Soon after, an Apple spokesperson directly confirmed the existence of the update, and that Nvidia's new driver releases should provide Kernel compatibility with the new software.