You have to give Apple credit, they do release updates to their OS X and iOS operating systems pretty frequently. And when they do, the updates usually fix quite a few issues.

Case in point this week is the company’s most recent update to Mac OS X, the other operating system that doesn’t run the iPhone or iPad. This latest update brings the software to version 10.7.3 and sports a slew of enhancements and bug fixes.

Here’s a list of the major ones:

• Add Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian language support
• Address issues when using smart cards to log into OS X
• Address compatibility issues with Microsoft Windows file sharing
• Address an issue printing Microsoft Word documents that use markup
• Address a graphics performance issue after sleep on some earlier iMacs that use ATI graphics
• Resolve a Wi-Fi connection issue when waking from sleep
• Address an issue that may prevent Safari from opening before joining a wireless network
• Fix a potential issue authenticating to an SMB DFS share
• Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras

OS X 10.7.3 is available now via Software Update. However, we recommend downloading the larger, but usually far more stable, Combo Updater and using that. It usually works out better.

The time we all knew was coming has arrived. Today, in an open letter to the Apple board, CEO Steve Jobs officially announced his resignation from Apple, effective immedietly.

Here’s the text of the letter:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

Steve

In addition, Tim Cook has been promoted to CEO to replace Jobs and Jobs will assume the role of Chairman of the Board.

I wonder what this will do to the price of Apple’s stock tomorrow morning. As for what the future holds for the company, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

It’s gold baby! That’s right, the next version of Apple’s flagship operating system for Macs has just gone Gold and been seeded to developers.

The next version, known as OS X 10.7 Lion, is now at build number 11A511 and the download is available immediately on Apple’s developer website. Of course, that’s only if you’ve paid your $99.00 to be an Apple OS X developer. If not, no Lion for you — at least not yet.

Due to this being the GM and barring any major glitches with it, we should expect it to be the final version before the update is released in the wild for everyone.

That launch will be sometime next month with the update being available in Apple’s Mac App store. It will cost $29.00, which seems pretty reasonable.

With today’s update to Apple’s Mac OS X software (aka Snow Leopard), it just may be the last one we ever see. With OS X 10.7 (aka Lion) set to ship in the next few months, Snow Leopard may end up finishing its life at version 10.6.8, which is the update number released today.

This update addresses the following:

• Enhance the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion

• Resolve an issue that may cause Preview to unexpectedly quit

• Improve support for IPv6

• Improve VPN reliability

• Identify and remove known variants of Mac Defender

The combo updater for 10.6.8 is available from Apple and is 1.01 GB. You can also get the delta updater by going to Software Update on your individual Mac.

For more information about the update, head on over to Apple’s website.

In a not surprising move Apple has finally relented and admitted that there is actually a potential problem with the so called “Mac Defender” malware and has offered a fix on its support website. In case you haven’t been keeping up, Mac users have recently been targeted by a phishing scam that falsely claimed their computers were infected with a virus.

When redirected to an illegitimate website to deal with the “virus”, users were instructed to install “Mac Defender,” which was malware disguised as an antivirus application. Until recently, Apple had reportedly told its AppleCare support team to deny the problem exists and  “not remove or uninstall any malware” found on any computer.

But now the company has apparently changed its mind and decided to not ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Reportedly, between 60,000 and 125,000 customers had contacted Apple for solutions to this issue.

Maybe that’s why Apple decided it was time to acknowledge the problem publicly. We’ll probably never really know the whole story.

As with a lot of malware, this particular one relies on the user in order to be installed on a computer. Let this be yet another lesson, don’t believe everything you see on your computer and don’t just install something because something says you need it. Think about it first.

Click through for the removal steps as posted by Apple plus a video showing you what the malware looks like. Any Mac users out there have this problem? Let us know in the comments.

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Today Apple released the latest update to its flagship Mac operating system, OS X. This new update brings the software to version 10.6.7 and, of course, offers several “general operating system fixes” and enhancements to the core OS as well as other items.

As you can see from the image above, this update addresses issues associated with Apple’s “Back to My Mac” feature, which I’ve used quite frequently. It does have its quirks, to be sure, so hopefully those will be resolved with this update. Really, if they just fix the services ability to get through most routers without having to jump through too many hoops, I would be happy.

Other items addressed with this update include a fix to SMB file transfers and some minor App Store bugs. As this is an update to the core operating system of your Mac, it will require a reboot once it is downloaded and installed.

Also, its always a good idea to perform a full backup or make sure you backup is good before updating your Mac. But really, there’s no hurry to update at all unless you feel you would explicitly benefit from the fixes listed here. Why not let others do it first and see if there are any problems?

However, if you do update let us know how it goes and if you have any problems. Hit us up in the comments.

As if new, updated MacBook Pro computers weren’t enough, Apple also decided that today was the day to unveil details on the next version of its flagship Mac operating system OS X. The update, known as OS X 10.7 (aka Lion) is now available to developers. Hopefully, that means a release to the rest of us is only a short time away.

In a press release today touting the developer release, Apple writes that Lion “takes some of the best ideas from iPad and brings them back to the Mac.” Some of the new features we can expect with Lion include Mission Control, Launchpad, and multitouch gestures as well as several others including:

• New Mail application (thank goodness): widescreen layout like the the iPad and Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline, more powerful search and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010
• AirDrop: copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup
• Versions: automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions
• Resume: brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app
• Auto Save: automatically saves your documents as you work
• New FileVault: provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously
• Mac OS X Lion Server: makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices

Apple is expected to release the Lion sometime during the Summer. In the meantime, check out the full press release detailing the update after the break.

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It’s an historic day Apple fans as we look back 27 years ago at the first time Apple unveiled the Macintosh computer to the world. Steve Jobs introduced the revolutionary Mac on January 24, 1984 to a crowd of around 3000 people and, needless to say, they were quite enthusiastic about it.

The original Apple Macintosh was the first personal computer to run the Mac operating system, then known as System 1.0. It featured impressive (for the time) specs including a 9-inch greyscale monitor, an 8 MHz processor with 128 K of RAM and no internal hard drive, just a floppy. It did, however, feature a really cool rectangular mouse, which you can see in the photo above.

The price? $2495. Which seemed high then and seems really high now. Good thing prices have come down, at least a little. To celebrate, check out the video of Jobs revealing the new Mac after the jump.

As someone who uses a Macintosh every day (I’m writing this on one right now) I thank you Steve Jobs and the entire Mac team for inventing this great machine. Here’s to 27 more years.

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Today Apple announced that the much anticipated Mac App Store will open for business on Thursday, January 6 2011. The new service was announced back in October and offers developers a 70-30 split in revenues for applications sold. The new service looks to mimic the ease-of-use and utility of the iTunes-based App Store on the desktop. Let’s hope they succeed.

“The App Store revolutionized mobile apps,” said Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun.” Don’t worry, I’m sure by “PC” he means Mac OSX.

The store will be available in ninety countries at launch and will contain both free and paid applications. Click through for the full press release from Apple and start saving your pennies to buy all those great apps starting in January.

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Even though most of us are Mac users here at The Flickcast, that doesn’t mean we don’t have to use some Microsoft products. Case in point: Office 2011 for the Mac. This recently released suite of applications, which includes Word, Excel and for some Outlook, is pretty essential especially if you’re dealing with Windows users where the Office Suite is king.

The new update update for Office 2011 (Which brings the suite to version 14.0.2) offers improved reliability when accessing Office for Mac through third-party applications, fixes problems with Microsoft’s AutoUpdate program and improves stability in Outlook 2011. And really, who doesn’t want improved stability. Amiright?

The update is available now through Microsoft AutoUpdate. We’ve started applying to our Macs here at the office and so far, so good. If you do update, let us know if you have any problems in the comments.

We don’t always take rumors very seriously around here. When you’ve been in the news game as long as many of us have you tend to take most rumors with a Gibraltar-sized chuck of salt. So, it is with that caveat that we bring you news of the new Mac App store and its rumored launch date.

According to one of those infamous and anonymous “inside” sources, Apple plans to launch the Mac App Store one week from today, on December 13th. Why then? Well, as the source indicates, Apple CEO Steve Jobs actually wanted to launch the new store today but those pesky “delays” pushed the launch back to next week. I’m sure Jobs took that well.

In case you’re not familiar with the forthcoming App Store for the Mac, it will be OS X’s equivalent to the iTunes App Store for iOS devices. It won’t be the only place to get Apps for the Mac it will just make it more convenient and better for developers. . . hopefully.

If you’re a fan of Apple and its products you know that they are not really on the inexpensive side. Sure, they are well made, well designed and work pretty flawlessly. Of course, all that comes with a price.

Fortunately, Apple too must realize consumers need a deal once in awhile and what better time to offer it than the end of this week during the madness known as “Black Friday.” So, to make this a reality Apple will be offering deals on its website and online store according to a teaser up at the company’s website.

Except for the cryptic text touting “dozens of great iPad, iPod, and Mac gifts for everyone on your list” we’ve really got no clue what these deals may actually be. Still, its just nice to see that even Apple understands the economics of today’s world. People don’t have the money they used to have but they still want to get their hands on Apple’s latest shiny devices. With this sale on Friday, let’s hope they can.

This all starts on Friday, November 26th. If you do plan on taking advantage of these deals, start early as they probably won’t last.