Apple has released Mac OS X 10.4.3, the latest update to its Tiger operating system. Two versions are available: one, the "Delta" update, updates Mac OS X 10.4.2 to 10.4.3, while the other "Combo" update brings either Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.4.1 to version 10.4.3

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN) and registration services provider VeriSign have reached a tentative agreement to end their long-standing lawsuits against each other over how VeriSign resolves non-existent domain names for the .com and .net top-level domains

At a special press event in New York last week, Apple rolled out new revisions to its professional line of PowerBook computers and unveiled new high-end quad-processor Power Mac G5 systems. More Pixels -- First up, Apple refreshed the 15-inch and 17-inch members of its PowerBook line, adding larger displays, increasing battery life, and making DVD-burning SuperDrives standard across the entire PowerBook line

Apple Computer has published the financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2005, and... well, there's no other way to put this. Somewhere in Cupertino, someone is rolling around in a big pile of money and laughing like a comic book villain on nitrous oxide

In one of its trademark media events in San Jose on 12-Oct-05, Apple Computer took the wraps off its new fifth-generation video-capable iPod and a new, slimmer iMac with an integrated iSight video camera and new Front Row media software. First, Apple's fifth-generation iPod sports a 2.5-inch LCD screen which, like previous color iPods, can display album art and photographs, but can also play video, including music videos, television episodes, video podcasts, and home movies

Apple has released Security Update 2005-008, which is available either as a standalone installer or via Mac OS X's Software Update feature. The update applies to both Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther and Mac OS X 10.4.2 Tiger, with sizes ranging from 4 to 7.4 MB. Fixes in this update include changes to ImageIO, LibSystem, Apple Mail, QuickDraw, Ruby, SecurityAgent, securityd, and Safari (Mac OS X 10.3.9 only)

Apple Computer last week took the wraps off iTunes 5.0, the latest version of its free jukebox software for Mac OS X and Windows. iTunes 5.0 adds the following new features: After many years of user lamentation, playlists can now be organized into hierarchical folders

Safari Updates for Panther & Tiger -- Apple has released updates to its Safari Web browser, which the company says improve support for third-party Web applications, make Safari more stable, and improve Web site compatibility

FileMaker 8 Adds Features, Retains File Format -- FileMaker, Inc. today took the wraps off FileMaker 8, the latest version of its flagship desktop database product

Security Update 2005-007 v1.1 Works with 64-Bit Apps -- Apple has released version 1.1 of its Security Update 2005-007 for Tiger users. The only change in v1.1 is that it provides a combined 32- and 64-bit version of the operating system component LibSystem; the initial release of Security Update 2005-007 omitted the 64-bit version, breaking 64-bit-savvy programs like Mathematica on systems with G5 processors. The 64-bit change for Security Update 2005-007 applies only to the client and server versions of Mac OS X 10.4.2 Tiger - folks using Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther don't need to worry about downloading a new version of the update

Apple Releases Security Update 2005-007 -- Apple Computer today released Security Update 2005-007 for both client and server versions of Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther and Mac OS X 10.4.2 Tiger

iTMS Opens in Japan, Rolls Some Stones -- Apple Computer got some satisfaction for its iTunes Music Store, announcing not only the debut of the Japanese version of iTMS but also the worldwide availability of early Abkco catalog recordings, which includes early rock 'n roll classics from The Animals, Sam Cooke, Herman's Hermits, Marianne Faithful, and the Rolling Stones

HP Dropping the iPod -- Only one month after adding the iPod shuffle to its product lineup, Hewlett-Packard reportedly plans to stop reselling Apple's iPod digital music players by the end of September 2005

Apple Computer last week took the wraps off minor updates to two affordable segments of its Macintosh product lines, speeding up and improving the iBook portable line while (finally!) doubling the default RAM installed in Mac minis. Improvements to the iBooks aren't just limited to processor speeds - which have been boosted to PowerPC G4s running at 1.33 GHz in the 12-inch model and 1.42 GHz in the 14-inch model - but extend to a higher-performance ATI Mobility Radeon graphics controller, built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless technology, and the scrolling trackpad and Sudden Motion Sensor technologies which originally appeared in the PowerBook G4 line

Yahoo Gets With a New Konfab -- Yahoo announced today that it has purchased Konfabulator, an application (for both Mac OS X and Windows) which enables users to run small custom applications - called Widgets - right on their desktop

Apple Sells Its 500 Millionth Track -- Apple announced that it sold the 500 millionth track via its iTunes Music Store on 17-Jul-05: the song was "Mississippi Girl" by Faith Hill, and Apple's giveaway winner is Amy Greer from Lafayette, Indiana

Our friends at Macworld magazine and Mac Publishing announced five Best of Show winners at the IDG Macworld Conference and Expo 2005 in Boston. To be eligible, products had to be introduced at the show itself (or recently enough that they generated excitement amongst attendees) and be available for hands-on evaluation by the Macworld editorial staff

Amongst the TidBITS staff, I'm a bit of an anachronism: my main Mac is an ever-aging Power Mac G4 Quicksilver I bought (cheap!) in early 2002. The machine originally shipped with dual 800 MHz processors, and last year I installed a Sonnet Encore/ST G4 Duet processor upgrade, taking the CPUs to 1.27 MHz

Smith Micro Software, Inc. announced its acquisition of Allume Systems, Inc. for $11 million in cash and $1.75 million in Smith Micro stock. Allume, formerly known as Aladdin Systems, is the maker of long-standard StuffIt compression products as well as Spring Cleaning and a number of other Macintosh utilities

Apple's approaching another milestone with its iTunes Music Store: selling its 500 millionth track. In celebration, Apple has set up an online song counter so customers can see just how fast the 500 million mark is approaching