Briefly: Mac OS X 10.4.1, Apple tablet, Xbox 360 photos and specs

Based on information already present on several internet web sites, it is believed that Apple has seeded the second external build of its Mac OS X 10.4.1 Update.

Specifically, reports point to a 36MB Mac OS X 10.4.1 build 8B13, which now includes over three dozen bug fixes to the retail version of Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" that went on sale late last month.

According to reports, this latest build lists only one known issue, which pertains to USB Lexmark inkjet printers.

It's believed that Apple could be ready to release the update around May 17th, when the company is also expected to begin shipping its new Final Cut Studio video production suite.

DVD Studio Pro 4, a component of Final Cut Studio, will require Mac OS X 10.4.1, according to an inadvertent post on Apple's own Web site, which has since been removed.

Tablet Mac Patent Granted in the US

The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple this week with a patent for the tablet-based Macintosh design that made headlines on the internet about a year ago, TMO is noting.

Apple had previously applied for a European design trademark on the device. However, sources believe it's unlikely that this product will ever see the light of day.

Apple has also recently received design patents for the Mac mini's power adapter and the iPod belt clip.

Xbox 360 Photos

Microsoft intends to preview its new gaming console, dubbed Xbox 360, to the world on Thursday via an MTV special, according to The Associated Press. The Redmond, Wash.-based company reportedly invited 200 people to attend the Los Angeles taping and asked them not to reveal what they saw until the show's broadcast. Fat chance.

Photos of the much anticipated next-generation gaming console are now plastered across the internet.

Each Xbox 360 will be powered by a custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU sporting 3 symmetrical cores running at 3.2 GHz each, 2 hardware threads per core, 1 VMX-128 vector unit per core, and a 1 MB L2 cache.

The units will also sport 3 USB 2.0 ports, WiFi, a detachable 20GB drive, 512 MB GDDR3 RAM, a custom ATI graphics processor with 10 MB of embedded DRAM and a customizable face plate interface to change the console's appearance.