The first stable builds of a maintenance and security update to Apple's recently released Tiger operating system are being passed around the company's Cupertino headquarters, AppleInsider has learned. Anonymous but reliable sources say that after a month in development, Mac OS X 10.4.1 Update, code-named \"Atlanta,\" is ready to be deployed for rigorous and wide-spread testing. Its objective will be to rectify any and all outstanding issues present in the shipping version of Mac OS X 10.4 \"Tiger,\" which went on sale over the weekend.
Software builds of the Mac OS X 10.4.1 Update have reportedly been assigned to the 8Bx millstone, with the most recent builds rumored to be Mac OS X 10.4.1 build 8B5, 8B7 and 8B9.
According to various contacts, the update will address issues with over three dozen components of the Mac OS X 10.4 \"Tiger\" operating system, with an emphasis on improving general stability and reliability.
Some of the key areas to be targeted by the update include: AFPServer, AddressBook, AppKit, Bluetooth, Carbon, CoreFoundation, CoreGraphics, DashBoard Widgets, DVD Player, Directory Services, Fonts, Help, iCal, iSync, Mail, Preview, Printing, OpenLDAP, Quartz, SecurityAgent, and WebCore.
Insiders also believe that Mac OS X 10.4.1 will include updates to Tiger's .Mac synchronization and notification components and pack a new version of the Mac OS X xnu kernel.
Already, insiders tell AppleInsider that recent builds of the system update have addressed nearly two dozen bugs located in Tiger, including sleep issues with iMacs, random crashes related to the new H.264 video codec, PDF printing problems with Safari and Bluetooth FTP.
Problems with AddressBook, .Mac registration, iPhoto, Pages, iCal, iSync and iDVD have also been rectified, sources said.
Of interest to some users, sources said Mac OS X 10.4.1 will also correct DHCP issues experienced by some Tiger users who own certain D-Link wireless routers.
Mac OS X 10.4.1, which currently weighs in at approximately 35MB, is slated for a mid to late-May release.