What I have found amazing, to the point of being almost funny, is the fact early adopters of the iMac G5 will actually benefit from Apple’s upcoming OS X release, Snow Leopard, more than users of the more up to date Intel Core Duo iMacs.

When Apple first shipped the iMac G5 in August 2004 the average consumer didn’t realise they were buying an all in one with a 64-bit CPU. Apple’s choice of chip was the PowerPC 970 series from IBM, which could process both 32-bit and 64-bit instructions natively.

Apple announced to the public that it would make the transition to Intel processors at the World Wide Developers Conference in 2005. By January 2006 they released the first two products running Intel Core Duo processors, these included the 15″ MacBook Pro and the entire iMac line. The rest of Apple’s range followed throughout 2006 and by September the iMac range was updated to include 64-bit Core 2 Duo processors.

So if you still own a Core Duo Mac does that mean there is no point getting Snow Leopard? Not really, but it will be interesting to see if the G5 catches up with the Core Duo Macs once Snow Leopard’s installed. Apple are stating the use of a 64-bit CPU will deliver 15%+ more performance in Snow Leopard.

Intel Core Duo is the odd one out

Apple released their seventh security fix of 2008 tonight. The update is recommended for all users of Mac OS X. For more information about the update you should visit here. It weighs in at 31.1MB and as usual for an update of this nature, requires a restart.

Get your updates...

Apple released 10.5.5 on the 15th of September. According to Apple the update included the following improvements..

• Improves Spotlight indexing performance.
• Improves iPhone sync reliability with iCal and Address Book
• In MobileMe: improves overall sync and Back to My Mac reliability.
• Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule.
• Addresses stability issues with video playback, processor core idling, and remote disc sharing for MacBook Air.

I was hoping this update would fix the long standing problem in Leopard of shared libraries not showing album artwork on the remote source. I have a Mac mini setup in my bedroom with a 20″ ACD and it is very frustrating seeing a placeholder instead of actual album art when scrolling through not just Music, but also Movies and TV Shows. Please Apple, fix this problem, as “gorgeous artwork” is what you love doing!