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Apple has issued another update to the Safari browser — the second in just two weeks. The new update, version 3.2.1, became available yesterday via Software Update. Release notes for the new update simply said:

This update includes stability improvements and is recommended for all Safari users.

It is speculated this update follows reports from many users who downloaded the 3.2 Safari update and who are suffering from frequent crashes, particularly when the new anti-phishing feature was enabled. A thread on the Apple Support Discussions forums entitled “Safari 3.2 Is Unusuable - Spontaneously Quits,” has 112 posts at the time of writing, mostly from users who are finding Safari unusable after the 3.2 update. And it’s not the only one of its kind either. The same post has also had over 4,000 views, most probably from people who have typed in to Google “Safari 3.2 keeps crashing,” desperately looking for a fix.

I have had no problems with the 3.2 update, but then I have not enabled the anti-phishing feature.

If you’ve had problems with 3.2, let us know if 3.2.1 has solved them!

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Many users of the new MacBooks have experienced issues with the new glass trackpads and Mactropolis recently reported on the issue — after a period of use, the glass trackpad would not recognize clicks for a some time. Shortly after many users spoke out about the issue, and after several lengthy threads on the Apple Discussion Forums, Steve Jobs promised there would be a software update to fix it. And now it’s here.

This firmware update addresses an issue where trackpad clicks may not be recognized on MacBook (Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (Late 2008) systems.

If you’re a new MacBook user who experienced issues with the glass trackpad, please let us know if the update has fixed it for you. I’ve had a new MacBook for a few weeks now but I am yet to experience the trackpad problem! Touch wood.

A post made in the MacRumors forums by member Hardmac details the possibility of four-finger gestures on the original MacBook Air. At present, this feature is enabled through a hack but proves how simple it would be for Apple to allow this feature on early 2008 MacBook Pros and Airs through a software update. Hardmac wrote:

I can confirm the four finger gesture is possible on pre-October 2008 laptops, and I currently have four finger Exposé and Application Switching working on my January 2008 MacBook Air.

Four-finger gestures were introduced to the new MacBooks in October and allow things like Expose and application switching to be operated from the trackpad. Apple are yet to announce that this feature is possible on previous multi-touch trackpads.

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Podcast downloads enabled in iTunes

Since the iPhone 2.2 firmware has been seeded to developers, several leaks have surfaced that have given us some things to look forward to with the new software release. We recently posted an article that contained details on Google Street View, but we now have something else to get us that little bit more excited — podcast downloads!

German blog Schimanke.com has published pictures that show the new firmware downloading podcasts within iTunes on the iPhone. Over-the-air podcasts are something many users have been looking forward to, me included. I often find I’m not in the mood for music and fancy a good podcast, but chances are the ones I have on my iPhone I’ve listened to already, so the ability to download new podcasts on the device itself, I think, is a great feature.

It seems we have a lot to look forward to in the next update however, we are still yet to hear anything about the background push notification service that Apple promised in September. The service is designed to alert the user of various things without the need to have the an application running. For example, if you currently receive a message in Facebook, unless you have specific applications open, you would be unaware — but with the push notification feature, it’s possible you can be alerted of a new message without having the application running.

Apple seeded the Beta 2 of firmware 2.2 to developers in October, however we are yet to hear when the update will be released.

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Apple's new button-less trackpad made of glass.

Recently we posted an article regarding the trackpad issues with the new MacBooks — many users were finding that after a number of clicks, their trackpad would not respond to clicks for a short period. The new trackpads, made of glass, do not have a separate physical button. Instead, the whole of the trackpad acts as a button.

Users who are experiencing this issue will be pleased to know that Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, has annouced that a fix for the non-responsive click is coming soon via Software Update. AppleInsider who have contacted Apple regarding this issue claim to have received an e-mail response from the man himself that says “software fix coming soon”.

Many will be releived that the issue is indeed software related and not a hardware problem with the new trackpads. Mind you, I won’t speak too soon!

Apple's new button-less trackpad made of glass

We recently highlighted a few of the issues new MacBook adopters were having with their machines. It seems that together with the loose battery case and slanted keys, trackpad issues are to be added to the list.

Crunch Gear have reported that a ‘tipster’ with a fleet of MacBooks is recognizing that the new button-less trackpads are not recognizing clicks up to 60% of the time. It seems however that their tipster isn’t the only one with the issue — there is also a huge thread on the Apple Support Discussions pages where many users are voicing the same problem.

We’re hoping that this is just a software issue that can easily be solved by a future update. One user on the Apple discussion claims he’s found a temporary fix:

I have found one solution that I think did work for me (could be a placebo effect but I figured I should share regardless).

In System Preferences go to Trackpad, than at the top move the slider for “Trackpad Speed” up one notch, I was uncomfortable at first but got used to it and it seemed to make the problem better.

I’m not sure how changing the trackpad speed in any way would have an effect on the hard click but if it works, it works! Maybe it will work for others until a fix is released.

I’ve had my new MacBook for nearly a week now and as of yet, I haven’t experienced any issues. I’ve had the battery cover off a few times and it’s not yet loose and I’ve used the keyboard extensively and haven’t suffered the slanted keys. However, I can’t comment on the trackpad because I mostly use a wireless mouse. I just hope I’m one of the lucky ones and continue to experience no issues!

AT&T has recently begun surveying iPhone 3G customers on what features they would like to see introduced to the handset. The survey also aims to discover post-purchase customer satisfaction on both Apple and AT&T, as described by AppleInsider readers, as well as asking whether or not firmware update 2.1 made any improvements.

Customers are asked to pick their top five hardware or software additions they’d like to see introduced to the iPhone, including MMS messaging, cut & paste, built-in instant messaging and Flash/Java support.

AppleInsider insists customers should not look upon this as a sign of Apple’s future direction with the 3G handset, they say “companies regularly poll their customers to determine the level of demand for particular features”. Although Apple has previously stated that they are continually looking to add new features to the iPhone’s software — when questioned on the iPhone’s lack of cut & paste, Apple stated it was a question of priority and that such features have been put on the ‘back-burner’ whilst they address other issues and features.

As we reported earlier this week it seems the next iPhone software update will include Google Street View, however it is yet to be reported we will see any of the above features many customers are requesting. We are also yet to hear of any customers outside of the US that have received a similar survey.

One particular feature I would like to see added to the iPhone would be the ability to ‘tether’ it to my MacBook and use the phone as a 3G modem to connect to the internet in places that don’t posses a WiFi hotspot.

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Apple quietly released a software update for the MacBook Air yesterday. The Update addresses issues with video playback and processor core idling. This update is recommended for all MacBook Air computers. Apple does include a word of warning though, “Third-party software that modifies processor operating characteristics such as frequency and voltage (are) not supported and should be removed before installing this update.” The update can be found here.

Today, Apple released iTunes 7.6.1 via the Software Update utility. You can see the details of the iTunes update above.

The iTunes update details:

Rent and download your favorite movies with iTunes on your computer or directly to your living room on Apple TV. Enjoy rented movies in sizes up to 720p HD with surround sound on your Apple TV and sizes up to DVD-quality on your computer. Transfer your rented movies from iTunes to your iPod or iPhone and enjoy them on the go.

Also, purchase and download your favorite TV shows, music, and more directly on your Apple TV. Effortlessly transfer purchases made on Apple TV back to your computer with iTunes.

iTunes 7.6.1 includes several bug fixes and improves compatibility with Apple TV software version 2.0.

…And as you can see in the image above I still have a few other updates to install. A Compressor Update, Keyboard Firmware Update and a small Leopard Graphics Update. Check your software updates by clicking the Apple > Software Update… I’m going to run my updates right now!