Apple releases Mac OS X 10.6.8 to prepare users for Lion

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Apple is preparing the ground for its release next month of Mac OS X Lion by releasing Mac OS X 10.6.8.

Apple's will launch Mac OS X Lion next month and the firm said that the Mac App Store will be the only way users can upgrade. Apple says that Mac OS X 10.6.8 brings "enhancements to the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion".

Aside from preparing users for Mac OS X Lion, Apple also included some other fixes including identifying and removing known versions of the Mac Defender malware. There are improvements in IPv6 and VPN support and fixes for Final Cut Pro, Preview and Xcode.

When Apple releases Mac OS X Lion next month the operating system is set to cost £21 and bring 250 new features including multitouch gesture support, full screen apps and the Mac App Store, which is set to become a big money spinner for Apple, much like its IOS App Store.

Along with the desktop version of Mac OS X 10.6.8 there is an update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, which includes updates to calendar, directory and mail services. There are security updates for several applications including Itunes, Java, Safari and Mac OS X itself.

Apple says that the download size of the desktop Mac OS X 10.6.8 update can vary, with users claiming anything between 275MB if they had Mac OS X 10.6.7 installed all the way up to over 1GB. µ