Apple has released the much-anticipated Mac OS X 10.5.2 update for Leopard Macs.

The update is available as a stand-alone updater, a Combo update which implements patches applied in the previous Leopard update, and as an update for Mac OS X Server.

In general terms Mac OS X 10.5.2 is described as including general operating system fixes that enhance the stability and security of Macs running the OS.

The update sees Apple respond to many criticisms of the initial system, for example, the company has updated Stacks with the addition of a List and Folder view option and the introduction of an updated background for Grid view.

Users can also now turn off transparency in the menu bar using the Desktop and Screen Saver preferences. Menus have also been adjusted to be less translucent.

The update applies fixes to Active Directory, AirPort, Back To My Mac, Dashboard, Dock, the Desktop, iCal, iChat, iSync, Finder, Mail, Networking, Parental Controls, Preview, Printing, RAW Image, Safari, Login and Setup Assistant, System, Time Machine and more.

AirPort connection reliability has been improved and certain kernel panics caused by use of the wireless standard have been resolved. Back to my Mac users can now use that feature through an extended list of third-party wireless routers.

Dashboard sees better performance from certain Apple widgets, while iCal's handling of recurring or cancelled meetings has been improved.

iSync now supports Samsung D600E and D900i phones. Mail's Data Detectors are now more accurate, and the software now disabled the unsupported GrowlMail plug-in to "avoid issues".

The update also adds a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine features (the menu extra can be enabled in Time Machine preferences) and addresses issues in which some external drives are not recognized by Time Machine.

Apple has published detailed information on additional patches implemented within this update.

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