To better prepare you for the upcoming release of the iPad, Apple has posted their very own guided tours of the interface and applications on Apple.com.  The guides are brief and inclusive of just about every feature the tablet has to offer.  This includes not only Safari, and Mail, but also the new iWork apps of Pages, Numbers and Keynote.  Check out all the tours for yourself so you can prepare properly for Saturday.

[Apple]

  Apple released a new build of Snow Leopard not too long ago and they have just updated and released a new build for devlopers.  Aside from the obvious bug fixes, the new build (10A286), contains an update to Quicktime which is more minimalist and focused on playback.  This version of Snow Leopard also includes Safari 4 as default and Finder includes a new Cocoa Desktop, Info Window and Contextual Menu. 

[Update] – Again, World of Apple reports that Apple has seeded yet another build (9J27) of Snow Leopard to developers which included 8 fixes to the previous version.  Does this mean we will see the retail version soon?  We hope so, but it’s hard to tell the exact time of release other than this year.

[via worldofapple]

  We have all been wondering when is the release of Snow Leopard coming to the consumer.  World of Apple has published screen shots from the latest build of the updated OS from Apple.  The updates included after the jump:

-The System Preferences include some minor UI changes

-The Keyboard Shortcuts Preference pane is now considerably easier to use

-Application footprints in Snow Leopard are significantly reduced. Almost all of the applications have been rebuilt in Cocoa and 64 bit

-The majority of running processes are now Intel (64 bit)

-Mail has a significantly smaller application footprint than in Leopard. Also note the option to open applications in 32 bit mode

-The new Put Back feature allows deleted files to be returned to the folder they were deleted from

-Despite Apple touting QuickTime X as a big feature of Snow Leopard it is yet to make an appearance

-All features are now enabled in QuickTime by default. No longer requires a QuickTime Pro upgrade

-You can now navigate the the folder structure in Stacks

You can view the rest of the screenshots and information at World of Apple

  In case you did not know, there is a new update for quicktime.  The 75.1MB update for quicktime says that it adds reliability and security features.  You can get the update now via software update or through Apple’s site.

  The other day we heard of a professor who could not play a movie which he purchased on iTunes via a projector output from a new MacBook.  This was due to an HDCP issue in Quicktime which disallowed him to output protected content through the new Mini DisplayPort on the updated MacBooks.  Apple has now fixed this issue with the Quicktime 7.5.7 Update. 

The Update states the following:  This update is recommended for owners of MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro with Mini DisplayPort. The update addresses an issue where some standard definition purchases from the iTunes Store do not play on some external displays.

It’s great to see Apple respond so quickly to the issue of playing our own content.  This is sure to make many new MacBook owners happy.  You can get the update via software update or download it from their page.

[Download]