Update Mac OS X 10.3, aka 'Panther', is ready for primetime, Apple has declared, according to a variety of sources cited by a range of Mac-oriented web sites.

The latest build of the operating system has been signed off as Gold Master - in other words, it's ready for mass duplication and thus shipment to customers.

Panther is expected to go on sale later this month. However, glitches may yet be found that could force Apple to ship a further build to distribution. Such errors do occur: witness the recent release and almost immediate recall of the Mac OS X 10.2.8 update.

That code may yet be re-released, but with Panther potentially so close to shipping, its future could be in doubt. But we understand Apple has seeded a new build of 10.2.8 to developers. And in any case there are quite a few folks out there who will need the revised update to fix the problems induced by the original 10.2.8 release. ®

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