Rounding up a plethora of hardware and software announcements, Apple has posted the first official Snow Leopard update and a number of security updates for Tiger and Leopard users. In addition, Apple patched firmware of its own RAID card and of GPUs found in some iMac systems.

Just two weeks after Apple released its new cat out of the cage, the California-based Mac maker posted OS X 10.6.1 (build 10B504), the first official system update for Snow Leopard. The software patches a number of early bugs found in the operating system, including a security fix that updates Snow Leopard’s vulnerable Flash player plug-in to to version 10.0.32.18.

Apple recommends Snow Leopard users to apply the update to “enhance the stability, compatibility, and security” of their systems. Release notes accompanying the download list the following fixes:

• compatibility with some Sierra Wireless 3G modems
• an issue that might cause DVD playback to stop unexpectedly
• some printer compatibility drivers not appearing properly in the add printer browser
• an issue that might make it difficult to remove an item from the Dock
• instances where automatic account setup in Mail might not work
• issues when sending mail with certain SMTP servers
• an issue where pressing Cmd-Opt-T in Mail brings up the special characters menu instead of moving a message
• Motion 4 becoming unresponsive

To update your Snow Leopard installation, either download the 72MB standalone OS X 10.6.1 installer or choose Software Update from the Apple menu to check for the latest updates online. The OS X Server 10.6.1 update is also available, fixing duplicate serial number alerts on servers with multiple network interfaces and improving reliability of services using Grand Central Dispatch. The company has also released HP printer drivers update providing the latest HP printing and scanning software for Snow Leopard.

iMac users with an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card running Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later are advised to apply Apple’s 850KB iMac Graphics Firmware Update 1.0.2 that updates the graphics card firmware, improving system stability. Owners of Mac Pro (Late 2006, Early 2008) and Xserve (Late 2006, Early 2008) systems fitted with the Apple RAID card may want to download the 26.12MB Apple RAID Card firmware update that resolves several issues and improves reliability during boot and power fail recovery.

In addition to all of the above, Apple has posted a number of standalone security updates for OS X Leopard and Tiger users:

• Security Update 2009-005 (Leopard) - 93.14 MB download
• Security Update 2009-005 Server (Leopard) - 93.14 MB download
• Security Update 2009-005 (Tiger, Intel Macs) - 169.75 MB download
• Security Update 2009-005 (Tiger, PowerPC Macs) - 77.95 MB download
• Security Update 2009-005 Server (Tiger, Universal) - 206.43 MB download
• Security Update 2009-005 Server (Tiger, PowerPC Macs) - 132.53 MB download

The update salvo began with iTunes 9 and iPhone 3.1 firmware posted during Wednesday’s iPod event. The conference served as a launchpad for the 160GB iPod classic and the new iPod nano that shoots video (but doesn’t do photos), in addition to an upgraded iPod touch and a modified iPod shuffle lineup.

If you’re considering taming Apple’s new cat, you may want to consult Geek’s definite guide to a hassle-free Snow Leopard installation outlining the installation procedure. There’s also the compatibility tutorial explaining early issues with third-party Mac apps. To find out what’s new in Snow Leopard, check out our laundry list of headline features and nice-to-haves. In addition, you’re also advised to check the gamma 2.2 change article, a remedial malware detection feature, and a detailed overview of QuickTime X, Snow Leopard’s new multimedia technology replacing the 18-year old QuickTime.