What's the difference between Mac OS X Update and Mac OS X Combined Update ?

Answer 1

A Mac OS X Update is an update that was released to make the very next improvement in the operating system or the applications that came with it and have no updates of their own, such as Mail or Sherlock. A Mac OS X Combined Update is at least two steps forward in updates. For example, my installation CD for one of my computers was version 10.2 and sometime later Mac OS X Update 10.2.1 was released. Now there are several steps of Combined Updates. The largest and latest for the 10.2 system is the Combined Update 10.2.8 so if I want the most advanced technology without buying a new installation CD (such as 10.4.7), I would choose the 10.2.8 Combined Update. Why would anyone every want to choose 10.2.3, for example, that is less than the latest version? Sometimes the download time is slow so a smaller size update will download much faster without any time-out error. If you use two or three steps of updates and the final result is 10.2.8, then it is exactly the same as using the combined update.

Apple uses the term "reference release" to indicate that an operating system version is a major step up and will be sold as a complete operating system CD. The numbering system is computer software developer standard system such that a change from 10.2 to 10.3 indicates a major change but a change from 10.2 to 10.2.1 indicates a minor change.

In recent years, all reference releases have been an addition of .1 to the OS 10 version number but in the distant past, such was not always the case. For example, here are some reference release versions of the old Mac operating system:
7.0, 7.5.3, 7.6, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 9.1
The Unix based operating systems began with a free beta release (the only beta operating system release by Apple) of Mac OS 10.0 so 10.1 was the first reference release.

The system versions 7.5 and older are now free downloads as is the 7.5.3 update so you could install System 7.5.3 (Apple did not use the term "Mac OS" until 7.6) for free on an older Mac.

Answer 2

There are 2 types of updates that Apple uses. The Delta is when you are at 10.4.6 or 10.4.x and it will update to 10.4.7 or 10.4.x. The Combo is when your system is at 10.4.6 or 10.4.x it will update to 10.4.8 or 10.4.x. You can use the Delta from Software Update in the Apple menu or download from Apple's website but the Combo update you will need to download. Some Mac users think it's better to update with the Combo version even if you are just going up 1, 10.4.6 > 10.4.7 and if the Delta doesn't work out you can download and install the Combo.
http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html

Answer 3

what the combined does for about a 1000 dollars more they ad on to ur computer Windows XP so u can toggle between them