Cupertino, California - Users of the Mac operating system OS X 10.4 need not worry that Apple will abandon the platform just yet.

While "Tiger," as the OS is known, has already been replaced by "Leopard" (OS X 10.5), Apple generally only stops providing updates once the replacement version itself already has a replacement, reports Hanover-based computer magazine c't in its Special Mac edition.

That means that support will only end once Mac OS X 10.6 is released. Apple has not named a timeframe for that as yet.

Keeping computers regularly updated is one important way to make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to them. Mac users are generally less affected by this than Windows PC anyways, but the safest bet is to go with the updates. (dpa)