If only the new iPad could be so lucky to be so well protected. We’ve been using the tablet since its release, but nary an update is to be downloaded to advance the device’s security.

The 10.6.4 version of Snow Leopard, which is a 17-minute download on a middle-fast DSL line, introduces new protection to prevent back door attacks on Macs through the iPhoto software that ships with every system. A new feature called XProtect gets an update that keeps hackers from installing malware by fooling users into thinking iPhoto is at work, when damage is being done.

An update of a Mac’s operating system for security reasons — that’s a good idea. But Apple doesn’t have a practice of identifying security holes they patch with a new release. And sometimes a new OS version will make software stop running on a Mac. This is why backups are a vital complement to any security updating.Apple has brought out four updates to the Snow Leopard version of its OS now, updates that cover just a nine-month period. Not every one had a security benefit. But the state of security is so tenuous now that your Adobe PDF software, browser, and OS should be considered at risk if you haven’t seen an update in 90 days.

Browsers and Adobe software are the chief targets for hackers, since they cover so many more victims than just Apple’s products. More than 360 million people are using Firefox as a browser, for example, on both PCs and Macs. Adobe’s Flash and Acrobat readers run on hundreds of millions of systems. Adobe just introduced a 9.3.3 version of Acrobat to improve security.

As diligent as Apple and Adobe might be (some say Apple’s sluggish at best about security plugs), the vendors can’t do a thing to help secure your business if you don’t install updates. The rule of thumb was once “don’t install if you don’t need” an update. But security issues are much more serious by now. You can balance the time spent downloading and upgrading, the checks of your applications afterward, against the dangers of running an unprotected system.

About 30 minutes of downloading and watching mysterious messages — things like “optimizing” or “unpacking packages” or “moving items into place” or “registering components” — plus a reboot, and my iMac was running 10.6.4. I did the usual first step after an upgrade — started all the apps that matter to my workplace.

The Apple apps don’t need checking — Apple’s done that in its own labs. But the likes of Adobe CS apps, QuickBooks 2010, Microsoft Office apps and even reliables like Eudora, an antique mail program. 10.6.4 updates Apple’s Mail, as it turns out — so my add on Mail Tags software needs to be updated.

If you haven’t seen one of these books, it may not be easy to describe how much color and how many screen shots prance across the pages. This is a book for the switcher who’s moved from a business Windows system to the simplicity of the Mac — or a more advanced user who needs a quick refresher and can just scan a picture to recall how to reset a forgotten password.

The emphasis here is on the complete set of computing tasks at an everyday level. Using the Dock, entering a Web address into Safari, composing email in Mail, locating files you’ve downloaded from the Web: it’s all shown screen by screen in Paul McFriederies’ book. The lessons are broken down into two-page spreads with alternative methods for some tasks, such as uninstalling applications or customizing the Dock.

If you’re working with a Mac for the first year, or in the first year of using Snow Leopard, this training tool might be just the right amount of information to avoid overload. Some users don’t need extensive details on the nuances of networking, or the best way to bring iPhone voice memos onto the Mac without a complete snyc of everything on the iPhone with the Mac. This isn’t a power users’ book, but it’s got plenty to show the small business and creative user who’s exploring the utility of the Mac.

About 20 percent of the book covers using the highly-visual Mac apps, iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie. There’s a healthy spread devoted to iTunes, where across almost 50 pages you can learn how to manage music and the ever-growing controls of synchronization between iPhone and Mac.

One of the shortest sections of this book is its networking instructions. For plenty of users, networking amounts to linking with a WiFi network in their office or at a client site. Setting up a network is beyond the scope of this book, and securing a network isn’t covered at all. There’s a firewall in every Mac, but this book won’t help you understand that protection. On the upside, you’ll get a good primer on creating a robust password using Snow Leopard’s Password Assistant.

The Mac ships with software included to build Web sites, as well as features to record video from a Webcam or audio messages, but there’s nary a page about iWeb or Quicktime Player 7 in this book. The former is a underwhelming tool for building fundamental Web sites, while the latter is an optional install that provides much more multimedia power than Apple’s simple Quicktime Player.

But a training book like this one can’t really be judged by what’s missing as much as how it handles the included tasks, taught from scratch. You will learn how to create and manage iCal appointments or organize business contacts using Address Book, and this book — Wiley’s only Mac title in the Teach Yourself Visually Series — is a useful addition to a training library. It’s something to hand to the curious user who’s got the motivation to follow a pictured path to productivity. Let your Mac guru or administrator wrestle with one of Wiley’s 800-page bibles.

US $29.99