Mac OS X Leopard - the wow starts now!

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 12 June 2007 02:45

Opinion and Analysis

Although Apple's new OS, due October, has 300 new features, Steve Jobs highlighted 10 features he wanted to share, from 'CoverFlow' in Finder through to the Time Machine feature, interface improvements and more - is it the most advanced OS ever?

Steve Jobs was under pressure to impress the world at the Apple WorldWide Developers Conference, and that he did with a great preview of Leopard, promising 300 new features while highlighting 10 to whet our appetites.

Jobs managed to throw in a joke at Vista's expense, saying there was a basic version of OS X 10.5 for US $129, and a premium version which would cost... wait for it... US $129, effectively showing that one operating system version is easier to deal with than the 73 million different flavors Vista is available in.

Apple showcased a new Desktop, a new 'Stacks' feature that makes it easier to find open programs and files; a new version of Finder that uses Cover Flow to show you the files in different folders just as you see cover art in iTunes; a new preview mode called 'Quick Look' that lets you see into files, even play media files, all without opening the actual app, saving you time; improved networking and file sharing that makes it easy to find files across the network; the Time Machine to find accidentally deleted files or even restore your Mac to an earlier time; Spaces to better organize desktops and applications and new versions of iChat, Mail, iCal, Web Clip, Boot Camp and some new development tools.

Jobs said that “Leopard is the best release of Mac OS X to date, surpassing even Tiger, and will further extend Mac OS X’s leadership as the most advanced and innovative operating system in the world. We think current and prospective customers are going to love Leopard, and that it will help make the Mac even more popular.”

The main Apple website has been re-designed, with a focus on Leopard, giving users the ability to watch demos of all the features in action, so they can see why Leopard will be more than worth the US $129 entry fee. Leopard is also fully 64-bit, with Jobs demonstrating during the keynote how this dramatically speeds up OS operation.

Boot Camp still requires you to own a copy of Windows XP or Vista, which will run as a separate operating system. To run Windows virtually, you'll still need Parallels 3.0 or VMware's Fusion Beta 4.

Apple also announced OS X 10.5 Leopard Server, which Apple says is "even easier for users to set up and manage".

It will also ship in October, presumably alongside the consumer release of Mac OS X 10.5, with Apple saying that Leopard Server is "the most significant improvement to the server operating system since Mac OS X Server was launched, introducing new features such as a wiki server, making it easy to connect groups over a shared intranet; Podcast Producer, the ideal way to automatically produce and publish podcasts to iTunes or a blog; and Spotlight Server to quickly find content stored on other servers. Leopard Server also includes the new iCal Server, based on the CalDAV open standard that works with Leopard’s new iCal application".

Whichever way you slice it, Apple's new OS for consumers and businesses is a great leap forward, making Vista's 'Aero' interface lose a bit, or perhaps even a lot, of its shine.

With an Apple Mac running OS X 10.5 and Vista through virtualization or Boot Camp, the wow really does start now - or rather, in October.