Apple has finally announced the launch date for the much-delayed 10.5 version of its OS X operating system. Mac OS X Leopard is schedule to go on sale on Friday week - October 26 - at 6pm UK time and at a price that makes retail versions of Windows Vista look as massively overpriced as we all know they are.
A single-user license will cost just £85 including VAT and a license that lets you install five copies in one location will be a mere £129. Apple's online store is now accepting pre-orders for delivery on launch day.
Rubbing Microsoft nose in its own dirt, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is quoted as saying that, "...everyone gets the 'Ultimate' version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just £85."
Mind you, prices in the USA are cheaper still, at $129 (equivalent to £63.50 or £74.60 with VAT) and $199 (roughly £98 or £115.15 with VAT). Even so, the differential between the two sides of the pond is far less than it is for Vista.
Almost everyone who bought a new Mac on or after October 1, 2007 will qualify for an upgrade to Leopard for a nominal sum - £5.95 in the UK to cover shipping and handling.
System requirements - detailed here - include 512MB of RAM and a Mac with an Intel CPU or a PowerPC G5 or G4 (867 MHz-plus) processor.
According to Apple, Leopard has more than 300
new features. These include a new desktop with "Stacks", a new way
to "easily access files from the Dock".
Also on the list are a redesigned Finder said to let
users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look,
a new preview option to "instantly" see the content of files even if the associated application isn't installed;
and Spaces, an "intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications
and instantly switch between them".
Leopard is said to add full support for 64-bit apps and, significantly, provides what looks to be a very appealing automatic back-up
program called Time Machine. Sensibly, this writes files to external hard drives.
Apple
says that Time Machine has a one-click setup routine and lets users
keep up-to-date copies of everything on their Macs. It reckons that users
can "search back through time to find
deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then
instantly restore them".
In addition, users are said to be able to restore their entire systems from their externally-stored backups.
According to Apple's press release, other new features in Leopard include:
• The complete Boot Camp release, previously available only as a beta, making it possible to run Windows natively on Intel-based Macs
• Web Clip, bringing anything that a user wants from a web page to Dashboard as a live widget
• New Photo Booth features, helping users create animated iChat buddy icons or fun effects and backdrops with still or video images
• An enhanced dictionary with Wikipedia built in, allowing users to access up to date information on virtually any subject in a snap
• A newly-updated iCal with multi-user calendaring based on the new CalDAV standard
• An updated version of Front Row, making it even easier to play music or watch movies, TV shows and photos on a Mac using the ultra-simple Apple Remote.
