Apple (AAPL) has confirmed the release date of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It will go on sale from this Friday, the 28th of August, and will cost $29 for the upgrade.
Snow Leopard builds on our most successful operating system ever and we’re happy to get it to users earlier than expected,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “For just $29, Leopard users get a smooth upgrade to the world’s most advanced operating system and the only system with built in Exchange support.
Key Features and Improvements
Snow Leopard, officially known as Mac OS X 10.6, brings a host of new features and improvements over its predecessor, Leopard. One of the most significant enhancements is the built-in support for Microsoft Exchange, which will be a boon for business users who rely on this platform for email, calendar, and contacts. This integration aims to make it easier for Mac users to work in corporate environments where Exchange is the standard.
Another notable improvement is the overall performance of the operating system. Apple has focused on refining the core software to make it faster and more efficient. For instance, Snow Leopard is designed to take up less disk space, freeing up about 7GB compared to Leopard. This is achieved through a more streamlined installation process and the removal of unnecessary code.
Enhanced User Experience
In addition to performance enhancements, Snow Leopard offers a more polished user experience. The Finder, which is the default file manager in Mac OS X, has been completely rewritten in Cocoa, Apple’s native object-oriented API for the macOS operating system. This rewrite results in a more responsive and smoother experience when navigating through files and folders.
Moreover, Snow Leopard introduces several new technologies aimed at improving the overall user experience. One such technology is Grand Central Dispatch (GCD), which optimizes the use of multi-core processors. This means that applications can run more efficiently by better distributing tasks across multiple CPU cores.
Another innovative feature is OpenCL (Open Computing Language), which allows developers to tap into the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for general-purpose computing tasks. This can lead to significant performance boosts in applications that are designed to take advantage of this technology.
Snow Leopard also includes a new version of QuickTime, known as QuickTime X. This updated media player offers a more modern interface and improved performance, including better support for high-definition video playback. Additionally, QuickTime X includes new features such as screen recording, which can be useful for creating tutorials or capturing gameplay.
Snow Leopard is now available to pre-order for $29.
via Gizmodo
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