Mac OS X Tiger claws onto Amazon
The online retailer has put up a listing for the forthcoming operating system, saying "this item will be released on March 31, 2005. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives."
The March date is interesting. Apple has said only that it will ship in the first half of next year--potentially earlier or later than Amazon's ship date.
An Apple representative declined to comment. An Amazon representative said in an e-mail that the ship date was an estimate based on the fact Apple said Tiger would ship in the first half of next year. "We will adjust as we get updates from Apple," the representative said.
So far, not too many people have taken Amazon up on the offer. Tiger currently ranks #1,327 among software products. Of course, Apple fans can take heart that Longhorn--the next version of Windows--is not due out until 2006, and that's just too far in the future to be available for pre-order on Amazon.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
