Mac OS X Leopard delayed to October?

Digitimes is reporting that the next release of Mac OS X, code-named Leopard, will not ship until October of this year as Apple works to ensure compatibility with Windows Vista.

Apple showed off an automatic backup feature called Time Machine the last time it previewed Leopard, last June.

(Credit: Philip Siu/CNET News.com)

Sounds a little hard to believe, but the report says that with the inclusion of Boot Camp inside Leopard, Apple wants to make sure that Mac owners will be able to run Vista and Leopard on the same machine. Boot Camp, currently in beta, allows Mac users with Intel's chips to run Windows XP on their systems. Apple plans to include a final version of Boot Camp with Leopard.

Other popular Mac applications, such as iTunes, are still not fully compatible with Vista. And there have been problems reported with third-party drivers from companies like Nvidia that didn't work properly when confronted with Vista. But would Apple really delay the next release of its operating system to ensure compatibility with Vista, which is only being used by a fraction of PC users at present?

Apple has said it expects to ship Leopard this spring. Spring started this week, and ends just after Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference wraps up in June.

[eagle33199]

I'd bet...

Apple will most likely ship on schedule. Only supporting XP with boot camp on release really isn't that big a deal - and 6 months from now they can release a hotfix for it that supports Vista.

[Frankiti]

Bye Bye Apple Computer!

If Apple holds off for 6 months to appease Windows users, this will be the death
knell for the Mac and its hard won core of zealots.
Like the first poster stated, this can be cleared up with an update, why delay the
release? Apple seems to be putting computing on the back burner in favor of its
iTunes, a spur-of-the-moment decision which will come back to haunt them as
soon as the iPod fad has run its course, and networks come up with their own
way to sell their programming.

[CurtisW-FL]

Dude... read the franking article

You are a freaking anti-Apple idiot!

1) This is a freaking week old stupid rumor that is widely held as ********. Bootcamp already works with Vista and Leopoard isn't dependent on it!!!!

2) Apple can wait December to launch Leopard (6 month delay) and still be in better shape than M$ 5 year delay for Vista!!!

[ikcizokm]

Ignorance must be bliss

First and foremost, it demonstrates a lack of knowledge about American business and consumerism to call a small delay a "death knell" for a juggernaut company like Apple. No, they're not Microsoft, but the reality that seems to escape most people is that Apple isn't TRYING to be Microsoft. If they were, they would have licensed their tech and changed their business model decades ago. Apple is a multimedia company, bent on creating the next big human interface experience. You might be right that the iPod is a "fad", but the simple truth is that if anything will replace the iPod fad, it's going to be another Apple product.

Apple is attempting to sell more computers, their least popular division, by preaching integration with Windows. If this means delaying Leopard for a few months while Apple mops up Microsoft's mess that is Vista compatibility (oxymoron) then good for them. All it will mean in the end is more Mactel sales.

[aristotle_dude]

This is probably FUD paid by MSFT

I don't see why Apple should delay their OS for the release of windows drivers for the mac hardware under Vista. Most people are not in a hurry to run Vista anyway given the rampant compatibility and usability issues plaguing that OS.

This would go against Apple's philosophy of supporting their core customer base first who are likely to not care about windows anyway.