It's official: Leopard to go on sale October 26
(Credit: Apple)After much speculation, Apple has confirmed that the next version of its Mac OS X operating system, "Leopard," will hit stores on Friday, October 26, at 6 p.m.
The company has stated that Leopard, which was delayed this spring due to the high-profile iPhone, includes more than 300 new features in comparison to its predecessor, Tiger.
Among these are an improved "dock" interface for easy access to applications, more robust parental controls, the Time Machine automatic-backup service and a redesigned Finder interface.
The operating system is set to cost $129 for a single-user license and $199 for a five-user "Family Pack" license.
In addition, Apple also plans to launch the Leopard version of its Mac OS X Server in conjunction with the standard version of the operating system. Included in this release of the Unix-compliant server software are a host of new features, including Podcast Producer, for automatically publishing audio to iTunes or the Web; Wiki Server, for collaborative Web site work; and iCal Server, for enterprise calendar management. The new OS X Server is set to cost $499 for a 10-client edition and $999 for an unlimited-client edition.
Apple's home page has been updated with a Leopard countdown clock. The online store is now accepting preorders--and meanwhile, the next iteration of the legendary Apple rumor mill is already rolling.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
If so, Win Restore came first. But from what I know of the two systems they have very little in common.
and he was a avid Mac User ;-)
I look forward to finding out.
/P
http://www.appleinsider.com/print.php?id=3297
Seriously, I'll be order a new iMac next week in the hopes that it will be pre-installed on the system.
Thank you Apple!
Break the Wedge!
Time will tell.
Apple delayed this product once already in favor of a consumer cell phone instead which shows where their priorities are focused on and it's not computers anymore. Computers and operating systems are now third string in the Apple lineup.
Linux Rules, but I don't have a problem supporting a commercial OS if it is good and I like it.
Come to think of it, it's the same OEM 10.3 install that I re-installed on the machine when I purchased it used in 2004.
I have yet to see a Windows installation put up to so much abuse (I do 3D/CG heavy-duty rendering and raytracing on it), and survive that long... at least not with the same speed and pep of a fresh install that I still get and feel with the OSX installation.
/P
It works both ways, the consumer who doesn't have a need for the newest and best, (I am a photographer and I always wait for hardware upgrades then buy the old stuff, works fine), can choose to buy Leopard or Windows Vista, (depending on their platform, of if they buy Apple, they can choose both). Only with Vista comes a myriad of hardware and software compatibilities.
*iPod Touch screen defection issues
*iPod Touch lacking features customers wanted
*iPhone price drops
*iTunes issues
*Delayed Leopard
you would think they actually want to build goodwill with customers and fend off rivals at the same time. Instead, they raise the barrier for entry into their exclusive and pricey club by alienating those that are loyal to them or have just recently joined the cult.
Your probably thinking, "what is this guy's problem". When Microsoft released XP, and Vista, they (as well as their hundreds of partners) handed out vouchers for download of the new OS for every new PC sold/copy purchased of the old OS. Sure, they had to write off billions, but that is just good business in the end- making customers HAPPY. Hear that Apple, make us HAPPY. With your small but growing market share, it wouldn't cost you nearly that much to give newcomers a free copy of Leopard. Today you confirmed not only Leopards features, release date, and price. But you also confirmed that you are not the pro-consumer, somehow different than any other corporation, "Apple of our eye".
"This guy is going off his rocker" you must be thinking. "Companies exist to make money, not lose it". Sure! We all know Apple is all about making money by denying the fact that iPod Touch had issues, while raking in restock fees. The whole iPhone backstabbing (only a couple months after the hyped release) also helped to earn a little money, and a lot of ire. (at what cost?). And last but not least, the whole overpriced underwhelming .Mac, for what is it now? $79? Wow.
Apple is starting to share it's CEO's arrogance and I for one am not liking it. I was debating on upgrading to an iMac this weekend, my first Mac ever. I wanted to wait, to hear the news that Steve would be gracious enough to give us all his latest cat if we bought early. Instead, nope. "You can all pay us another $130". To be fair, Leopard is a great improvement, but not worth an additional $130 tacked on to our Apple contribution pile.
After all my ranting and raving, I hope you realize that Apple is actually worse than Microsoft. Worse than Creative. And most likely, not good for the entertainment business. With their, "it's my ball and I wont share" business tactics
(no development for iPod Touch, iPhone; not opening iTunes to others; Making us and developers pay more, again to buy new accessories for the new iPods; Not working WITH NBC-Universal to get us the content WE want; FairPlay non-licensing)
they drive away partners, customers and content providers. I am getting sick of Apple's arrogance, and greed. Come on Apple, show us I am wrong!
Customer satisfaction is unimportant.
Reliability is unimportant.
Customer loyalty is unimportant.
Money is all that is important.
You have it, they want it, and that is all that matters to them (or any other company).
> Vista vouchers
This was done to appease large PC vendors who feared folks
would not purchase their PCs for the previous holiday period w/o
a voucher. This was not about good will to the end customer.
> Free copy of Leopard
This is typical of Windows mentality: "It should be free". It is not a
surprise that Apple's releasing Leopard in October, they basically
said that back last Spring. So if you felt you wanted Leopard for
free, you were free to wait until it is put on the machine (which is
usually a week or two after the OS is released).
> We all know Apple is all about making money by denying the
fact that iPod Touch had issues, while raking in restock fees.
First, every company will try to deny an issue until it can be
verified and in fact, they did admit issues and replaced defective
iPod touches.
> The whole iPhone backstabbing (only a couple months after the
hyped release) also helped to earn a little money, and a lot of ire.
(at what cost?).
Did you actually buy an iPhone? Or are you just taking something
personal that didn't actually occur to you? The only people that
should be "upset" are actual iPhone owners. If you didn't buy one,
you have no claim to be upset.
> And last but not least, the whole overpriced underwhelming
.Mac, for what is it now? $79? Wow.
If you think .Mac is overpriced, there is a simple solution: DON'T
BUY IT. Again, It sounds like you are claiming a grievance without
actually having been affected by it.
> I was debating on upgrading to an iMac this weekend, my first
Mac ever. wanted to wait, to hear the news that Steve would be
gracious enough to give us all his latest cat if we bought early.
Again -- simple solution: wait until it comes on the machine
(which should be early November).
> I hope you realize that Apple is actually worse than Microsoft.
Worse than Creative.
Does Apple really want you as a customer if your complaint list is
this long without actually being a customer?
> no development for iPod Touch, iPhone; not opening iTunes to
others; Making us and developers pay more, again to buy new
accessories for the new iPods; Not working WITH NBC-Universal
to get us the content WE want; FairPlay non-licensing) they drive
away partners, customers and content providers
Wow -- that's a mighty big laundry list.
1. touch/iPhone development. As a developer, I know what is
really at the heart of these issues and know why there is no SDK
yet. Apple has provided a solution and I think they will provide
more -- the iPhone is barely 3.5 mo old, the touch barely a
month. Your complaint would be more valid a year from now.
2. NBC/Universal -- I'm gonna side with Apple on this one too.
Variable pricing is another name for price increase. These folks
aren't interested in lowering the price below $.99, so the only
direction left is UP, UP, UP. NBC.COM sucks and I think Hulu.com
will too -- which means that NBC will likely be back.
3. FairPlay non-licensing. Exactly what does licensing give Apple
as a business? For that matter, why doesn't Microsoft support
their DRM on Macs? Are you going to demand that from them too?
The real solution to the FairPlay problem is non-DRM. You can
buy Amazon MP3s and play them on your iPod or any other MP3
player. Problem solved.
Does that mean that iPod Touch screens are leaving for other products? Oh, you meant POSSIBLE Touch screen defects... why not wait and see what the numbers work out to before getting all bent out of shape. And even if they ALL fail, did YOU buy one?
"iPod Touch lacking features customers wanted"
I want one that takes out the trash and washes my dishes. Darn. If it doesn't have what you want, then don't buy it. Is that hard to figure out? At any rate it hardly seems getting all ranty...
"iPhone price drops"
I think that is GREAT news. I might even buy one now. Apple did make concessions to early adopters, didn't they? Again why are YOU so upset? How many did you buy?
"Delayed Leopard"
Well at least they didn't delay it SIX YEARS like another OS I can think of. So what? Tiger suits many people just fine. It is not like everybody is going to run out and buy it just because. OK some will, but not everybody. Did the delay of Leopard kill your dog or something?
"it wouldn't cost you nearly that much to give newcomers a free copy of Leopard."
Well, if you buy a new Mac after 26 Oct, it will be free, and if you bought one after 1 Oct it will only cost $9.95. Not free, but jeepers...
"not the ... somehow different than any other corporation"
OK, they are just like everybody else. Do you also hate everybody else?
Lighten up, dude, you'll live longer...
No, just a troll. Or in the paid employment of MS.
Or just a severely uninformed individual.
an IPod. So, you've just been trolling in the Apple hatred
websites and you have become a devotee of Microsoft. Good for
you - stay in the dark ages. But before you totally convince
yourself that Apple is "arrogant", just try to remember the
history of Microsoft and the thousands of lawsuits they have
filed to destroy those who try to do things better.
About your rage - counseling, my friend, counseling.
How many Apply fanbois ***** about Microsoft products without owning them and yet the same Apple fainbois say people can't ***** about Apple without owning one of their products. What a bunch of hippo-crates!
Let's see I don't like the price of the iPhone so I have to buy one before I can complain about it. That makes a lot of sense! How retarded.
Oh, I wouldn't say that... to wit:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=829
/P
Also, no other company has given $100 rebate to people that bought their product after the fact!!
I have a brand new iMac 24" and it is great. I am looking forward to upgrading to Leopard. This will be my 3rd Mac. You haven't even bought your first Mac yet - first use it and then complain!
The simple facts are:
MS is evil. Mac is evil.
They both want our money. In this case, it's an overpriced an unnecessary upgrade.
Despite your points, i think they care very much about customers. It shows in their Operating systems and computers, the attention to detail in terms of the user experience is outstanding.
Macs really are fun to use.
forward in time. Would save you a lot of work.
This is what people fail to comprehend...home builders, of which there are many, dont need apple's hand-holding.
As for "10 minutes to get the proper drivers"? Not in Vista you won't. Vista still has many, many, many driver troubles. Some hardware simply will not work at all with it, or will only operate at reduced performance.
/P
http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/07/live-from-wwdc-2006-steve-jobs-keynote/
Where are these top secret features?
not know about - I guess they are the secret ones.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/300.html
- More on Leopard's release
-
by jerrymacGP
October 21, 2007 7:27 AM PDT
- One piece of good news for Canadian customers: the price for
-
Reply to this comment
-
(83 Comments)Leopard will be the same as in the US -- C$129. With the
Canadian dollar now worth about US$1.03, many other retail
items are still priced much higher north of the 49th than in the
States; it's nice to see Apple isn't shafting us the way many other
companies are.
As to whether to upgrade to Leopard, I think most "ordinary
consumer" users would be wise to wait a couple of months to let
any early kinks get worked out; Leopard "10.5." would be the prudent choice, IMHO. If we were
in the market for a new machine, on the other hand, I wouldn't
see a problem with going ahead & getting one with Leopard
preinstalled.
Finally, as to the Win-Mac argument: my wife & I are both forced
to use Windows (XP) at work, and we use Tiger at home. Bottom
line: We love our Mac, and would never go back to Windows.