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June 8, 2009 3:41 PM PDT

Snow Leopard preview at WWDC

by Jason Parker

Editor's note: This review has been updated from its original to include source information.

Among the news and announcements at the WWDC Keynote this morning, Apple previewed the next iteration of Mac OS X Leopard. Snow Leopard, as Mac OS X 10.6 is known, appears to pack a lot of new features and is slated for release in September, though no hard dates were announced during the Keynote.

The goal of Snow Leopard, according to Apple, was not to reinvent Mac OS X, but to refine, simplify, and speed up the overall experience. They were careful to point out Snow Leopard is not a complete OS replacement, but an expanded update to the current system. During the first public preview of the latest version of Mac OS X 10.6 this morning, we got to check out some of the changes Apple proposes will make the system faster and easier to use.

During the Keynote, Apple's Bertrand Serlet outlined a few of the major new features in Snow Leopard. For coverage of Safari 4 and QuickTime 10 features, read this blog post from Seth Rosenblatt.

In addition to QuickTime and Safari improvements, Serlet hit upon several planned enhancements to the latest Mac OS X. Apple claims they have managed to decrease the install time of the operating system by 45 percent. If this turns out to be the case, the OS will take up six fewer GB than before, which might mean a significant storage boost for current Leopard users. It's difficult to determine if this will be true for everyone--people run different configurations on several different Mac models, making it difficult to nail down exact numbers. Any decrease in system bloat is certainly a good thing if Apple can pull it off.

According to Apple, changes to Leopard are mostly small refinements that make it easier to use. We already liked the convenience of Expose to quickly find what we're working on when there are a lot of windows open on the desktop. But with Snow Leopard, an interface enhancement would let you click and hold on a Dock icon to bring up all the windows associated with the application. Apple also demonstrated the ability to drag an item from one program, use Dock access to Expose, and move files where you want them--like grabbing an image to send in an e-mail, for example. Usability refinements like these are small, but might make using a Mac a more seamless experience.

Snow Leopard

Long-awaited support for Microsoft Exchange makes it easy to create meetings, use global contacts, and more.

(Credit: Apple, Inc.)

We were happy to see that Stacks is slated see an upgrade, including the ability to open and explore folders within the stacks window--the current version opened the Finder when a folder was clicked. The possibility of an added scrollbar to Stacks will be a very welcome addition. With the current version of Leopard, there is a limit to how many programs will fit in the Stacks window, forcing you to go to the finder if you don't see your program. During this part of the presentation, Serlet also showed how Snow Leopard will be able to preview images, videos, and PowerPoint presentations, even if you don't have PowerPoint installed on your Mac.

Support for Microsoft Exchange is a feature many users have been waiting for (for far too long), and with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Exchange support may finally become available. During the demonstration, Apple showed how you will be able to add an account to Mail, choose Exchange, and your Mac will autodetect Exchange information from your address book, or you can enter the information manually. From there, Apple says you will be able to use Exchange's global list of addresses and drag and drop contacts into iCal to easily schedule meetings. They also demonstrated smart technology surrounding meeting locations enabling your Mac to discover time conflicts and change the meeting time and location to work for everyone. These features look great, but we wonder whether Apple plans will line up with reality when Snow Leopard is actually released.

With Snow Leopard, Apple claims they have made all of the Mac's core applications take advantage of the 64-bit architecture. This could mean faster applications, faster loading times, and smoother overall performance. Snow Leopard also should add support for most hardware with Open Computing Language (OpenCL), which would let any application tap into the GPU computing power previously available only to graphics applications. Apple says they have improved threading across multiple processors using what they call a grand central dispatch to control threads. These tweaks might help improve overall performance, but we'll have to wait for Snow Leopard's release before we can judge the efficiency and speed of these refinements.

With Snow Leopard being more of a service pack than a complete system upgrade, it seems Apple has priced it accordingly, letting current Leopard users pay $29 to upgrade. The family pack, which allows you to install the new OS on five computers in your home, will cost $49. Though Apple didn't announce a specific date for release, we already had some idea it would launch in September. Maybe the improvements will be enough for people to pay out of pocket for this patch-like upgrade.

The following product mentioned is available.

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Jason Parker writes software reviews and features for Windows, Mac, and iPhone. If he learned to dance, it would make him a fabled "quadruple threat," but we can't get him to do it.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) (27 Comments)
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by Christian Boyce June 8, 2009 4:25 PM PDT
"Using slim and efficient coding, Apple managed to increase the install time of the OS by 45 percent."

Ah, no. They've DECREASED the install time. Decreased.
Reply to this comment
by Seaspray0 June 9, 2009 12:57 PM PDT
Nice catch.
by Gadget70 June 8, 2009 5:06 PM PDT
"Using slim and efficient coding"? It's called taking out all the legacy Power PC code. Leopard will be Intel only kids. Still I like the pricing since it really is only an upgrade. The new Exchange support should help it break into more enterprise companies. I know I'm going to be using it for work.
Reply to this comment
by Seaspray0 June 9, 2009 1:08 PM PDT
Exchange support will help. Now add support for group policy and computer management. IT departments can't afford to go touching every computer anymore to install programs or make changes.
by tipoo_ June 8, 2009 5:13 PM PDT
Just a nit-pick, why would they want to "increase" the system start up time?
Reply to this comment
by Josh BSN June 8, 2009 5:14 PM PDT
lol. Yeah, I don't think they would have needed "slim and efficient coding" to increase it =D
Reply to this comment
by bradward747 June 8, 2009 5:30 PM PDT
Its now decreased as its suppose to be.
Reply to this comment
by June 8, 2009 5:44 PM PDT
another small thing is "cut" and paste... i know we can "copy and paste" but not cut...
Reply to this comment
by Gadget70 June 8, 2009 8:31 PM PDT
Apple believes we are little children and do not want us "cutting" ourselves. C'mon Apple, at least make it a preference item to turn on and off for the kiddies. We don't always want to Command+drag files all the time to move them
by b_baggins June 13, 2009 6:43 AM PDT
Ugh. Windows users and the bad habits they learned from their kludge operating system coming over to the Mac and demanding the same nonsense because they don't know how to drag and drop.
by Zeke Canidae June 15, 2009 10:47 PM PDT
To cut an paste highlight the text you want, use Command X to cut, and then Command V to paste.
by espeed623 June 8, 2009 9:21 PM PDT
It's called refinement. That's why Snow Leopard is Snow Leopard, not "Liger" or "Lion"
Reply to this comment
by dwend June 9, 2009 12:22 AM PDT
should be called OSX Service Pack 6.
Reply to this comment
by Zeke Canidae June 15, 2009 10:58 PM PDT
Doesn't Snow Leopard get some "major" credit for being 64 bit? And why should we be surprised about the lack of features when Steve Jobs said the this version of OS X would only concentrate on making it work faster and with greater stability (i.e.: fewer bugs)?
by techfortat June 9, 2009 6:47 AM PDT
Does anyone know if Tiger users will be able to upgrade for $29?
Reply to this comment
by  Brian June 9, 2009 7:46 AM PDT
Tiger users will have to buy the full retail version which will cost much more.

I like this approach because it rewards those of us who have invested with Leopard early on.
I hope this trend continues.
This idea could easily lure more PC users to switch to the Mac.
by Seaspray0 June 9, 2009 1:01 PM PDT
Brian is correct on the pricing. I beleive the upgrade price for tiger is $129. The $29 upgrade price is the upgrade from leopard.
by tuneslover June 9, 2009 7:49 AM PDT
no new GUI/Theme?
Reply to this comment
by  Brian June 9, 2009 9:43 AM PDT
Nope!

One size fits all.

That's the Apple way.

PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE
purchase PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE purchase
PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE purchase PURCHASE
by b_baggins June 13, 2009 6:45 AM PDT
@Brian

Right. Because you are forced to buy every Apple product. If you don't, all the stuff you already bought immediately stops working.

Yet more evidence that being given a brain does not guarantee you've been trained in its use.
by tipoo_ June 9, 2009 11:41 AM PDT
Gahhh, I hate how your stuck with grey borders! Grey gets depressing after a while, Apple!
Reply to this comment
by AppleSuxLeo June 10, 2009 6:55 AM PDT
Scary stuff that Oh Es Ex...latest security roll-up was over 600MB !!!
Stevie doesn`t want you to know that.
Mostly to patch holes in the UNIX core. Bwahahahaha !
Reply to this comment
by blue7053 June 10, 2009 9:51 AM PDT
After 20 years, I'm still looking for something that simply works.

IE7 crashes a dozen times a day. Vista 64 won't recognize legacy software (Adobe Premiere, After Effects7, Lightwave 9, Photoshop CS2) nor drivers for XP Pro hardware. The DVD/CD player has quit.

I bought my first 'readymade' computer from Gateway. BIG MISTAKE!!!

Three gig of memory is not enough to run this bloated sow from Microsoft and 'flip' a Photoshop picture at the same time. Every action is 'leasurely' and the result of a keyboard action is EITHER: crash or slowly filling the screen.

I'm getting carried away with my disgust so you fill in your own...
Reply to this comment
by  Brian June 10, 2009 11:00 AM PDT
Seriously, not to sound like a commercial (believe me, I absolutely hate the thought), but it's your time to finally justify the switch to the Mac.

Before long you shall be echoing the phrase, "once you go Mac, you don't go back".

When I switched over 2½ years ago, I had some difficulty choosing.
I wound up buying an iMac and just last year bought the other Mac I wanted, a Macbook.

The simplified interface was the most drastic change for me, but once I understood the system, it all made sense.

The reason it works is because it's simple. That's basically it.

The technology is under the hood, so to speak.
by emperordarius June 16, 2009 2:03 AM PDT
It's nothing like a Service pack. It's a full upgrade, unlike Windows 7.
Reply to this comment
by samurai_b88 June 26, 2009 1:04 AM PDT
10 bucks (well, actually make that $9.95) says that Snow Leopard will be released on 8 Sept, and possibly as the "one more thing" at the annual September iPod event, especially if Jobs is giving the keynote.

why? i'm guessing 8 Sept 'cos, 1. that's when the 90-day window for the Up-to-date program expires for those who went straight ahead and bought the new MacBook Pros on 8 June; 2. that's when the Back to School promo ends as well, which bodes well for new iPods to be released, hence the Sept iPod event as usual; 3. it's a Tuesday =)

anyone knows whether the Snow Leopard disc the Up-to-date users will be getting is a purely upgrade disc or can it be used to clean in stall Snow Leopard on that new Mac currently running Leopard?
Reply to this comment
by jareddigby July 10, 2009 2:08 PM PDT
Can you upgrade the beta to the final version?
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