Mac OS X
Snow Leopard is now on-sale at Apple retail stores and authorized retailers -- a month ahead of schedule. The release of version 10.6 of Mac OS X is a departure from the typical operating system debut, where the emphasis is on new features. Snow Leopard only has a few to speak of. It's all about optimization and making your Mac run noticeably faster and more reliably.
First of all, Snow Leopard requires less disk space than its predecessor, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, freeing up to
7 gigabytes after the upgrade is installed. Mac OS X 10.6 also has a
64-bit kernel, which means it runs 64-bit applications natively, is capable of using vast amounts of RAM, offers better performance and improved security, yet remains compatible with 32-bit applications.
Older Mac owners will be disappointed to learn that Snow Leopard only runs on Intel-powered models. It's now official that if your Mac runs a PowerPC chip, the upgrade path ended with Leopard.
Most of what's new in Snow Leopard is under the hood, but there's still some cool stuff for non-nerds. The clock, for example, now changes time zones automatically, which should delight travelers with a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.
The list of nearby Wi-Fi hot spots now shows their respective signal strength, and errant plug-ins can no longer crash the Safari web browser. Each runs in its own sandbox, so if the plug-in hangs, it doesn't take the browser with it.
Movies open in a new, frameless playback window with built-in trim handles and a new “Send to YouTube” command. The Finder and Dock also do some new tricks, most notably, you can now turn the pages of a PDF document or watch a video right on a file’s icon.
Snow Leopard also introduces built-in support for
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, which even Microsoft Windows fails to offer. You can use
Mac OS X Mail,
Address Book and
iCal to send and receive email, create and respond to meeting invitations, and search and manage contacts with global address lists.
Pricing for Snow Leopard is also a surprise. The upgrade is only available for Mac OS X Leopard, and a single-user license has suggested retail price of only
$30. The
Snow Leopard Family Pack, which includes a single-household, five-user license, sells for
$50.
Owners of Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X Tiger will have to spring for a special box set, which includes Snow Leopard,
iLife ’09 and
iWork ’09. The package has a suggested retail price of
$170. A Family Pack is also available for
$230.
If you recently bought a new Mac, be aware that an
Up-to-Date Upgrade Package is available for new systems purchased between June 8, 2009 and December 26, 2009. If you qualify, you'll get Snow Leopard for free, plus shipping and handling fee of
$9.95, but you must request your upgrade within
90 days of purchase or by
December 26, 2009, whichever comes first.
Full system requirements for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and a complete list of its
enhancements and refinements can be found on Apple's website.
