Mac OS X Leopard Available On Oct 26

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today
announced that Mac OS(R) X Leopard will go on sale Friday, October 26 at
6:00 p.m. at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, and that
Apple’s online store is now accepting pre-orders. Leopard is packed with more
than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new
way to easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users
quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to
instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new
feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between
them; and Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything
on a Mac(R).

“Leopard, the sixth major release of Mac OS X, is the best upgrade we’ve
ever released,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And everyone gets the
‘Ultimate’ version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just
$129.”

Leopard’s new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new
way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard
automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads stack to
maintain a clutter-free desktop, and users can instantly fan the contents of
this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. Users can also
create their own Stacks for quick access to folders, documents or
applications. Leopard’s gorgeous new look extends to all applications, with
every window on the desktop offering a consistent design theme and active
windows outlined by deeper shadows that make them stand out.

The updated Finder includes Cover Flow(R) and a new sidebar with a
dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC
or Mac on a local network. Content on any computer on a local network can now
be searched using Spotlight(TM), browsed using Cover Flow or copied across the
network with a simple drag and drop. .Mac members can use the new Back to My
Mac feature to browse and access files on their remote Macs over the Internet.

Quick Look is the fastest and easiest way for users to look inside files
without launching them or even having the application that created them. With
Quick Look, users can instantly view full-screen, high-resolution files of
virtually anything, even media files, from any view in the Finder.

Spaces gives users a powerful new way to organize their work by creating
customized desktops which can contain only those applications or documents
needed for each project, with the ability to quickly switch between Spaces

Time Machine lets users easily back up all of the data on their Mac, find
lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a
one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of
everything on the Mac.* In the event a file is lost, users can search back
through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital
media and then instantly restore the file. If it’s ever necessary, Leopard can
also easily restore an entire system from the Time Machine data on an external
drive.

Mail has been updated in Leopard and features more than 30 stationery
designs and layouts that look great on a Windows PC or Mac so users can easily
send stylish, personalized emails with beautiful graphics and photos. Notes
and To Dos help users stay organized by acting just like emails that can be
easily created, saved as drafts, synced across multiple Macs and stored in
Smart Mailboxes. Data detectors automatically sense phone numbers, addresses
and events so they can be added to Address Book or iCal(R) with just a few
clicks, and users can keep up-to-date by getting the latest news and blog
feeds delivered directly to the their mailboxes with a built-in RSS reader.

iChat(R), the easiest-to-use video conferencing application on any
personal computer, offers even richer video chats in Leopard with iChat
Theater, which makes it easy to show photos, presentations, videos or files in
a video conference; screen sharing which lets users remotely view and operate
another Mac; and Photo Booth(R) effects for fun distortions and video
backdrops that can instantly make users appear to be anywhere they choose.

Other new features in Leopard include:

• improved Parental Controls, aiding parents in managing their kids’
  online activities with automatic identification of unsuitable content
  before allowing website access, plus time limits and activity logs
  that can be accessed from any Mac on a home network;
• the complete Boot Camp(R) release, previously available only as a
  beta, making it possible to run Windows natively on Intel-based
  Macs;**
• Web Clip, bringing anything that a user wants from a web page to
  Dashboard as a live widget;
• new Photo Booth features, helping users create animated iChat buddy
  icons or fun effects and backdrops with still or video images;
• an enhanced Dictionary with Wikipedia built in, allowing users to
  access up to date information on virtually any subject in a snap;
• a newly updated iCal with multi-user calendaring based on the new
  CalDAV standard; and
• an updated version of Front Row, making it even easier to play music
  or watch movies, TV shows and photos on a Mac using the ultra-simple
  Apple Remote.

Pricing & Availability

Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard will be available on October 26 at Apple’s
retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail
price of $129 (US) for a single user license, and online pre-orders can be
made through Apple’s online store (http://www.apple.com) starting today. The
Mac OS X Leopard Family Pack is a single-household, five-user license that
will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Volume and
maintenance pricing is available from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date
upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new
Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1,
2007 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Leopard requires a minimum
of 512MB of RAM and is designed to run on any Macintosh(R) computer with an
Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 (867 Mhz or faster) processor. Full system
requirements can be found at http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs.

• Requires an additional hard drive sold separately.
• Copy of Windows XP or Vista required.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-
winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional
applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its
iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered
the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.