Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard innovates with new technologies that improve performance throughout the system. As a developer, you will want to employ Snow Leopard's newest capabilities within your application to make it faster, more responsive, and able to take advantage of the latest Mac hardware.
Grand Central Dispatch
Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) is a revolutionary new system-wide technology in Mac OS X that dynamically scales applications to take full advantage of today's multi-core Mac's, using a simple programming model with very low overhead. GCD improves the performance, efficiency, and responsiveness of Mac software, and and will deliver even greater benefits as more applications adopt it. Learn More
64-Bit Throughout
With Snow Leopard, Apple completes the Mac’s transition to 64-bit computing. Mac OS X ships as a single version for both 32-bit and 64-bit computers, with bundled applications running as 64-bit processes on capable hardware. This enhances performance and security, while adding the ability to easily manage massive amounts of memory. Learn More
OpenCL
OpenCL (Open Computing Language) lets applications tap into the vast computing power of the modern graphics processor (GPU). Through an approachable C-based language and a flexible API for managing parallel computations, OpenCL greatly accelerates far more than just graphics tasks. Learn More
QuickTime X
Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, a major leap forward that advances modern media and Internet standards. QuickTime X offers optimized support for modern codecs, and delivers more efficient media playback, making it ideal for applications that need to play media content. Learn More
Static Analysis
Unlike traditional compiler warnings, the Xcode 3.2 static analyzer has a much deeper understanding of your code. The static analyzer travels down each possible code path, identifying logical errors such as unreleased memory well beyond simple syntax errors normally found at compile time. Learn more
