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Apple today unveiled Mac OS(R) X Snow Leopard(TM), an even more
powerful and refined version of the world's most advanced operating
system and the foundation for future Mac(R) innovation. Snow Leopard
builds on a decade of OS X innovation and success with hundreds of
refinements, new core technologies, out of the box support for
Microsoft Exchange and new accessibility features. Snow Leopard will
ship as an upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard users in September 2009 for
$29.
"We've built on the success of Leopard and created an even better
experience for our users from installation to shutdown," said
Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software
Engineering. "Apple engineers have made hundreds of improvements so
with Snow Leopard your system is going to feel faster, more
responsive and even more reliable than before."
To create Snow Leopard, Apple engineers focused on perfecting the
world's most advanced operating system, refining 90 percent of the
more than 1,000 projects in Mac OS X. Users will notice a more
responsive Finder(TM); Mail that loads messages 85 percent faster and
conducts searches up to 90 percent faster;* Time Machine(R) with up
to 50 percent faster initial backup;* a Dock with Expose integration;
a 64-bit version of Safari(R) 4 that boosts the performance of the
Nitro JavaScript engine by up to 50 percent** and is resistant to
crashes caused by plug-ins. Snow Leopard also includes an all new
QuickTime(R) X, with a redesigned player that allows users to easily
view, record, trim and share video to YouTube, MobileMe(TM) or
iTunes(R). Snow Leopard is half the size of the previous version and
frees up to 6GB of drive space once installed.
For the first time, system applications including Finder, Mail,
iCal(R), iChat(R) and Safari are 64-bit and Snow Leopard's support
for 64-bit processors makes use of large amounts of RAM, increases
performance, and improves security while remaining compatible with
32-bit applications. Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) provides a
revolutionary new way for software to take advantage of multicore
processors. GCD is integrated throughout Snow Leopard, from new
system-wide APIs to high-level frameworks and programming language
extensions, improving responsiveness across the system. OpenCL, a
C-based open standard, allows developers to tap the incredible power
of the graphics processing unit for tasks that go beyond graphics.
Snow Leopard builds support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 right
into Mac OS X Mail, Address Book and iCal so you can use these
applications to send and receive email, create and respond to meeting
invitations, and search and manage your contacts with global address
lists. Exchange information works seamlessly within Snow Leopard so
users can take advantage of OS X only features such as fast
Spotlight(TM) searches and Quick Look previews. Snow Leopard is the
only desktop operating system with out of the box support for
Exchange 2007 and businesses of any size will find it easier to
integrate Macs into their organization.
Every Mac includes innovative features and technologies for users
with special needs, and Snow Leopard adds groundbreaking new features
that make the Mac experience even more accessible to those with a
vision impairment. Apple's Multi-Touch(TM) trackpad is now integrated
with the VoiceOver screen reader so users can hear and navigate
different parts of a window or the desktop by moving a single finger
around the trackpad as if it were the screen. Snow Leopard also
introduces built-in support for wireless bluetooth braille displays
and the connection of multiple braille displays simultaneously to one
Mac.
Pricing & Availability
Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard will be available as an upgrade to
Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard in September 2009 through the Apple
Store(R) (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized
Resellers. The Snow Leopard single user license will be available for
a suggested retail price of $29 (US) and the Snow Leopard Family
Pack, a single household, five-user license, will be available for a
suggested price of $49 (US). For Tiger(R) users with an Intel-based
Mac, the Mac Box Set includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife(R) '09 and
iWork(R) '09 and will be available for a suggested price of $169 (US)
and a Family Pack is available for a suggested price of $229 (US).
The Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to
all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or
an Apple Authorized Reseller between June 8, 2009 and the end of the
program on December 26, 2009, for a product plus shipping and
handling fee of $9.95 (US). Users must request their Up-To-Date
upgrade within 90 days of purchase or by December 26, 2009, whichever
comes first. For more information please visit
www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate. Snow Leopard requires a minimum of 1GB
of RAM and is designed to run on any Mac computer with an Intel
processor. Full system requirements can be found at
www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs.