Tags: mac os 10.4

Apple announced the near final version of Mac OS X 10.5, otherwise known as Leopard, they also let developers have a copy at the conference. Steve Jobs showed off 10 features out of the 300 new features in the up-coming version, due to ship in October.

First, the entire OS is now 64-bit! Great, you’re thinking? It should mean faster applications in the long run, now you’re more impressed. There will only be one version of the OS, 32-bit applications were shown to work without any problems.

This window is just like the other ones, this window is just the same

The whole OS has a more unified look, rather than the mix of brushed metal and Aqua etc. I did notice the scroll bars still looked like the old Aqua ones, perhaps this may change? You can of course get a more unified look at the moment using Uno. The translucent top menu is bound to have its lovers and haters, I suppose it depends on if you can change it or not.

The main feature you’ll notice at first is the new more 3D Dock, I’m not sure if it’s any bigger or not, or even if I like it. They seemed to make quite a deal that the dock reflects, I’m not exactly how this is a feature or just more visual noise. I suspect they’ll be 3rd party ways of changing it back to the the old dock if it’s not an option. I was hoping for a new launcher, along the lines of Over Flow.

The dock does have a much welcomed feature; Stacks: When you download from Safari, instead of defaulting to the desktop, it’ll save to a stack, which should mean we all have a lot more tidy desktops.

Clicking on a Stack will reveal its contents either in a grid, or they’ll be fanned out above. To get an idea, you can watch a demo here. I don’t know if they’re only for the dock, it seems to me being able to have them on the desktop itself would be useful.

Leopard showing off its stacks

Stacks aren’t really a new feature, Apple has had a patent on the idea for many years and was once known as Piles (Such a shame they didn't stick with that name).

The Finder has also been updated with a much improved sidebar, somewhat like iTunes and now you can view files in Cover Flow, just like iTunes. I’m not sure how much I’d use this feature, as I don’t tend to in iTunes (other than to show off).

Thinking about it; it may turn out to be more useful in the Finder than in iTunes. The Finder is made up of many different document types of documents, which should be instantly more apparent with the large preview of Cover Flow, this may give a quicker visual clue as to the file you’re looking for, rather than in iTunes where it's really just one type of file (cover art).

Spotlight can now search other machines on the network, and it’s now more easy to share content over the network and internet via .Mac. There was no other mention of .Mac, really as I’ve no intention of paying for .Mac I may never see the internet sharing feature. .Mac really ought to be free to my mind.

Quick Look is really a great new feature that allows you to preview your documents without having to open any application right from the Finder.

A Quick Look

Steve also showed off the power of Core Animation and what 3rd party developers could do with it.

We also saw the new built in backup solution Time Machine again, you will be able to back-up to a local drive, or a network volume including one attached to an AirPort Extreme. This has to be one of the best features (even if you’ve seen it before). It amazes me how many people still don’t back-up. Some may think this dull, but if you’re one of those people who has lost something critical, you’ll love this.

It’s a Time Machine

Spaces was also shown again; I’m still unsure if or how much I would use it (I may turn around and love it), unlike Dashboard, which I actually have turned off for being just too slow on a 12" PowerBook.

Dashboard did gain a new widget, and WebClip which allows you to use any part of a website as a Widget. I wonder how the websites feel about this? After-all, you’re avoiding seeing any advertising.

Owners of Virtualization software must’ve breathed a sigh of relief, as although BootCamp will become standard in the system, it’s not going to allow you to run Windows software at the same time. Still a need for Parallels or VMWare Fusion etc.. for some people then.

iChat has gained some fun theatre features, changing the background behind you and PhotoBooth type effects. Pity with firewalls, bandwidth etc. I’ve never really managed to get video to work with iChat and yet Yahoo! Messenger/Skype will just work. The Theatre function looks to be the most useful, giving you the ability to show documents, photos to people you’re talking to.

The fun side of iChat. Help me Obi-Wan, you’re my last hope.

I don’t know if the OS is resolution independent for those of you with super high resolution screens and there was no mention of the system using Sun Microsystems ZFS files system, there is a report saying they won’t.

There was a little on the iPhone allowing developers to create compatible Web 2 type applications via Safari, but no standalone applications. I’d imagine developers would be non-plussed by this announcement.

No hardware of course, this really is a software event. There will be those who will be underwhelmed, and few more features we’d not seen in his 10 would’ve been nice, but; it’s still not ready yet, who knows what else may come in the final version in October?

People always expect a lot from Apple, they always want that... one more thing... which I guess keeps people coming back.

Tags: mac os 10.5, wwdc, leopard, iphone

From the PC version of Harry Pottery & the Order of the Phoenix

Gaming on the Mac, one of the few places Windows users still say why they wouldn't use a Mac was given a boost during the keynote.

Both EA Games and ID (pronounced id not i.d. it seems) announced they are developing and will have simultaneous launches of games for PC and Mac in the future.

Games include: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Madden NFL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Need for Speed Carbon, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars and Battlefield 2142 from EA.

ID showed for the first time their new game texture engine. The company is known for the DOOM and Quake series.


Steve Jobs must've overcome his dislike of violent gaming, I'm sure I read that he doesn't like them.

Apple have released a beta version of Safari 3 for Mac, and now for Windows in an effort to increase its market share.

Apple showed the browser beating IE 7 on windows in the speed stakes. New features include; movable tabs and inline find. I'm not sure if it saves your tabs, or if you'll still need Forgetmenot (of even if Forgetmenot is compatible with it). *

The installer does come with its own de-installer, but even so, unless you're really happy with running BETA software, I would advice against installing it for now, let everyone else beta test the beta test software for you first.


I was quite surprised to see the release of a Windows version, after-all, shouldn't they just buy a Mac? Still, if it can push more sites into making them work with Safari, that's a good thing.


* Just read over at Daring Fireball that Safari 3 does indeed have session saving, it's just not automatic. You have to select: reopen all windows from last session.

Apple has confirmed through their latest TV ads,that June 29 is the US launch date.

They're a good set of ads, concentrating on the iPhone ease of use, I've never understood why Apple don't make similar adverts for the Mac.

Still no word on when it'll be out in the UK, or who the carrier will be (rumoured to be T-Mobile). There's still no page at http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone.