Mac OS X version 10.5 line of “Leopard” is the sixth major release of the Mac OS X operating system for Apple’s Macpersonal computers, and is the successor to Mac OS X v10.4 “Tiger”. Leopard was released on October 26, 2007, and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. Apple offers a reduced-cost upgrade to people that purchase new Apple computers between October 1, 2007 and December 29, 2007 that do not already have Mac OS X v10.5 pre-installed or a Leopard upgrade DVD included.According to Apple, Leopard contains over 300 changes and enhancements, covering core operating system components as well as included applications and developer tools. Leopard introduces a significantly revised desktop, with a redesigned Dock, Stacks, a semitransparent menu bar, and an updated Finder that incorporates the Cover Flow visual navigation interface first seen in iTunes. Other notable features include support for writing 64-bit graphical user interface applications, an automated backup utility called Time Machine, support for Spotlight searches across multiple machines, and the inclusion of Front Row and Photo Booth, which were previously only included with some Mac models.
Apple missed Mac OS X v10.5’s release time frame as originally announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. When first discussed in June 2005, Jobs had stated that Apple intended to release Leopard at the end of 2006 or early 2007. A year later, this was amended to “Spring 2007″; however on April 12, 2007, Apple issued a statement that its release would be delayed until October 2007 because of the development of the iPhone.
End-user features
Apple advertises that Mac OS v10.5 Leopard has 300+ features, including:
- Back to My Mac, a feature for .Mac users that allows users to access files on their home computer while away from home via the internet.
- Boot Camp is included. It is a software assistant which has been available as a beta release download for Mac OS X v10.4 from Apple’s website since April 5, 2006. It assists in the installation of Windows XP or Windows Vista to a separate partition (or separate internal drive) on Intel-based Macs.
- Dashboard enhancements, including Web Clip, a feature that allows users to turn a part of any web page displayed in Safari into a live Dashboard widget, and Dashcode to help developers code widgets.
- New Desktop, comprised of a redesigned 3-D dock with a new grouping feature called Stacks.
Dictionary can now search Wikipedia, and a dictionary of Apple terminology as well. Also included is the Japanese-language dictionary Daijisen, Progressive E-J and Progressive J-E dictionaries, and the 25000-word thesaurus “Tsukaikata no Wakaru Ruigo Reikai Jiten” (使い方の分かる類語例解辞典, “Tsukaikata no Wakaru Ruigo Reikai Jiten”), all of which are provided by the Japanese publisher Shogakukan.- A redesigned Finder, with features similar to those seen in iTunes 7, including Cover Flow and a Source list-like sidebar.
- Front Row has been reworked to closely resemble the interface used by the Apple TV.
- iCal calendar sharing and group scheduling as well as syncing event invitations from Mail. The icon also reflects the current date even when the application is not running. In previous versions of Mac OS X, the icon would remain at July 17th until the application was run.
- iChat enhancements, including multiple logins, invisibility, animated icons, and tabbed chats, similar to features present in Pidgin, Adium and the iChat plugin Chax; iChat Theater, allowing users to incorporate images from iPhoto, presentations from Keynote, videos from QuickTime, and other Quick Look features into video chats; and Backdrops, which are similar to chroma keys, but use a real-time difference matte technique which does not require a green or blue screen. iChat also implements desktop sharing, a feature previously available with Apple Remote Desktop.
- Mail enhancements including the additions of RSS feeds, Stationery, Notes, and to-dos. To-dos use a system-wide service that is available to all applications.
- Network file sharing improvements include more granular control over permissions, consolidation of AFP, FTP and SMB sharing into one control panel, and the ability to share individual folders, a feature that had not been available since Mac OS 9.
- Parental controls now include the ability to place restrictions on use of the Internet and to set parental controls from anywhere using remote setup.
- Photo Booth enhancements, including video recording with real-time filters and blue-screen technology.
- Podcast Capture, an application allowing users to record and distribute podcasts. It requires access to a computer running Mac OS X Server with Podcast Producer.
- Preview adds support for annotation, graphics, extraction, search, markup, and size adjustment tools.
- Quick Look, a framework allowing documents to be viewed without opening them in an external application.
- Safari 3, which includes Web Clip, is included.
- Sherlock, a search software included in Mac OS since OS 8.5, is no longer included.
- Spaces, an implementation of “virtual desktops” (individually called “spaces”), allows multiple desktops per user, with certain applications and windows in each desktop. Users can organize certain Spaces for certain applications (e.g., one for work-related tasks and one for entertainment) and switch between them. Exposé works inside Spaces, allowing the user to see at a glance all desktops on one screen.) Users can create and control up to 16 spaces, and applications can be switched between each one, creating a very large workspace.
- Spotlight incorporates additional search capabilities such as Boolean operators, as well as the ability to search other computers (with permissions).
- Time Machine, an automated backup utility which allows the user to restore files that have been deleted or replaced by another version of a file.
- Universal Access enhancements: significant improvements to applications including VoiceOver, along with increased support for Braille, closed captioning and a new high‐quality Speech synthesis voice.
The iPhone is a multimedia, Internet-enabled mobile phone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It has a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons. The iPhone’s functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player (”iPod”), in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. It is a quad-band mobile phone that uses the GSM standard, hence has international capability. It supports the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology for higher speed and reliability.
The iPhone brings together several features of the iPod, digital camera, smartphones and even portable computing to one device, with a widescreen display and an innovative input method.
