Mac OS X Leopard

Mac OS X version 10.5, known as "Leopard", is the 6th version of the OS X line of Mac operating systems. Apple introduces over 300 new features in the upgrade from Tiger to Leopard including substantial changes to the desktop. It released today with only one version, in stark contrast to Vista's approach. The biggest new features according to Apple are the new Dock, the new Finder system, the Time Machine feature, and Spaces. The OS in general remains somewhat similar to Tiger so if you're familiar with OS X at all, then you'll be able to use Leopard right away.

Pros & Cons
Pros:

•Spaces for virtual desktop management
•Improved Spotlight UI & performance
•Screen sharing for controlling other machines remotely
•Built in parental controls are very powerful
•iChat Theater for sharing screens/presentations/etc over video chat
•Evolutionary upgrade
•Time Machine makes back ups a no-brainer
•Better performance than Tiger

Cons:

•New Dock removes useful features from Tiger version
•Spaces is buggy
•Not enough major improvements

More information

Pricing

Single license - $129
Family 5-pack license - $199

The new Dock has a change in look and is more 3D, with the "stand" portion reflecting in real-time what is above it, including program windows and wallpapers. Stacks are a new feature of the dock that work similar to smart folders. Leopard will automatically group similar files together and put them under one icon in the doc, you then click on the icon to have the files fan out or appear in a grid view.

Finder undergoes significant changes to its look featuring a more streamlined and accessible side bar. The biggest change is the introduction of a new view named "Cover Flow". This view works similar to iTunes' album view where you flip through the icons. Apple is also introducing a new technology named Quick Look which lets you do an in-depth preview of a multitude of files before fully opening them. Combining Quick Look with Cover Flow lets you easily perform mini slide shows with images, or view videos in quick succession. Quick Look even lets you page through PDF or Keynote presentations.

Spaces is a virtual desktop management system that lets you keep four different virtual desktops, each with their own set of programs running. You can switch between the desktops easily, and rearrange their positioning relative to one another.

Time Machine is an automatic backup, and quick recovery system for your files. With a few clicks you can specify which folders you want to keep backed up, and where they should be stored. Storage can occur on the local drive, or for better backup reliability on an external, or networked drive. The system then keeps a record of every single file that is in those monitored folders, and lets you recover a lost file, or return to a previous version.

As opposed to other recent Operating System releases, Leopard comes in one form that includes everything for all users. This includes 64-bit support, as Steve Jobs said "Leopard is 64-bit top to bottom".

Official site: www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/