Apple Unveils Near Final Mac OS X Leopard

Apple has unveiled a near final version of Mac OS X Leopard, the sixth release of the operating system.

Leopard claims to introduce over 300 new features, including a new desktop and dock with stacks; an updated finder featuring cover flow and a new way to easily browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to rapidly preview most files without opening an application; Time Machine, a new way to automatically back up and restore lost files or a complete Mac; and enhanced iChat and Mail applications.

“Leopard is the best release of Mac OS X to date, surpassing even Tiger, and will further extend Mac OS X’s leadership as the most advanced and innovative operating system in the world,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think current and prospective customers are going to love Leopard, and that it will help make the Mac even more popular.”

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Leopard also claims to include three new technologies that take full advantage of the latest developments in processor hardware: full native 64-bit support to enable applications to take complete advantage of 64-bit processing while still running side by side with existing 32-bit Mac OS X applications and drivers; easy multi-core optimisation and scheduling to take advantage of the latest Intel hardware; and Core Animation, helping developers create animated user experiences.