That has to be the lamest post ever. While that's like complaining to the airlines about your pissy poor whiny experience on their plane and threatening to NEVER EVER EVER fly them again unless (stomp! pound on desk!) something is done!

Go. to. Vista. Smell ya later, empty threatboi!

I think jasong was making fun of the way we lambasted Vista (for years) of delays and now have Leopard trailing in its promises.

Nonetheless, this is a bummer but agree that Tiger more than holds its own against the latest MS OS. I have no need to switch or hold off on purchases should I need to...although a Duo 2 Core Mac mini w/ 802.11n would be a God-send for streaming TV via new Airport!

I've been waiting very impatiently for Leopard since it was announced - to buy much needed hardware upgrades. Now they're pushing it back to October because of a freaking cell phone? I could care freaking less about that over-priced, over-hyped, useless bling, tech-candy iPhone! I need a new lap-top, I need a new desk-top, and I need them soon! Those redesigned iMacs damn well better come out before July. And I'll be G********* if I'm going to pay $130 to upgrade my damn OS - you pr!cks!!! -Did I mention I'm upset?

...another way to view this is:

Leopard has been seeded to developers for some time now. And we have all seen it in action.

So... what could Apple be doing to it that would take the best of their engineers until October?

It seems like it would have to be much more than bug-squashing.

It's sad that the Mac has become such an afterthought for Apple. No new product relseases since last Nov (other than popping a new chip in the Mac Pro) and now the new OS that was on track for Spring is now back to October - all so they can work on a phone.

For the next 6 months enjoy:

10.4.9.1, 10.4.9.2, 10.4.9.3, etc..

CVB

Sigh . . .

Oh well. Hard to believe that SJ would put the iPhone *ahead* of MacOS X 10.5, given that many of the features seen on the iPhone seem to rely on features we know of in 10.5... (Core Animation, resolution independence)

It does seem as if Jobs has lost that singular focus on the Mac that he brought back to Apple in the late 90's. It's all a cycle, and perhaps (er, hopefully) this is the *bottom*, and after the iPhone hits the streets we'll see a renewed focus on what Apple's customers want. (MacOS X 10.5, improved Finder - UI consistency , a mid-range tower)

Sigh . . .

Just my $0.02US

jwd

dgfilm you really expect us to believe your ready to drop between 3 and 5 grand on a new laptop and a new desktop but can't afford the $129 system upgrade cost? uh sorry but we are mostly Mac users here so we do have a brain and think for ourselves so saying you refuse to pay for a system upgrade is pretty unbelievable since most of us would be happy with any new Mac, let alone 2.

While the delay sux I am more than happy to wait - 1) it is only 4 months 2) it will probably mean a more stable and complete software package 3) and while some may not be interested in the iPhone it will add a huge amount of cash to the Apple bottom line and that is always good :) more money = more R&D = more new toys for us Mac Fanboys:)

I had convinced my wife that I'll buy a new iMac with Leopard/Boot Camp and it should have the latest iLife, win, win.

October?!? What the...

They were already reporting slower mac sales waiting for Leopard ... what are they going to do to entice others? I mean even now noone is going to buy an iMac as it's due for an update and then the hundreds of dollars saved waiting for OSX and iLife upgrades probably will prevent other people from buying. Even the 8Core Pro Mac isn't worth buying it looks like without an OS update to take advantage of the cores...

I've been told to buy the local $700 ($Can) Win Vista machine as a stop-gap for kids schoolwork, etc.... who knows, as things go, might end up being a permanent switcher. (Leopard secret features better be good!)

the iPhone, down with it. My new OS is way more important!

Very disappointing to hear that Apple is delaying core software releases so they can work on some stupid cell phone that not even all of their users will be able to use! I guess there is a reason they are no longer Apple COMPUTER.

Puh, I’m disappointed.

Let it be heard here first

I can think of one of three things that would evoke widespread forgiveness (to a varying extent)

1) Discounts on 10.5 for new computer purchases within x months of release. 2) Refreshed iMac, Mac Mini, Macbook Pros btween NAB and WWDC 3)mind blowing technology release for the mac line (multi touch monitors/laptops, multi-touch ipod doubles as uber mac remote, etc...)

With the news earlier today that Mac sales has slipped, mostly as a result of people waiting for Leopard, I'm afraid the Street will react negatively for a few days Good chance to buy more on this dip, though.

I guess it's disappointing, but it's not like I was putting my life on hold pending the release of Leopard.

The terse nature of the "announcement" and implications for other products (iLife'07, iWork'07, pending Mac model refreshes) means that this is a train wreck still in progress, with no plan in place to deal with consequences.

The projected delay (even though they will almost certainly "surprise" us with Leopard shipments before October) is large enough to indicate significant problems. And the fact that it was "announced" on a Thursday rather than a Friday also indicates a certain out-of-control aspect to the situation.

If the iPhone uses a modified version of Leopard, shouldn't the diversion of developers from Leopard to iPhone mean that they will still be solving Leopard problems? Makes one wonder if maybe they don't have more than one development project on fire, with Leopard being as much a scapegoat as anything else.

Look for accelerated releases of Mac model refreshes, as that's one of the few things they can do to keep Mac sales afloat.

And of course, 10.4.10 and probably 10.4.11 updates to Tiger.

Seems to me that Apple needs to start staffing up to be able to properly develop multiple product lines concurrently. It appears that using OS X as the basis for various separate hardware product lines might permit less development synergy than they had expected.

That Apple is now concentrating on consumer electronics than on computers. Makes you feel real good when you get a slap in the face with Steve's d*** for staying with the platform since his return.

Kinda makes you want the iPhone to tank, that would be poetic justice.

The phone is too expensive anyways. They will not sell enough of those things to make their money back unless they lower the price. Apple's main target market: teens-30 YOs.

Get over it people, it's not that much of a delay. Some people sound like a bunch of spoiled babies.

And those people who "I might switch to vista," yeah right. It's kind of like if Bush is re-elected I'm gonna move to Canada. Whatever. If you like Vista you are probably already using it and are just a troll.

If you buy new hardware to now they should give you free upgrade coupons to Vista, er, I mean Leopard when it ships.

What's really going to hurt them is any delays of educational sales (both institutional and individual back-to-school shopping). Buying a new computer in August knowing that in two months the OS it came with is going to be "obsolete" is going to be a bitter pill to swallow, espeicallyi for cash strapped college students to don't have an option to put off a computer purchase until October and can't afford a $129 expense on top of their purchase.

Apple has said in the past that they are slowing down the timeframe for upgrades. A new upgrade every 18 months or so instead of every year. It's not like Vista that took 5 years. If you have to wait for Leopard to come out so you can save $130, you really need to look at the cost in terms of $130 / 18 months = $7.22 a month. Skip McDonalds once a month and it will pay for your upgrade. I won't ask how you can possibly save enough to pay for that new iMac that costs a whopping $1300.

I for one am sick of hearing about the iPhone -- especially now that it seems to be all Steve & Co. care about.

Enjoy your Macs now. The reason they have always been so great is that they were the number one priority. This could well be the beginning of the end of a golden era.

This delay would seem to be the result of a miscalculation in product development resources (a failure that I would consider worrisome and very Microsoft-like); or something fairly significant came up with iPhone or Leopard in the now final stages of their development.

This is not the first time Apple has pushed back a major OS release by a few months. So I'm confident that (similar to their previous delays) it won't be incompetently prolonged into repeated lengthy delays as some other companies have done.

I bought my MacBook Pro in the US about a month ago thinking that I'd probably just barely miss the window for the 'b**** and moan because I just bought it with an old OS' free upgrade to Leopard and get stuck paying for it... Ah well, now I *know* I'll miss the window, but by the time Leopard actually arrives I'll have had my laptop long enough to make it seem almost reasonable to be buying it. :P

I do find this "Sorry, we had to pull developers off of OS X to work on the iPhone" story a bit disturbing. Microsoft must be having a good laugh tonight after all the scorn Apple heaped on Vista's delays. Even if Leopard is nothing like as late as Vista this is a fairly serious (in terms of egg on face) faux-pas.

I can only think that Apple is dead scared off iPhone clones rolling out in volume before their baby reaches AT&T, so that us computer users are considered marginally less urgent. I'd still guess that someone got fired over this, because Steve does not like to say sorry for anything.

This is bad news. Apple has been pretty good in sticking to release dates (not perfect but pretty good) and time frames but this is a big misstep. There were a lot of people looking forward to Leopard this quarter.

What are all of you fanboys whining about? Are you so ready to give Apple money that you are tearing your hair out now?

Which would you rather have? An OS with featurs missing (Vista) or an OS delayed by a few months will all of the features intact? I would chose the latter.

Look folks, nobody likes to see delays, but do you really want an operating system that the company feels isn't ready?

I develop software for a living and I have to say that anticipating a release 12-18 months prior is a shot in the dark at best. It's a guess, and a plan. There are many-many factors that can cause delays.

The very best thing that Apple, or any software developer can do is keep working until it's ready. They are better for it, and the customer is better for it. Just think now they can relax a bit and get that release running like a fine tuned engine. It's not going to kill us to wait a couple more months.

THIS IS f****** BULLSHIT. I Just spent over $9000 on a replacement Intel-based Xserve which they said would be able to move all of the accounts et. al. from my original G4 Xserve. Turns out that was a f****** lie. f*** f*** f***.

Now they are going to delay Leopard. Now I have spent over $9000 and cant transfer my stuff till October???? Those f****** c****!!!!

I don't think Apple has had any intention, certainly not within the last six months, of releasing Leopard in June. They knew that announcing their secret features in June would give them a hype boost until October, as well as give developers a chance to modify their apps. In addition, they probably want to release Mac updates in conjunction with Leopard, and that means syncing their OS release with Intel's roadmap. I think they assume the hype machine of iPhone and Leopard secrets will sweep any bad publicity under the rug. They're probably right, for better or worse.

I would prefer that Apple just be honest about the situation, though. Honesty would make them look slightly less foolish than they do now after ridiculing the Vista delays. Not only that, but their stock price will certainly suffer. As a shareholder, I'm not happy to be kept in the dark about their real product cycle intentions, and this will adversely affect stock price and Mac sales for this year.

It's going to be a long summer.

Listen to the whining and complaining - It was inevitable. Get a grip on yourselves, please. So it's delayed until October - Who cares? Tiger is a perfectly reliable and capable OS, it's stable and it works. All of you are probably the same ones who whined about having a video iPod or Aple TV on time and who whooped when you saw the iPhone. Does it surprise you that Apple needs to allocate resources accordingly? And for those accusing of Apple dedicating too much to pod etc. you might do well to remember that without that funny little white box Apple wouldn't be where it is today and the money wouldn't be there to pour into R&D of other products.

If you're one of the babies who apparently is about to throw out your toys and abandon the platform etc. due to this, then have at it. The Mac OS has been around for years, and many of us have been using it for decades - A few fickle lemmings buying a PC aren't about to ruin Apple and you certainly won't be missed. You're like fans who only follow a football team when they're winning and If you're moronic enough to be basing a new hardware purchase on an updated version of this OS then you deserve everything you get.

What are you smoking? You can buy a Xeon Xserve right now with Tiger. It will allow you to move all of your users over no problem. Why are you waiting for Leopard?

Does this give them time to impliment a bootable ZFS filesystem in Leopard, that would be a real "Time machine"

ok so all you people as usual are whinning and shouting out louad as you can for Apple delaying the Leopard by few months! I cant believe how most of you all you look for is an excuse to just whine about! Well here is the good news! STOP IT! Because all you people are acting like bunch of retards, what is wrong with you people? If you want Apple to release the Leopard half finished with all the bugs thats no problem I am sure they will gladly do so just like Vista BUGS BUGS BUGSS, then we will have more of you lot shouting and screaming at Apple ! Whatever, both ways non of you lot can ever be satisfied. I am glad they annouced that they are working on iPhone and that most resources are being usd up from every department, at least they admit it. You people should stop acting like this, and I am sure most of you dont have a damn clue about what is going on. So if you have such a big ego about yourselves and want to pour out your anger. JUST OPEN THE COVER OF TRASH BIN AND SHOUT INTO IT! DUH!! Get a Life People!

Apple MacOS X 10.5: The new Longhorn. As I have stated elsewhere already, I for my part can't wait to get my hands on the next 10.4 point release! Imagine: 10.4.10, what a magical number!

The current incarnation is still better than anything coming out of Redmond. Get over it, and enjoy your Tiger systems. I am.

I'll probably be enjoying an iPhone too (though likely waiting until it goes 3G). It makes sense for Apple to develop that technology disproportionately, given the halo it casts on all of Apple's other products.

It would be one thing if the current MacOS were a bug prone, crashy beast, but quite to the contrary, it is rock solid; if MacOS never updated again, I still wouldn't be missing much. The iPhone is a new product with enormous potential while MacOS is a working product that is up to date and as good or better than the competition. The allocation of resources and priorities seems perfectly appropriate to me.

You Apple apologists have no idea how much this screws me around - all for a telephone that Canada won't see for a few years on a bad network. Just a few months? How about a few seasons and add that to the 6 months I've already been waiting. Hello OS-X 10.4.12

I've been Longhorned!

And your point is? What on earth are you waiting for? Jesus' second coming? For h*** to freeze over? I don't get your point. You're just impatient and you know it.

Sure, the rumour sites have contributed to the widespread (at least here and especially on rumour sites) release date craze. Yes, Apple has made statements towards a release date in June. But other than that, all the folks who anticipated Leopard already at the beginning of this year just bought into some rumours that somebody somewhere pulled out of their behind. It's just 3-4 nonths and NOT 6 months or whatever you're talking about.

Didn't Apple tell us just last week that the rumors of a delay were false? That Leopard was in fact on schedule. Doesn't this mean, pretty clearly, that...

Apple lied.

If Apple will lie to the public in press releases, will it also lie to its stock holders or to the government? Maybe we should be more suspicious about those options.

Were is the line drawn?

If Apple's executives finds it expectable for the company to lie about business, do they also find it acceptable to lie to their spouses and children?

Where is the line drawn?

If Apple's employees finds it expectable for the company to lie about business, do they also find it acceptable to lie to the company about their resumes? or their expense accounts?

Where is the line drawn?

Does anyone in America tell the truth anymore?

I don't think he's waiting for the second coming of christ.

I actually HATE the way Apple does OS releases and if you're going to buy a machine today, you really want the 'latest' OS for longevity of a machine.

At work, I have a Windows NT machine that I can run a lot of newer programs without issue. I have 10.4, but my friend has 10.3 and there are a LOT of programs that won't run on it. From freeware to commercial programs. Yes a simple upgrade at $199 Canadian, but what a waste when a new version is on the horizon ... does he spend another $199 when Leopard comes out? I can buy a complete Windows package, complete with monitor for $500 ... it starts getting into that Apple is more expensive than Windows thang... and that perpetual upgrade thang that Apple somewhwat imposes on it's consumers. (it does this with hardwawre too!, i.e. I have a G5 iMac and starting to see the 'you need an intel mac' requirements coming out more and more ... my machine is not that old at all)

Bottom line, to some people it's more than just Leopard, it's timing for updates cuz as much as we love Apple, some of us just don't have the bank-account to support our habit, especially whwen we're talking multiple computer families nowwadays.

I'm so glad I didn't wait to get my Macbook Pro! What a beautiful machine. October is fine, it'll give me a chance to have adjusted to the massive change of life caused by Adobe Creative Suite 3. Hellooooo! Can we learn everything new all at the same time?

Like most people, I ive a rats a** about the phone, especially since Kingular is getting none of my dough. In fact, I don't even believe it's the reason for the delay.

I think it's a delay to make space for the new no-optical drive RAMBOOK, the economics of the flash memory will be better by then, and you'll carry what is essentially an iphone with a keyboard. $2195 fully loaded.

That must be it.

Amazing the amount of vitrol that gets passed around that's just plain wrong! No, I'm not talking about current posts. I'm talking about previous ones, where people would be slammed for daring to say that Leopard looked well behind schedule and still full of bugs (wait, I thought Apple was keeping the bug-free version in-house to "shock" us all with an April release!), that the iPhone was basically ready to go (this should indicate to everyone that the iPhone's software is way behind schedule and still needing a lot of work).

As for those rich folks who can't understand how someone can afford a $1300 computer but not a $129 OS, maybe its that Apple's computers are so expensive, they've barely scraped together the money for the computer itself, and the OS is just another expense they were hoping to avoid (guess its easy for some of you to just shell out $$$ without thought all the time, others try to maximize the use of their money). Oh, and everyone should start realizing that OS X.5 will cost in the $150 range, not $130.

And, finally, who really cares if its delayed? As curretly slated, the most 'exciting' thing in Leopard is Time Machine, basically a versioned backup system you can find in several OSes already, or if you just put together a backup plan. Some video professionals might go ga-ga over Core Animation. But after that, what are you dying for? A revamped Mail.app that might not lose your email? A finder still chock full of bugs?

Oh, but maybe we're missing the big picture! Maybe they're delaying it to add support for the PowerBook G5's! That's it! That's the reason!

Has it sunk in on anyone that DigiTimes was at least half-right last week when they said it was being postponed until october???

Oh, and for a company that removed the word "Computer" from its name, it shouldn't be a surprise that the computer is getting the shaft.

C'mon guys am I the only one seeing the big picture here, only Petsounds is thinking the same as me.

When do you think the developers get the time to implement the new features in Leopard if it's released right now. I'm almost sure that apple is preparing all those features to show them in the WWDC (where all developers are going to be right) that's why they change the date to June, to give developers time to do the changes, and release Leopard this year.

And if you have a great opportunity to get more switchers from the I phone, and benefit from the halo effect this product will have I'll do the same.

Apple is going to caught Microsoft out of base (in the middle of a not so smooth OS transition) with a killer OS that makes Vista looks primitive. I mean it's obvious, let them copy Tiger let them roll it and then show them Leopard, simple, another five years to try to copy Mac OSX. The people at Redmond should be very worried they don't have a clue of what's happening I don't think they're laughing.

If Steve learned something from his past mistakes and being the great strategist he is, I think all this is on purpose, and if he had to lie and disappoint a few I really don't care, I can wait.

Only time will tell…

It sank in that the prediction of a delay was correct, though the reason stated was ludicrous. It may seem ludicrous that the OS that the iPhone is based on is delayed for iPhone developement as well.

I can only guess why, then my guesses might be second-guessed. Guess I'll just wait and see...

Apple is getting out from PC business in the next few years, they won't make own computers. MacOS X will be out for generic PC sooner or later, maybe even 10.5. End of story.

Apple is getting out from PC business in the next few years, they won't make own computers. MacOS X will be out for generic PC sooner or later, maybe even 10.5. End of story.

This wasn't a shock but it was a slap in the face.

Apple are getting quite good at lying to people. Wasn't it just last week that they went on record saying that Leopard was on schedule for release in Spring? Are you telling me that in one week they had a revelation that the timeline would be set back by several months?

Come on. They lied.

And so far, all we've seen of Leopard is some under the hood improvements and Time Machine, something Windows has had for years.

Now sure, we MAY be totally blown away in June with the big picture, and then waiting afew extra months may be worth it, but if the hidden features are anything but spectacular then we'll know Apple has truly lost it's way.

As is, Tiger for Intel macs leaves much to be desired. Several friends and myself, all running Intel machines have many ongoing issues, from bugs to general performance. A 4-5 month delay means 4-5 months more of this c***.

First off, this is just another example of Apple's penchant for back-dating!

It may seem ludicrous that the OS that the iPhone is based on is delayed for iPhone developement as well.

While the iphone's OS might be based on Leopard, it'll be running its own separate branch of Leopard. So just because Leopard isn't ready doesn't mean the iPhone OS won't be ready.

As is, Tiger for Intel macs leaves much to be desired. Several friends and myself, all running Intel machines have many ongoing issues, from bugs to general performance.

What makes you think Leopard will magically fix all your problems with your intel macs?

People seem to think Leopard is being delayed just so Apple can work on the iPhone. That probably is partially true. Afterall, the market will forgive Apple for delaying Leopard for the Mac, it will not forgive Apple for delaying the iPhone.

However, that miniaturized version of Leopard most likely will be appearing in the revamped iPod that comes out after the iPhone. Accordingly, shrinking Leopard is a high priority for Apple. Moreover, being that noone knows what the so called secret features of Leopard are, we have no idea if the delay is reasonable or not.

Three or four months is hardly anything to cry about.

There will never be an OSX for a generic PC, unless Steve Jobs leaves Apple, or dies.

Steve has made Apple is a Vertical Integration company from the beginning. The reason for Apple's success is that they can contol all aspects of the user's experience, from machine to OS, which makes for a much smoother final result.

Indeed, once of the reasons Macs are so popular is the they can run both OSX and Windows, while PCs cannot. Take that away, and you lose one of the main distinctions between the two. It's the same reason that the iPod and iTunes dominate the MP3 player market.

There will never be an OSX for PC's as long as Steve runs apple.

Oh, and for those who are scared of Apple neglecting their computer lines: remember Steve talking about the new digital lifestyle when he returned in 1997? How the Mac would be the nerve center of that lifestyle? Ever hear of the iPod Halo effect?

Ask any teenager whether they would rather have an iPhone or OSX 10.5 in June, and they'll say "iPhone" instantly. The iPhone is Apple's biggest product of the year for the general public. As someone at Ars Technica said, Leapord news hits the front page of websites, iPhone news hits the front page of newspapers. Besides, Apple probably has contractual obligations with Cingular to release the thing in June.

Sure, it kinda sucks having to wait even longer for Leapord, but Tiger is a perfectly capable OS that can hold its own against the lackluster, bulky, bloated, user-annoying Vista until October.

Stop worrying so much.

I think see as though they announced it was coming in June they should offer a free (or heavily discounted) update to anyone who buys a computer between June and when it comes out in October - I for one was waiting for Leopard before buying my new Mac - so I now have to think about waiting a little bit longer - and Apple misses a sale in June....