Apple posts guided Leopard tour
updated 02:35 pm EDT, Fri October 19, 2007
Apple's Leopard tour
Apple has posted an official Mac OS X Leopard guided tour, leading viewers through many of the operating system's new features. Mac OS X Leopard is scheduled to hit store shelves on October 26th, is called the most impressive upgrade of Mac OS X yet. Boasting more than 300 new features. Apple's tour covers the new 3D dock, "stacks" of items that fan out automatically with one click, the Finder with integrated CoverFlow technology, Quick Look, Time Machine, Spaces, Mail, and iChat. The tour povides an intuitive, easy to understand look at some of Leopard's most unique features while showing viewers how those features work together. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is already available for pre-order from Apple's online store, Amazon.com, and MacMall in both individual and family packs as part of a new promo.
Apple's new Stacks technology provides one-click access to numerous items in folders right from the Dock, displaying a grid by default when too many items are present to produce a reasonable "fan" effect. The company's CoverFlow technology is built into the operating system, and works with Quick Look for browsing through documents and previewing their contents without launching the actual application that created them.
Time Machine, as demonstrated by the guided tour released today, makes creating as well as restoring backups extremely simple for Mac owners who also haven external hard drive. The software appears to lift users up off the desktop, revealing a 3D view of the front most item in the Finder as it progressed throughout each backup on a given date. Apple Mail, meanwhile, integrates with iCal and includes a new technology to recognize dates, times, and contact information automatically.
Leopard's iChat enables real-time backgrounds and special effects during video chats (only on faster Macs), and supports screen sharing to view as well as control another user's Mac (with authorization).
time machine
10/19, 04:33pm reply
"The software appears to lift users up off the desktop."
Wow - I always wanted to levitate. Thanks, Apple!
elroth
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2006
My favorite feature...
10/19, 06:02pm reply
has got to be those Mail "templAAAtes.
Lance Moody
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Joined: Dec 2001
Coverflow
10/19, 11:25pm reply
Just to make an annoying point, Coverflow isn't Apple's technology in the sense the developed it. It's just Apple's technology that they bought it from another company and have implemented it.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
testudo: annoying comment
10/20, 07:41am reply
You may not have invented the annoying comment, testy, but you sure have implemented it at MacNN...to near perfection, I might add.
trevj
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Joined: Dec 1999
Re: testudo
10/20, 11:55am reply
Thank you. I just felt it needed to be said, since everyone crows about how great it is on iPods and iTunes (though for what use it can really be in the finder is beyond me, then again, I don't use it in itunes either, since I live in a digital music world and generally wouldn't know what the cover of half my music looks like).
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Testudo:Coverflow
10/20, 12:27pm reply
Big Deal! Everyone in the tech sector knows very well that Coverflow was not invented by Apple. Apple only made Coverflow look better and ported where ever possible. Google and Apple made Google Maps look great on the iPhone. Flash was not invented by Adobe either. What are your annoying comments about that?!
Tanker10a
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Joined: Jan 2003
Coverflow
10/20, 02:04pm reply
As a digital illustrator, I could see Coverflow being very handy in the Finder, assuming it's capable of displaying previews for many different formats. I think you've made the point yourself Testudo, when someone has complained about a feature being of no use to them, that doesn't make it a pointless feature ‚ only one of little value or interest to you. But our lives are all richer for knowing that you personally have no use for it. :-)
trevj
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Joined: Dec 1999
keep it coming testudo...
10/22, 06:31pm reply
...i'm lovin' the info ; )
- and i'm totally with you (yet again) on the album art!
roberto
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Joined: Jun 2007
cover flow
10/26, 11:23am reply
I myself barely use coverflow in iTunes (matter of fact not at all). But as a graphic and web designer, it's a welcome feature for the finder. Because for me to scan through 10 to 20 versions of web designs through a decent size thumbnails (or preview) can really help.
coffeetime
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Joined: Nov 2006
controlling other mac
10/26, 11:28am reply
"supports screen sharing to view as well as control another user's Mac "
Wow...sounds like a strip down version of Apple Remote Desktop.
coffeetime
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Joined: Nov 2006