Mac OS X Snow Leopard to ship Aug. 28th
updated 08:55 am EDT, Mon August 24, 2009
Snow Leopard on Aug. 28
Validating rumors, Apple has formally announced that Mac OS X Snow Leopard will ship on August 28th, just ahead of its predicted September launch date. The software is a $29 upgrade for individual Leopard owners, or a $49 upgrade for people needing a five-license family pack. It can also be had with a new Mac computer, or as a part of the Mac Box Set, which bundles the latest versions of iLife and iWork. Single-user and family pack versions of the Box Set cost $169 and $229, respectively.
The OS introduces several underlying architecture changes, for instance removing PowerPC support, while updating all major applications to 64-bit code. Grand Central Dispatch is said to enable better use of multi-core processors, while OpenCL support allows video cards to speed up tasks outside of graphics. Protocol support also been expanded to encompass Microsoft Exchange, allowing access to the contact and calendar info through Mail, iCal and Address Book.
Snow Leopard further bundles Safari 4, and QuickTime X, which sports a minimalist interface along with improved video and decoding playback through support for GPU acceleration. The latter app can also handle HTTP video streaming, as in Safari. Some general changes in the Mac OS include faster wake and shutdown times, and tweaks to Expose and stacks, which change their operation and improve flexibility.
The software requires an Intel Mac with 1GB of RAM, 5GB of hard drive space and a DVD drive.
Shipping vs. Deliver?
08/24, 09:26am (1 reply) reply
My order says "delivers Aug 28th"...
macdoc
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2009
Yay
08/24, 10:21am reply
I pre-ordered the family pack through Amazon. Wonder how quickly they will be able to fulfill
njfuzzy
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2001
Order online
08/24, 11:24am reply
Avoid crowd congestions and order online, Apple has free shipping and supposedly we will get the delivery on Friday Aug28 if you place the order before Wednesday
JTHM
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2008
Re: order online
08/24, 12:17pm (2 replies) reply
Avoid crowds? Are you kidding? All the mac people want to do is cluster into crowds. Look at all the fools standing in line for iPhones when you could order it online. Or crowding in on an applestore opening ("Wow! It looks so much like all the other apple stores! But different!" "Check it out! The Genius Bar is off to the left here! At the Tyson's store it's on the right! What do you think it means!").
But if you have some sense and want to avoid crowds, don't order from the Apple store. Order from Amazon. The price is by far cheaper, and though you won't get it the 28th, wait a week and spend labor day weekend installing it over and over again so you can bathe in the wonderous glory of faster installs and performing useless benchmarks to see how much faster this, that, or the other thing is. And then trying to figure out how come your MacPro can't boot into the 64-bit OS.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
1 GB RAM?
08/24, 12:20pm (1 reply) reply
They seriously say it only requires 1GB RAM? I know they supposedly did optimizations, but 1GB RAM? I guess if all you want to do is check your email and possibly run Safari (assuming you take your Flash plugins out).
LouZer
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2000
Re: cheaper
08/24, 12:28pm (2 replies) reply
Apple Store: $29.00
Shipping: Free
Amazon: $29.00
Shipping: Free
Wrong, and self-righteously jerky Testudo, as most the time.
chulitomio
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2004
Yes 1 GB RAM
08/24, 12:35pm reply
1GB RAM is the minimum requirement. That seems about right considering Leopard's minimum requirement was 512MB.
wingdo
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2001
testudo is right
08/24, 12:40pm reply
The price might be the same, but he's right about apple fans liking to go to the store to get their 'i'm not along fix'. Sure, we're only 5-15% of the market, but when we gather in large crowds, we feel like we are on top of the world.
with that said: I CAN'T WAIT TO GET SNOW LEOPARD!
lol.
zaghahzag
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Aug 2006
re: testudo
08/24, 12:56pm reply
It's funny how you can tell us what everyone else thinks, and how stupid everyone else is (while at the same time you're totally wrong about the Snow Leopard price at Amazon). You are a bitter, bitter person. What happened when you were a child to make you such a hater? Go seek help.
elroth
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2006
Too expensive in Canada
08/24, 01:04pm (3 replies) reply
Snow Leopard on the US Apple Store: $29.00
Snow Leopard on the Canadian Apple Store: $59.00
Yes, that's almost double the price in Canada!!!
At today's exchange rate, $29 USD converts to less than $32 CAD. Why is Apple overcharging its Canadian customers?
cvachon
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2004