Spot the difference

Mac OS X Leopard was a major feature upgrade over the previous system, Tiger, but don’t expect the same from Snow Leopard. Apple’s latest version of Mac OS X is not so much a whole new cat, but it’s definitely a sleeker and faster one.

Like Apple’s recent upgrade of the iPhone from 3G to the 3GS model, most of the changes in Snow Leopard are under the hood.

The whole operating system has been rebuilt from the ground up to boost speed, security and reliability. The difference is quite noticeable where it counts in desktop (Finder) operations and using any of Apple’s built-in programs that take advantage of Snow Leopard support for 64-bit processing and multi-core CPUs.

Snow Leopard’s new underlying technology, Grand Central Dispatch (GCD), provides better support for multi-core processors, while OpenCL puts spare graphics processing grunt to good use in other areas. Expect better performance from new programs as programmers take advantage of these new core technologies in future releases.

There are some noticeable feature additions in Snow Leopard, including an updated QuickTime player that lets you trim and share video, and the integration of Exposé features into the Dock. But it’s speed that Snow Leopard was built for, and it shows.

Our hands-on experience confirms that it does indeed feel a lot ‘snappier’, especially with a late model Intel Core 2 Duo (64-bit) processor on board. This is evident in Apple’s new 64-bit versions of programs such as the Finder, Mail, iCal, iChat and Safari.

Snow Leopard is pretty much a no-brainer for existing Leopard users (with an Intel CPU). At only $59 for single users ($99 for a five-user family pack) Apple’s latest version of Mac OS X is a bargain, compared with what Microsoft charges for new versions of Windows. If you’re upgrading from the previous OS, Tiger, Apple has a Mac Box Set that includes Snow Leopard, the latest iLife suite (iPhoto 09, iMovie 09, GarageBand 09, iWeb 09 and iDVD), plus the iWork suite (Pages 09, Numbers 09 and Keynote 09). It’s $349 for a single user or $479 for the family pack.

Check your specs first before ordering. Although Leopard supports the older G4 and G5 models, Snow Leopard requires an Intel processor. To check what your Mac uses, click the Apple menu and select ‘About this Mac’. If you have a PowerPC processor, then Leopard is unfortunately the end of the line.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

• $59 single user
• $99 five-user family pack

Contact: www.apple.com/nz

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