Apple's Copland to be played lentement

Apple will take a leaf out of Web browser vendors' books by releasing the next version of the Mac OS in installments, CEO Gilbert Amelio said at the MacWorld show this week. The tactic is intended to relieve the pressure caused by the OS, code-named Copland, spending a year in vapour.

Netscape's Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer have accustomed users to regular downloads of software but this is the first time anybody has used the same tack with operating systems.

By January, Apple is expected to have the first portion of the OS ready, saving it an embarrassing wait until the entire code is complete, next summer or later.

In the same announcement, Amelio said that the Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP) has been delayed to allow the firm to concentrate on Copland.