Is the new Mac OS X worth the price tag?

Apple's new operating system, OS X 10.2 -- known as "Jaguar" -- lives up to its sports-car nickname, according to ZDNet UK's review. But the software, released on 24 August, may not be worth the £99 (inc. VAT) price tag for those who have recently bought an earlier version of Mac OS X.

The full review can be found in ZDNet UK's Reviews channel.

Apple took the controversial decision to offer discounts only to those who bought a new Mac without Jaguar after 17 July, and those who recently paid for OS X 10.1 might not find Jaguar's new features compelling enough to get out their wallets again, according to the review.

However, anyone who has to use their Mac on a network with a Windows machine will find the new software's networking features worth the price. "Any of these improvements would be a major breakthrough for the Mac OS; together, they more than justify Jaguar's price tag for anyone who runs a Mac on a network," the review said.

Other compelling features include the new Address Book application, a more responsive user interface, significantly faster boot times for both OS X and the Classic environment used to run older applications, and laptop battery management on par with the more mature OS 9, the review said.

There are some disappointments, though, including the iChat instant-messaging application and a new version of Mail.

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