Apple to release Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on Fri., Aug. 28
After a store "renovation" this morning, Apple today announced that Mac OS X version 10.6, known as Snow Leopard, will go on sale this Friday, August 28 at Apple's retail stores.
Snow Leopard marks the next step in the company's operating system, an incremental update "with hundreds of refinements, new core technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange."
It will be available as an upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard users for $29.
Refinements include a more responsive Finder; Mail that loads messages "up to twice as fast;" Time Machine with an "up to 80 percent faster initial backup;" Expose integration with the Doc; the redesigned QuickTime X; and a faster 64-bit version of Safari 4.
The OS is half the size of the previous version and frees up to 7GB of drive space once installed, Apple says.
Snow Leopard will also come as a Family Pack -- a single household, five-user license -- for $49 for Leopard users.
Additionally, the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-to-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a new Mac system between June 8, 2009 and the end of the program on December 26, 2009, for a product plus shipping and handling fee of $9.95. (You must request your Up-to-Date upgrade within 90 days of purchase or by December 26, 2009, whichever comes first.)