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Initial version of OS X to lack some 'goodies'

6:30 PM PT Apple's next-generation OS will lack support for DVD playback and some other niceties when it debuts March 24, the company said.
Written by Dennis Sellers, Contributor
When Mac OS X hits store shelves next month, it will be short a few pieces, according to Apple Computer Inc. Mac OS X Product Manager Ken Bereskin.

Bereskin told MacCentral that DVD playback won't initially be available from the next-generation OS. He also noted that, although Mac OS X-native versions of iTunes and iMovie are in the works, they "probably won't" ship in the first commercial CD, slated to arrive March 24.

The product manager added that Sherlock, Apple's (aapl) system level search engine, would live "permanently" in the OS X Dock. However, the X version of Sherlock will still remain case insensitive for searches because it uses the HFS+ file format -- which is case-insensitive.

The CD will contain English (in various "flavors"), Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch language versions of Mac OS X. Other options, such as Scandinavian languages, should follow within 60 to 90 days, Bereskin said during last week's Macworld Expo/Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Mac OS 9.1, although it was released with little fanfare at January's Macworld Expo/San Francisco has been a major success, Bereskin said, comprising more than 250,000 downloads since its debut.

For up-to-the-minute Mac news, check out MacCentral.com.

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