Snow Leopard speculation

Well... I thought someone had to create this thread, as usual I'm the likely candidate.

Apple Snow Leopard statement summary;

"Since 2001, Mac OS X has delivered more than a thousand innovative new features. With Snow Leopard, the next major release of Mac OSX, Apple is taking a break from adding new features and instead focusing on core software technologies"

http://www.apple.com/au/macosx/snowleopard/

^ The page above spells out a lot of what's to come... but what else do you think we can expect to see and why?

I still believe Apple will have some innovative 'features' packed in there built on the new Mac OSX foundation.

I think there's no better time for Apple to be revising its focus especially with the demise of Vista.

What I think we will see;

- Vector graphics or 100% resolution independence interface- and a new revised theme.

- iWork bundled on all new macs. why not?

- Greater built in support for different file formats- eg- WMV, DIVX

- Greater compatibility in general... eg- microsoft exchange server etc.

- Extremely fast application speeds (opening, using etc)

- Snappy 2D/3D graphics and core animation... even more so than the current leopard. And it will be smooooth as.

What I would also like to see;

More iLife Apps

- iFilms (for downloading youtube & itunes video content, integrates with iStore) and organising- cross between iphoto and itunes.

- iBooks (no not the laptop!) for downloading/sorting ebooks and magazines etc on the ipod. integration with wikipedia and perhaps google news would be cool.

Programs separated and given more defined purposes;

I believe iTunes is taking on too bigger role these days... with video clips, the itunes store and iPod syncing. Thus I would like to see;

- A seperate "iStore" for purchasing music, video, photography/art/prints, eBooks etc.

-An iPod organisation app (seperate from itunes) .

And all new iLife apps would integrate through these two new Apps and into one and other.

#504113

Bah, hey apple, why rush? Leopard's been around just about a year know. I guess in twelve months... yeah, it'll be two years. Ok, you got me there.

Also; I'm so confused on what Snow Leopard is about. Is it like, a "Pro" version of Leopard?! Is this 10.6 we're talking about, or an addon or extension pack? bah, I'm so confused on this, someone please bring the truth to light for me? .

Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos.

Uhh, yeah, okay... I'll bite. How?

EDIT: Okay, after reading this, I've gotten a bit of light on the matter, but still, talk to me people!

(Intel only? NOOOO!!!!! )

Of course, it seems like 10.6 is all about making graybeards bristly, as PowerPC users will soon be left out in the cold too.

Snow Leopard is currently on track to come out during next January's Macworld, and it will not contain major OS changes. Instead, the release is heavily focused on performance and nailing down speed and stability.

#504114

Also; I'm so confused on what Snow Leopard is about. Is it like, a "Pro" version of Leopard?! Is this 10.6 we're talking about, or an addon or extension pack? bah, I'm so confused on this, someone please bring the truth to light for me? .

Yes, it's 10.6. It focuses less on new features and more on slimming OS X down. It's basically a gigantic optimization, probably born from the effort in shoehorning OS X into the iPhone; a gigantic modernization and backend revamp is probably necessary to improve performance going into the future. It's a good time to do it, too, now that 64-bit is becoming standard.

#504116

Bah, hey apple, why rush? Leopard's been around just about a year know. I guess in twelve months... yeah, it'll be two years. Ok, you got me there.

Also; I'm so confused on what Snow Leopard is about. Is it like, a "Pro" version of Leopard?! Is this 10.6 we're talking about, or an addon or extension pack? bah, I'm so confused on this, someone please bring the truth to light for me? .

(Intel only? NOOOO!!!!! )

Yes, as stated; Snow Leopard is likely to be 10.6

Why still 'Leopard'?

The next version of Mac OS X marks a shift in focus. The next version is still going to look and feel very much like the current Leopard, except at its core.

Thus, Its a different 'breed' of Leopard if you will... one that looks almost identical but performs far better.

... but I still believe there are going to be at least some new 'features' besides just the core.

As for "Intel Only"... well, it has to come to this, if Apple is going to make a better OS, then it needs to be taking FULL advantage of the latest hardware rather than being burdened by old architecture compatibility.

If Apple didn't take this approach it would be like a Microsoft system, still using the old and defunct Bios instead of the modern EFI, still having hardware/driver issues (caused by incompatibility with multiple hardware manufacturers)... etc.

#504117

Oh, you people, always attacking MS.

I do wish the install size of Vista were cut down, but everything else is just right.

#504131

Let's just entertain that the fact that Snow Leopard is a Service Pack...that should be a free update. Period. Not $129 USD for a few things that, while nice, aren't particularly earth-shattering.

Levi's suggests could possibly make the 'service-pack' worth $30. As for EFI, I'm all for Microsoft dropping BIOS. Most of the Santa Rosa stuff supports it at the hardware layer.

The hardware argument isn't going to change. Microsoft is a software company, that happens to make hardware devices, unlike Apple who is a hardware company that happens to make software.

If Snow Leopard is a real new operating system, it needs to branded properly. OS XI. If not, make it a 500MB+ free download (or charge $5.99 for the weight).

#504157

If it's just another update, it should be free. I mean, bandwidth doesn't cost much, and you'd get a lot more customers if you made your product go pew pew pew.

#504158

Microsoft introduced UEFI support for x64 Windows operating systems with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Microsoft claims that the lack of official support for EFI booting on 32-bit CPUs is due to lack of support from PC manufacturers and vendors. Microsoft’s migration to x64 operating systems is not supportable by EFI 1.10, since the x86-64 processor extensions required by x64 operating systems were not a supported processor binding. Support for x86-64 was added in UEFI 2.0.

Thanks for the info on the matter, I get it now .

#504161

I like your prediction on vector graphics, I doubt it'd ever happen, but thats an awesome thought

#504162

Cuels.

If they're charging 129$USD though, that's absolutely ****ing ridiculous and unbelievably cheap on their part.

#504180

Cuels.

If they're charging 129$USD though, that's absolutely ****ing ridiculous and unbelievably cheap on their part.

#504181

Grr :mad: why does this keep happening?

#504182

Dave, KDE4 is fully vectorised, so it could happen.

#504184

If it's just another update, it should be free. I mean, bandwidth doesn't cost much, and you'd get a lot more customers if you made your product go pew pew pew.

It's a business, of course they're going to charge. Do you expect to get next year's Ferrari for free after you bought this year's?

#504208

I do, through Ferrari's download service.

I mean, they're just making the engine more efficient, they're not adding much, so it comes through atomtorrent.

#504220

Guys, resolution independence is in Leopard right now. It's just limited to developers at the moment. I would fully expect it to become an end-user feature in 10.6, since Apple creates products with resolution as high as 2560x1600 (30'' Apple Cinema Display) and 320x480 (iPhone.) Furthermore, the standard DPI on computer monitors is 96, and the iPhone uses 160. The feature is in the code for a reason, and it'll make its way to us sooner rather than later; and given that vectors are extremely hardware-intensive, it's likely one of the many reasons why Snow Leopard focuses on performance rather than a flood of end-user features. The thought of a fully-vectorized interface on the iPhone probably scares the crap out of Apple's engineers, and the version of OS X iPhone coming on the 3G iPhone has already been significantly optimized. (New hardware isn't the only reason for its increase in battery life.)

Let's just entertain that the fact that Snow Leopard is a Service Pack...that should be a free update. Period. Not $129 USD for a few things that, while nice, aren't particularly earth-shattering.

It's no more a service pack than 10.1 through 10.5 were. The fact that the primary focus is under the hood doesn't mean it's somehow less consequential.

How about we wait for the full and final list of changes--advertised end-user features and unadvertised additions--before we complain about things like price? This happens every time Apple releases a new iteration of OS X, I swear.

If Snow Leopard is a real new operating system, it needs to branded properly. OS XI. If not, make it a 500MB+ free download (or charge $5.99 for the weight).

Under this logic, we should be on OS XVI right now.

#504225

Windows service packs are free <_

#504232

Let's just entertain that the fact that Snow Leopard is a Service Pack...that should be a free update. Period. Not $129 USD for a few things that, while nice, aren't particularly earth-shattering.

I disagree... When we think of service packs we think of several things;

- Bug fixes

- Band aids

- Slight (very slight) enhancements which usually address niggling problems

- Bug fixes

- Security patches

- Did I mention more bug fixes?

Not to bash windows again, but perhaps it has tainted our perspective of a "service pack".

Apple is totally re-writing its core. This is BIG. This is a new foundation, it means new speeds and new features will work better when implemented.

I agree... perhaps its not worth $129 for a OS that has no visible 'new' features. But its a lot of work on Apple's behalf... so i think at least $50.

Levi's suggests could possibly make the 'service-pack' worth $30. As for EFI, I'm all for Microsoft dropping BIOS. Most of the Santa Rosa stuff supports it at the hardware layer.

The hardware argument isn't going to change. Microsoft is a software company, that happens to make hardware devices, unlike Apple who is a hardware company that happens to make software.

Apple is not a hardware company. They have always made this statement, however the distinction to be made here is that Apple is choosey with the hardware they use and implement- They always use the most modern and advanced... and then design software that integrates with it (and of course fancy boxes).

I like your prediction on vector graphics, I doubt it'd ever happen, but thats an awesome thought

The foundation of this already exists in the current Leopard! head over to Macthemes website (theming leopard wiki) for more details.

Its very much going to be a reality.

Basically theres PDF files (which contain vector objects inside) which are not currently in use by the system. These will be implemented later, why they aren't completely now is a bit of a mystery (perhaps future applications/updates will rely on them?)- but it'd be very strange if Apple didnt jump on the opportunity in Snow Leopard to make the jump.

#504252

Apple have the advantage of controlling closely the hardware they use, meaning they can tailor their OS for optimal speeds based around that hardware and that hardware alone.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say windows is probably better written, it just has a lot more variety to contend with, so faces problems of occasional instability and nasty crashes when things go wrong (I BSOD'd myself yesterday by running a benchmark on my graphics card, overclocked to twice the memory speed. Baaaad. (Apparently my card's memory is about as fast as it'll go. Neat, but it needs more shader pipelines))

It's not a service pack as such, Vista SP1 was 99% pure bugfixing, which also helped with speed issues and an awful lot more.

OS X's new editions seem like new OSes to me, just less so to windows releases. So yeah, they'll probably charge, and charge full price. Because no, it doesn't have any new eye candy, but it'll go a hell of a lot faster on the same hardware.

#504253

@ Phoshi... you have quite a point.

Me->XP->Vista ... These are far greater jumps than 10.3->10.4->10.5

But its important to note, that Apple releases these on a more frequent basis. Thus its an evolution of an OS, rather than a new revolution. They acknowledge this with thier marketting, they still call Mac OS, Mac OS X.

They don't need to make a revolution each time, they did that with OS9->OSX, and the foundation was strong enough to go to 10.5.

Now the foundation is being re-written, but not quite in the same sense as OS9->OSX was breaking classic programs etc... but it does break some things (namely non-intel compatibility)... Its more or less refining the core rather than replacing it completely.

Anyway... we are getting a lil offtopic... lets try and keep it on topic.

#504258

I disagree, it's still on the topic of OS X.

Yeah, Windows and Mac have totally different forms of releases. The OS X +=.1 releases seem inbetween service packs and full releases on a windows scale, though you have to pay for them. And of course, people do, so apple have a good strategy.

#504278

haha! My uncle has a 1GHz 12" Aluminum PowerBook on Jaguar -- he still sees no reason to upgrade.

#504280

Windows service packs are free <_<

1. Service packs are not operating systems.

2. Windows sucks; so Microsoft feels obligated to handing out free service packs.

#504283

1)No shit, who said they were? They're service packs, clue's in the name.

2)Err, no, it doesn't. You're entitled to prefer macs, but I know I'd rather use windows any day.

Ever tried making your mac look like windows? God knows why you'd want to, but you can't.

(Oh, and FYI, you're giving apple a bad name with horrendous fanboyism)

#504306

Anyway, I thing in this version of leopard they are going to get ready for multi-touch like what Microsoft is doing with Windows 7. Maybe there will be a new tablet mac. But they will make it faster and harder to create a Hackintosh. I think all of this is standard but lets hope they make it skin-able, Leopard suck with that.

#504309