Apple OS X 10.5 "Leopard" officially debuts

We came for the Mac Pro, but we're staying for Leopard, Apple's long awaited followup to OS X 10.4, released April of last year. Apple is promising a spring '07 release, and with all of those playground-style put downs of Vista they've been throwing around at WWDC, we don't think a targeted similarity in launch times is out of the question.

Leopard will feature the new and/or improved:

• 64-bit Cocoa and Carbon application support, right beside 32-bit apps, all native.
• Time Machine - Automatically backs up every version of your files to a hard drive or server. Includes snazzy 3D Time Machine view (pictured) to browse through older versions of folders.
• Boot Camp - "Even better." Ships with Leopard.
• Photo Booth - With expanded camera support.
• Spaces - Apple's term for virtual desktops. Allows you to group different applications together in their own environment for different tasks, and allows movement of windows between "spaces."
• Spotlight - Can search other machines over a network. Boolean operations, application launching, and recent items will also be added to the search tool.
• Core Animation - Developer architecture to create moving eye candy with little code.
• Universal Access - VoiceOver enhancements, Braille support, closed captioning and improved navigation.
• Mail - Stationary (templates), Notes (specially highlighted self-sent emails) and To-Do lists all built in.
• Dashboard - New Dashcode tool allows visual template-based Widget development. There's also a new Web Clip app that takes any part of a web page and turns it into a Widget.
• iChat - Allows multiple logins, invisible mode, animated buddy icons, video recording and tabbed chats (hooray.) There's also photo booth effects, iChat Theater (slideshows, Keynote presentations and videos displayed over video chat), and photo/video backdrops.
  
• Enhanced Parental Controls
• Xcode 3

[iceanfire @ Aug 7th 2006 2:36PM]

eh, the only thing that really impressed me was the Spaces which is somewhat (a tiny bit) like the linux 4 desktops dealio.

[Court Kizer @ Aug 7th 2006 2:39PM]

You forgot the features Steve said are "TOP SECRET" for now. One of those features is the finder. Before it ships Apple will include a completely new multimedia finder, the current one is just the tiger finder put into leopard. The finder is just an app and will be replaced.

[ccutlip @ Aug 7th 2006 2:39PM]

Wow, Apple's really reaching these days. First the Hi-Fi/leather cases conference and now all this hype for a meeting about one new computer and an operating system that's going to be out next year? Yikes.

...And to think I wasted all this time wondering about what fantastical things I was gonna see from WWDC.

[cubs-bears-bulls-rule-4life @ Aug 7th 2006 2:42PM]

i wanted a new ipod video or iphone before christmas disappointed

[Jeffrey903 @ Aug 7th 2006 2:42PM]

When will Dashcode and the new iChat, Mail, and PhotoBooth be available for Tiger?

[craig @ Aug 7th 2006 2:43PM]

What about Front Row. Wasn't that updated in some way?

[bc @ Aug 7th 2006 2:43PM]

big deal...dissapointment..

[simon barratt @ Aug 7th 2006 2:46PM]

there was a reference to an updated version of frontrow, but no details as to what.

[Ben @ Aug 7th 2006 2:46PM]

"now all this hype for a meeting about one new computer and an operating system that's going to be out next year? Yikes."

lol .. just as expected.

Note to Engadget editors, this is a "DEVELOPER CONFERENCE" not some super duper gadget introduction Expo. Try not to hype it up like there'll be something super duper cool.


Come one come all, there's no iPhone or new iPod. let's all concentrate on bashing apple now.

[Evoguy @ Aug 7th 2006 2:47PM]

Wait.. so all this hype for new features that boil down to 64bit support, virtual desktops, and shadow copy file versioning!?? All of these already exist, and have for years, in fact 2 out of 3 of them are in xp64... and all three are in Vista.

Woo.. revolutionary. Vista 2.0 indeed. I'd argue DX10 is a bigger feature than any of these.

[treetrunk @ Aug 7th 2006 2:51PM]

I love how they use "TOP SECRET" as a no-obligation way of saying "DOESN'T WORK YET".

[matt @ Aug 7th 2006 2:52PM]

Yeah evoguy... but that's ignoring the fact that they said from the onset that they weren't going to talk about several of the bigger planned features (so that redmond wouldn't have time to copy before vista arrives)...

[Chuck M @ Aug 7th 2006 2:56PM]

I was hopeful that I would hear about that super-duper top secret feature for iChat. You know the one I am talking about..... Yahoo integration... Jeezzz.... I do not need roller coasters. What I need are things normal people use in a normal day's work. My customers use AOL, Yahoo! and MSN. I need to "IM" to them with the occasional video chat from the road to my wife and daughter.

Looks like it's still adium.

Very Very disappointing.

Chuck

[Dave @ Aug 7th 2006 2:56PM]

I used to work for the company that used to be called, "iChat". They were bought by another company--and they by another. That other company is Avaya. I think they still own the trademark. I wonder if they sold it to Apple...

[Kevin @ Aug 7th 2006 2:56PM]

If this is an early preview of Leopard with the "top secret" features not finished, Apple should not have come out saying things like "Vista 2.0." They set expectations very high, only to offer nothing extremely new or innovative.

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2006 2:58PM]

"Mail - Stationary "

I think you mean "Stationery".

Although "stationary" is a pretty good way to describe what went on at this keynote. When email stationery and goofy video conferencing backgrounds are considered big selling points of your OS, then you know you've officially run out of ideas.

[Davey @ Aug 7th 2006 2:58PM]

HA!
no phone.

[OMG @ Aug 7th 2006 2:59PM]

Stevie get a punch on his face...who's with me? who's with me??

[Zak @ Aug 7th 2006 3:01PM]

You know, I like Macs. But I really hate Apple, as a company. Their constant PC bashes really piss me off.

[Juan @ Aug 7th 2006 3:06PM]

Don't forget that throughtout the week, there will be more "announcements".

[Jake @ Aug 7th 2006 3:08PM]

I'm an Apple devotee, so I'm not just bashing Apple, but doesn't Time Machine sound a lot like Windows System Restore? I just hope it's a lot more well-executed, as System Restore is utterly terrible.

[z @ Aug 7th 2006 3:09PM]

Yep can't wait to get a copy under my palms. This "Time Machine" is probably one of the most interesting things of all times for an OS...

[drivebybiped @ Aug 7th 2006 3:10PM]

I'm with you OMG
This is sorta a sad list of things, maybe, maybe Spaces and Time Machine will be useful.

Spotlight just doesn't compare to Quicksilver or other similiar searching systems.
The dashboard is a horrible idea from the start. Its slow and just induces clutter. Anything it provides can be gotten to faster imo through a web browser and possibly application launcher (like quicksilver)

iChat is easily supplanted by Adium as I switched quickly and never looked back.

If they add USB webcam support I might be interested, as right now for a webcam its Macam or a pay-for-driver to run anything beyond the expensive (but nice) webcam from Apple.

Parental Controls...hmm delays your kid for maybe an extra 15 minutes, maybe. Of course you could be a good parent and then you wouldn't really have that issue, but hey its America screw being real parents.

XCode3, I am indeed looking forward to that, but I doubt XCode plays prominently in the lives of a large percentage of Mac users.

So far based on this list of features I'm gonna say its not worth my money. Here's to hoping its not as bad as that list seems and I can still be impressed.

[mike @ Aug 7th 2006 3:10PM]

Remember how Nintendo kept its mouth shut about the Wii..?

Same thing. It's a preview, there's a lot more to Leopard..but SOMEONE is going to have to wait 'till Spring.

You know. Competitive Reasons? It makes no sense to tell the best stuff this early.
Not in terms of Marketing. Not for Competitive Reasons. There's no financial incentive for them to talk at all, except to get current Leopard projects underway.

I repeat: Nintendo was smart to keep quiet; Apple is the same.

It's the companies that have nothing innovative going on.. those are the ones that claim to be transparent.

[Manuel @ Aug 7th 2006 3:19PM]

The devil's advocate here; I would just like to point out how everyone expects perfection out of a company like Apple; how it sucks because it's not "impressive enough"... And here's Microsoft with a twice delayed Vista and developers coming out saying that it's going through development hell! And Apple fanboys are supposedly the biased ones...

[Jobba @ Aug 7th 2006 3:20PM]

@ Jake; As far as I know, System Restore is ment for restoring your system, not to recover files. Personally I think this Time Machine will be a very usefull application, as it backs-up a file everytime you overwrite it!

As earlier replied, most probably there will be more announcements later this week. I'm hoping Apple will announce that they soon put the Core 2 Duo chipset in the Macbook Pro's...

[z @ Aug 7th 2006 3:21PM]

I agree, this was just a peek preview for the ones who know what it means to get a demo like this one running to be able to evaluate what is at hand for their professional activities, programming or media related. If you saw what we saw tonight in SF and you're pretty smart, knowing what is in 10.4, you just can do more than guess what this 10.5 means.

And anyway, there is finally some good competition in the OS market! Win, Linux, Mac, a choice at last!

[helio9000 @ Aug 7th 2006 3:22PM]

Apple needs to start defining itself as and against itself instead of just in opposition to windows. That's the best you can do? Beat windows? Big whup. Defining yourself in oppostion is always a dumb idea but in Apple's case it is particulary stupid because their products are cool enough that they should not need to bring anything else into the conversation. They stand on their own not just as better than the other guy's. Jesus it is so lame and tiresome. Worst of all, for the decade plus they have been doing it, it hasn't worked! It is especially bad when minutes later they are hyping multiple desktops as if it isn't a 10-15 year old? feature of Unix. Or even worse - stationary for your email app another damn near decade old "innovation" that was a silly feature then too.

The best ad Apple has out right now just shows a guy lifting an iMac out of the packaging and it says "Awesome out of the box" not a direct word about windows or PCs or any of that garbage. Just a clean, simple and pretty powerful truth. That should be their mantra going forward.

[YourNameHere @ Aug 7th 2006 3:22PM]

Man, this sucks, I was looking forward to a new Mac in October but now it looks like I'll have to wait for spring.

[Chris @ Aug 7th 2006 3:23PM]

I think its because microsoft doesn't need banners or quotes to help boost their ego. You get the software, good or bad, and you let others develop hardware for it. You also try to eat the competition. 'Nuff said.

[Ben @ Aug 7th 2006 3:24PM]

Jake

Actually it sounds nothing like Windows System Restore. If you ever used Windows System Restore you'll know it doesn't really work.

And quite frankly Backuping is nothing new, but no one really do it, because it's just not convinenant.

Apple is just making Backup more accessible by making it pretty much transparent.

[Massimo @ Aug 7th 2006 3:30PM]

Great Leopard. Great Mac Pro. What do you want more? Hasta la vista, Vista!

[Lincoln's Log @ Aug 7th 2006 3:31PM]

Well when you think about it, it's time for people to start backing their digital life up. We've all got tons of songs, movies, photos, etc. on our computers now and we're absolutely stupid for not having it backed up. Sure, we've all had the capability but most people don't do it because it takes time...not alot but I'm just sayin. This is a perfectly timed OS innovation that should help lots of people. Good move Apple.

[pedro @ Aug 7th 2006 3:32PM]

This is the problem with rumor sites. They have EXCLUSIVE INSIDER INFORMATION from STEVES JOBS' OWN GARDNER about the hot new iphone and ipod video and mac tablet! Ooh and ahh at the specs, and ooh and ahh that they'll be released at the next keynote. And then! Disappointment.
And people get mad at APPLE?!?!

That would be like me telling you that I have new inside information that BMW is unveiling a $20,000 M3.
And then being disappointed when BMW doesn't deliver. Come on! This happens EVERY KEYNOTE.

[klu @ Aug 7th 2006 3:38PM]

What about the MacBook (Pro)'s? No Merom announcement.

Too bad, leaving many potential buyers in uncertainty.

[Stephen P. @ Aug 7th 2006 3:38PM]

I'm kinda disappointed by no new ipods or anything, but this OS looks sick, and I've used Windows my whole life.

[PMX @ Aug 7th 2006 3:40PM]

For those saying that Time Machine is "just like Windows System Restore", look at this and shut up ;)
http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/timemachine.html

[marty @ Aug 7th 2006 3:44PM]

jeeze. c'mon apple. yea ok, you have new software. wow. whens it coming out? next year. its called christmas, thats when you make all the money. so start showing up with some TRUE video iPods, the iphone (or ichat mobile) and put the 2 duo core processors in you macbooks. then you will officially take the market over. because we have no clue about the zune yet, but i know for sure that the gay zune pictures all over the internet are fake. so they just might make better systems than your ipod. but if you release that true video ipod, congratualtions, you cant be beat!

[Andrew @ Aug 7th 2006 3:50PM]

"For those saying that Time Machine is "just like Windows System Restore", look at this and shut up ;)"

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060730-7383.html

[CTG @ Aug 7th 2006 3:52PM]

"Time Machine automatically backs up everything on the Mac to an external hard drive or Mac OS X Server. In the event a file is lost, users can search back through time using an intuitive time-based visual display to find and then instantly restore the file. With one click, Time Machine can restore anything from a single file or photo to everything on a Mac."

Why people keep mentioning Windows System Restore, I have no idea. It's looking to be more comparable to Retrospect.

[Jack @ Aug 7th 2006 3:53PM]

Every PC user out there needs to remember that this is the Meca for Mac Developers. Everyone there is extremist apple. They are boiling over with excitement about WWDC. If apple takes a couple of pop shots at Redmen & Vista, so be it. Last time I checked Apple will have 2 OS's out by the time Vista sees the light of day. I think Steve can allow Cupertino to glow a bit about that.

So Relax... Let them have a conferance with the die hards.
If Vista does what it's supposed to do then MS can claim another two decades of being king of the hill. There should be nothing to worry about... or is there?

[CTG @ Aug 7th 2006 4:01PM]

Here's a YouTube video of Time Machine in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiMW7DIGwNw

[AndrewNeo @ Aug 7th 2006 4:08PM]

What System Restore in Windows does is it saves the registry and driver cache (and probably other things). This way if a driver or program breaks your system, or whatever, you can recover from it. If your registry goes poof (one great reason why it shouldn't exist) then you can get it from the SR.

[Masterjuan @ Aug 7th 2006 4:18PM]

thats cool

[p.c @ Aug 7th 2006 4:19PM]

ok
why do i need a mac when 90% of the software i use dosnt run on a mac ,, actually all the cuting edge software for 3d animation and dynamic motions dosnt run on a mac,
a mac is a nice looking expensive machine for thoose who have money and want to show off,,so keep showing off your slik looking machine while the whole world is jumping years ahead.
think!@

[tf @ Aug 7th 2006 4:20PM]

"jeeze. c'mon apple. yea ok, you have new software. wow. whens it coming out? next year."

Yeah, what do you think: this is a developer confernece or summin'?

Jesus Christ! Microsoft started talking up and showing us Vista in 2001!

"its called christmas, thats when you make all the money. so start showing up with some TRUE video iPods, the iphone (or ichat mobile) and put the 2 duo core processors in you macbooks."

Did I miss the part where they said they would not release anything else for the next 5.5 months?

Get a clue; go to a decent rumor site that predicted exactly what occurred (New Mac Pros, new XServes, Leopard preview) and discover that nanos will be in the next month or so... Video iPod in November or next year... Merom in other Macs in the next month or so... Don't expect the iPhone for 1-2 years and maybe we'll be surprised.

Aslo, for people expecting additional announcements: its not happening. They were referring to the fact that other developers will be making announcement about their support for Apple/Leopard as we've already gotten with VMWare today. Everything else Apple has to say requires registration and an NDA.

[Scott Scratch @ Aug 7th 2006 4:21PM]

"You know, I like Macs. But I really hate Apple, as a company. Their constant PC bashes really piss me off."

Hahaha!! That was the complaint of Mac users 10 years ago...not anymore, m'fers. All market share, no dignity.

[Aza @ Aug 7th 2006 4:23PM]

I would hve thought after all these years they would have done something about that awful piece of software they call Finder. It's hideous, dated and almost unuseable.

That ssaid, you never know, they might have finally added a "Cut" file command.

[tf @ Aug 7th 2006 4:39PM]

"Apple needs to start defining itself as and against itself instead of just in opposition to windows. That's the best you can do?"

I think you are falling into a silly trap. Yes, they put up a bunch of provocative posters at their Dev Conference to rally the troops and amuse them and piss you off, get the whole Window-loving-crew to rail against them senselessly for months.

To average end consumers and the developers and Apple themselves, I don't see themselves defining themselves according to MS at all. Look at Time Machine: it could be compared to System Restore and the new undelete features, but does it look and act anything like those? No, Apple realizes Backup is now important to everyday users and did it in a clean, neat, seamless, and fun way. None of that came from trying to compete feature for feature with Windows. Likewise, look at iChat. In some respects it still lags Messenger (but now they've built in Remote Assistance into the OS but via the chat program) but it's the slickest conferencing software around and that's partly attributed to their building iSights into all of their hardware. I can think of many examples, but I think what needs to be reiterated is: the Vista signs are just meant for their developers, to get a laugh, and to get your panties in a bunch. Think of it as Jobs way of jumping up and down, sweat pooring off of him, permeating all his clothing, while screaming "Developers! Developers! Developers!"

[tf @ Aug 7th 2006 4:40PM]

"I would hve thought after all these years they would have done something about that awful piece of software they call Finder. It's hideous, dated and almost unuseable."

Finder changes are clearly their biggest "Top Secret."