Apple Previews Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Developers

[aryayush]

Apple Previews Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Developers

SAN FRANCISCO—June 9, 2008—Apple® today previewed Mac OS® X Snow Leopard, which builds on the incredible success of OS X Leopard and is the next major version of the world’s most advanced operating system. Rather than focusing primarily on new features, Snow Leopard will enhance the performance of OS X, set a new standard for quality and lay the foundation for future OS X innovation. Snow Leopard is optimized for multi-core processors, taps into the vast computing power of graphic processing units (GPUs), enables breakthrough amounts of RAM and features a new, modern media platform with QuickTime® X. Snow Leopard includes out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and is scheduled to ship in about a year.

“We have delivered more than a thousand new features to OS X in just seven years and Snow Leopard lays the foundation for thousands more,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “In our continued effort to deliver the best user experience, we hit the pause button on new features to focus on perfecting the world’s most advanced operating system.”

Snow Leopard delivers unrivaled support for multi-core processors with a new technology code-named “Grand Central,” making it easy for developers to create programs that take full advantage of the power of multi-core Macs. Snow Leopard further extends support for modern hardware with Open Computing Language (OpenCL), which lets any application tap into the vast gigaflops of GPU computing power previously available only to graphics applications. OpenCL is based on the C programming language and has been proposed as an open standard. Furthering OS X’s lead in 64-bit technology, Snow Leopard raises the software limit on system memory up to a theoretical 16TB of RAM.

Using media technology pioneered in OS X iPhone™, Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, which optimizes support for modern audio and video formats resulting in extremely efficient media playback. Snow Leopard also includes Safari® with the fastest implementation of JavaScript ever, increasing performance by 53 percent, making Web 2.0 applications feel more responsive.*

For the first time, OS X includes native support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 in OS X applications Mail, iCal® and Address Book, making it even easier to integrate Macs into organizations of any size.

*Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection and other factors. Benchmark based on the SunSpider JavaScript Performance test on an iMac® 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system running Mac OS X Snow Leopard, with 2GB of RAM.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

[Via Apple]

[mavihs]

wow!!! nice!!!

[iMav]

So it did happen.

[BBThumbHealer]

Nice ....

[gxsaurav]

So now Apple is giving features Vista already gave in form of DirectX 10, CUDA, Aero, .net 3.0 & Directshow 10 just 4 years late.

Cupertino has many cats, Copycats

U need 2GB of RAM to see improvent in Safari's Javascript engine? gosh, firefox 3 is better

[kostik]

Hi
You are not clear with your thoughts, will you give more information. So I can help you out in this matter.

[aryayush]

LOL! Don’t bother trying to help him out with Mac OS X. Trust me on this, he’s a genius.

(Seriously, there’s a reason why no exeprienced user replied to his post. For your own sake, don’t bother with this guy. He’s a lost case.)

[Voldy]

hmm Nice news and indeed a grt news for mac fanboys

[gxsaurav]

Hi
You are not clear with your thoughts, will you give more information. So I can help you out in this matter.

No, Thanks. My concepts are clear & every things Apple showed for Snow Leopard in WWDC, Windows Vista users are already enjoying with a DirectX 10 card. They said something about OpenCL & it's not even out yet...lolz. nVidia CUDA is already out there.

LOL! Don’t bother trying to help him out with Mac OS X. Trust me on this, he’s a genius.

(Seriously, there’s a reason why no exeprienced user replied to his post. For your own sake, don’t bother with this guy. He’s a lost case.)

OH! the great Salesman has said...thou shell bow to him.

By the way, Andy is screwed big. According to the latest screen shots & developer information, Apple is dropping support for PowerPC Mac in Snow Leopard. Apple, they know 1000 ways to extort money from the customers. Now all the Dual PowerPC G5 users need to upgrade to Intel Mac to use Snow Leopard & it's only 4 years old....he he he he he

Windows Vista installs & runs fine on the same generation Pentium 4 PC.


Arya, please say that Apple has innovated easy Multi-Core Application developement with Grabd Central, GPGPU with OpenCL & Hardware video acceleration with Quicktime X, please Do.....Windows users will die laughing at you....lolz..

Cupertino indeed has many cats, Copy cats

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Andy is screwed big.

No, he isn’t. He happens to have a MacBook now, thank you very much.

[preshit.net]

And 10.6 doesn't come out until another year passes by. That's not tomorrow.

[gxsaurav]

So, is it ok to stop supporting those uber powerful Dual CPU based PowerPC G5 Mac Pros with 4 GB RAM?

[aryayush]

Yes and no. It does seem a little too soon but there’s little point in prolonging the death of the platform. Mac OS X Leopard happens to be an extremely capable and well-built operating system which runs just fine on even ten-year-old hardware and Snow Leopard isn’t going to add any consumer level features. The under-the-hood improvements would’ve been significantly lesser if they’d had to keep dragging the PowerPC anchor around and those on PowerPC hardware wouldn’t have experienced a dramatic increase in performance anyway (if at all).

Snow Leopard is going to be Leopard with performance enhancements. For those on the PowerPC platform, there’s Leopard. For those who’ve advanced, Apple is paving the way for even better OS releases in future.

Yes, they could have maybe supported it for one more year or so, but all in all, I don’t think users will have much to complain about. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the loudest complaints will be coming from people like you—Windows users who don’t even have Macs, let alone ones that run on PowerPC. And we all know how well Vista runs on even top-of-the-line hardware, let alone Pentium IV based PCs.

[gxsaurav]

lolz... .this has proved that Macboys r indeed blind. Arya, plz tell this to an owner who paid 4 lakh for a Mac Pro few years back & $ 129 this year for Leopard & then let us know how many teeths U have left

[chandru.in]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Arya, please say that Apple has innovated easy Multi-Core Application developement with Grabd Central, GPGPU with OpenCL & Hardware video acceleration with Quicktime X, please Do.....Windows users will die laughing at you....lolz..

Cupertino indeed has many cats, Copy cats

But multi-core app development and hardware acceleration are not Microsoft innovations too. JVM has been scaling extremely well on several SMPs and across massive multi-cores like Ultrasparc T2 CPUs for a very long time.

OpenGL was out in 1992 but DirectX was out only in 1995.

[MetalheadGautham]

lolz two of you fighting over so called "innovation" is highly amusing.

we all know where real power lies.

A truely powerful OS is one which lets the user customise it and push it with limits being only the user himself(or herself). We all know what such OSes are collectively called.

*cough* distro *cough*

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Snow Leopard is going to be Leopard with performance enhancements. For those on the PowerPC platform, there’s Leopard. For those who’ve advanced, Apple is paving the way for even better OS releases in future.

A.K.A Service Pack 1

[gxsaurav]

no, bug fixes, optimisation which usually is a free service pack mean a new OS worth $129 mean in Apple world

[aryayush]

How do you know its price before it has even been announced?

[preshit.net]

Originally Posted by aryayush

How do you know its price before it has even been announced?

Why ? Why do you even bother ?

[aryayush]

Honestly, I have no idea. None at all.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by aryayush

users who don’t even have Macs, let alone ones that run on PowerPC.

Ofcourse there are. I know lots of people who own Xbox 360s and are windows guys. Xbox360, Sony PS3 are both based on PPC architecture in case you didn't know.

PowerPC = 1337 IBM, not Apple.

Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

lolz... .this has proved that Macboys r indeed blind. Arya, plz tell this to an owner who paid 4 lakh for a Mac Pro few years back & $ 129 this year for Leopard & then let us know how many teeths U have left

Dude, you must be kidding. How ignorant can you be. Apple Mac Pro Workstation users don't give a damn to spending money. Don't you even get such a simple fact ? Who else would buy a system like that ? Go study the Mac Buyers Bible written by Steve Jobs and revised by Aayush.

[preshit.net]

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

Ofcourse there are. I know lots of people who own Xbox 360s and are windows guys. Xbox360, Sony PS3 are both based on PPC architecture in case you didn't know.

And those are Macs ?

Let me quote his exact words.

users who don’t even have Macs, let alone ones that run on PowerPC.

which means " ... users who don't even have Macs, let alone Macs that run on PowerPC."

Just trying to make things clearer

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by preshit.net

And those are Macs ?

Let me quote his exact words.



which means " ... users who don't even have Macs, let alone Macs that run on PowerPC."

Just trying to make things clearer

thanks for clearing that part up a bit.
I thought he was pointing to Saurav's ignorance of the PPC architecture or its (possible) disadvantages.

[mail2and]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

By the way, Andy is screwed big.

Would be better if you do away with the namecalling, and let me worry about myself. Just to clear up facts, I got a MacBook with Tiger pre-installed with a free 4GB iPod for £599, will get a further £100 off VAT once I leave the UK, got the £5 Leopard upgrade, and have been using it happily ever after.

Hopefully, in about a couple of months, I'd be able to afford a lot lot more.

[SunnyChahal]

Will this be a new OS X altogether with new GUI,kernel etc. or is it an update to Leapord?

[gxsaurav]

this is leopard service pack 1

Microsoft showed Longhorn features such as Instant Search, GPU Accelerated UI before Mac OS implemented it, but apple was first to copy & relese them in form of 3 OS. Now when MS is silent about Windows 7, apple has nothing to copy & have paused adding features. lolz

[iMav]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

this is leopard service pack 1

Microsoft showed Longhorn features such as Instant Search, GPU Accelerated UI before Mac OS implemented it, but apple was first to copy & relese them in form of 3 OS. Now when MS is silent about Windows 7, apple has nothing to copy & have paused adding features. lolz

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

Ofcourse there are. I know lots of people who own Xbox 360s and are windows guys. Xbox360, Sony PS3 are both based on PPC architecture in case you didn't know.

PowerPC = 1337 IBM, not Apple.

Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC

Dude, what the Hell does that have anything to do with the topic or anything mentioned by anyone in the conversation? Do you just jump into conversations to flaunt how good you can be at scanning through Wikipedia? WTF is wrong with you!

Originally Posted by Sunny1211993

Will this be a new OS X altogether with new GUI,kernel etc. or is it an update to Leapord?

It’s like Leopard was to Tiger. It’s not an update of the GUI, kernel, etc.. Why would that be required? Mac OS X is a fantastic operating system.

It’s an upgrade to Leopard’s core technologies to make it faster and even more stable and secure. They’re overhauling the engine of the car and keeping the exterior unchanged. They’re probably dropping support for PowerPC, the dead platform (when it comes to Macs), and optimising the operating system to perform even better on Macs powered by Intel processors.

In the words of Bertrand Serlett, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, “We have delivered more than a thousand new features to OS X in just seven years and Snow Leopard lays the foundation for thousands more. In our continued effort to deliver the best user experience, we hit the pause button on new features to focus on perfecting the world’s most advanced operating system.”

You won’t see a lot of new features on the surface but your Mac will run better than it ever has before. Hopefully.

[FilledVoid]

t’s an upgrade to Leopard’s core technologies to make it faster and even more stable and secure. They’re overhauling the engine of the car and keeping the exterior unchanged.

You won’t see a lot of new features on the surface but your Mac will run better than it ever has before. Hopefully.

Hopefully? Are the features documented somewhere? Not the ones to optimize for a certain platform but actual new features which will come to Snow ?