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Apple today announced that Mac OS

X Leopard will go on sale Friday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Apple's retail

stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, and that Apple's online store is now

accepting pre-orders. Leopard is packed with more than 300 new features and

introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access

files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and

share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see

files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used

to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and

Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a

Mac.

"Leopard, the sixth major release of Mac OS X, is the best upgrade we've

ever released," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "And everyone gets the

'Ultimate' version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just

$129."

 

Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new

way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click.

Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads

stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and users can instantly fan the

contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock.

Users can also create their own Stacks for quick access to folders,

documents or applications. Leopard's gorgeous new look extends to all

applications, with every window on the desktop offering a consistent design

theme and active windows outlined by deeper shadows that make them stand

out.

 

The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a

dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any

PC or Mac on a local network. Content on any computer on a local network

can now be searched using Spotlight, browsed using Cover Flow or copied

across the network with a simple drag and drop. .Mac members can use the

new Back to My Mac feature to browse and access files on their remote Macs

over the Internet.

 

Quick Look is the fastest and easiest way for users to look inside files

without launching them or even having the application that created them.

With Quick Look, users can instantly view full-screen, high-resolution

files of virtually anything, even media files, from any view in the Finder.

 

Spaces gives users a powerful new way to organize their work by creating

customized desktops which can contain only those applications or documents

needed for each project, with the ability to quickly switch between Spaces

with the mouse or keyboard.

 

Time Machine lets users easily back up all of the data on their Mac, find

lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a

one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of

everything on the Mac.* In the event a file is lost, users can search back

through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital

media and then instantly restore the file. If it's ever necessary, Leopard

can also easily restore an entire system from the Time Machine data on an

external drive.

 

Mail has been updated in Leopard and features more than 30 stationery

designs and layouts that look great on a Windows PC or Mac so users can

easily send stylish, personalized emails with beautiful graphics and

photos. Notes and To Dos help users stay organized by acting just like

emails that can be easily created, saved as drafts, synced across multiple

Macs and stored in Smart Mailboxes. Data detectors automatically sense

phone numbers, addresses and events so they can be added to Address Book or

iCal with just a few clicks, and users can keep up-to-date by getting the

latest news and blog feeds delivered directly to their mailboxes with a

built-in RSS reader.

 

iChat, the easiest-to-use video conferencing application on any personal

computer, offers even richer video chats in Leopard with iChat Theater,

which makes it easy to show photos, presentations, videos or files in a

video conference; screen sharing which lets users remotely view and operate

another Mac; and Photo Booth effects for fun distortions and video

backdrops that can instantly make users appear to be anywhere they choose.

 

Other new features in Leopard include:

 

* improved Parental Controls, aiding parents in managing their kids' online

activities with automatic identification of unsuitable content before

allowing website access, plus time limits and activity logs that can be

accessed from any Mac on a home network;

 

* the complete Boot Camp release, previously available only as a beta,

making it possible to run Windows natively on Intel-based Macs;**

 

* Web Clip, bringing anything that a user wants from a web page to

Dashboard as a live widget;

 

* new Photo Booth features, helping users create animated iChat buddy icons

or fun effects and backdrops with still or video images;

 

* an enhanced Dictionary with Wikipedia built in, allowing users to access

up to date information on virtually any subject in a snap;

 

* a newly updated iCal with multi-user calendaring based on the new CalDAV

standard; and

 

* an updated version of Front Row, making it even easier to play music or

watch movies, TV shows and photos on a Mac using the ultra-simple Apple

Remote.

 

And according to the  Apple Store , that's when it's being released in New Zealand as well.