Does Apple have an OS X update up its sleeve?

Rumor sites have speculated that OS X 10.6 could be previewed at next week's WWDC and released as soon as January’s Macworld Expo. Here’s one take on why this seemingly odd timing might make sense.

Mac OS X v10.6 is Intel-only, and that makes sense

Section: Apple News, Conferences, WWDC, Operating Systems, Leopard, OS-X, Originals Despite the screenshots we saw yesterday showing Universal applications running under the purported Mac OS X 10.6, LogicielMac today surfaced a screenshot of the 10.6 developer build’s accompanying PDF, which shows support for Intel only. Keeping in mind that this is just a developer build and it is still far from finished, the Intel-only stipulation does make sense. No new consumer features are being added in, so people with 10.5 won’t be missing out on any new iChat effects (God forbid!) and it really makes no sense to continue optimization on a platform that has been dead for years. I think of 10.6 as an Intel-optimized 10.5, with new underlying technologies that wouldn’t have had any application on the single and at most dual-processor PowerPC machines. This will pave the way for Mac OS Touch, which, while having a new naming scheme, will have the same underlying components from OS X. Carbon, however, will be gone, as the UI will be based on Cocoa Touch. For those who doubt me, just check this article...the night before the internet erupted about Snow Leopard. Mac OS X 10.6 will be the last iteration of OS X if Apple has a good plan. Its crowning feature will likely be resolution independence, but, other than that, there won’t be many new features, just improvements. Which reminds me...why didn’t they talk about resolution independence in OS X 10.6? Do they really have it up their sleeve to get it done by Leopard? Sound off in the comments. Full Story » | Written by Adam Fisher-Cox for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Mac OS X To Ease Programming for Multi-Core Processors (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - The next version of Apple's OS X operating system will include breakthroughs in programming parallel processors, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told The New York Times in an interview after this week's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Mac OS X 10.6 confirmed: Snow Leopard

Section: Apple News, Updates, Conferences, WWDC, Mac + Computers, Software, Operating Systems, Leopard, OS-X, Originals Mac OS X 10.6 is Snow Leopard. While only mentioned once at the WWDC keynote, it was enough to let us make some very safe assumptions. Snow Leopard, as evidenced by its name, is a bigger than usual incremental update. Here’s what I’m expecting. Snow Leopard will have some visual tweaks. The only way this isn’t happening is if it is free or very discounted. Apple will not be able to get many laymen to buy an OS that looks the same. It will remain under the hood, much the same as Leopard, with fixes and stability changes. If it is free, then it is entirely likely that is will be Intel only, and Intel-optimized version that fixes stability and other things without having to simulntaneaously code for PowerPC. It will signal that 10.7/Mac OS Touch will be a big release with no PowerPC support. It will contain no new end user features. It will not contain Carbon APIs, but Carbon apps will still run. This signals the death of Carbon in Mac OS Touch, with perhaps one last OS before Carbon goes away. What do you think Snow Leopard will be? it’s still very much a mystery. Full Story » | Written by Adam Fisher-Cox for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Apple's secret business weapon? (InfoWorld)

InfoWorld - Judging from initial accounts, the next version of the Mac OS X, named Snow Leopard, will be aimed squarely at business and enterprise users, signaling a formal push by Apple to take Windows head on outside the consumer and education markets. "Apple is taking the Mac OS one step closer to the enterprise," says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Apple's secret business weapon?

InfoWorld says the next version of Mac OS X will be aimed squarely at business and enterprise users, signaling a formal push by Apple to take Windows head on outside the consumer and education markets.