The long-awaited Mac OS X 10.5 with over 300 new features is available with new Macs and as an upgrade for $129 MSRP. Most anticipated features include Time Machine, iChat with shared screen, Quick Look, Spaces, and easy network device sharing. Compare your system with these requirements.
- Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 Macintosh
- 867MHz or faster processor
- 9GB available disk space
- 512MB of memory
- DVD drive for installation
The OS, nicknamed Leopard, has additional feature-specific requirements that benefit from at least a 1.6GHz processor, 12GB available disk space, external hard drive, and broadband Internet connection. Boot Camp requires separate purchase of Windows or Vista operating system. (Boot Camp public beta is no longer available to Tiger OS X 10.4 customers.) The newest release no longer supports Classic OS 9.
Though consumers are quickly adopting the new OS, creative professionals are cautiously awaiting compatibility announcements from major software vendors.