Leopard Review: First Apple OS X Leopard Reviews by The Mainstream (Verdict: It's Good)

from Gizmodo by Jason Chen

Three reviews are in from USA Today, WSJ and NYT and they're all positive (though some more positive than others). That's Mossberg's video, above, but the rest of the reviews are summarized below.

USA Today Review: Ed Baig says it "hits all the right spots"—a obvious pun, but it gets right to the heart of his review. He continues to say that OS X is superior to Windows (especially with the latest iteration), but points out the Boot Camp feature for people who need both. Upgrading for him was super easy, as was using Time Machine for backing up or migrating files, the iChat video chat/theater, the upgraded Mail.app, and the improved desktop, Finder (file browser), and .Mac features. It reads like a shortened Leopard feature checklist with the praise preceding or following each item, which shows how much of a thumbs up Baig is giving the new OS. [USAToday]

Mossberg WSJ Review: After his headline ("Leopard: Faster, Easier Than Vista") and on a short history tour of Apple as a company, Mossberg moves on to say that while Leopard is good, it's evolutionary, and not revolutionary—but still manages to keep Apple's "advantage over Windows". He does have some gripes. He says the menubar is translucent (it's actually not, in the final version), the icons are "dull and flat and less atractive than Vista's" (we disagree), Time Machine, although described as "sexy", has limited backup locations. And that none of Apple's 300 new features are a major breakthrough. However, Leopard doesn't have any of the upgrade problems (when upgrading from Tiger) that Vista had from XP. Mossberg then goes into feature list mode, but ends by saying that Leopard isn't a must-have, it just adds a lot of value on an existing machine. [WSJ]

Pogue's NYT Review: After spending half the first page (and 1/4 of the whole piece) talking about how Time Machine works, Pogue moves on to Spaces, parental controls, Boot Camp, screen sharing, and iChat upgrades. Although backup features and virtual desktops have been around for a while, Pogue says the point of Leopard is that Apple takes all those apps, improves on them, and integrates them well into the OS. But he too has complaints.

Stacks are a bit awkward and inconsistent, see through menus are hard to see (he may be using an old version because the final version looks fine), as well as occasional glitches in Spaces and program switching. Final thoughts: it's polished and offers few disappointments. Looks like a buy from Pogue. [NYTimes]

Mobile Google Docs

from Google News by Ionut Alex Chitu

The mobile version of Google Docs, available at http://docs.google.com/m, displays the list of documents and almost lets you view them. The interface is somewhere between the iGoogle gadget and the desktop interface. It's pretty easy to find documents by using search, going to a folder or looking in the list of recent documents. But once you find the file, you won't be able to do too much. For most phones, you can read documents and view spreadsheets a column at a time. If you have an iPhone, your experience will be better: spreadsheets can be fully displayed and presentations can be opened.

"At this point, we support both the iPhone and Blackberry mobile devices. Note, however, that presentations are only supported on the iPhone. Google Docs documents and spreadsheets should also work on phones that offer rich-browser support. While we haven't tested it across all mobile devices, a good rule of thumb is that the more advanced your phone's browsing capabilities, the more seamlessly Google Docs will work," mentions a note from the help center.

Maybe Google should release a mobile application that actually lets you edit the documents.

Google Docs Mobile homepage

A Google document

The painful way to view a spreadsheet
(one column, 20 rows at a time)

{ via Google Blogoscoped }

Unlocked??: The French iPhone Comes Unlocked

We told you yesterday that Orange would be the exclusive iPhone provider in France, but that's only half the story. The other half is that since French law prohibits the exclusive sale of phones locked to a provider, Orange will be selling both a locked and an unlocked version of the iPhone as a compromise. The unlocked version doesn't have a finalized price at this time, but we do know it will be more expensive than the €399 bundled version.

With all of the efforts all over the world to unlock iPhones, it's almost a slap in the face (or just a step in the right direction?) that Apple/Orange will be offering an unlocked version to France. Guess it's time to import if you don't like AT&T. [iht] from Gizmodo by Mark Wilson

More Great Features in Leopard

Yes folks, Leopard will be available on October 26, complete with its shiny new interface, Finder, QuickLook, Spaces, iChat with presentation sharing, Boot Camp, and—our all-time favorite—Time Machine without flux capacitor. Beyond that, the new Leopard comes with 316 new features, some of them really interesting (the below were highlighted by Jesus Diaz on Gizmodo) :

• Mail's Post-It-style notes synchronize automatically with the iPhone.
• Address Book now synchronizes with Yahoo.
• For programmers, AppleScript has now a bridge with Objective C. Looks like it has been one of the winners.
• Automator has a cool looking UI recorder and playback, along with an improved interface.
• Boot Camp is now official, complete with Microsoft WHCL-Certified Windows Drivers.
• Another expected feature is Web Clip in Dashboard. No sign of iPhone integration, however.
• The new-look dock is now spring-loaded. This means that you can drag an image over iPhoto, press the space bar and, once iPhoto is opened, you'll keep dragging the image to the desired folder.
• You can now have the dock synched in many Macs (this requires a .Mac account.)
• A welcome addition to early-morning Giz editors: a Japanese-English dictionary (not a translator, but in the Dictionary application.) Too bad they haven't included Spanish, French, Swedish or any other language but those two.
• DVD Player now comes with auto zoom, to box your movies correctly.
• Apple says that DVD Player has now higher quality video thanks to "Adaptive Video Analyzation technology that applies deinterlacing and inverse 3:2 pulldown on demand."
• Apart from all its well-known interface improvements, the Finder now includes precise grid control for icons and a one-click way to make all folder views look the same.
• I like the printable font book pages now, but just because I'm a font addict.
• Front Row will stream iTunes content from any Mac around the house.
• iCal has received a lot of new features, like inline editing of events, sharing of meeting materials in an event dropbox, and CalDAV group scheduling.
• Beyond the iChat Theater and all the screen sharing capabilities, iChat has also received a lot of small improvements, including a very-welcomed File Transfer Manager and persistent chat windows (at last.)
• Image applications will be able now to import photos from 802.11- and Bluetooth-enabled cameras.
• Self-Tuning TCP promises "optimum application performance, especially in high-bandwidth/high-latency environments."
• Photo Booth comes now with a burst mode, so you can record four-photo successive shots as GIFs. The objective: to annoy everyone in iChat with your moving buddy image.

Anybody who purchased a Mac on or after October ...

By the good grace of God a.k.a. Steve Jobs, anybody who purchased a Mac on or after October 1 will get a free Leopard upgrade. [Mac OS X Leopard Up-to-Date Program]

Apple: Apple Confirms October 26th Leopard Ship Date, Preorder Start Now

from Gizmodo by Wilson Rothman

The horse has spoken: The eagerly anticipated, occasionally delayed Mac OS 10.5 Leopard is finally shipping. It will be available in 10 days, on Friday, October 26th, at 6pm in Apple Stores and at authorized resellers. Leopard may be the most ambitious MacOS update since the switch to OS X, with new features such as Time Machine, Spaces and Quick Look, plus updated iChat and Mail and a snazzy new Dock with Stacks. The upgrade will cost $129 for a single-user license, and $199 for five-user "family pack." Meanwhile, students'll pay $116, up from the previous academic price of $79. Today's announcement does not appear to contain any previously unknown surprise features, but we'll have an interview where we can dig for more. (Oh, and preorders start today at Apple's website.)

Apple also confirmed the simultaneous shipping of the Leopard Server software, and unveiled a new utility, Podcast Producer, "the ideal way to automatically publish podcasts to iTunes or the web."

Apple to Ship Mac OS X Leopard on October 26

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today announced that Mac OS(R) 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(R).

"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(R) 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(TM), 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(R) with just a few clicks, and users can keep up-to-date by getting the latest news and blog feeds delivered directly to the their mailboxes with a built-in RSS reader.

iChat(R), 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(R) 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(R) 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.

Pricing & Availability

Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard will be available on October 26 at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $129 (US) for a single user license, and online pre-orders can be made through Apple's online store (http://www.apple.com) starting today. The Mac OS X Leopard Family Pack is a single-household, five-user license that will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1, 2007 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Leopard requires a minimum of 512MB of RAM and is designed to run on any Macintosh(R) computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 (867 Mhz or faster) processor. Full system requirements can be found at http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs.

Apple Announces Mac OS X Server Leopard

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today announced that Mac OS(R) X Server version 10.5 Leopard will go on sale on Friday, October 26, at the same time as Mac OS X Leopard. Leopard Server extends Apple's legendary ease of use, making it even easier to take advantage of the benefits of a server, and introduces Podcast Producer, the ideal way to automatically publish podcasts to iTunes(R) or the web. Leopard Server packs more than 250 new features including Wiki Server, allowing people to collaboratively create and modify their shared web sites with just a few
clicks; and iCal(R) Server, the world's first commercial CalDAV standard-based calendar server.

"Leopard Server is the best release of Mac OS X Server yet, bringing more great innovations, like Podcast Producer, Wiki Server and iCal Server," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

"With new setup features that have a server up and running within minutes and no client access licenses, Leopard Server is the ideal alternative to complicated and expensive server offerings for small and large businesses."

Leopard Server presents new features for effortless setup, management and monitoring of systems on the network. Server Assistant configures server applications, network settings such as IP addresses and DNS configurations and user accounts with just a few clicks. Server Preferences simplifies management of users, groups and key server applications, and a Server Status Dashboard widget remotely monitors activity and usage. Leopard Server also eliminates the need to manually set up Leopard clients by automatically configuring client applications, including file sharing, Mail, iChat(R), iCal, Address Book and VPN from user information stored on the server.

Podcast Producer is the easiest way for anyone to record content, automatically upload it to the server and convert it into a podcast optimized for playback on almost any device, including a High Definition TV, iPod(R), Apple TV(TM) or multimedia-enabled cell phone.

With Wiki Server, anyone can easily create and edit collaborative web pages, called wikis, with a few clicks of a mouse. Wiki Server has 20 Apple-designed web page themes and provides a complete revision history to make it easy to restore previous entries and merge or compare different versions. Wiki Server can automatically notify users whenever a change is made, keeping them up-to-date on the latest information, and users can tag keywords to find content quickly.

It's easy to share calendars, schedule meetings and coordinate events within a workgroup, school, small business or large corporation using iCal Server. iCal Server is the first open, standards-based calendar server that works with popular calendar programs which support the new CalDAV standard and does not require client access licenses, so businesses can add users freely as they expand at no additional cost.

Leopard Server is fully UNIX compliant and its core services, including Apache 2, MySQL 5, Postfix, Podcast Producer and QuickTime(R) Streaming Server, are 64-bit, allowing users to work with larger data sets and take full advantage of the performance and processing power of their 64-bit hardware. Since Leopard Server is fully 32-bit compatible, users can run 32-bit and 64-bit applications natively side-by-side.

Pricing & Availability

Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard will be available on October 26 at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for a 10-client edition and $999 (US) for an unlimited-client edition. An unlimited client license of Leopard Server is included with Apple's powerful Xserve(R) rack-mount server hardware at no extra charge. Online pre-orders can be made through the Apple Store(R) (http://www.apple.com) starting today and current subscribers to the Apple Maintenance Program will receive Leopard Server as part of their service agreement. Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Xserve system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1, 2007 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Leopard Server can run on any Macintosh(R) computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or G4 (867 Mhz or faster) processor, a minimum 1GB of RAM and at least 20GB of available disk space.

[Apple]

Apple: iPhone in France Will Be an Apples and Oranges Deal

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

Apple officially announced that French wireless carrier Orange will be the exclusive provider of the iPhone in France. Set to roll out on November 29, Apple CEO Steve Jobs crowed about how excited he was to partner with Orange, just in time for the holidays. So now French Apple fanboys won't have to hack that iPhone any more, and they can actually buy one legit for €399, a whopping $565.98 in good ol' US dollars. Click through for the Orange/Apple press propaganda.

PARIS, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) and Orange today announced that Orange, the leading wireless carrier in France, will be the exclusive French carrier partner for the revolutionary iPhone(TM) when it makes its debut in France on Thursday, November 29. iPhone combines three devices into one -- a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod(R), and the best mobile Internet device ever -- all based on Apple's revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. Apple sold its one millionth iPhone just 74 days after it went on sale in the US on June 29. "We are excited to partner with Orange and bring iPhone to France in time for the holidays," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPhone is an amazing product and we hope mobile users in France will love it as much as we do."

"The iPhone is a marvelous product and will change how people think about mobile. I'm delighted that it is launching in France through Orange, and I'm sure that our customers share my excitement. Our partnership with Apple is a natural fit because we are two global brands who share the same values of simplicity and innovation. It's going to be a very merry Christmas for Orange customers all over the country!" said Didier Lombard, CEO, France Telecom. In addition to all the revolutionary features that made iPhone so popular in the US, iPhone users in France will have access to Apple's latest music offerings on iPhone including the iTunes(R) Wi-Fi Music Store. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store offers customers the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase and download songs and albums from iTunes over the built-in Wi-Fi on their iPhone. Music fans can start enjoying their music purchases immediately on their iPhone with no computer required. Once they connect their iPhone back to their PC or Mac(R), downloaded music will automatically sync back into their iTunes library.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 29 and will be sold in France through Orange's online and direct retail stores. iPhone will be available in an 8GB model for euro 399 including V.A.T. for any subscription to one of the dedicated rate plans and will work with either a PC or Mac. iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account; the latest version of iTunes available at http://www.itunes.fr and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS(R) X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition.