Discovering Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
- More Support for the Faster 64-bit Computers
- Installation Has Been Renovated and Simplified
- Improvements to Finder, Dock, and Expos
- It Plays Nice on Corporate Networks with Microsoft Exchange Support
- Even More Processing Enhancements
- New Editing Features in QuickTime X
- Getting Snow Leopard on Your Mac
Apple released an update to the Mac OS X operating system (OS), Snow Leopard, at the end of August. This makes it version 10.6. Although it might not have as many visual changes as Windows 7 does from Vista, it does have many notable enhancements and additions. The first thing you'll probably notice is the price: It's only $29 to upgrade from version 10.5.
More Support for the Faster 64-bit Computers
Since Tiger, Apple has been adding more and more 64-bit support. The Mac OS X kernel in Snow Leopard and most of the OS applications have been rebuilt to run at 64-bit in addition to 32-bit. However, this excludes iTunes, Front Row, Grapher, and DVD Player applications. Plus right now only a select number of Apple computers are compatible with all the added support.
If you aren't a power user and have a typical 32-bit processor, this doesn't help you out. But if you do invest in a more powerful system, Mac OS X is ready more than ever.
Running a 64-bit processor means it can process bigger chunks of data more quickly, giving you a faster, higher-performing computer.