Apple - Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Better, Faster, Easier

Mac OS X 10.6 (also known as Snow Leopard) is the next operating system by Apple. 4 Highlight new features: 64-Bit, Grand Central Dispatch, OpenCL, QuickTime X.

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Mac OS X 10.6 - Snow Leopard is the next operating system by Apple. Snow Leopard will ship on August 28, 2009 and in the USA, an upgrade will be available for existing Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" users for $29, or up to five computers with the family pack at $49.

Since 2001, the breakthrough technologies and rock-solid UNIX foundation of Mac OS X (Download New Mac Software) have made it not only the world's most advanced operating system but also extremely secure, compatible, and easy to use. Snow Leopard continues this innovation by incorporating new technologies that offer immediate improvements while also smartly setting it up for the future.

What's new in Snow Leopard

1. 64-bit

64-bit computing used to be the province of scientists and engineers, but now this generational shift in computing gives all users the tools to apply the power of 64-bit to speed up everything from everyday applications to the most demanding scientific computations. Although Mac OS X is already 64-bit capable in many ways, Snow Leopard takes the next big step by rewriting nearly all system applications in 64-bit code and by enabling the Mac to address massive amounts of memory. Now Mac OS X is faster, more secure, and completely ready for the future.

2. Grand Central Dispatch

More cores, not faster clock speeds, drive performance increases in today's processors. Grand Central Dispatch takes full advantage by making all of Mac OS X multicore aware and optimizing it for allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors. Grand Central Dispatch also makes it much easier for developers to create programs that squeeze every last drop of power from multicore systems.

3. OpenCL

With graphics processors surpassing speeds of a trillion operations per second, they're capable of considerably more than just drawing pictures. OpenCL in Snow Leopard is a technology that makes it possible for developers to tap the vast gigaflops of computing power currently in the graphics processor and use it for any application.

4. QuickTime X

Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, a major leap forward that advances modern media and Internet standards. QuickTime X includes a brand-new player application, offers optimized support for modern codecs, and delivers more efficient media playback, making it ideal for any application that needs to play media content.