“Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be getting all the buzz, but it’s not the only operating system update that will hit store shelves this year,” Troy Wolverton reports for The San Jose Mercury News. “This spring, Apple plans to release Leopard, the fifth revision of its rival Mac OS X software. As with previous updates, Leopard will add a number of new features to the operating system… could prove important for Apple. In recent years, the company has made much of the differences between the Mac OS and Windows. Macs are more stable, more secure and easier to use, the company has repeatedly told potential customers.”
Wolverton reports, “Consumers appear to be listening. In recent quarters, Apple has repeatedly gained share in the PC market with its growth rates outpacing that of the broader industry. Meanwhile, more than half of all Macintosh computers sold in the United States are being bought by consumers who are new to the platform, either because they’ve switched from Windows or have never owned a computer before, CEO Steve Jobs said at Macworld.”
“‘Some people may say Vista is close enough (to the Mac OS), and that’ll be good enough for me,’ said Bob O’Donnell, an analyst who covers the PC industry for research firm IDC,” Wolverton reports.
“Apple has said little about Leopard since Jobs previewed the operating system update at the company’s developer conference in San Francisco last August. And even then, Apple gave little away about the new software. In fact, Jobs at the time said he was withholding some key new features of the operating system for fear Microsoft might try to put them into Vista before it launched,” Wolverton reports. “Still, some of the features he did show could help set it apart from Vista.”
Wolverton reports, “The analysts and developers who have played around with Leopard have been impressed by its new features, many of which represent a significant advance over what’s in Vista, said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, a Campbell-based high-tech consulting firm. The problem right now is that consumers don’t know about Leopard or what it will offer, he said. ‘The marketing burden is on Apple’s shoulders,’ Bajarin said. ‘Apple needs to seize the moment and start drawing attention to OS X Leopard.'”
Wolverton reports, “Some analysts even think Vista’s launch could even be an opportunity for Apple. To run the full version of Vista, many consumers will need to buy new, more powerful computers. Since they’re already in the market for a computer, such consumers may be easier to convince to look at what Apple has to offer, said Bajarin.”
More in the full article here.
Mac OS X Leopard Sneak Peek: http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/index.html
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