Mac OS X Leopard review

The good: Elegant backup via Time Machine; Finder offers powerful navigation tweaks; novel workspace customization through Spaces' virtual desktops; integration with Web data and applications; Cover Flow visualizes file browsing; iChat Theater offers green screen backgrounds and lets users access each others' desktops; Bootcamp included.

The bad: Some new features, such as geotagging, aren't obvious to find; users with older Macs can't run Leopard.

The bottom line: The grace of Leopard's interface enhancements makes productivity more pleasurable with a Mac, as more than 300 functional and fun features top off this update.

Recommended retail price:

S$238 (US$151.42)

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published.

Apple Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is Apple's first major operating system upgrade since Tiger more than two years ago. The changes include close to 315 new features which, while not earth-shattering, further streamline the experience of using a Mac.

Should you pay for Leopard? If you're happy with the way Tiger works, then maybe not. If you need Bootcamp, however, then you must have Leopard. And if you're considering the purchase of a new computer, Leopard makes Macs more enticing than Tiger did. Plus, Leopard makes it far easier to find documents and applications than Windows Vista. Leopard's interface niceties makes the daily mechanics of using the computer more pleasurable. Mundane chores, such as finding files and backing up data, become a visual treat.

Mac OS X10.5 Leopard costs S$238 (US$151.42) out of the box, or S$369 (US$234.76) for up to five users. Those who bought Macs after October 1 must pay S$16 (US$10.18) to have Leopard shipped to them.

Setup And Installation

It took us about 40 minutes to install Mac OS X10.5 Leopard on an Intel-based MacBook. That's a bit longer than it took to install Windows Vista, but not by much. You should proceed carefully to migrate files and applications you'll need. Apple steps you through the process, but take your time to avoid overwriting valuable data.

To run Leopard, you'll need an Intel or PowerPC G5 Mac. A PowerPC-based G4 Mac with an 867MHz or better processor will work as well. Apple suggests having 512MB of RAM. Additionally, you'll need a USB or Firewire external backup drive (or a file-sharing volume on a network) to use Time Machine. Features on iChat require a Webcam.

Features

The new look and feel of Leopard is different without demanding that you relearn the layout. The Dock organizing applications and file becomes a bit more transparent. Bump it over to one side, and the Dock looks a bit flatter. A drop shadow now highlights the active window, and all windows share a unified visual design.

Click on an icon on the Dock and related items fan out in the order you last accessed them. New stacks help to unclutter your desktop by showing icons of items in the order they were last accessed. If the stack is packed with items, you can display them as a grid.

The souped-up Finder introduces a sidebar that allows you to rearrange items in the Places section, while Search For submenus can locate files based on type and when you last worked on them. Click on Today, for instance, and you'll see everything you've touched lately in chronological order. If you work on a network, checking out another person's desktop starts with the simple Share Screen option.

Spotlight scours through files in shared folders on a network, as well as within Safari's Web History. It gets smarter, reading "Not" and "Or," dates and phrases, and even serving as a calculator for trig equations.