“The next version of Mac OS X is code-named ‘Snow Leopard,’ and will indeed be Intel-only, we have learned. This info is hot on the heels of TUAW’s original scoop about Mac OS X 10.6 being readied for shipment as soon as Macworld 2009 and being Intel-only,” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Techinca.
“People familiar with the situation have confirmed to us that TUAW’s details are true—Snow Leopard is currently on track to come out during next January’s Macworld, and it will not contain major OS changes. Instead, the release is heavily focused on performance and nailing down speed and stability,” Cheng reports.
More in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: We can confirm that multiple sources have also told us that Mac OS X 10.6 is currently code-named “Snow Leopard” and that is also the planned product name.
Mac OS X versions and code/product names:
• Mac OS X Public Beta
• Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah, code-name only)
• Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma, code-name only)
• Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)
• Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)
• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
• Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
• Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
They have officially run out of types of cats…
Leopard to Snow Leopard pretty much implies that this is a release with not many new features.
Sell those PPC Macs now.
{ahem}
Time to ditch the cats and go for planets or constellations. So, this will only be a lighter, leaner and faster Tiger/Leopard? I doubt it.
The faster the pace, the more the hiccups.
Cupertino: We’re running out of cool cat names.
I think “Snow Leopard” is a cool name, so there!
It’ll run cooler. I guess that {ahem} means that C1 was on the nose.
Maybe we are being snowed
whoopdi doo
what about the name “Sylvester”?
Cool. It will remove legacy, run faster and meaner on the INTEL based Macs. Time to upgrade folks.
Re: Snow Leopard
” . . . means that C1 was on the nose.”
Or up the nose.
FYI, Apple have trademarked Lion, Cougar and Lynx.
Snow Leopard makes sense if it’s designed to fine-tune performance on Intel – it is, after all, the future of the architecture.
=:~)
That’s some mean looking pussy.
What?!? No Persian or Maine Coon?
or Mac OS X Siamese.
why would they want to trash their own second-hand market?
it’s one of the selling points of a Mac that they retain value.
I can’t see that they would shit on people who bought a Mac as late as 2006?
So it’s a slight update, like Vista was? *shudders*
Hope it doesn’t become Mac OS X’s Vista!
jeddog: My sentiments exactly!
Let’s hope the name is not symbolic. The Snow Leopard is probably the most critically endangered medium to big cat in the world, can not roar, and is rarely seen by humans.
Please, no retarded Ubuntu-like names, Apple.
“Snow Leopard” is cutting it pretty close…
I think someone is giving a good Snow Jobs, But that’s about it.
On the contrary, Wealthy Industrialite, no new features is an excuse to hang on to my G4 just that little bit longer. I’ll get seven years’ use out of it yet!
@ Gosh
“why would they want to trash their own second-hand market?”
How is this trashing the second-hand market? If there are no major features added, just refinement for the Intels, then why would PPC owners feel left out? I have many older Macs doing useful work, and they’re all running different OSes — I don’t feel any resentment that they can’t all run Leopard. You said it yourself,
“it’s one of the selling points of a Mac that they retain value.”
I still don’t see it. They introduced Leopard late and with fewer than the expected number of features. All, I believe, they claimed they would have (take THAT, “Longhorn”) but nothing of the “secret features” they claimed to be holding back. And, Leopard was a bit rough in the early versions. When they say “no new features”, are they actually saying “just the stuff we tried to get into Leopard but didn’t manage to”? Will they be restoring my ability to link to my NAS? Oh, wait, Dual G5, I’ve been dumped!
I need a job, one which will earn me about $3,000 under the table. Any suggestions?
@Gosh
Do you have any data to back up your statement. I have never seen Apple use “retain value” as a selling point.
Apple won’t support PPC architecture forever. There becomes a point where supporting it hinders the majority of users as well as Apple.