OS X Topic

Today marks Mac OS X's 9th birthday as Apple first unveiled Mac OS X nine years ago on March 24, 2001 as a replacement to the Mac OS 9 operating system.  Mac OS X (pronounced Mac O-S-Ten) has come a long way over the past nine years including a major rewrite that transitioned the OS to run on Intel processors..

A June 12, 2009 CNNMoney.com article titled 'Can Windows 7 save PCs?", David Goldman writes about Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 operating system.    The article discusses the PC slump and highlights a March survey conducted by Dimension Research that indicates that 50% of respondents are likely to dump Windows in favor of Apple's Mac OS X operating system.

With WWDC kicking off on Monday June 8, I wanted to post my expectation that Apple will release Mac updates in either September or October.  In the May 13, 2009 WWDC Press Release Apple stated it would be issuing a Mac OS X Snow Leopard 'final Developer Preview'.  Prior to this press release, I expressed my expectations of what Apple would likely do with respect to Snow Leopard at WWDC in a May 5, 2009 reply at the MacRumors Forums eight days prior to the Apple Press Release.  Here's what I stated:

Speculation is running rampant amongst Apple watchers that the firm's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) will be held during June 6-12.  It was first speculated by the Baltimore Sun and has been picked up by numerous outlets.  It's widely anticipated that Apple will demonstrate and/or announce Snow Leopard, Mac OS X version 10.6 at WWDC.

With the availability of iLife '09 commencing today from Apple and several Apple authorized resellers, Apple has updated the status of the Mac Box Set from 'Ships: January' to 'Ships: Within 24hrs'.  With the Mac Box Set, buyers can get iLife '09, iWork '09, and Mac OS X Leopard, in a single box. 

Apple has issued a support article titled 'Mac OS: Antivirus utilities' in which they recommend the use of antivirus software on Mac OS.  Here's what Apple states:

With today's cyber-threats and focus on computer security, it's no surprise that many people are ditching their Windows PCs for Macs running OS X.  Even Apple's 'Get a Mac' ads highlight the security issues that plague Windows.  The requirement to protect Windows installations from viruses, spyware and malware, have prompted many to make the switch.

Edward C. Baig states that you don't have to hold back on making the switch.  His column starts off with the following statement:

Aside from an awesome user interface and a great underlying architecture, Apple built OS X with security in mind.  As part of that central security theme, OS X has been designed using three key isolation features:

Earlier this week, the buzz was centered around Apple's new beta Boot Camp software for OS X Tiger 10.4.6 that allows owners of new Intel Macs to extend the funcionality of the systems to boot into Mac OS X or Windows XP.  Apple also released firmware updates for the entire line of the Intel Macs that provide EFI and BIOS support that should allow the new Intel Macs to boot into adiitional operating systems such as Windows XP, the upcoming Windows Vista, and Linux.  The Intel Macs use a modern booting technology called EFI, Extensible Firmware Interface.  In order to boot Windows XP and Windows Vista, the computer needs to support BIOS, a technology over 20 years old.  Boot Camp bridges the EFI and BIOS gap.

Historically, there has never been a true test to compare Macs with Intel based PCs.  New data and benchmarks demonstrating that the Intel powered MacBook Pros and iMacs run Windows faster than today's PCs dismiss the myths that Macs are slower, behind the technology curve, and are more costly.  The point I'd like to make is that the Intel based Macs were designed and engineered to be Macs that run OS X, not Windows.  The fact that they run Windows XP faster than WinTel machines proves that Apple's hardware engineering, innovation, and quality surpasses its competitors.