bit-tech Shopping: Apple Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard Family Pack - 5-User (Full Product, Mac)

• PowerPC G4
• PowerPC G5

Rating: 4

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: it's fast

Weaknesses: can't run software

Summary: My kids have at least a dozen computer games, and not a single one will work on Leopard. I have no idea how to find new games for them that will work.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 6

Strengths: Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Screen sharing, improved Finder and file sharing

Weaknesses: Still somewhat buggy, incredibly fugly folder icons, translucent menubar

Summary: Anyone familiar with the history of Leopard knows that Apple rushed it out the door. Based on the poor quality of the beta releases about a month prior to release, no one expected Apple to meet its self-imposed deadline, yet somehow Apple managed to fix things up enough to get Leopard out on time. The initial release showed signs of its rushed development. With the 10.5.2 update, most of the glaring problems seem to have been addressed, but little, annoying bugs still persist. For instance, sometimes clicking on the desktop doesn't register, and it won't switch you to Finder.Leopard offers quite a compelling set of new features. My favorite, by far, is screen sharing, which allows you to easily use and control one Mac from another. If you're familiar with VNC, you already know what this is, but the new interface makes establishing the connection effortless. Time Machine makes backing up similarly effortless; however, its reliability is not yet at the point where I would suggest people rely on it as their only backup method. Finder is much improved ? it really couldn't get much worse ? but it still has room to improve.Overall, Leopard is a worthy upgrade, but it's still not one I'd recommend for everyone without reservation. Perhaps in an update or two further down the road, that will change, but for right now, users need to weigh the benefits of the new features with the possible headaches of dealing with Leopard's quirks.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1 Months

Strengths: Nice operating system. Works well. Stable.

Weaknesses: Not many interesting applications built into the operating system.

Summary: Leopard is a nice operating system. It works well, is stable, and the graphics and user interface are cool. The operating system does not come with many interesting applications though. You are going to want to buy iLife and either Microsoft Office or iWorka to get the most out of the OS.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Days

Strengths: Simple Install. Nice new features.

Weaknesses: A work in progress, but Apple seems to be listening to the users with the latest update (10.5.2)

Summary: I have installed this easily on two of our Macs thus far, an Aluminum Powerbook G4, and a PowerMac G5. I've also updated to 10.5.2. The install went smoothly, and everything seems to work just fine. I got installation tips from the major Mac web sites and print magazines. Customization to my liking has also gone smoothly. I'm still learning to customize the new Spaces to what fits my use best, but I really like how it sweeps groups of applications in and out of view depending upon what you're doing, keeping down the clutter associated with multiple applications open.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 4 Weeks

Strengths: On time delivery, great pricing

Weaknesses: none to my knowledge

Summary: First time buyer from this site. Been here quite a bit viewing products, to compare pricing and made my decision to purchase Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. It was fast, easy and on time delivery. Couldn't beat the price, best I found on a reliable and safe site. It make your decisions easy to make when you find what you want!